Luke Wholey's Wild Alaskan Grille — Restaurant in Pittsburgh

If you’re a seafood lover in Pittsburgh, look no further than Luke Wholeys. From the moment you step inside, you’re greeted by a warm and inviting atmosphere that feels like a second home. My husband and I have been frequent visitors, and I can confidently say this is hands down the best seafood I’ve ever had.

Location & Atmosphere Conveniently located, Luke Wholeys is easy to get to, making it a go-to spot for our seafood cravings. The ambiance is cozy yet vibrant, with nautical decor that enhances the seaside vibe without being overdone. It’s the perfect setting for both a casual dinner and a special occasion.

Service The customer service here is truly outstanding. The staff genuinely cares about your dining experience, treating you like family rather than just another table. Every visit has been smooth and enjoyable; we’ve never encountered any issues. Their attentiveness and friendliness elevate the entire dining experience, making you feel valued and appreciated.

Food Quality Now, let’s talk about the star of the show: the food. As a seafood foodie, I’ve dined at numerous establishments, but the offerings at Luke Wholeys are simply unmatched.

Lobster Bisque: This dish is a nostalgic delight, featuring fresh lobster swimming in a rich, creamy base, with oyster crackers that transport me back to my childhood. It’s a must-try.

Mussels: Perfectly cooked and immersed in a unique wine sauce, these mussels are a revelation. Each bite is packed with flavor, making them a standout on the menu.

Peel and Eat Shrimp: This is truly a bang for your buck. The shrimp are always fresh, and the accompanying seasoning is spot on.

Sides: The sides are equally impressive. The fries are crispy and golden, and the mac and cheese is comforting. But if you really want to indulge, the lobster mac and cheese is to die for—I could eat it every day without getting tired of it!

Takeout: We’ve also enjoyed takeout on occasion, and I’m happy to report it never disappoints. The po' boys and lobster rolls are consistently excellent, retaining their quality even when taken home.

Land and Sea: The crab cakes and fish n’ chips are also highlights. The crab cakes are loaded with flavor and have a wonderful texture, while the fish n’ chips are perfectly crispy.

Sushi: Always fresh and expertly prepared, the sushi options add a nice touch to the menu. It’s refreshing to have such variety in a seafood restaurant.

Drinks Don’t forget to explore the drink menu! The cocktails are unique and delicious, perfectly complementing the seafood dishes. Each drink feels like a crafted experience, enhancing your meal without overshadowing the star ingredients.

Desserts To finish off your meal, I highly recommend the key lime pie. It’s the perfect blend of tart and sweet, providing a refreshing end to an amazing dining experience.

Pricing Prices at Luke Wholeys are reasonable, especially considering the quality and freshness of the food. It’s hard to find such exceptional seafood at these price points elsewhere in Pittsburgh.

Conclusion Overall, I cannot recommend Luke Wholeys enough. Whether you’re dining in or grabbing takeout, you can expect hot, fresh, and delectable seafood every time. The welcoming atmosphere, fantastic service, and incredible food make it a 10/10 experience. If you haven’t been yet, do yourself a favor and make a reservation—your taste buds...

THE GOOD: To start we had fried calamari for a party of 3, which was perfect for sharing. Great breading, lightly sprinkled with parmesan. It wasn't tremendous, but it was decent and easily the best order on the menu. Highly recommend the Snowdrift Vanilla Porter and Black Cherry Cider, the latter if which is both tart and sweet and has a rich body that will remind you of cherry cola. TRY IT.

THE BAD: We had the special Diablo Pasta, fish n chips & the spider roll platter. The fish n chips were so undercooked they were cold. Not lukewarm. Half raw. The third piece was almost completely raw. The chef does not know how to fillet fish, evidenced by the fact that all three pieces were short but very thick which is why they had trouble cooking this through. Yet the batter was still undercooked, so I'm not sure how that mistake was made. Thus far I have had fish and chips in six different countries, and I have never had worse than this. The batter that Burger King or McDonald's does their chicken nuggets in is superior to this uninspired batter. It is very thin, flavorless and does not seem to have much of an ingredient beyond salt and flour. Absolutely do not get these. The owner's solution was to comp my hard cider. BRAVO 👏

The portions are generous, the fries are decent. The Diablo had a little zing to it, but not overpoweringly so. However, the shrimp were not fresh & the mussels were severely overcooked.

Flavorful and easy to eat with the sushi. But this isn't real sushi, so don't expect that if you order it.

The fish n chips recipe was not beer battered, a surprise given the excellent beer menu. I hope to see a more inspired recipe for such a great dining room and staff. Cole slaw was light and zesty.

Excellent service and attentive manager. Our server Kevin was not pushy, and he was on top of everything. The manager was awesome. You will be well attended here. 5 stars for the service.

Just when we were about to leave the owner came out. What a lesson in restauranteuring he needs (firstly, learn some people skills and don't hold three Women up during their attempt to exit). His manager and waiter had absolutely handled the situation but he had to come out and add his two cents. You know the type, Ladies. He aggressively stood behind his fish n chips. He had very little interest in acknowledging what was wrong with virtually everything we ordered. I was looking forward to leaving a much better review here, but the food is atrocious. If you want a beer and fast food level finger foods this is the...

This was our first visit. We love seafood and thought it would be perfect so expectations were high but you set them when you made that menu and pricing. Breanna was our server and she was perfectly fine, everything with service was fine. Nothing above the bar, but she was kind and seemed like a nice person (20% tip). The lobster bisque was very good for lobster bisque, one of the best bisque soups I've had. Then with the fries, man, it was very very tasty. I got a $30 lobster roll and as it was stuffed with plenty of lobster and the bread was amazing with it but it was well over cooked. I know it's hard to make it right. I get it. I noticed it was rubbery in the soup but gave you a pass as it's in soup simmering for who knows how long. But that 30 dollar lobster roll had some pretty tough pieces in it. The mussels were cooked properly tho. I planned on being fat and trying both lobster rolls but after the first one, that was enough. I'll probably try them again, and get the other lobster roll and maybe try the swordfish steak as that's hard to mess up. Overall for the pain in the butt parking, the overall DAHNTAHN (downtown) experience was a little rough. It's not the restaurants fault homeless people are outside begging me for money but that's part of your atmosphere. Then you want crazy top tier prices with an inexperienced or overwhelmed and careless chef.....that's not gonna cut it. Then as we are leaving you are turning away 3 people that dont have a reservation? Wow. The fries dumped into lobster bisque was pretty good, everything else was ma ma ma ma ma MID. It was honestly not much better than your average bar food. Make no mistake. I will try it again, to try a couple other things but if you dont have money to waste or if you have a craving for specific things they have, try them out. This could also be a one off experience. Even though a personal long time friend told me, AFTER THE VISIT, that he thought the lobster was overcooked. Cook could be having a bad stretch, bad day. I'll change my review when I try them again. But as it stands, yall want Ruth Chris Steakhouse pricing but giving me local bar food. It is what it is. Would never recommend to anyone as...