I lived in Dormont until I was about a year-old. My parents rented an apartment here until they…read moremoved into a family-sized home in Brookline once my sister was conceived. Growing up, I always thought there to be something special about this neighborhood, which oddly enough is considered a suburb despite bordering Brookline and Beechview.
Consistently a comfortable area,with so many business here, both recently opened and long-running, I think it's becoming even more livable as time goes on. I'll even predict publicly that Dormont will become the next happening area in the coming years.
I strongly considered buying a house in Dormont, but the prices kept me at bay. However, failing to deter me from visiting are Eat 'n Park, The Dor-Stop, Sugar Cafe, Amazing Wok, Tom's Diner, Potomac Bakery, Katana, Mekong, Thai Spoon, Knossos Gyros, Cain's Saloon, Molly's, and Campiti's, all of them in unison offering a meal for every palate, budget, or mood. It doesn't matter if you want a hearty breakfast, a good burger, some piping hot pizza, donuts, sushi, dolmades, black sticky rice, wonton soup, pho, cappuccino or simply some excellent bar grub, Dormont has a restaurant to suit your tastes.
Dormont also has two competing (warring?) entertainment shops (MIB Ninja and The Exchange are within doors of each other!), a pair of bookstores, and the wonderfully old-fashioned Hollywood Theatre where one can catch a cult-classic B-movie, the latest critically-acclaimed arthouse feature, or witness and possibly participate in the good-hearted debauchery of The Rocky Horror Picture show which runs fortnightly at 12AM sharp on weekends.
An awesome, ever-improving neighborhood that is becoming more diverse by the day, Dormont manages to retain its quintessential South Hills coziness despite adjusting with the times.
P.S. Rachel C, our peach of a Community Manager, bought a house in this area recently. Psst. Put up a review, commish!