Cocktails, wine bars and dives: drinking in Pittsburgh for grown-ups.
Cocktail bars, wine bars, dive bars and gastropubs: drinking in Pittsburgh for grown-ups.
Hidden Harbor on Shady Avenue in Squirrel Hill is a nationally-ranked tiki bar in Pittsburgh. Over 600 rums and house-made tropical cocktails.
Signature drink: Rum tiki cocktails
Food: Snacks
Tip: One of the country's best tiki bars. Go for the rum list and the elaborate exotic drinks.
Acacia on East Carson Street in the South Side is a low-lit cocktail bar in Pittsburgh. A calmer corner of the bar strip built for conversation.
Signature drink: Custom cocktails
Food: Snacks
Tip: A quieter spot on a rowdy strip. Tell the bartender what you like and let them build it.
Tina's on Main Street in Bloomfield is a retro cocktail bar and bottle shop in Pittsburgh. Inventive drinks, a jukebox and board games in a compact room.
Signature drink: House cocktails
Food: Snacks
Tip: A cocktail bar and bottle shop in one. The retro room and jukebox are the draw.
Butterjoint on North Craig Street in Oakland is a bar and restaurant in Pittsburgh. Classic cocktails, a strong burger and house pierogi near Pitt.
Signature drink: Classic cocktails
Food: Burgers and pierogi
Tip: Come for the burger and pierogi as much as the drinks. Happy hour is the value play.
Bar Botanico on Butler Street in Lawrenceville is a plant-filled cocktail bar in Pittsburgh. Botanical drinks and small plates in a greenhouse-style room.
Signature drink: Botanical cocktails
Food: Small plates
Tip: The greenhouse room is the seat. Good for a date; the cocktails lean herbal and floral.
Bridges & Bourbon on Penn Avenue downtown is a high-end cocktail bar in Pittsburgh. A long bourbon list and serious cocktails in the Cultural District.
Signature drink: Bourbon cocktails
Food: New American plates
Tip: One of downtown's best cocktail programs. Handy before a Cultural District show.
Space Bar on Market Square downtown is a small cocktail bar in Pittsburgh. A tight, design-forward room mixing seasonal drinks in the Golden Triangle.
Signature drink: Seasonal cocktails
Food: Snacks
Tip: Small and intimate; get there early on weekends. A reliable downtown cocktail stop.
The Summit on Shiloh Street in Mount Washington is a cocktail bar with a skyline view in Pittsburgh. Drinks and small plates above the Grandview overlooks.
Signature drink: Cocktails with a view
Food: Small plates
Tip: Go at dusk for the skyline. A more relaxed alternative to the big Grandview rooms.
Brillobox on Penn Avenue in Bloomfield is a bar and music venue in Pittsburgh. An art-filled corner room with cocktails downstairs and live shows upstairs.
Signature drink: Cocktails and beer
Food: Bar food
Tip: Check the upstairs music calendar. The downstairs bar runs late on weekends.
Wigle Whiskey on Smallman Street in the Strip District is a distillery and tasting room in Pittsburgh. Grain-to-glass whiskey and cocktails.
Signature drink: House whiskey cocktails
Food: Snacks
Tip: Take a distillery tour, then drink cocktails in the tasting room. A Strip District original.
The Finch on South 2nd Street in the South Side is a cocktail bar in Pittsburgh. Drinks and small plates in the old Duquesne Brewery distillery complex.
Signature drink: Cocktails
Food: Small plates
Tip: Set in the historic distillery complex. A more grown-up South Side option.
Grapperia on Butler Street in Lawrenceville is an Italian aperitivo bar in Pittsburgh. Amaro, grappa and aperitivo cocktails above Piccolo Forno.
Signature drink: Amaro and grappa cocktails
Food: Italian snacks
Tip: An Italian amaro-focused bar from the Piccolo Forno team. Good for a pre-dinner aperitivo.
Lorelei on South Highland Avenue in East Liberty is a German and Alpine beer bar in Pittsburgh. A deep German beer list, schnitzel and pretzels.
Signature drink: German beer
Food: German bar food
Tip: Come for the German beer list and a pretzel. The patio fills on warm evenings.
The Lion on Allegheny Avenue on the North Side is a small cocktail bar in Pittsburgh. A neighbourhood spot with carefully made drinks in Manchester.
Signature drink: Cocktails
Food: Snacks
Tip: A low-key North Side cocktail bar. Good for a quiet drink off the tourist track.
The Speakeasy inside the Omni William Penn Hotel downtown is a Prohibition-style bar in Pittsburgh. Classic cocktails and live piano in the grand old hotel.
Signature drink: Classic cocktails
Food: Snacks
Tip: Tucked inside the historic Omni William Penn. Go for the old-hotel grandeur and a classic drink.
Gooski's on Brereton Street in Polish Hill is a established dive bar in Pittsburgh. Cheap drinks, punk shows and pierogi in the old steelworker neighbourhood.
Signature drink: Cheap beer and shots
Food: Bar food
Tip: A Polish Hill institution; cash-friendly and loud. Live punk and good cheap pierogi.
Spirit on 51st Street in Lawrenceville is a bar, pizzeria and music venue in Pittsburgh. Pizza and drinks downstairs and live shows in a former Moose lodge.
Signature drink: Beer and cocktails
Food: Pizza
Tip: Check the upstairs show calendar. The downstairs pizza and bar run independently.
Whisper on Penn Avenue downtown is a cocktail bar in the Cultural District in Pittsburgh. Drinks beside Bridges & Bourbon, handy before and after a show.
Signature drink: Cocktails
Food: Snacks
Tip: Sits next to Bridges & Bourbon on Penn. A solid pre-theatre cocktail stop downtown.
Goodlander on Hamilton Avenue in Larimer is a cocktail brewery in Pittsburgh. A novel spot fermenting and brewing its own cocktail bases in the East End.
Signature drink: Brewed cocktails
Food: Snacks
Tip: Drinks are brewed rather than mixed bottle-to-glass. Worth it for the curiosity alone.
The Warren Bar & Burrow on 7th Street downtown is a cocktail bar in Pittsburgh. Cocktails, wine and sushi in a hidden-feeling room in the Cultural District.
Signature drink: Cocktails
Food: Sushi and small plates
Tip: Easy to walk past; look for the entrance off the alley. Sushi pairs with the cocktails.
The horseshoe bar at Fet-Fisk on Liberty Avenue in Bloomfield is one of Pittsburgh's best perches. Snaps, low-intervention wine and oysters at the counter.
Signature drink: Snaps and low-intervention wine
Food: Nordic snacks
Tip: The bar stays open later than the kitchen. A great spot for oysters and a glass solo.
Hey Babe on South Whitfield Street in East Liberty is a cocktail-driven lounge in Pittsburgh. Seasonal drinks and bites in the old YMCA hotel building.
Signature drink: Seasonal cocktails
Food: Seasonal bites
Tip: Bar seats hold space for walk-ins. The cocktail card changes with the season.
Unspeakable on Penn Avenue in Lawrenceville is a speakeasy in Pittsburgh. Asian-inflected cocktails hidden behind the Ineffable Ca Phe cafe by night.
Signature drink: Asian-inflected cocktails
Food: Snacks
Tip: Enter through the Ineffable Ca Phe cafe. The cocktails lean on Vietnamese flavours.
The Abbey on Butler Street in Lawrenceville is a bar and restaurant in Pittsburgh. Cocktails, beer and brunch in a converted former funeral home with a patio.
Signature drink: Cocktails and beer
Food: Brunch and bar food
Tip: The back patio is the seat in summer. Strong brunch and a good cocktail list.
Poetry Lounge on North Avenue in Millvale is a cocktail bar in Pittsburgh. A moody, literary-themed room mixing creative drinks just over the city line.
Signature drink: Cocktails
Food: Snacks
Tip: A short hop into Millvale. Worth it for the atmosphere and the inventive cocktails.