Dance clubs, live music, rooftop bars, speakeasies, LGBTQ+ venues, listening bars and late-night dives in Pittsburgh.
Dance clubs, live music, rooftop bars, speakeasies, LGBTQ+ nightlife, listening bars and late-night dives across Pittsburgh, with where to go and what is worth the late night.
Spirit on 51st Street in Lawrenceville is a bar, pizzeria and music venue in Pittsburgh. The upstairs hall runs DJ nights and live shows in a former Moose lodge.
Tip: Check the upstairs calendar for dance nights; the downstairs pizza and bar run separately.
Brillobox on Penn Avenue in Bloomfield runs DJ and dance nights upstairs in Pittsburgh. An art-filled corner venue with cocktails below and a small dance floor above.
Tip: The upstairs room hosts DJ nights and dance parties; check the calendar before going.
Brillobox on Penn Avenue in Bloomfield is a long-running live-music bar in Pittsburgh. Cocktails downstairs and a small upstairs stage for touring and local bands.
Tip: The upstairs stage hosts indie and local acts most nights; arrive early for a good spot.
Gooski's on Brereton Street in Polish Hill is a dive bar and punk venue in Pittsburgh. Cheap drinks, pierogi and live punk shows in the old steelworker neighbourhood.
Tip: Cash only and loud. Catch a punk show, eat the pierogi and stay late; it runs to 2am.
Spirits & Tales atop the Oaklander Hotel is a rooftop bar with a view in Pittsburgh. Cocktails and small plates on a terrace above the university district.
Tip: Go at sunset for the rooftop view. Reserve a terrace table on warm-weather weekends.
Il Tetto, the rooftop atop Sienna Mercato on Penn Avenue downtown, is a beer-garden terrace in Pittsburgh. Drinks and pizza above the Cultural District.
Tip: The rooftop beer garden fills before Cultural District shows; go early for a table.
Acacia on East Carson Street in the South Side is a speakeasy-style cocktail bar in Pittsburgh. Low lights and custom cocktails in a calmer corner of the bar strip.
Tip: Tell the bartender what you like and let them build a drink. Quieter than its neighbours.
Unspeakable on Penn Avenue in Lawrenceville is a speakeasy hidden behind a Vietnamese cafe in Pittsburgh. Asian-inflected cocktails behind Ineffable Ca Phe by night.
Tip: Enter through the Ineffable Ca Phe cafe. The cocktails lean on Vietnamese flavours.
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.
Tip: Tucked inside the historic hotel. Go for the old-world grandeur and a classic cocktail.
Blue Moon on Butler Street in Lawrenceville is a long-running LGBTQ bar in Pittsburgh. Drag nights, drinks and a welcoming crowd in Upper Lawrenceville.
Tip: Check the calendar for drag and theme nights. A friendly, unpretentious neighbourhood bar.
P Town Bar on Baum Boulevard is a long-running LGBTQ bar in Pittsburgh. Drag shows, karaoke and a dance floor near the Bloomfield and Oakland border.
Tip: Karaoke and drag nights are the draw. A laid-back gay bar that draws a mixed crowd.
Tina's on Main Street in Bloomfield is a retro cocktail bar and bottle shop in Pittsburgh. A jukebox, board games and inventive drinks in a small, music-led room.
Tip: Feed the jukebox and play a board game. A cocktail bar and bottle shop in one compact room.
Bar Botanico on Butler Street in Lawrenceville is a plant-filled cocktail bar in Pittsburgh. A calm greenhouse-style room with botanical drinks and a relaxed soundtrack.
Tip: The greenhouse room is the seat for a low-key drink. Cocktails lean herbal and floral.
Gooski's on Brereton Street in Polish Hill is a beloved late-night dive in Pittsburgh. Cheap drinks, pierogi and punk shows until 2am in the old steel neighbourhood.
Tip: Cash only and loud. The pierogi and cheap drinks make it a reliable late-night stop.
The Warren Bar & Burrow on 7th Street downtown is a late cocktail bar in Pittsburgh. A hidden-feeling room with cocktails, wine and sushi in the Cultural District.
Tip: Easy to walk past; look for the alley entrance. Sushi and cocktails run late downtown.