Pittsburgh Bar Guide
30+ bars across Pittsburgh's drinking neighbourhoods, curated by editors who know the city.
Pittsburgh drinks cheap, deep, and historically. The boilermaker — an Iron City lager with a shot of rye — is the local ritual. Around it, Lawrenceville built a cocktail wave to rival Brooklyn's. The bars here are warmer, the rooms are cheaper, and the bartenders never make you feel like you owe them anything.
Five neighbourhoods cluster the scene. Lawrenceville is the cocktail-and-creative spine. The Strip District holds the heritage whiskey-and-warehouse bars. South Side is the dive-bar crawl quarter. Shadyside is the polished residential district. Downtown covers the post-game and after-work scenes.
Cocktails run $11 to $14. Pints $4 to $6 — among the cheapest in any major American city. Tipping is 20 percent. Most bars run to 2am. Reserve Tender Bar + Kitchen and Hidden Harbor on weekends.
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Cocktail Bars in Pittsburgh
World-class cocktail rooms
Rooftop Bars in Pittsburgh
Skyline drinks
Date Night in Pittsburgh
Romantic spots
After Work in Pittsburgh
Apéro-hour bars
Live Music in Pittsburgh
Bands and DJs
Craft Beer in Pittsburgh
Microbreweries and taprooms
Hidden Gems in Pittsburgh
Unmarked doors
Sports Bars in Pittsburgh
Watch parties
Top Picks This Week
Tender Bar + Kitchen
Pittsburgh's most awarded cocktail bar. James Beard semi-finalist. Long marble counter, classics-leaning menu, and serious bar food. Reserve.
Hidden Harbor
Tiki bar that takes the genre seriously. Carved wooden bar, rum-forward menu, and tropical-fruit garnishes. The Pittsburgh cocktail crowd's destination.
The Warren
Speakeasy reached through an unmarked door behind a bookshelf. Twenty-eight seats. Classic-cocktail menu and a young dressed-up crowd.
Acacia
Cocktail bar with a long whiskey list and a tight rotating cocktail menu. Brick-walled, candle-lit, and a neighbourhood-feel crowd.
Speakeasy
Smaller cocktail room in the back of a restaurant. Twelve seats. The bartenders rotate the menu monthly. Best on a Wednesday or Thursday.
Gooski's
Heritage dive bar from the 1970s. Punk-show jukebox, cheap pitchers, and the most Pittsburgh-feeling room in the city. Cash only.
Neighbourhood Guide
Lawrenceville
The cocktail-and-creative spine. Speakeasies, awarded cocktail rooms, and the densest concentration of serious bars in western Pennsylvania.
Strip District
The wholesale-market district. Heritage whiskey bars, post-shift breakfast bars, and the most authentic working-class Pittsburgh drinking.
South Side
The dive-bar crawl quarter. Twenty pubs in five blocks of East Carson Street. Cheap shots, college-town energy, and the loudest weekend nights in the city.
Shadyside
Polished residential district east of the centre. Wine bars, hotel cocktail rooms, and a thirty-something dressed-up crowd.
Downtown
The central business district. Sports bars near PNC Park, hotel cocktail rooms, and the post-game crowd.
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