Pittsburgh is still a beer-and-a-shot kind of town. While the past decade has seen the cocktail lounge come into vogue, the neighborhood dive remains a busy community gathering place, steadily pouring the same beers to the same neighborhood folks. Folks who show up to each other’s Christmas parties and summer barbeques. If Pittsburgh, as a city, already feels like an episode of Cheers, dives here are that experience magnified. If you aren’t a regular at the local watering hole, it can take some time to find your groove. Each neighborhood and history brings its unique vibe. The CP crew set off on a Wednesday morning to visit some of the most recommended and iconic joints in the city.
10 a.m.
Hours: 7 a.m.-2 a.m. Mon.-Sat.; 9 a.m.-2 a.m. Sun.
“Party on a budget 365 days a year!” exclaims Jack’s website, which had its last blog update in 2014. Pink on black with blocky lettering, it looks like it was designed in the mid-’90s. The same can be said for the bar. The joint is dated, although I prefer “timeless.” Bonnie the bartender laughs a laugh clouded with the smoke of many late nights when she says it’s been open for “about a 100 years.” I arrive two minutes late to meet my editor, Charlie Deitch, and art director, Lisa Cunningham. He’s already drinking; she’s already being hit on by a shameless patron. T-shirts, thongs and boy-shorts emblazoned with the phrase “Drink every afternoon” are tacked above the bar and slightly obscured by the cigarette smoke that’s wafting toward the ceiling. Bar shelves are lined with everything from the garishly decorated bottom-shelf liquors, like buttershots, to Tito’s Vodka. Two young women wearing hospital scrubs, perhaps coming off a midnight shift, laugh together at the end of the bar, but everyone else is a white dude older than 50. The man hitting on Lisa turns his attentions toward me, offering to buy me a shot. As my father once told me, “With men, any attention is good attention.” I’m wary but accept anyway. I opt for a jello shot, because it is, after all, 10 a.m. on a Wednesday; the jello makes it almost like breakfast.
When I ask if they make any virgin drinks, Bonnie gives me the long, tired look you give someone whom you consider endearing, but also very stupid. She deadpans: “Coke. Water. You could have a Bloody Mary without the vodka?”
8-oz. domestic drafts $1.60; $1.50 jello shots or the bargain price of two for $3. Not done yet? Grab a 16-oz. can of Old Milwaukee, Natty Lite or PBR to go — six packs are $7.15.
Bar eats include chili dogs, hamburgers, fish sandwiches and pepper provolone sticks, among a few other offerings. Ripping into his chili dog, Charlie stops short, saying, “There’s a piece of food [on the bar] that wasn’t on anything I ordered.”
A Golden Tee machine to play a couple holes and a digital jukebox that Charlie showed one of the drunker patrons how to use.
Total Damage: $8.75 for three beers, a chili dog and a Coke.
11 a.m.
Hours: 10 a.m.-2 a.m. daily
Katie the bartender says she’s been working here for a year-and-a-half, but most every other bartender has been here for 10 to 20 years. Nikos definitely feels like the kind of place to settle in for a while. Beer is served in heavy-bottomed glass mugs; think barware from Moe’s Tavern on The Simpsons. At this time of day, the bar holds exclusively old-timers drinking the free coffee that’s provided every morning. “We pick up in the evening,” Katie says. “It’s a younger crowd then, but it’s everyone's favorite neighborhood bar.” She introduces us to some of the regulars. When I ask John L. how long he’s been coming to this bar, he says he doesn’t remember. But he knows he’s been living in the neighborhood for 80 years. “Has it changed a lot?” we ask. “Hell yeah!” he says. “We had a junkman who used to ride horses through to pick the junk up back during the second World War. All the roads are different. We used to have street-car tracks out there. The beer don’t change.” He suggests we walk along Grandview Avenue, and says he used to walk that street to go to school. “No snow days. No school buses. And when the teacher said, ‘Shut up,’ you shut up,” he says. On his way out the door, John L. stops at my stool and leans in conspiratorially. “She’s a hula-hoop champion, ya know,” he whispers, pointing to the bartender with his chin, clearly taking pride in her accomplishments. And then, he’s out into the sunshine.
$3.50 well drinks or 16-oz. drafts of Bud Light, Miller High Life or Yuengling for $1.75. $5 Long Island Ice Teas after 5 p.m. on Wednesdays.
Lots of fried food, wings, burgers, hoagies and wraps. Katie says there’s a spinning griller for gyros coming in soon.
In the back room, Nikos has a pool table and darts, as well as the ever-more-elusive cigarette machine.
Total Damage: $7 for two beers and a screwdriver.
Noon
Hours: 10 a.m.-2 a.m. Mon.-Sat.; closed Sunday
Riggs opened its doors around 1918. Today, it’s presided over by Marshall Riggs, the third generation to run it. Riggs tells us about the family history, remembering his 10 aunts who ran the place with panache, and his grandmother, who cooked for the Pittsburgh sports stars of the day. “We’ve been around a long time,” he says, pointing to photos dating to 1944. “My cousin Chuckie just sent me from California older pictures of this place. My wife is looking to get them framed.” He’s affectionate with his cousin, the bartender Hilda, a beautiful 83-year-old German immigrant who has tended bar there most of her life. Riggs’ grandmother brought Hilda over when the war broke out in Germany. Riggs says he wants his establishment to be welcoming. “It’s really laid-back. It’s straight, gay, black, white; you could send your mother in here at 1 in the morning,” he says. “I would want people to know, yeah the outside of the building is scary, but give it a try.”
$4 well drinks with very generous pours; $3.50 domestic drafts. An impressive collection of craft beers run $6 a pop.
Riggs is working on renovating the back restaurant to keep its original charm. Stepping through the doors is like being put into a time capsule in the ’50s with much of the decor perfectly preserved. Food is served on occasional Saturdays.
The room in the back of the bar is great for game play. A dart board kept us busy, but the real gem is a bowling game from 1957 that accommodates four players for 50 cents per game. Pins lift into the machine and are reset automatically.
Total Damage: $17 for two well drinks and four beers.
1:15 p.m.
Hours: 11 a.m.-2 a.m. daily
Every day is a holiday at Bob’s Garage, and today it’s still Christmas. “We’re a little behind on the decorations,” says Mia the bartender, gesturing to the thousands of Christmas ornaments and lights that hang from every nook and cranny. Trying to think about hanging each ornament is a head-spinning question, but the overall effect is lovely and somehow so tacky it transcends tackiness. It’s smoke-filled right now, but as of May 1, Bob’s officially goes smoke-free, to the delight of non-smoking dive-bar fans everywhere. Bob’s became Bob’s in 1979, when the owner (predictably named Bob) took over. It’s worth the drive to Aspinwall to hang out with the regulars and bathe in the artificial holiday glow. Karaoke is a perennial feature. Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays all provide opportunities to sing your heart out. All through April, Thursdays are dedicated to karaoke contests from Star Quest, with a $25,000 prize for the winner.
$3.75 domestic drafts, $4.25 wells and $2 jello shots.
Burgers, sandwiches and salads. Sunday breakfasts feature $1 mimosas and run from $7-10 total. Need more incentive? There’s free popcorn!
Total Damage: Two jello shots, one mocktail and three beers for $20.
3 p.m.
Hours: Early-late
After a lunch break and some much-needed hydration at Dive restaurant, in Lawrenceville (go figure), we headed to Conley’s.
With no available phone number or really any internet presence to speak of, Conley’s remains a diehard local establishment and remnant of the old steel-mill bar culture. Ray Conley opened it 40 years ago and passed it down to his son, Geary Conley, who tends bar now. The senior Conley was a boxer and old friends with Billy Conn, the legendary former world light-heavyweight champion who dominated between 1934 and World War II. Steve Pekich, a regular, tells me he’s been drinking here since he was 21. “My dad worked for his dad as a bartender,” he says. “I went to grade school with Geary. Don’t be winking at her!” he interjects, gleefully throwing Geary a look. Geary Conley is cheerful, gently teasing his customers and telling the same joke more than once, with just as much glee as the first time. “My ex old lady was Russian ... rushin’ to get me out of her life,” he crows. Regarding his prices, he says he’s “here to make friends” and that becomes increasingly apparent as he greets each regular with a big smile.
$2.50 pounders and $3 Jameson and Crown Royal shots
Total Damage: Two pounders, one 16-oz. can and two shots for less than $20.
4 p.m.
Hours: 11 a.m.-2 a.m. daily
Open since the mid-’90s, Sonny’s is warm and welcoming. The two patrons at the bar, clearly regulars, are shooting the shit with Dave the bartender when we arrive. When we ask whether there are any special features, they both say, “Mean bartenders,” while grinning. Dave helps us with the order and we chat for a while. The place has a laid-back vibe, perfect for a late-night stop after a shift.
$2.75 well drinks and PBRs, and $6 for a Sierra Nevada and a shot of Fireball. Mystery beers are occasionally featured for $2. You can get a Manhattan or an old-fashioned, but these rarely get ordered.
Tallulah, a New Orleans transplant, has set up shop inside Sonny’s from 6 p.m.-midnight on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Each weekly menu features healthy comfort food and prices stay below $10. Last week’s dishes included five-spice braised pork-belly sliders with pickled cabbage, and grilled fontina cheese and homemade pickle sandwiches.
Sunday is karaoke night from 10 p.m.-2 a.m. A pool table and dart boards are kept busy with occasional tournaments.
Total Damage: $18.50 for a Bud Light, a Yuengling, two Sierra Nevadas and two shots of Fireball.
5 p.m.
Hours: 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and 4:30-10 p.m. weekdays; noon-11 p.m. Sat., and noon-10 p.m. Sun.
Even though it’s been open for only three years, Feng’s has a bit of a post-apocalyptic feel. The large space feels cavernous, but fills up with hibachi chefs clanging spatulas and making onion volcanoes. A small bar upfront is staffed by a cheerful bartender named Nikki, who chats about the episode of Futurama playing on the TV and the merits of ordering the scorpion bowl, which looks like about a gallon of liquor in a volcano cup. She also gave Charlie shit for ordering a piña colada. The music volume alternates between blasting and totally silent without warning. This fun, quirky place is worth a visit.
Beers are all $3-3.75. The specials, like the $4.95 coconut margarita rimmed with toasted coconut and the $5 lychee-tini, are worth it for a sugary treat.
The menu is extensive, serving sushi, bento boxes and hibachi.
Total Damage: $37.56 for a small hot sake, two lychee-tinis, one pina colada, one coconut margarita and one Tsing Tao.
6 p.m.
Hours: 10 a.m.-2 a.m. daily
The last stop of the day, the Galaxy Lounge has a huge entertainment space. Go through the side parking lot and door security into a bar that by 6 p.m. was already standing two-deep with customers. It was once a school-bus garage, and there’s a lot of room to spread out, but the space manages to be warm and inviting. A huge TV in front of the bar plays a photo slideshow with pictures of friends and family all beaming down. The place is family-owned and run by Derrick Hemby Sr. (who also owns Earl the Pearl Tavern) and is managed by his son, “Little D,” Derrick Hemby Jr. “A nice place where everyone feels comfortable,” Hemby Jr. says, adding that the bar hosts everything from baby showers in a rentable VIP room to exotic dancers on some Fridays. Pool tables in the back provide space for tournaments, and radio station WAMO 100 DJs on Thursday nights.
$3 Ciroc vodkas on Wednesdays and double pours of Jameson run $4.
A kitchen window in the back room provides dishes like New York strip steak, shrimp and salmon, as well as lots of sides: mac, potatoes, white rice, green beans, broccoli and linguine salad. Every patron I ask seems to have high praise for the new chef, and one whips out his phone to show me how nicely everything is plated. It’s kind of unheard of in a dive bar. The restaurant also runs breakfast, with dishes like steak and eggs, and shrimp and grits and eggs.
Total Damage: $21 for four beers and two shots of Ciroc.
