Olive or Twist

Olive or Twist – Thursday 1/31/13

Get it?  Oliver Twist?  At any rate, despite its painfully obvious literary/musical reference, Olive or Twist is THE bar in the cultural district.  If you have ever seen the symphony or a musical or, god forbid, an opera and gotten a drink before or after (if you have to go to an opera, we strongly suggest before), you probably went to Olive or Twist.

We found two seats at the crowded bar and we immediately figured out why those two seats were open.  They were right in front of the “acoustic guitar guy” providing live entertainment for the evening.  You know that guy, playing the hits of the 60s, 70s, and today.  While we generally cringe at the basic concept of the “acoustic guitar guy”, this guy was pretty decent.  Covers like “Bang a Gong” took us by surprise and we found ourselves singing along to his version of “Friday I’m in Love” by The Cure.  So, if you have to get an acoustic guitar guy for some ungodly reason, get that guy.

The bartenders at Olive or Twist are great and have been there for as long as we can remember. The drinks are priced like you would expect from a nice downtown bar; they are not as pricey as somewhere like The Sonoma Grille but they are not cheap.  They will make you drinks like the one one above though.  So.  That is a thing. The bartender explained to us that the person who ordered this cake flavored “drink” was chasing it with a bloody mary…

There is a lounge upstairs that is open on the weekend and is very swanky: leather couches and cozy seating arrangements.  It is a huge space and great for events (like the Mt. Lebanon high school class reunion, where “A”, having crashed accidentally, met Alcide from True Blood).

All-in-all, it’s a favorite downtown bar.  It is well lit and well decorated and when you find yourself about to be subjected to ballet for three hours, a good place to stop in and grab a couple of shots first.

Address:	140 6th St, 15222 http://www.olive-twist.com	Games:	None
Façade:	Not Scary	Scene:	Yuppie, Theater
Parking:	Wear Walking Shoes	Patio/Outdoor:	No
Kitchen:	Full Menu	Cleanliness:	Nice
Smoking:	None	Jukebox:	Unknown-Acoustic Guitar Guy
Hours:	M-F 11am-close, Sat 3pm-close, Sun 3-8pm	Cig Machine:	No
Drink Prices:	Richie Rich	# taps:	10
Bathrooms:	Sit	Specials:	M-F 4-6
Live music:	Sometimes	Riley Factor:	$11.75
ATM:	No	Cash Only	No
TVs:

Size:

Normal