Take a Break

We’re having trouble being unbiased about Take a Break, or TAB, as it’s called in our text messages. We feel obligated to give you, our semi-loyal readers, an honest assessment of what this bar is all about.   However, we’ve been going there for so long that we probably can’t.  So, we will try to start with how we think it actually is.

This place is a dive. It’s smoky and dirty. The bar area is cramped and the stools are full of permanent residents (Buy Sammy a shot!). The drinks are cheap and you can get a giant mug of beer that will make your hands seem small.  For $12 you can get two shots and two beers, so that’s not a bad thing.

There are two pool tables a half-flight up from the bar, which is one of the main selling points of TAB. Around the pool tables are some nice seating areas with a lot trophies along the walls. One of these trophies may have made its way around a certain group of people for a number of

years before it was returned, but we’re not naming names. There’s also a weird lower seating area a half-flight down on the left side of the bar. It kind of feels like you’re being punished when you’re down there.  When we have to, we hit up the ATM in the lower dungeon area as fast as possible.

We've had some great nights there: heated arguments between good friends, dance-offs, crazy antics, one-on-one quiet talks.  It’s a no judgment kind of place. It doesn't hurt that some of our favorite people in the world live a couple doors down. That probably makes us biased too.

At any rate, if you are looking for a crazy night out on the town, this is probably not the place for you. If you are looking to “take a break” from the world for an hour or two, this place will do just fine.

Address:	39th and Penn Ave, 15201	Games:	Pool, Magic Touch, Video Poker
Façade:	A Little Scary	Scene:	Yinzer Dive Bar
Parking:	Easy	Patio/Outdoor:	No
Kitchen:	Hot pretzels and frozen pizza	Cleanliness:	Kind of Dirty
Smoking:	1970's Pittsburgh	Jukebox:	Internet Crap
Hours:	Doesn't Matter	Cig Machine:	Yes
Drink Prices:	Cheap	# taps:	4
Bathrooms:	Sit	Specials:	Yes
Live music:	Never	Riley Factor:	$7.00
ATM:	Yes	Cash Only	Yes
TVs:	4	Size:	Average but cramped.