The Evergreen Cafe

Have you ever been driving down Penn Avenue towards Wilkinsburg, approaching South Braddock? Have you almost died as a result of the random cars that are always parked in the right lane of a major two lane road? Then you have the Evergreen Café to thank for your near death experience. We have been cursing this bar for many many years. Being East Enders and using Penn Avenue regularly, we have to deal with this random traffic snarl all the time. At this point, we know about the random parked cars and we plan for them while driving down Penn, but we have had to warn so many people about them, and have seen some pretty near misses. So, be warned!

J once went to this bar 20 years ago and had a very interesting story to tell, but we'll leave it at that. Suffice it to say, it was sketchy and she hadn’t been back. So, after parking around the corner to avoid being one of those annoying cars, into the Evergreen Café we went.

There was a basketball game that night (Spurs vs. Heat, game 6, Spurs up 3 games to 2). Growing up in da ‘burgh, we’ve had very little exposure to professional basketball. We really don't have anyone to root for, and thus have very little interest in what is going on in the NBA. But this place was jumping. There was a lot of energy in the room, lots of strangers talking, and making predictions, and high-fiving. If there was a place we would ever want to watch basketball, it would be here. 

All that being said, it is a dingy dive bar, but not the worst we have been in by far. It has a horseshoe shaped bar when you walk in. There’s a small room with tables and booths off to the right. The owner approached us a short time after we were there, and wanted to know if there was anything we needed, which was very considerate of him. We are pretty sure that he knew it was our first time in there, and that we were a bit out of place.

It is an interesting bar, given its location. If you know anything about the area, the Evergreen Café is simultaneously next to some of the richest and poorest areas in the city, divided by Penn Avenue. Technically, the Evergreen Cafe is on the "right" side of the tracks, but it is definitely not a rich person’s bar. 

So, if one day you so happen to crash into the stupid parked cars on Penn in front of the Evergreen Café, you might as well grab a drink while you wait for the tow truck. Otherwise, it is not somewhere you should try to end up.

Address:	7330 Penn Ave, 15208	Games:	Darts, Pinball
Façade:	Scary	Scene:	Dive
Parking:	Easy, just use Penn Ave!	Patio/Outdoor:	No
Kitchen:	Bar Food	Cleanliness:	Normal
Smoking:	Some	Jukebox:	Internet Crap
Hours:	- 2am	Cig Machine:	Yes
Drink Prices:	Cheap	# taps:	6
Bathrooms:	Sit	Specials:	None
Live music:	Never	Riley Factor:	$7.50
ATM:	Yes	Cash Only	Yes
TVs:	4	Size:	Normal