Grit and Grace

We didn’t think there was a chance that we would be able to get into Grit and Grace, since it is one of the new hot-spots downtown. But, after realizing that Perle was closed due to fire and there were no other bars we hadn’t done in Market Square, we started heading towards the Cultural District and figured, eh, why not give it a try. If you don’t know where Grit and Grace is, let us give you instructions in Pittsburghese: it is where Taste of Dahntahn used to be.

There was no space at the bar, which is our preferred review spot. We desperately needed to eat before our night of bar blogging. As luck would have it, we got there right as some space opened up and we were quickly seated along with another group at a large high top in the front. We got our fancy cocktails, ordered some food and settled in.

At first we were not blown away. The little mouthfuls of “American dim sum” they come around with were mediocre. The atmosphere seemed stuffy and pretentious. The drinks were too expensive for what they are. Your cheapest drink option is $3.50 for a Miller High Life. That’s not too bad, until you realize that it’s for a 10 oz. baby bottle.

However, the longer we stayed there, the better we liked it. From the hostess who cared more about her job and her guests than anyone we have ever seen to the truly inspired entrees we enjoyed, by the time we left we were sold on this place.

A got a super fancy version of Ramen noodles, and they were amazing. J got a Crispy Pig Face Roulade that was so good she sang a song to it. The words to the song were “Mmmmm, mmmmm, mmmmm.” However, we digress; this is not a food blog.

It is worth checking out, but not for drinking. If you are not good at making reservations or hate very crowded spaces, we would wait till the buzz around this place dies down. It is definitely worth adding to your list of places to eat. We are looking forward to stopping in one day and sitting at the bar proper, maybe in autumn.

Address:	535 Liberty Ave, 15222 http://gritandgracepgh.com/	Games:	None
Façade:	Not Scary	Scene:	Fancy small foods
Parking:	Wear Walking Shoes	Patio/Outdoor:	Yes
Kitchen:	Come hungry	Cleanliness:	Normal
Smoking:	None	Jukebox:	None
Hours:	Mon-Thurs 11:30am-12am Fri 11:30am-1am Sat 4pm-1am Sun 4pm-10pm	Cig Machine:	No
Drink Prices:	Richie Rich	# taps:	8
Bathrooms:	Sit	Specials:	Happy Hour Mon-Thur 4-6pm
Live music:	Never	Riley Factor:	$14.00
ATM:	No	Cash Only	No
TVs:	0	Size:	Normal

Tailgaters

Do you live in Washington Plaza? You do?! Well this post is for you! Everyone else can go about their business.


We think it is awesome that you have your own private bar in your apartment complex. We are very jealous. It is cute and small and everyone there seems to know everyone else there, which makes sense, as you are all neighbors. You have a great outside patio area and a beautiful view of the city. We want to be a part of your little bar club; going to the bar in our pajamas seems like an awesome idea.

If you are still reading this and you do not live in Washington Plaza, you have wasted the last minute of your life. You will probably never go here. It is small, the parking is terrible and it is out of the way. This really is a bar for the people who live in the apartment building. Which is, again, awesome. We guess if you were walking to the Pens game from the Hill or something it would be cool to stop in on a nice day, but chances are you will never go here.

Address:	1420 Center Ave, 15229 http://www.tailgaterspittsburgh.com/	Games:	None
Façade:	Scary	Scene:	Apartment Dwellers
Parking:	Wear Walking Shoes	Patio/Outdoor:	Yes
Kitchen:	Bar Food	Cleanliness:	Normal
Smoking:	None	Jukebox:	Internet Crap
Hours:	Mon-Sat 11:30am-2:30am	Cig Machine:	No
Drink Prices:	Average	# taps:	6
Bathrooms:	Sit	Specials:	Game Specials
Live music:	Never	Riley Factor:	$8.80
ATM:	No	Cash Only	No
TVs:	6	Size:	Hole in the Wall

Nied's Hotel

We were pretty lukewarm about going to Nied's Hotel. We literally put a hand on the door, saw a guitar and fiddle combo playing and were like, "Do we really want to do this?" We decided it is our job to put ourselves into harm’s way for our semi-loyal readers and that we would take one for the team.


Nied's Hotel is an old bar. They have a "famous fish sandwich" which we are sure had its peak of fame 30 years ago, but it looked pretty good. They have an old-school menu, which reminds A of his time in Brooklyn. It was sparsely populated, with a table full of some suspiciously young looking kids. However, we can't tell how old the youngsters are anymore. They just keep getting younger and younger.


We walked in and found two bar stools as far away from the musicians as possible. They were really going at it and the fiddle player was pretty fierce. After all our trepidation, they were actually good and just finishing up a quick set. It turned out that she is a violinist for the Pittsburgh Symphony, which was the first of many surprises we encountered at Nied's Hotel. She was playing with resident musician Slim Forsythe to let her hair down a little. The lighting was nice until the music act stopped, and they turned on some very bright hanging globes for some reason. We both recoiled from the bright light; yes, we are Mogwais.

The place probably hasn't changed in decades. It has some charm to it, but it is definitely from a by-gone era. Then there is Jim.


Jim is the owner of Nied's Hotel, and you couldn't find a nicer guy if you tried. We know his entire life story. We also now know Slim’s life story. He bought us beers. He is having a ska band come in and he had no clue what ska music sounded like, so he gave A $10 to go play some ska on the jukebox. He showed A his amphitheater and tried to convince A to have his band play at the bar (A did not think it would be a good fit.) Regardless, Jim went out of his way to give A a great contact and some info to help him along. We would go back just to hang out with Jim again. Jim is a great guy.


We usually stick to one drink per bar when we’re reviewing, but we liked Jim so much that we stuck around for a second just to shoot the shit with him. Then all of a sudden, there were plates of Doritos on the bar. We’re not sure if there’s much better in life than surprise junk food at a bar when you’re having fun.


This is a bar for your parents. As with most parents, they are really thrilled when their kids come over to hangout, and that is kind of how we felt here: loved.

Address:	5438 Butler St, 15201 http://niedshotel.myfastsite.net/	Games:	Poker
Façade:	Not Scary	Scene:	Fish sandwiches and nice people
Parking:	Easy	Patio/Outdoor:	Yes
Kitchen:	Bar Food	Cleanliness:	Normal
Smoking:	None	Jukebox:	Internet Crap
Hours:	7am-12am (closed Sun)	Cig Machine:	No
Drink Prices:	Average	# taps:	3
Bathrooms:	Sit	Specials:	Cheap Food
Live music:	Sometimes	Riley Factor:	$9.00
ATM:	No	Cash Only	No
TVs:	2	Size:	Normal

Bites and Brews

Bites and Brews is a beer and pizza joint on Ellsworth Avenue. They have a small selection of liquor, and some salad and sandwich options, but let's be real, if you go there looking for a cocktail and a salad, you're going to be disappointed.  As you should be, the name is Bites and BREWS after all.

It's a solid choice for pizza and beer, though. They've got a really good beer selection and they will sell you a whole pizza or by the slice*.

It can get crowded if there's any kind of event, like Craft Beer Week, or during happy hour, but it's otherwise a pretty chill space. Actually, with the garage door making up the whole front wall it was a literally chilled space when we were there. Those open fronts are great in the summer, but troublesome in the winter, especially this winter. 


* Pro Tip: Pizza by the slice is a key ingredient to many a good night. Or, put more accurately, pizza by the slice is often the key to having a bearable next morning. 

Address:	5750 Ellsworth Ave., 15232 http://www.bitesandbrewspittsburgh.com/	Games:	Darts
Façade:	Not Scary	Scene:	Pizza, Beer Snob
Parking:	Wear Walking Shoes	Patio/Outdoor:	Yes
Kitchen:	Pizza	Cleanliness:	Normal
Smoking:	None	Jukebox:	Internet Crap
Hours:	4pm-2am	Cig Machine:	No
Drink Prices:	Average	# taps:	30
Bathrooms:	Sit	Specials:	Happy Hour
Live music:	Never	Riley Factor:	$8.50
ATM:	No	Cash Only	No
TVs:	6	Size:	Normal

The Shadyside Hideaway

A back alley bar in one of the most affluent neighborhoods in Pittsburgh? Yup. This place used to be a dirty little secret until the owner remodeled the space and put out a giant neon sign facing the street. Now it is nice-ish. It is clean with the appropriate amount of beer signs and bar kitsch. You still need to walk down a very long and skinny alley to get to the door, so it still has a weird feeling about it.

 It was freezing on the night we were there and it was just the two of us alone with the owner. He kept going outside to check and see if it was still cold, and every time he came back in there was a sweet scent of illegal substances following him. Must be those crazy kids.

The owner talked to us a lot since we were the only people there and he seemed very bored. He told us about some of the more famous clientele he has had in his bar and how he makes sure people leave them alone. He also let A know that he was the first person to ever drink Magic Hat #9 from a tap in his bar. He was very concerned with how it tasted. It tasted like Magic Hat #9.

It's an ok little bar. It is a bit too bright. It is a bit too small. It is not a place we would ever suggest anyone go to unless you have already parked and Mad Mex and Buffalo Blues are totally packed.

Address:	228 S. Highland Ave., rear, 15206	Games:	Darts
Façade:	Scary	Scene:	Small
Parking:	Wear Walking Shoes	Patio/Outdoor:	Yes
Kitchen:	None	Cleanliness:	Normal
Smoking:	None	Jukebox:	Internet Crap
Hours:	4pm-2am	Cig Machine:	No
Drink Prices:	Average	# taps:	6
Bathrooms:	Sit	Specials:	Happy Hour and 10pm-12am
Live music:	Never	Riley Factor:	$10.00
ATM:	Yes	Cash Only	No
TVs:	2	Size:	Hole in the Wall

Meat & Potatoes

Alright, we have to admit it: this place is pretty amazing. The space is beautiful, the service is well dressed and snappy, the lighting is ideal, the drinks are fantastic and the food is delicious. Is it expensive? Yes. Is it often super crowded? Yes. Is it worth it? Yes.

It is attached to the CLO Cabaret Theater, and when you enter you immediately get a sense that this is a special space. There is a huge round bar in the middle of the room surrounded by New York style tables on one side, and normal tables around the rest. There is also a great patio space outside for when it is warm, which it is definitely not at the moment. The bar is beautiful and well-tended.  They make amazing drinks and have one of the best Manhattans A has had in the entire city (A recommends a Buffalo Trace Manhattan Up.) We were pretty hungry when we got there and had some sort of magical poutine. It really hit the spot! The food is obviously heavy on the meat and the menu is full of fancied up comfort foods.

Make reservations if you’re planning on going during peak hours for dinner. This is an upscale place for special occasions or if you are seeing a show. Or if you are feeling like have a swanky night out. Or if you are just loaded, this is the kind of place you can blow through your huge pile of cash. We certainly recommend it. We also wish we had more cash to blow here, but alas, the life of a bar blogger is a simple and poor one.

Address:	649 Penn Ave, 15222 http://meatandpotatoespgh.com/	Games:	None
Façade:	Not Scary	Scene:	Hip rich people who like food
Parking:	Wear Walking Shoes	Patio/Outdoor:	Yes
Kitchen:	Come Hungry	Cleanliness:	Nice
Smoking:	None	Jukebox:	N/A
Hours:	M-T 5pm-11pm F-S 5pm-12am Sun 4pm-9pm	Cig Machine:	No
Drink Prices:	Richie Rich	# taps:	0
Bathrooms:	Sit	Specials:	Late night food specials
Live music:	DJs	Riley Factor:	$16.00
ATM:	No	Cash Only	No
TVs:	0	Size:	Normal

Grille on Seventh

This one took a serious 180 about halfway through our visit. Starting out, nothing much was happening. J's notes say, "idk, it's a bar, nothing interesting happening here." That was the case until A tried to engage our surly bartender. Then shit got weird.

First, in response to a question about where she was from (she had a fairly thick accent), she asked A if he was gay. Not exactly a normal response to a fairly boring question, but maybe she was just curious. When pressed about it she revealed that she was just trying to insult him. Charming. Who doesn't like a little homophobia with their beer?

Then, while asking about the prices of drinks, she told us to go to 7-11 if we were so concerned about price. Rude, but maybe could be considered banter, I guess. We'll give her that one because what happened next caused complete slack-jawed surprise.

Upon finally admitting that she was from the Czech Republic, she really topped herself. "At least I'm not Indian," she said. "Because then I'd be stinky and cheap." We can certainly see why she got into the service industry. With that kind of flip homophobia and racism, it's a natural fit. She then proceeded, in her own thick accent, to mock the accents of her Indian bosses.

Aside from the incredibly charming service, things were getting weird in general. Bird calls were being tested and A ran into someone who works for the same company and got a lot of shit because the guy doesn't like his job and A does. J had to frantically scribble down the increasingly offensive things coming from the bartender's mouth. It was our last bar of the night and we felt like maybe we were starting to lose our minds. 


So we recommend going elsewhere.  You are downtown; there are a lot of places to go. Go to any of them instead.

Address:	130 7th St, 15222	Games:	None
Façade:	Not Scary	Scene:	Racism and Homophobia/Downtown Happy Hour
Parking:	Wear Walking Shoes	Patio/Outdoor:	Yes
Kitchen:	Bar Food	Cleanliness:	Normal
Smoking:	None	Jukebox:	None
Hours:	Mon-Thurs 11:30am-9pm Fri-Sat 11:30-12am	Cig Machine:	No
Drink Prices:	Richie Rich	# taps:	15
Bathrooms:	Sit	Specials:	Not worth it
Live music:	Never	Riley Factor:	$Not Worth It
ATM:	No	Cash Only	No
TVs:	2	Size:	Normal