Walker's Pub

From the outside, Walker's looked like it should have everything we love. It was off the beaten path, had an old school awning and neon signs in the small windows. It looked like a lovingly maintained dive bar.

It turns out it is a well-maintained dive bar, but one of the least friendly we've ever gone to. From our experience, this is a real locals only place. There was some serious yinzer stink-eye being thrown at us from under some epic attack bangs.

The front room was dominated by a way too big circular bar. There were darts towards the back and a pool table in a back room. The bartender was sitting at the bar having a conversation on a cordless phone when we came in and she went back to it after she served us nonchalantly. Family Guy was on the TV with the volume on loudly. It was about to be trivia night, but unlike the Modern where we felt roped into playing, no one wanted us to stay there.


If you live nearby and try hard to ingratiate yourself with the locals, I bet it's a great place to get a cheap beer. Everyone there seemed to know each other and was having a good time. We just weren't invited.

Address:	2024 Sarah St, 15203	Games:	Pool, Darts
Façade:	Not Scary	Scene:	Mean Yinzers
Parking:	Easy	Patio/Outdoor:	No
Kitchen:	None-order in specials	Cleanliness:	Normal-Nasty
Smoking:	Some	Jukebox:	Internet Crap
Hours:	-2am	Cig Machine:	Yes
Drink Prices:	Cheap	# taps:	4-only 2 filled
Bathrooms:	Sit	Specials:	Daily
Live music:	Never	Riley Factor:	$7.00
ATM:	Yes	Cash Only	No
TVs:	2	Size:	Normal

Nadine's

As seen on TV! Nadine's is still capitalizing on its visit from pseudo-celebra-chef Guy Fieri. Even though it was five years ago, it still gives them some celebrity appeal, which can help a great little place like this stay open.

Having never been there, we were both a bit skeptical when we walked in and looked over the joint. We sat down and a bartender with just the right mix of friendliness and orneriness took our orders. J made the pro move and ordered a bottled beer; A regretted his amateur mistake as his draft beer was "off." We also ordered our traditional shot of Jameson. We’re not saying it wasn't Jameson, but when you have had as much of the stuff as we have, you kind of know what Jameson tastes like, and it also seemed "off." So as far as drinking there goes, negative 10 points to Nadine's.

However, much was forgiven and many points were re-earned by the food, the "charm" of the bartender and the atmosphere in general. The food is prepared right in front of you with lots of something resembling love. Maybe not love, maybe grudging acceptance. We were asked very specific questions during the food making process; it was kind of interactive. We did not get the "Famous" roast beef, but what we got was delicious. J ordered a BLT and A ordered a grilled capicolla with swiss on rye, with an egg. The egg was forgotten, but the sandwich was still delicious.

The check was for something like $15. Two beers, two sandwiches, and two shots. $15. So, there is that too. That’s worth quite a few points.

We liked this place and the bartender. As we have said before, a bartender can really make or break a bar. We bemoaned the state of the Southside with him and learned about his flight to the suburbs. We left feeling pretty positive about the experience and we are glad we went, but we wouldn't tell you to go out of your way. If you’re down near the Southside Works, though, Nadine’s is definitely near the top of the list to stop in.

Address:	19 S 27th St, 15203 http://www.nadinesbar.com/	Games:	Magic Touch
Façade:	Not Scary	Scene:	Pgh Dad
Parking:	Easy	Patio/Outdoor:	No
Kitchen:	Bar Food (plus breakfast)	Cleanliness:	Normal
Smoking:	Some	Jukebox:	Internet Crap
Hours:	6am-	Cig Machine:	Yes
Drink Prices:	Dirt Cheap	# taps:	3
Bathrooms:	Sit	Specials:	Food Specials
Live music:	Never	Riley Factor:	$5.00
ATM:	Yes	Cash Only	No
TVs:	6	Size:	Hole in the Wall

Michael's Pizza Bar & Restaurant

Michael's was the most eerily quiet bar we've been in. There were people there, a non-Pirates baseball game was on the TV, but it was all clouded in an eerie hush. We drank our beers fairly quickly and headed back out to the street. Shaking off the quiet as fast as possible.

That said, they seemed to do a pretty good food business. We were the only people there not eating and the bartender asked us twice whether we wanted menus. There was a $1 hamburger special for Monday night and the pizza did look good.

The neon signs were half-lit and the name etched on the bar was wearing off, but everything seemed clean. It just seems like no one has put the time or money into the aesthetics for a while beyond the collection of required bar kitsch. Michael's was lacking any real personality. And Jameson. They seemed to be lacking Jameson, and possibly Jack Daniels, too. The bartender gave us a price for a double Jack and Coke (“The Riley”), but we couldn't find any behind the bar. J felt like it must have been hidden somewhere, A believed that they would have just substituted Jim Beam. Regardless, it seemed more like a place to eat than to drink. Very, very quietly.  

Address:	2612 Sarah St, 15203	Games:	Magic Touch
Façade:	Not Scary	Scene:	Pizza Shop
Parking:	Easy	Patio/Outdoor:	No
Kitchen:	Bar Food/Pizza	Cleanliness:	Normal
Smoking:	None	Jukebox:	Internet Crap
Hours:	11am-10pm, later Fri/Sat	Cig Machine:	No
Drink Prices:	Average-Richie	# taps:	0
Bathrooms:	Sit	Specials:	Food Specials
Live music:	Never	Riley Factor:	$10.75
ATM:	No	Cash Only	No
TVs:	4	Size:	Normal

Sammy's Famous Corned Beef

Sammy's, make me a sammie! This bar, which is probably an underappreciated little gem in downtown Pittsburgh, is "famous" for its corned beef. This is to say they put famous in their name.

It might be a great place for a drinking lunch or happy hour, but it is still in downtown Pittsburgh, and when we got there at midnight on a Friday, we were the only people there and they were closing up. This was bar 6 of 6 for us and we were ready to call it a night. (J’s notes just contain the word “Sammy’s” and nothing else.) So we were ok with a quiet end to a hectic night. We were even more ok with the Pizza Sola that followed shortly thereafter. Mmmmm...Pizza Sola.

So, if you are looking for cheapish drinks downtown before the ball game or just looking for an unpretentious place to have drinks with some co-workers, Sammy's is one of the places we would probably point you too.

Address:	910 Liberty Ave, 15219	Games:	No
Façade:	Not Scary	Scene:	Sandwich Dive.
Parking:	Easy	Patio/Outdoor:	No
Kitchen:	Bar Food	Cleanliness:	Normal
Smoking:	None	Jukebox:
Hours:	9am-10 or 11pm	Cig Machine:	No
Drink Prices:	Average	# taps:	10
Bathrooms:	Sit	Specials:	None
Live music:	Never	Riley Factor:	$10.00
ATM:	Yes	Cash Only	No
TVs:	2	Size:	Normal

Andys Wine Bar

A: If there was ever a bar in Pittsburgh that was choking on its own pretentiousness, it would be Andy’s at the Fairmont Hotel.

J: Eff this place.

A: To be fair, this was bar 5 of 6 for the night so we were well into tipsy, and all J wanted was a good old fashioned PBR.

J: Eff this place in the A. Also, I was maybe effing with them at this point. And I was most definitely drunk.

A: To which the bartender very condescendingly said, “We don’t have PBR.”

J: Eff it.

A: Also, if you ever want a glass of bourbon on the rocks here, get ready for an $18 bar tab. One drink, $18. You can almost buy a whole bottle of Jim Beam for that price.

J: Seriously. Eff this place.

A: We are not sure what the bar’s namesake would think of this place. We’d like to think he would hate it, and most everyone in there. We just can’t see Andy Warhol getting down to smooth jazz.

J: Ugh. Eff this place and its stupid effing piano.

A: We did run into a friendly face, and had a lot of fun mocking the shit out of this place.

J: That part didn’t suck.

A: I think our review can be best summed up by the last picture we took as we left.

Address:	510 Market St, 15219 http://www.fairmont.com/pittsburgh/dining/andys/	Games:	No
Façade:	Not Scary	Scene:	"Smart casual" per their website.
Parking:	Easy	Patio/Outdoor:	Yes
Kitchen:	Fancy Bar Food	Cleanliness:	Nice
Smoking:	None	Jukebox:	Effing piano
Hours:	3pm-12am	Cig Machine:	No
Drink Prices:	Richie Rich	# taps:	5
Bathrooms:	Sit	Specials:	Happy Hour
Live music:	Effing piano	Riley Factor:	$11.00
ATM:	No	Cash Only	No
TVs:	0	Size:	Normal