Dive Bar & Grille

Yet another new bar where an old bar used to be; the ill-fated Alchemy and Ale is gone and in its place is a new bar called Dive. They gutted the old space and made many really thoughtful and interesting improvements. They added a beautiful new tin ceiling, a completely new bar, separated the bathrooms from the dining area and added very creative chandeliers. They also added a “fire feature.”

We felt very, very welcomed when we sat down. The bartender was excited and seemed to have a vested interest in the new bar’s success. He spent a lot of time with us explaining everything that had changed and discussing the menu with us. We eventually decided to try a mac & cheese quesadilla, because, well, it was a mac & cheese quesadilla. There were a bunch of other delicious looking items on the menu and our food was very good. Their focus seems to be on serious comfort food. Almost every item featured some combination of being fried, having mac & cheese, or having pulled pork. Some items included all three.

They had the obligatory chalkboard painted wall with their well selected draft list, illuminated by  a lighting fixture made from PBR cans. Their drink prices were reasonable and the bartender had a nice pour.

Dive is a cool new bar. Our only concern is the location. We are hoping this is not one of those doomed locations that changes every couple of years and fails for no apparent reason. We suggest checking it out and supporting them so it does not turn into a doomed space.

Address:	5147 Butler St, 15201 http://divebarandgrille.com/index_LAW.htm	Games:	None
Façade:	Not Scary	Scene:	Comfort Food^2
Parking:	Easy	Patio/Outdoor:	No
Kitchen:	Come hungry	Cleanliness:	Normal
Smoking:	None	Jukebox:	Internet Crap
Hours:	11am-2am	Cig Machine:	No
Drink Prices:	Average	# taps:	12
Bathrooms:	Sit	Specials:	Happy Hour 5-7pm
Live music:	Never	Riley Factor:	$7.50
ATM:	No	Cash Only	No
TVs:	2	Size:	Normal

Doubleday's

Doubleday’s is another bar that ended up being much better than expected thanks to a great bartender. We weren’t anticipating much from this downtown sports bar, but, much like Enigma, the bartender won us over. Enigma and Doubleday’s are two very different bars with two very different bartenders, but both bartenders shaped our opinions of their establishments more than anything else.

To look at it, Doubleday’s isn’t very special. It’s a sports bar along the major pedestrian thoroughfare from downtown to the North Side. There was your requisite sports memorabilia and a mix of local, craft, and domestic beers on tap. It’s also on the cheaper side for downtown. All of these things would put it in the OK category for us.

The first thing that started to win us over was the delightful puppy hanging out, Kundu. Once you have a puppy in the bar, the rest is easy. But what really sealed the deal for us was the bartender. He was an older, bearded, gruff- looking guy who told us funny and engaging stories about taking the puppy out on motorcycle rides and funny things his cat does. It was an unexpectedly adorable conversation and we left with smiles on our faces.

When we say that a good bartender can make or break our experience at a bar, we mean it. We expected this to be one of those perfunctory “it’s a bar” experiences, but the bartender made it memorable.

Address:	121 Sixth St, 15222 http://doubledayspittsburgh.com/	Games:	Magic Touch
Façade:	Not Scary	Scene:	Sports
Parking:	Wear Walking Shoes	Patio/Outdoor:	No
Kitchen:	Bar Food	Cleanliness:	Normal
Smoking:	None	Jukebox:	Internet Crap
Hours:	M-F 11am-2am Sat 2pm-2am Sun 4pm-12am	Cig Machine:	No
Drink Prices:	Average	# taps:	18
Bathrooms:	Sit	Specials:	During Games
Live music:	Never	Riley Factor:	$8
ATM:	Yes	Cash Only	Yes
TVs:	7	Size:	Normal