Ten Penny

In our experience, everything downtown is a little more expensive than it should be. Nothing to be outraged about, but you’re likely to pay a dollar or two more than normal for your drinks. Ten Penny is no exception to this rule. Their cheapest beer is a $4.50 Yuengling. That’s right, $4.50 for one Yuengling.

They need to charge that much so they can pay for their fancy, expensive light bulbs. You know what we’re talking about, the ones with the pretty filaments. They look really cool but must cost a pretty penny (Get it? Penny?)

The bar is huge and it’s very pretty. There are gorgeous grey leather booths along the back wall, lots of high tops and a large rectangular bar with service on all sides.  They have a really nice assortment of beers on tap and their liquor selection covered all of our favorites. We didn’t eat anything, but the menu looked very appetizing. They have happy hour specials Monday through Friday and late night specials Wednesday through Saturday, but that only manages to bring their drinks down to a reasonable cost. When your happy hour special is $5 draft beers, you’ve effectively priced us out.

Don’t let our comparative cheapness deter you, though. If you have the money to throw around, this seems like an OK place to do it.

Address:	960 Penn Ave, 15222 http://www.tenpennypgh.com/	Games:	None
Façade:	Not Scary	Scene:	Pittsburgh Yuppies
Parking:	Wear Walking Shoes	Patio/Outdoor:	No
Kitchen:	Come hungry	Cleanliness:	Nice
Smoking:	None	Jukebox:	None
Hours:	11am-close	Cig Machine:	No
Drink Prices:	Richie Rich	# taps:	24
Bathrooms:	Sit	Specials:	Happy Hour and Late
Live music:	Never	Riley Factor:	Too Much
ATM:	No	Cash Only	No
TVs:	6	Size:	Friggin' Huge

The Independent Brewing Company

We are so happy that something else moved into the old Fanattics space. As we said in our review of Fanattics, just about anything would make more sense in that space. It's a bonus that something cool moved in.

The Independent's whole deal is that all of their beers are from within 100 miles of the bar. They're serious about beer and they're serious about local. They're also trying to focus as much as possible on local liquors for their cocktails. And why not? We've got great regional beers and our liquor production is getting better by the year.

They're premixing some cocktails and letting them stand in wooden barrels until the flavors are deemed perfect. It looked like a tough job, tasting the cocktails and adjusting accordingly, but someone's got to do it. We were fortunate enough to meet the guy who takes on this very difficult job and talk with him for a while about cocktails. After some prodding, he agreed to make A his currently favorite cocktail. He made a Manhattan using Wigle Rye Whiskey and it was delicious. We’re not sure we have ever seen anyone put that much time and effort into a drink, and it was greatly appreciated.

There's a small food menu and some specials. A had the Mac and Cheese and it was nice and smoky and filling; good comfort food for a really cold night. They also intrigued us with their Wednesday International Fries night. It doesn't take much to convince us to eat fresh-cut fries with a variety of toppings, we're in.

Everyone working was friendly and engaged. They all seemed really into what they're doing there and we can't blame them. Good beer, whiskeys, vinyl on the turntable. There's a part of us that doesn't want to tell anyone about this bar and keep it for ourselves, but fuck it, go check this place out. It is pretty darn cool.

Address:	1704 Shady Ave, 15217 http://independentpgh.com/	Games:	None
Façade:	Not Scary	Scene:	Hip Local Beer People
Parking:	Wear Walking Shoes	Patio/Outdoor:	No
Kitchen:	Bar Food	Cleanliness:	Normal
Smoking:	None	Jukebox:	None
Hours:	W-F 5pm-11pm Sat 12pm-12am Sun 11am-6pm	Cig Machine:	No
Drink Prices:	Average	# taps:	12
Bathrooms:	Sit	Specials:	Daily Food and Drink
Live music:	Never	Riley Factor:	N/A
ATM:	No	Cash Only	No
TVs:	0	Size:	Hole in the Wall

Gus's Cafe

J had heard that a new bar had moved in where Barb’s Country Kitchen used to be on Butler Street, so we decided to check it out. It looks dingy and uncared for from the outside and we almost drove past it, but the inside is a whole different world. There is a lot of space with tables and booths and a really long bar with colorful but not annoying bar stools. It feels a lot more open and spacious than it did when it was Barb’s. Most of the bar walls are covered in chalkboard paint and all the drinks, specials, and other essential bar signage is written there. The menu is written at the far end of the bar surrounding the cooler and that is the only place they have it, which actually makes for a fun experience.

The bar was lightly populated on a Monday, but it was still a pretty diverse crowd--some Yuppies and locals, and we are pretty sure that the hippest hipsters in hipsterdom were next to us at the bar. So that was amusing. One girl was wearing a dog cone. We are sure it draws a bigger crowd on the weekends. No clue if it gets packed, but we suspect it is busy.

We ate here. A had wings and J had the Kale and Garlic Crepe. It was good, better than most bar food and the menu is actually interesting and happens to be gluten free. They have a ton of vegetarian options and a list of gluten free beers, so they know what crowd they’re aiming for: picky hipsters with money. Plus the kitchen is open so you can see where your food is being cooked, which gives you more confidence when ordering food at a bar. They ring a little bell when the food is up, which is kind of nostalgic and cute.

We loved this place. We are going to go back. It is comfortable, the service was great, the owner checked in on us, the lighting is good, the atmosphere is relaxing, and we overheard their plans for the patio this summer. Two thumbs up. We always talked about having some sort of rating metric; we should really get on that.

Address:	4717 Butler St, 15201	Games:	None
Façade:	Scary	Scene:	Hipsters eating and drinking good things
Parking:	Easy	Patio/Outdoor:	Planned
Kitchen:	Come Hungry	Cleanliness:	Normal
Smoking:	None	Jukebox:	None
Hours:	11am-12am	Cig Machine:	No
Drink Prices:	Average	# taps:	15
Bathrooms:	Sit	Specials:	Being Cheap
Live music:	Almost Never	Riley Factor:	$10.00
ATM:	Yes	Cash Only	Yes
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

Buffalo Blues

Buffalo Blues is a sports bar in Shadyside. We don't want to pan it, it’s fine and all, but it's also not exciting in any way. They have a lot of beer on tap, but it's kind of pricey. They've got a big food menu, but it's nothing exciting.  We have a feeling they hang their hat on their jumbo wings and BBQ, being that their name has Buffalo in it.  Having tried them in the past, they did not leave a lasting impression.

They have some daily specials that are okay. There's lots of seating at the bar. But has anything noteworthy ever happened to either of us there? Absolutely not. A had been there for a guys’ night or two and to watch a hockey game, but mostly it’s a backup bar. If you are in the neighborhood and can’t get a seat anywhere else, then Buffalo Blues works just fine as a, “You just wanna go there?” kind of bar.

Address:	216 S. Highland Ave., 15206 http://www.buffalobluespittsburgh.com/	Games:	Pinball, Magic Touch
Façade:	Not Scary	Scene:	Sports
Parking:	Easy	Patio/Outdoor:	No
Kitchen:	Bar Food	Cleanliness:	Nice
Smoking:	None	Jukebox:	Internet Crap
Hours:	Mon-Thur 11am-11pm Fri-Sat 11am-12am Sun 12pm-10pm	Cig Machine:	No
Drink Prices:	Average	# taps:	42
Bathrooms:	Sit	Specials:	Daily
Live music:	Never	Riley Factor:	$8.00
ATM:	No	Cash Only	No
TVs:	>10	Size:	Friggin' Huge

The Sharp Edge

Beer beer beer! Beer is what the Sharp Edge prides itself on, as well they should. They have one of the most impressive beer selections in the city and pay great attention not only to the types of beers they serve, but to the delivery system as well. In other words: they have a bunch of fancy glasses.

There are five Sharp Edge concepts, each unique to itself. The Sharp Edge's website can show you them all if you are interested. We are most familiar with the "Beer Emporium" in Friendship, being one of the very early restaurants that moved into the East End. We can't even remember a time when it wasn't there. Back in the day, you had to be buzzed into the place. They had some really great foresight and would probably make a killing selling that place.

The Sharp Edge's downtown location or "Bistro on Penn" is a really beautiful space. It has a long winding comfortable bar with multiple bartenders, couch seating areas, booths, high tops, tables; there is something for everyone. The lighting is dim but not divey, and prices are about what you would expect from a downtown bar. For beer, at least. When we asked how much a double Jack and Coke was, the bartender very kindly suggested that August Henry’s would be a better place to drink any kind of liquor because Sharp Edge charges a million dollars.

At happy hour you can expect a bunch of people in suits sharing beers and business war stories. At night you can expect a "higher class" clientele who consider themselves "into" beer. Which is just fine because beer is a great thing. Just don't talk to us about it. It is beer, it is good, and we get it.

Some of the Sharp Edges are more restaurant than bar, but this one is more bar than restaurant. We might stop into the Beer Emporium for a quick review one day, but we would really be going for the food before we hit other places. The Sharp Edge makes some pretty decent grub.

Address:	922 Penn Ave, 15222 http://sharpedgebeer.com/bistro-on-penn	Games:	None
Façade:	Not Scary	Scene:	Beer
Parking:	Wear Walking Shoes	Patio/Outdoor:	No
Kitchen:	Come Hungry	Cleanliness:	Nice
Smoking:	None	Jukebox:	N/A
Hours:	Sunn-Thurs 11am-12am Fri-Sat 11am-1am	Cig Machine:	No
Drink Prices:	Richie Rich	# taps:	45
Bathrooms:	Sit	Specials:	4:30-6:30 Happy Hour
Live music:	Never	Riley Factor:	$15.50
ATM:	Yes	Cash Only	No
TVs:	3	Size:	Friggin' Huge

The Urban Tap

A new bar in the South Side? No way! With the ever-changing landscape of the South Side bar scene, we feel like we’ll never be done reviewing. The newest player is The Urban Tap. They opened in early October 2013 and this new space has really done it up right.

It is a huge newly built-out space with rolling garage doors at the front, which gives it the feeling of being an outside space without the hassle of actually being outside. The bar is very long and comfortable with power plugs for charging your phone; one of the new bar innovations that we readily welcome. There are all kinds of tables: high-tops, booths, regular tables, half high-top half-booth. They are arranged in a very interesting manner as well, allowing for clusters of different sized groups. The entire space has a really good feel to it.

The beer selection is just right as well, especially for a South Side bar. Are there more beers than at Hough's? No. Do people in the South Side really want to be confronted with that level of choice? Probably not. Still, it has more than enough taps to live up to its name, including one enormous tap. Check out the picture. Seriously, it is huge. It is also one of those taps where you push the beer up into it and the beer comes out all non-foamy and good. We had already eaten, but the menu looked really good with a surprising number of vegetarian options. Plus, they have an open kitchen, which is kind of cool.

 We're hoping that The Urban Tap manages to avoid the "typical South Side bar" pitfalls. It is off the beaten path all the way down on 12th street, so maybe they don't get the same amount of traffic as some of the more centrally located South Side bars. However, being such a cool new bar, we are sure people are making their way down to check it out. And if they are like us, they will want to go back again.

Address:	1209 E Carson, 15203 http://theurbantap.com/	Games:	Darts
Façade:	Not Scary	Scene:	Beer
Parking:	Wear Walking Shoes	Patio/Outdoor:	No
Kitchen:	Come Hungry	Cleanliness:	Nice
Smoking:	None	Jukebox:	Internet Crap
Hours:	11am-2am	Cig Machine:	Yes
Drink Prices:	Average	# taps:	41
Bathrooms:	Sit	Specials:	Daily and Game Specials
Live music:	Never	Riley Factor:	$10.00
ATM:	No	Cash Only	No
TVs:	3	Size:	Pretty Big