Squirrel Hill Sports Bar

This is a run-of-the-mill sports bar in Squirrel Hill. The waitresses are young and cute and wear skimpy referee shirts. The beer is cheap and the game is on. That is not what this post is going to be about.

This post is going to address something that, having been to around 200 bars now, we have noticed. We think it is critical to bring this to the public’s attention: it is not always Jameson.

Now, maybe you don’t drink whiskey. That is probably a good life choice, but if you do like whiskey, chances are you like Jameson. We here at TGPPC love all whiskeys and bourbons, but if we have to choose a shot at a bar, it is usually Jameson. Jameson has a unique sweet flavor that makes it very distinct from other whiskeys and it is pretty cheap. After you have drunk enough Jameson, which we have, you can tell when it isn’t the real thing.

Not Jameson

We do not mean to single out this bar. It is just one of many offenders. When the owner poured us free shots (in an effort to get us to be return customers), we looked at each other and without saying a word we both knew: this shit is not Jameson. Sadly, we have shared that look at bars all over Pittsburgh and have brought it up in a variety of posts. This just happened to be the straw that broke the camel’s back.

We are sure most bar owners just assume that the public can’t tell the difference between whiskey A and whiskey B. To be fair that is probably true, especially at the bars where it tends to happen. There must be laws regarding this, but how would anyone enforce them?

So, what are helpless bloggers to do? Blog of course. We are going to bring this epidemic to the public’s knowledge! Raise awareness! Form a task force! Hold rallies! Lobby politicians! Make banners and shit!

We are not going to do any of that. Well, we guess this counts as the public knowledge and raising awareness parts.

Mostly, we would just like to say that it sucks. All we want is a shot of Jameson. If we wanted a shot of Old Crow or Banker’s Club, we would have asked for one. So if the offending bar owners are reading this, and you know who you are, knock that shit off.

Address:	5832 Forward Ave, 15217	Games:	Pool, Darts, Golden Tee
Façade:	Not Scary	Scene:	Weird and Possibly Underage
Parking:	Easy	Patio/Outdoor:	No
Kitchen:	Bar Food	Cleanliness:	Normal
Smoking:	Some	Jukebox:	Internet Crap
Hours:	-2am	Cig Machine:	Yes
Drink Prices:	Average	# taps:	12
Bathrooms:	Sit	Specials:	Daily Food and during games
Live music:	Sometimes	Riley Factor:	$8.00
ATM:	Yes	Cash Only	No
TVs:	9	Size:	Normal

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

Fanattics-CLOSED

Fanattics is possibly the tiniest “sports bar” in the world. It has the requisite number of TVs, but not much space. The space that is there is divided into two: bar on one side, pool table on the other.  There were a number of friendly natives at the bar who seemed interested in the fresh blood in their space. This was the third bar of the night, so our notes were a little messier and more stream-of-consciousness. (Does the cute girl with the mohawk color the review of the bar? Well, maybe.)  

Tuesday night is both import night and taco night, neither of which we sampled. Other than tacos, it was a standard bar menu of pizzas, quesadillas, wraps and burgers. Entertainment was Parenthood on the TV, a fat white guy doing the entire Gangnam Style dance and a ton of Drake being played. Like, three or more songs! Which seems like a lot of Drake for one evening.

The bartender was great. He was engaging and funny, but not over-bearing. He also had the bright idea to make Fanattics into a normal everyday bar, which we think would help its client base given the neighborhood. He thinks they should drop the sports bar angle because ladies don’t come there. This is both kind of sexist and kind of true.

It might have been the drinks, it might have been the company, it might have been the cute girl with the mohawk, but we had a great time. It's a shame that we will never be able to convince anyone to hang out there.  

Address:	1704 Shady Ave, 15217	Games:	Pool
Façade:	Not scary	Scene:	tiny sports bar
Parking:	Decent	Patio/Outdoor:	No
Kitchen:	Bar Food	Cleanliness:	Nice
Smoking:	Some	Jukebox:	Internet Crap
Hours:	4pm-2am	Cig Machine:	No
Drink Prices:	Average	# taps:	11
Bathrooms:	Sit	Specials:	nightly
Live music:	Never	Riley Factor:	$9.00
ATM:	No	Cash Only	No
TVs:	7	Size:	Hole in the wall

Silky's Squirrel Hill

Professional, but plastic: a Squirrel Hill version of a sports bar.  If you’re looking for decent service, American bar food and a typical beer selection on a Tuesday night, then this will fit the bill.  But, if you’re looking for an engaging experience with a unique culture this is not your spot.

There is a lot of open space with ample seating, lots of tvs for potential game watching.  There are multiple bar games, with a special shout out to shuffle board, which is a lot of fun.  It’s got a faux rustic vibe and is decorated like a classier TGI Friday’s.  If you hail from the suburbs, you might feel right at home here.  

We were lucky enough to be there when they had an Oktoberfest special which was tasty: sausages and kielbasas, potatoes and sauerkraut.  But the basic menu is nothing that you would not find anywhere else.  It’s stuff that your dad would want to eat at an old person sports bar.

The bar service was friendly but removed.  The management seemed on edge and a bit creepy, which colored the vibe of the entire establishment.  But both food and drink came timely and correctly.  Light pour on the whiskey, though.

It got really weird when they figured out that we were casing the joint, with free drinks and an offer of free Mineo’s pizza and a long explanation of how they had had “no complaints, no complaints” which smacked of trying too hard.  But we took the free drinks…
Overall, even if you lived right around there, I would not go out of my way to go to Silky’s Sq. Hill.  It feels like a boring chain restaurant forced into the form of an up scale sports bar.   

  

Address:	1731 Murray Ave, 15217	Games:	Shuffleboard, Darts, Magic Touch
Façade:	Not Scary	Scene:	Yinzer
Parking:	Wear Walking Shoes	Patio/Outdoor:	No
Kitchen:	Bar Food	Cleanliness:	Nice
Smoking:	Yes	Jukebox:	Classic Rock XM Radio
Hours:	-2am	Cig Machine:	Yes
Drink Prices:	Average	# taps:	15
Bathrooms:	Sit	Specials:	Nightly
Live music:	Never	Riley Factor:	$10
ATM:	Yes	Cash Only	No
TVs:	~10	Size:	Friggin Huge

Squirrel Hill Cafe

The Squirrel Hill Café, otherwise known as The Squirrel Cage or just simply The Cage, is the only “dive bar” in Sq. Hill. I would call it an upscale dive bar, maybe? A dive bar to which I could take my parents.

(Full disclosure, we have been going to The Cage for well over a decade. We seem to go less-and-less as the years go by, but not much has changed.)

The space is cozy, cramped when full, but this was a Tuesday night (which is both game night and import night), so it was far from capacity. The bartender is engaging and witty with a vast knowledge of his craft and wares. Additionally, he seems to have free reign over the bar and creates a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere when you are hanging out with him.

The service at the booths, of which there are many, can be slow. The food is the same bar food they’ve always had: dips, fried food, sandwiches, hot cheese balls. (Mmmm, hot cheese balls.) Don’t go looking for a gourmet meal. However, my friend Travis stubbornly insists they have the "best burgers in the burgh!”

The main drawback to The Cage is that if you have more than four people, it can be very difficult to hang out comfortably. There are tables in the middle that you can cobble together, but it is not the best experience. It is more about a small intimate gathering.

It is a smoking bar, but it is fairly well ventilated. It’s is not all-consuming like some other bars we have been to. Bathrooms are still tiny, but not as gross as I remember. No TP on a Tuesday night means no TP any night of the week, though.

Overall, The Squirrel Cage has its time and place in the world; it’s a good fit for a group of 2 -4 people looking a low-key, smoker friendly place to hangout. The fried mushrooms burnt my tongue, so my instinct is -10000 points, but we’ll let that slide this time.

Address:	5802 Forbes Ave, 15217	Games:	Tuesday Board Game night / Pinball
Façade:	Not Scary	Scene:	Hipster, Dive
Parking:	Walking Shoes	Patio/Outdoor:	No
Kitchen:	Bar Food	Cleanliness:	Normal
Smoking:	Yes	Jukebox:	Internet Crap
Hours:	-2am	Cig Machine:	No
Drink Prices:	Average	# taps:	forgot to check
Bathrooms:	Hover	Specials:	Nightly
Live music:	Never	Riley Factor:	$9.50
		Cash Only	No
TVs:	2	Size:	Medium