OTB (Over the Bar) Bicycle Cafe

We assume that in more bike friendly cities there are choices for hipster bicycle bars, but OTB is it for Pittsburgh. Luckily OTB is great little bar, so that’s OK. It's very close to the bike trail along the Monongahela River and has a ton of bike parking out front. They also participate in most of the bicycle related events in the city and act as a great hub for the biking community.

We digress; we're here for the booze. They have a full bar and a good beer selection. There's your biker approved PBR, but they've also got a nice mix of micros. Go for a Pedal Pale Ale if you're staying thematic and want to support your local breweries. The bar is fairly crowded most of the time, but if you can find a seat it’s pretty comfortable. The decor at OTB is bright, thematic, eye-catching and occasionally informative.

The food is a slightly upscale version of bar food and is super vegetarian friendly. You can get your burgers and wraps, but also an Ahi Tuna Salad or Seitan Wings. The food is good, but the service can be slow. As we said, it's usually pretty busy.


It's a good mix of a non-terrible place on the South Side and the cleanest bar full of PBR swilling bicyclists that you’ll find.

Address:	2518  East Carson, 15203            http://www.otbbicyclecafe.com/	Games:	None
Façade:	Not Scary	Scene:	Hipster Bicycle Bar
Parking:	Wear Walking Shoes	Patio/Outdoor:	Sidewalk Seats
Kitchen:	Upscale Bar Food	Cleanliness:	Normal
Smoking:	None	Jukebox:	Internet Crap
Hours:	Open Mon-Sat until 2am Open Sun until 12am	Cig Machine:	No
Drink Prices:	Average	# taps:	8
Bathrooms:	Sit	Specials:	Happy Hour
Live music:	Never	Riley Factor:	$9.00
ATM:	No	Cash Only	No
TVs:	4	Size:	Normal

June Round Up

Bars visited: 19
Reviews Published: 13
Neighborhoods hit: Bloomfield, Point Breeze, Shadyside, Downtown, South Side

A:

• Best Bar: 5801. We are both in agreement on this, what a great bar.
• Worst Bar:  The Pleasure Bar, this might be one of my least favorite bars ever. Bloomfield is striking out.
• Biggest Surprise: Tender.  If you have some extra cash go check out this amazing space.
• Biggest Disappointment: St. James Place, I don't think it is South Side's best kept secret, I think it is just a shitty bar.
• What did A learn: Watching old music videos from the 80s is surpringly entertaining! Also, hipster writers like fancy expensive bars, but only sarcastically. 

J:

• Best Bar: 5801 has always been a Shadyside stand-by, but it is even nicer now
• Worst Bar: Local looks like it should be awesome and then it sucks
• Biggest Surprise: The Evergreen Cafe is not nearly as shady as I remember it and is actually just fine
• Biggest Disappointment: The Pleasure Bar is just plain disappointing all the time
• What did J learn: Don't judge a bar by its cover. Sometimes the sketchy looking places are fun and the nice looking places are terrible.

Green Front Inn

To save us time, sanity and to keep us from writing "this is a typical South Side bar" over and over, we're taking a different approach: haiku. Assume everything you know about the South Side to be true, our haiku will fill in the gaps.

Like a sad diner
where food is just cigarettes

death is in the air

Address:	2341 East Carson, 15203	Games:	Darts
Façade:	Scary	Scene:	Dive Diner
Parking:	Wear Walking Shoes	Patio/Outdoor:	No
Kitchen:	Bar Food	Cleanliness:	Normal
Smoking:	1970's Pittsburgh	Jukebox:	Internet Crap
Hours:	Don't Care	Cig Machine:	No
Drink Prices:	Dirt Cheap	# taps:	0
Bathrooms:	Don't Know	Specials:	Don't Care
Live music:	Never	Riley Factor:	$6.00
ATM:	No	Cash Only	No
TVs:	3	Size:	Normal

Archie's

To save us time, sanity, and to keep us from writing "this is a typical South Side bar" over and over, we're taking a different approach: haiku. Assume everything you know about the South Side to be true, our haiku will fill in the gaps.

First time, empty bar

The Jameson flowed freely
J needs a sammie

Address:	2328 East Carson, 15203	Games:	Pool, Darts
Façade:	Not Scary	Scene:	SouthSide D-Bag
Parking:	Wear Walking Shoes	Patio/Outdoor:	No
Kitchen:	Bar Food	Cleanliness:	Normal
Smoking:	None	Jukebox:	Internet Crap
Hours:	Don't Know	Cig Machine:	No
Drink Prices:	Normal	# taps:	8
Bathrooms:	Don't Know	Specials:	Daily
Live music:	Never	Riley Factor:	$8.00
ATM:	No	Cash Only	No
TVs:	15	Size:	Normal

Margaritaville

To save us time, sanity and to keep us from writing "this is a typical South Side bar" over and over, we're taking a different approach: haiku. Assume everything you know about the South Side to be true, our haiku will fill in the gaps.

Margarita slime
Ecto-cooler in a cup
not even okay

Address:	2200 East Carson, 15203	Games:	Pool
Façade:	Not Scary	Scene:	South Side
Parking:	Wear Walking Shoes	Patio/Outdoor:	No
Kitchen:	Bar Food	Cleanliness:	Normal
Smoking:	None	Jukebox:	Internet Crap
Hours:	Don't Care	Cig Machine:	No
Drink Prices:	Normal	# taps:	10
Bathrooms:	Don't Know	Specials:	Don't Care
Live music:	Never	Riley Factor:	$10.00
ATM:	No	Cash Only	No
TVs:	>10	Size:	Normal

Franktuary

The original Franktuary opened in the basement of an old church on Oliver St. in downtown Pittsburgh as a trendy upscale hot dog joint. It was immediately a huge success and the co-owners quickly looked to branch out.  Eventually, they were able to find a great new space on Butler St. in Larry-ville. They’re still serving the delicious food that they have become Pittsburgh famous for, but they’ve added a pretty big bar to the mix.  This is where we come in.

We were on the fence about reviewing Franktuary. It might be more restaurant than bar, but we were hungry and they have hot dogs. So....rule stretched. It is a beautiful new bar. It was a bit bright for our tastes, but it was still sunny out on a long summer evening. So it was maybe not the best time to judge the lighting. There are giant windows that open up to the sidewalk, with a counter and stools so you can eat your hot dog as you watch the hipsters walk by. 

They have a really great variety of specialty cocktails, getting in on the $10 a drink cocktail boom that Pittsburgh is experiencing. A passable variety of drafts and a stocked bar make this a place where you can get pretty much whatever you like. The bartender was friendly, attentive, and even gave A the end of the bottle of Jameson's for free! There was trivia that night with very enthusiastic participation. The host was also very funny, so if you like trivia, this might be your place.  Be warned, the questions were very hard.

The food was good, the drinks were moderately priced, and the atmosphere was fun and inviting. All in all, a great place to go hangout for a bit. “A” recommends the underdog imposter Chicago dog. J recommends the poutine. Check it out, you will thank dog you did.

Address:	3810 Butler St, 15201  http://franktuary.com/	Games:	None
Façade:	Not Scary	Scene:	Hipster Hotdogs
Parking:	Easy	Patio/Outdoor:	No
Kitchen:	Hot Dogs (and more)	Cleanliness:	Nice
Smoking:	None	Jukebox:	None
Hours:	11am - 12am (2am Fri/Sat)	Cig Machine:	No
Drink Prices:	Normal-Richie	# taps:	10
Bathrooms:	Sit	Specials:	Happy Hour
Live music:	Never	Riley Factor:	$10.21
ATM:	No	Cash Only	No
TVs:	0	Size:	Normal