Pittsburgh Happy Hours
I guess I do happy hour a bit differently than other people. I like to bar hop, even at happy hour. Spend time at one place. Drink the best looking drinks or beers. Move to another place. I thought that was normal but maybe not!
Anyway, there are many happy hours in Pittsburgh and I have only experienced about 5% of them. However, with my limited knowledge, I have found my favorites and two of them are located next door to each other so they are ideal for bar-hopping (spoiler alert: they are the final two in this post).
Hidden Harbor
Tuesday - Friday from 5-6pm
This is a cute bar and restaurant in Squirrel Hill that will easily be passed over if you don’t know it is there. Sitting right off the main road of Forbes Avenue, Hidden Harbor resides on Shady Avenue and sits across from Starbucks. From the outside, it looks like any other bar and restaurant but as soon as you step inside, the tiki scene is in full effect.
The bar is directly in front of you with plenty of seats. If you want a table for dining, you can either take a high top to the right or lower one to the left. I’ve sat both at the bar and a table for happy hour and have had great service. If you are just going with one friend to happy hour (or if you are brave and go solo) I recommend sitting at the bar so that you can watch the drinks get prepared.
Local
Monday-Friday from 5-7pm
Again, my blog headline comes into play with my love for Local’s beer focused happy hour. Local has two properties: Local Brewhouse and Local Bar + Kitchen. Local Brewhouse is in North Shore near Heinz Field and PNC Park, while Local Bar + Kitchen is in Southside. Their happy hour features ½ off pints, $4 Skyy drinks, $4 Jack Daniels, $4 Bacardi, $4 Fireball and ½ select appetizers. While the food is good here, the beer is better.
There are very few exclusions to the ½ pints so I am always a happy camper when I go. There is something so refreshing about a fresh draught, especially a nice IPA.
Kaya
Monday-Friday from 4:30-6:30pm
I love Kaya’s happy hour for what it offers and because it begins at 4:30! Kaya’s happy hour features ½ off all single serving drinks and all craft draft beers. What an ideal combination. It is located right in the Strip District on the corner of Smallman and 20th.
Kaya is a Caribbean restaurant and that reflects in its cocktail list. My favorite drink is the Caipirinha. It is the national drink of Brazil with an ingredient list of leblon cachaca, demerara and lime. Confused? Me too. Cachaca is also known pinga or caninha and is Brazil’s most commonly distilled alcoholic beverage and it is closest related to rum.
Smallman Galley
Tuesday-Friday from 5-7pm
As I mentioned in the intro, I love changing bars at happy hour and my favorite is to change from Kaya to Smallman Galley. I start at Kaya because specials begin at 4:30 and then once I’ve had a drink or two, I will switch locations by simply walking down Smallman one block to 21st, where I arrive at Smallman Galley!
If you have never been to Smallman Galley, go! It is such a neat concept and it has a great happy hour. Since this post is themed around happy hour, here are the details: ½ off all beer, wine and cocktails. The bar menu changes every so often with different themed drinks coming into play. I’ve been when the drink menu was written on a CD, when it was themed after The Sandlot, and most recently when it was a custom magazine. My (coworkers turned) friends and I love it there!
Now, Smallman Galley itself is located in the Strip District. It is essentially an upscale food hall. There are four counters and the chefs rotate every 18 months. The mission of Smallman Galley is to act as a launch pad for up and coming chefs. Straight from its website: “Smallman Galley is a launch pad for the best new restaurant concepts in Pittsburgh. We cultivate and accelerate undiscovered Chefs by providing a forum to showcase their capabilities, hone their craft, develop business acumen, and build a cult following behind their concepts. With four fully outfitted kitchens and seats for 200 guests, we provide the infrastructure for Chefs to bring their concepts to market at low-risk and for low-cost.”
What Do You Want to Know?
Did any questions pop into your mind as you read? If so, I am here to provide answers as best as I can!
All products and businesses mentioned are linked in the text because if I’ve a good experience, I’d like you to have it as well. And no, I am not getting paid for any of this.
Don’t forget to subscribe for weekly email updates and please share with your friends and family!
#PeaceLoveEd
