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Best Watering Holes For Cyclists/Rides!

One thing I love about this place are all the hole-in-the-wall bars around the city and county, whatever.


I love going in somewhere and getting not just all the hip new beers, but Miller High Life in a can, ice cold. Some old-ass country or rock on the jukebox never hurts, either. johnny Cash, anyone? How about some Social D? No jukebox is really complete if it doesn't play The Highwayman; you know you've arrived when you hear that tune.


Where are the best little bars around the city? I understand if you all don't want to give up your secret spot, but they might appreciate any extra business. I'll go first.


I ride through Brighton all the time, so one night I took my bike inside the Young Bros Bar, in the Heights area. It was clean and well lit, and nobody gave me any grief for bringing my bike inside, either. I put it over by the jukebox and enjoyed several cold beers. Overall, a nice place and the people were cordial. I also like the Carline Cafe...


2012-12-10 03:41:46

I like Kelly's in East Liberty.


pseudacris
2012-12-10 03:48:22

Nied's Hotel. Not sure about microbrews, but the dive aesthetic is solid. I have taken my bike inside many times. Great people work there.


2012-12-10 11:44:48

My garage, after a ride, tuning the bike on the workstand, the sun burning the horizon, any good hefeweizen, and something killer on WYEP. Beats any bar.


edmonds59
2012-12-10 12:24:31

@edmonds, sounds like my kind of dive, but the hours are too erratic.


marko82
2012-12-10 13:30:31

I second Nied's. Nice people and a good fish. Pretty relaxing place. My favorite bars are ones without TV's, but that is wildly hard to find in Pittsburgh. Eclipse in Lawrenceville doesn't have TV's, which is cool. Wish there was a bar like North Country in Slippery Rock around here. No TV's, beer brewed there and great food. Ah well.


2012-12-10 13:44:25

Sweet, already some good input. Has anyone tried that musty-looking bar on Camp Horne Rd? I don't recall the name but it's on the left, as you drive toward the Giant Eagle. And I don't mean the restaurant/bar, I've been there. Thanks for the info...


2012-12-10 14:56:43

@ Val are you the Val i work with?


marvelousm3
2012-12-10 14:59:42

Wow! I've never known someone who went into Young Brothers. I've passed it a million times, and always wondered about it.


Which place on Camp Horne? The one that looks like a house, I presume. The name might be Marks ? Or the first names of a man and wife. I've wondered about that place too. Passed it a million times, always curious, never stopped.


In that same area, check out the Emsworth Inn at the end of Centre (at Hazelwood.) No convenient bike parking, but there is a parking lot in back that has a railing or two. Meets most of your criteria for a ride stop.


swalfoort
2012-12-10 15:21:41

@ Val/Swalfoort - That is Marks Bar. I haven't been in there in 15 years probably. It was a bit crusty.


Back in the day, no food, ancient pool tables, and a really small bar with a few regulars forgetting about the working day.


I like Ruggers on the Southside for a mid-ride stop. PBR talls in a can on special.


sew
2012-12-10 16:20:51

Sew's comments about Mark's being somewhat crusty reminds me of a long ago conversation with friends about whether it was possible to alter the course of a local drinking hole that was verging on crustiness simply by committing to going there more often, and bringing friends each time. I realize the question for most people would be "why?" But this establishment was unique do to location, change in zoning laws, etc. So there was a reason to want to keep it as neighborhood friendly and presentable as possible.


I never followed up with that friend. I don't know if their plan was ever executed, or if it was successful.


I


swalfoort
2012-12-10 16:51:51

@Ebby, I'm planning my infil route from Ben Avon, through Highland, specifically to have a beer at Nied's. Update pending.


Pseudacris, that device is pure sweetness. I'm just afraid I might not be able to keep the grin off my face, because that could only be funny, at least at first.


Mr. Marvelous, I am not the Val you work with. Is that good or bad?


Swalfoort, believe me I contemplated it and checked it out a number of times before I ventured in. FYI, the crowd was people of both sexes and varying ages, and the bartender was courteous and on it.


@Sew, thanks! I wanted to say it was somebody's first name but forgot to. Yeah, it looks like a white house, like the bar just might be in the dude's living room. Righteous, sometimes the draw of those places, for me, are just checking them out once, and then looking for another spot. Can anyone tell me where any VFW or American Legion club houses are at, relatively near to any bike path? Gracias.


2012-12-10 17:01:54

@val i work with a Val who i found out posts on here from time to time. She said she only posted about 15 times, you fit the description. Just trying to put a face to the name, i know 3 different val's on this board


marvelousm3
2012-12-10 17:08:12

I haven't been in Big Jim's in the Greenfield run for a decade and a half, but it seems to me like the kind of place to try the experiment swalfoort describes, like a bar Terraforming. I love the location, but might not be distant enough from OTB.

Also there is a true hole in the wall bar kind of diagonal to Big Jim's, looks like a house, can't think of the street (edit - Acorn street). I think there's a Vfw down there too.


edmonds59
2012-12-10 22:22:10

its been too too long (yes 2 x too was intended)


"The Cage" in Sq. Hill - bring on the bike stack(tm)* at about 1 am


* Bike Stack = 8+ bikes piled on each other by the window held together with toe straps.


2012-12-11 03:19:07

however, if you want a real dive bar - Cheifs in Oakland (craig near Center)


2012-12-11 03:19:40

Cheifs quit being a true dive bar somewhere around 1988 when chief's daughter sold the place.


marko82
2012-12-11 03:54:16

which would be about the time I last visited


2012-12-11 04:53:11

The bar on Camp Horn road is Marks Tavern,,has a very very kool painting on the wall of Johnny Cash,,put on the song hurt while looking at it,great song by him.Val chek out Bicycle Heaven Bike shop Museum it has the old vintage orig Carline Cafe sign,,it hangs in the Museum,i have been going in the cave since i was 12 years old,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,chek out Bicycle Heaven this Fri and Sat FROM 7:PM TO 10 FOR A OPEN HOUSE ,and Artdfact show room gallery will be open to,,,kool art work,,jewelry,,sculptures,,paintings and other kool stuff,,,we will both be open ,,holiday shopping with affordable gifts,,412 716 4956 this dec 114 and 15th 7pm 10pm


bicycle-heaven
2012-12-11 05:14:55

Uncle Jimmy's on Semple, true SoufOaklin diveness.


2012-12-11 13:15:48

the rock room in polish hill... $5 gets you 3 beers and 20 pierogies... can't beat that.


imakwik1
2012-12-11 16:10:29

^plus a $12 dry cleaning tab to get the stench outta your coat!


Seriously, though, the Rock Room is great, but watch what you wear there.


pseudacris
2012-12-11 16:27:08

it's hard to believe gooski's wasn't mentioned yet. i guess it's not truly a dive bar, but it definitely has a vibe all its own, and has become sort of iconic, i daresay. plus: ping pong!


hiddenvariable
2012-12-11 17:31:49

Murphies tap room in regent square, they allow me to bring my bike in. Also if your in swisshelm park try pub in the park, always good people, if you see a black redline locked to the pole outside, you'll find me sitting at the bar with PBR in hand!


b-s
2012-12-11 20:40:28

This is the best thread ever! Well, I launched on my errand yesterday to hit Nied's Hotel and scope it out, but my mission was derailed by a friend.. and some beer. I ended up swinging by Iron City Bikes in Oakland, picked up a sixer of some IPA for the pre-ride festivities. We ended up going to Kelly's, instead. Nied's is still on my list.


Mark, that $5 deal sounds sweet but are the pierogies good? I will have to check that out, for sure.


@BH, thanks for the good word on Mark's too, especially the jukebox intel.


To all, thanks for chiming in!


2012-12-12 01:52:18

@b.s. Regent Square has more racks lately! A couple between the bus shelter and D's Dog & 6 Pack and at least one beside the convenience store.


pseudacris
2012-12-12 03:46:10

houghs on greenfield ave is a great place to stop and reward yourself on the way up the hill. they have ample seating and multiple bike racks out front... and a bunch of awesome beers on tap


melange396
2012-12-12 03:48:08

Been meaning to try Houghs. Hows the food?


pseudacris
2012-12-12 03:52:19

i think its pretty good. its better if youre into meat, but there are still veggie options.


melange396
2012-12-12 04:33:10

i'ma go ahead and promote the bar i work at because i'd love to start serving people other than just my regular grouchy old yinzers, however much i adore them. if you're ever in need of a very early breakfast boozin, Thunderbird Cafe in lawrenceville opens at 7am. the bar itself isn't divey, but the clientele is. usually a good jukebox party happening, and food starts at 11. gigantic tv's that i usually keep set to discovery channel, or cartoon network if i can get away with it.


so if you ever really need a hearty bloody mary before your morning commute, visit me!


parvipica
2012-12-12 23:13:54

Michael's Pizza Bar and Restaurant on Sarah Street (South Side) is a cool little place.


Also, a great comment: "the bar itself isn't divey, but the clientele is."


jmccrea
2012-12-12 23:30:21

"you'll find me sitting at the bar with PBR in hand!"


Seriously??? They have all that GOOD beer at Murphy's and you drink PBR? In public, none the less? Have you no shame?!?!


headloss
2012-12-12 23:51:21

@Parvipica, do you guys have a super righteous Bloody Mary recipe in-house? Plenty of Horseradish? Is there a half-decent place to secure the bike, and keep an eye on it?


2012-12-13 00:23:13

T-bird ftw :D


2012-12-13 01:42:57

Hey hey, anyone interested in an early morning bloody mary ride? Lots of free time around the hollidays....


marko82
2012-12-13 02:18:43

we don't have a drink menu, per se, and our ingredients are limited, but we can be creative with what we've got. yes, plenty of horseradish and sriracha. i've got a few different pickled veggies i've been meaning to bring to the bar for bloody marys. there's only one bike rack outside, but still a few sturdy signs and parking meters right outside the big front window.


parvipica
2012-12-13 02:30:00

@drewbacca: If I was going to have a single beer with dinner it would be a IPA of some sort, but I don't go out often to have a single beer!! So yes I perfer cheap beer that I can predict how my body will feel the next day, besides if you see me at murphies I will have a miller light in hand. (they only have PBR in over priced glass bottles)


b-s
2012-12-13 23:11:29

@drewbacca: If I was going to have a single beer with dinner it would be a IPA of some sort, but I don't go out often to have a single beer!! So yes I perfer cheap beer that I can predict how my body will feel the next day, besides if you see me at murphies I will have a miller light in hand. (they only have PBR in over priced glass bottles)


b-s
2012-12-13 23:12:16

Fair enough. It's just that PBR is the last thing that comes to mind if I'm there! For me, if it's cheap, it's (draft) yuengling :)


headloss
2012-12-13 23:56:43

@drew funnily enough I was just saying the same thing about when I used to drink. Of course that was over a decade ago before the craft brew thing took off.


cburch
2012-12-14 00:18:13

If you like craft beer and/or any number of specialty beers from around the country and world, 2 recommendations to offer - (1) the Beerhive in the Strip, roughly 22nd St and Penn Avenue, (2) Barley and Hops, located in the South Park Shops on Route 88 in Bethel Park (very close to South Park).


2012-12-15 19:27:27

I've wondered how the Beerhive was, I'll have to check it out, tomorrow. Which of those two places do you like best?


2012-12-17 04:59:08

The Beerhive sounds interesting and level when coming from Lawrenceville (I hate hills). I'll have to check it out tomorrow evening.


josgood
2012-12-17 06:19:11

They put a Beehive in the strip dist?


2012-12-17 12:38:35

BEER-HIVE I would be surprised if they had PBR :P


b-s
2012-12-17 14:27:08

they don't, although they do have Yuengling and a couple other large domestic drafts. see http://thebeerhive.com/Bottle_List for atrocious all-Flash website...


epanastrophe
2012-12-17 21:31:47

it's not a particularly good list, either. isn't there anywhere one can get, say, a cantillon geueze, or a fantome saison around here any more? hough's has nary a sour beer to be had, and even d's has been taken over by yet-another-good-ipa syndrome.


hiddenvariable
2012-12-17 22:39:40

oh. a beeRhive.

(lousy mobile phone screens)


2012-12-17 22:59:32

I read Beehive too. I was flashing back to catching movies in Oakland. /OldePittsburgh


2012-12-18 01:11:49

#ebby412... I finally made it to Nied's, yesterday. I was doing a pub crawl in that small monsoon we had and that fish sandwich you mentioned was right on time, along with a couple of Miller beers and some onion rings. Thanks for the tip, the people were nice, just like you said and I'll be going back there again.


2012-12-18 22:04:37

To Val and others, I'm partial to the Barley and Hops establishment with the disclosed bias that I live nearby. There are usually several craft beers on draft and a tremendous selection of bottled beers from around the world. They did have a sour beer on draft recently. The name escapes me at the moment but I'll ask next time I am there. My recollection of the Beerhive from approximatly 2 weeks ago was that they did have some IPAs on draft but also had a porter, an imperial stout, wheat beer, and some others. As you are doubt aware, these small batch brew offerings change frequently.


2012-12-21 22:34:39

Happened to be shopping in the strip today and stopped into the Beehive. Took a photo of the menu but couldn't upload it to this forum. So here is the draft beer menu for today, 12/22/12. I think one could find a suitable offering. I had the Atwater Winter - Yuengling Lager; Wolavers Alta Gracia; Southern Tier 2 Xmas; Brooklyn Winter Ale; Unita Dubhe; Woodchuck Winter; Harpoon Chocolate Stout; Belhaven Wee Heaven; Lagunitas Brown Shugga; Sly Fox Odyssey IPA; Atwater Winter; Saranac Caramel Porter.


2012-12-23 02:32:58

Cool, thanks!

To get a picture on here, upload it to a site like Flickr, then get the URL of the actual photo (starts with http, ends with .jpg), then post the link here. Exactly like the following, only use angle brackets "<" and ">" instead of square ones:


[img src="http://www.website.com/path/to/your/image.jpg"]

stuinmccandless
2012-12-23 03:36:38

Fulton, great battlefield update. But you didn't say what you thought of that Atwater.


2012-12-23 03:44:23

Thanks Val. The Atwater was just right on a cold December afternoon. To the PBR fan, I was once (1981) on a cross-country ride in Southern Illinois. PBR was the beverage of choice for every redneck establishment in that area. My cohort and I, a couple of longhairs at the time, were not treated too kindly by the locals. Glad that civilization (at least with regard to beer) has advanced since then.


2012-12-24 21:24:22

I'll have to check that beer out, thanks. And you're spot-on. PBR is definitely old-school redneck beer. It just so happens I've drank my share of it up at the cabin, although Miller High Life is my domestic beverage of choice. It's even better when you can find it in the pony bottles...


2012-12-26 22:14:14

Had plenty of PBR and Miller (Bud too for that matter) in the past, when there were not so many other quality choices. The last mass produced beer I've had was a Carlsberg. I used to think that was so good. In reality, it doesn't even compare to what is available in today's craft beer market.


2012-12-28 00:11:22

Fulton, I am a beer lover too, and appreciate all kinds of micro-brews and such. But my inner redneck never gets tired of the High Life. I likes me some Carlsberg, too. I drank a fair amount of it in 2011. Guinness is always a good choice, and almost any IPA or pale ale. One of my resolutions for this New Year is to try and make it out to that week-long Pittsburgh beer dealio. I absolutely love doing a good pub crawl, especially when I have all afternoon. We might ought to lay one on, this winter. Preferably during a blowing snow storm, when traffic is at a crawl, and we can sally forth in our quest for World Domination. Of course it would be a combination of nifty breweries, as well as holes-in-the-wall!


2012-12-28 13:59:10

Val, I won't hold your Foxworthian beverages choices against you. But if any Beechnut starts coming out of the commisures, that could be a deal breaker :-) . We did take in some of that PGH Craft Brew Week festivities in 2012. I beleive it was held in late April, as I recall. I would love to join you in a blizzard pub crawl this winter. Keep in touch.


2012-12-31 20:07:22
I thought this was a good thread to drop this funny
marko82
2013-11-20 08:44:56
edmonds59 wrote:I don’t drink it, but they do have the greatest commercial evar! Seems apropo.http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kLl5y9RZI7c
I will purchase a sixpack of Miller High Life beer in honor of this ad. Unless it is truly awful (uh... a distinct possibility) I will be making it my beer of choice.
mick
2013-11-21 12:12:42
As an update, Barley and Hops closed its doors during the fall of this year. It was a nice place to go. I can make a guess as to what the problems were, but it did have an upside and its closing has left a void in the Bethel Park area.
fultonco
2013-11-30 09:54:53
Sooo, what about a holidays early-morning bloody mary ride?
stuinmccandless
2013-12-01 09:01:51
@Jacob McCrea Looks like a great place and thanks for your work on the custom bike rack. I haven't yet been there but will now have to check it out. Regarding Stu's question, "Sooo, what about a holidays early-morning bloody mary ride?" Since 2013, Dormont Borough has installed bike racks around town. One of them happens to be in front of Cain's Saloon, on West Liberty. They just happen to have a pretty good Do It Yourself Bloody Mary Bar. The owner, Joey DeMarco, was very positive about bikes and bike racks when I approached him a few years back.
fultonco
2016-05-14 08:31:12