I have some time off and $300 towards Marriott so I said fuck it, why not. Only a 4 hour drive and session two tickets which include our game and Nova/Radford are reasonably priced.
For anybody who has ever lived in or visited Pittsburgh...
1) What are the best sports bars around PPG Arena for:
- For watching games before
- And drinking my sorrows away or celebrating afterwards
Thanks in advance!
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Comments
We went to The Red Ring Bar and Grille on Forbes Avenue before heading to PPG Arena last time we were in Pittsburgh - nice place, and would certainly have the games on.
On their website it says they close at 8 p.m. You know if that's right or not?
Give Buford's Kitchen a go. It's nearby on fifth st I believe.
Also, It's nowhere near PPG and not a sports bar, but I always stop at Gaucho Parilla when I'm in Pittsburgh. It's gotten too trendy for my tastes in the last couple of years, but it's still good food :)
Buford's Kitchen is pretty cool... not traditional sports bar vibe, but plenty of TVs and drinks and I'm sure it'll be popular for the tourney. 4VPISU already mentioned Red Ring, it'll also be packed. Great thing about the Pittsburgh is that it takes no time to walk across the city... so you could head downtown... Primanti Bros, Diamond mkt, etc.
When it comes down to it though, all of the best sports bars are on the North Shore between the stadiums.. Grille 36, Rivertowne, Burgatory, and for St. Patty's week... McFadden's will be poppin...
In short, there are a couple cool places around PPG and downtown... but if you want the best sports vibe you gotta be on North Shore, but it takes no time to get there!
Edit: forgot to mention south side... I won't even begin rattling off bars down there... you could spend a week drinking on south side and still not hit all the bars... just start at 11th street and head East... some of these bars are not as sports oriented so just look at what vibe the place has, they're all pretty cool!
I fully support this post - North Shore is certainly walkable, and has some great spots. Grille 36 is Jerome Bettis' place if you're wondering. Southern Tier is also on North Shore.
My wife worked for Pitt for a year and I've only ever been to PPG once and that's when it was still Console (Pepridge Farms remembers) and really not much time downtown. Buuut in my time there: just across the river there are a few sports bars around PNC Park (kindaaa like what Camden Yards has). Spent WAY too long in a bar called Mullens watching that awful Marshall OT game in 2013...place had no fewer than 100 ohio state jerseys in it that day but still had a blast. Then another place to visit is Church Brew Works. Again, not downtown but worth the $10 uber.
I was reading this as "Questions to Ask Locals in a Pittsburgh Sports Bar". Questions like:
- "What do you think about the NFL's catch rules?"
- "So, how is Andrew McCutchen looking this year?"
- "Is there going to be another Rocky movie?"
- "Did you watch the Super Bowl this year? Great win."
I am triggered
Who the hell is this Narduzzi guy everybody wants to see fucked?
What seed is Pitt in the tournament?
Where did the Pirate name come from this far from the ocean?
When does it warm up around here?
Why do they host a college event in a pro-sports town?
Between 0 and 18, what seed is Pitt?
"Why is Hines Ward such a dirty player?"
Buford's (and the rooftop bar which I'm never sure is part of or separate from Buford's) is the move close to PPG.
If you really want good sports bars though as others have said go across the river to the North Shore. You can take the T for free. McFaddens, Burgatory, Tequila Cowboy, and the Casino are all good spots.
The T is free downtown and across to the North Shore. I agree that Burgatory is very good.
Local Hokies have a room reserved at the Marriott City Center from 5-7 PM, No cover, just a cash bar and access to a buffet. Cash bar means money; no credit cards.
Senior Associate Vice President of Alumni Relations, Matt Winston '90, will be joining us from Blacksburg, along with members of the Hokie Club and we hope to enjoy a visit from the Virginia Tech Spirit Squad (pending their game day logistics).