by mairinpgh on 17 Feb 2016 19:54
For Pgh travellers this weekend, a quick list of great places to grab a drink & maybe a bite to eat before/after show this Friday, all in easy walking distance (Heinz Hall is at 600 Penn, at the corner of Penn & Sixth St):
Sienna Mercato (actually 3 restaurants on separate levels - go straight up to the 3d fl rooftop beer garden, called "Il Tetto", great view & retractable roof so open all year round, 942 Penn Ave); Seviche (930 Penn Ave - tapas & salsa music & fun drinks); Sharp Edge (922 Penn Ave - great beer selection); Meat & Potatoes (649 Penn Ave - fun & trendy, small room & long wait for food, good for drinks); Olive or Twist (140 Sixth St - fun cocktails, a favorite happy hour haunt); Tako and Butcher & the Rye (212 Sixth St - 2 separate places - both very trendy, right across street from Heinz Hall. Reservations a must).
There are other more expensive places too (like Mortons, Capital Grille, etc) in walking distance, but not as much fun in my opinion. Downtown Pgh is extremely walkable/small, and fairly safe. Cabs are hard to hail (easiest to grab one at a queue at a hotel); Uber is around but not yet as popular as in other cities.
If sticking around on Sat & looking for stuff to do, I recommend checking out the Warhol Museum on the North Shore, also the Mattress Factory (great contemporary art museum w/site specific installations), as well as the Carnegie Museums in Oakland (can't walk from downtown to Oakland, but there are plenty of buses back & forth, about a 5-10 min bus ride.) There is a casino on the North Side also, can hop on the T/Subway to get there. Or, walk over to the South Side & take the incline up to Mt. Washington - great views of the city.
If looking for some live music on Sat (and/or pre-post show), check out the James St Gastropub/Speakeasy on the North side, 422 Foreland St. Great blues/jazz (the great jazz drummer Roger Humphries usually is there for Thurs nite jam sessions).
Enjoy!
- M