Revel and Roost Review – Two Restaurants in One

Revel + Roost in downtown Pittsburgh near Market Square is more than just a hotel restaurant.

In fact, we never even knew it was in a hotel until we dined there; we had only heard that it was a great place to hang out. Revel is located on the ground floor and has a more relaxed bar vibe while Roost on the second floor provides a more formal dining experience. We recently stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn Pittsburgh Downtown that houses the restaurants and checked out Revel during our stay.

The highlights for us were the extensive craft cocktail menu and a solid burger. We also visited Roost for breakfast as it was included for free with our Hilton Honors gold status.

Revel Has a Unique Ambiance

The ambiance of Revel is quite interesting with two very old black and white movies being projected onto the side wall of the restaurant. One of them depicted Pittsburgh's steel days (while the other one we never quite figured out what it was). It was a unique touch and a nice homage to Pittsburgh's past.

Although the draft list is quite small with only six taps, the lengthy cocktail menu more than makes up for this. The cocktails are creative and include interesting flavor combinations.

We chose the Ole Smokey with gin, simple syrup, Green Chartreuse, lime juice, and a sprig of smoked rosemary. The smokiness was very subtle and was more in the scent than in the taste. It had a balanced sweetness with citrus notes and a hefty amount of gin.

We also tried the Ryse and Shine with rye whiskey, reposado tequila, honey simple syrup, fernet, and lemon juice. This had a bit too much anise flavor for me but Jeremy really liked it.

Soups, salads, sandwiches, pizzas, and a handful of entrees make up the food menu at Revel. We decided on the Revel Burger and the fried chicken entree. The fried chicken is billed as a “bucket” of chicken, and, sure enough, it's amusingly delivered in a bucket just like you'd expect from the likes of KFC.

Unfortunately, our pieces of chicken were a bit burnt which overpowered what otherwise would have probably been a pretty good flavor. However, the raspberry maple hot sauce served with the chicken was fruity, slightly sweet, tangy, spicy, and delicious.

The burger didn't have any crazy toppings or weird twists, but the patty itself was heavenly. Barbecue short ribs and bacon were included in the custom house blend of meat.

These components made the burger smokey, rich, and tender. The burger was topped simply with mayo, dijon, tomato, and lettuce to allow the meat to shine.

Breakfast at Roost is a Delicious, Peaceful Meal

During our stay at the Hilton Garden Inn we also checked out the breakfast at Roost upstairs. This space is much more peaceful and has a nice wall of windows that give views to the street below.

The breakfast menu consists of plenty sweet and savory options including pancakes, waffles, omelets, and eggs benedict, just to name a few.

We opted for the blueberry buckwheat pancakes which were amazingly tender, full of plump berries, and served with maple syrup. The bacon was thick and hardy, and the coffee was plentiful. We also tried the eggs rancheros, eggs served on top of hash browns and topped with a spicy house made hot sauce- a nice touch.

If you're near Market Square, Revel is a good place to grab a cocktail or have a casual bite to eat, while Roost is perfect for a quieter, more formal meal- or a really nice free breakfast if you're a Hilton Honors gold or diamond member staying at the Hilton Garden Inn.

Now we just have to return to enjoy Revel during their dinner hours!

Revel and Roost is located at 242 Forbes Avenue just outside of Market Square in downtown Pittsburgh. Reservations for weekends are highly recommended.

For our review of the Hilton Garden Inn Pittsburgh Downtown, click the previous link! Or, for more reviews of Pittsburgh restaurants, click the previous link to be taken to our directory of every review on Discover the Burgh!