Alcohol

E.T.A. Review – Japanese Whisky and Cocktails Downtown

We love a themed cocktail bar, and when it is run by the team behind The Warren, even better.

E.T.A is a Japanese whisky and cocktail bar that opened in The Warren's back room in early 2024. The space was where the former wine shop was located and has been a bar we've been waiting to check out for quite some time. In fact, it wasn't until our friend Alex Eats Too Much stumbled upon this one on opening week that we even found it was close to opening at all. 

Naturally, we visited right away.

Whether you are visiting for whisky, a highball, one of their inventive house cocktails, or even a modest food menu, there really is a lot to enjoy about E.T.A.!

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5 of the Best Happy Hours in Pittsburgh for a Discount

When it comes to drinking in Pittsburgh, you have a lot of options. But if you are looking to go out without spending a lot of money, your first thought may turn to everyone's favorite time of the day- happy hour!

It would be very easy for us to come up with a list of every happy hour special in Pittsburgh, but most would end up being unpalatable beers or daily discounts that aren't that interesting ($1 off a frozen cosmo on Wednesdays is not a good happy hour in our books). In this one, we wanted to focus on some of the best beverages with discounts to match at some of the best happy hours in Pittsburgh.

So if you're looking to try a unique and delicious libation in Pittsburgh without emptying your wallet, check out these personal favorites for great cocktails, local beer, and wine!

Note: Happy hour specials have been known to change without us being made aware. As such, it is especially crucial to reconfirm any promotions prior to visiting. If you have noticed a happy hour change, please contact us.

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Sippin’ Santa Brings a Christmas Tiki Pop-up Experience

Christmas popup bars are a dime a dozen these days, and we almost always treat new concepts with a bit of suspicion.

But when we heard the international charity pop-up, Miracle Bar, was launching a second concept, we were interested. When we heard that it would be called Sippin' Santa and was going to be tiki themed, we were in.

Naturally, we went to this one as quickly as we could after it open for the season. With tiki classics, unique house creations with tropical themes, and profits going to charity, this certainly makes for a different kind of pop-up bar that we hope will return in future seasons!

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Space Bar Review – Exploring the Cosmos with a Cocktail

Pittsburgh really is becoming a space city, and the molecular mixology cocktail bar, Space Bar, will help everyone explore the universe- with tasty libation in hand.

Located right in the heart of Market Square (aptly referred to as the holodeck when onboard), the cocktail lounge is the resident bar of the SS Oasis ship which travels distant worlds and services locals of the various systems visited with tasty cocktails- some familiar, some simply other-worldly.

We were fortunate enough to visit this one during its soft open in fall 2023, and share some early thoughts of what you can expect in this one!

Disclaimer: We are friends with the owners of Space Bar, provided consulting during start-up, and attended a preview event at opening. We have also purchased the cocktails discussed below outside of these instances. As always, all opinions are our own.

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10 Christmas Bars in Pittsburgh to Visit During the Holidays

The holiday season is a wonderful time of year, and Christmas in Pittsburgh is truly a sight to behold.

But as the holiday season is as much about spreading goodwill, taking in the decorations, and the like, Pittsburgh also has another avenue for enjoying the holiday- via its libations scenes!

In fact, there are several Christmas bars in Pittsburgh to enjoy during the holiday season, ensuring that you'll have some holiday cheer from Light Up Night (or in the case of a few of the pop-ups, Black Friday) to New Years. Check them out below!

Please Note: We are featuring all of the holiday popups we are aware of in this guide, whether we have personally visited or not. As such, experiences may vary. When available, click the link to read our full review of the bars we have visited!

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Poetry Lounge – Delicious Cocktails at a Neighborhood Bar

If you've been enjoying Pittsburgh's cocktail scene, odds are good you've had a creation from Sean Enright. From local bars and restaurants, he's been found creating stellar menus at quite a few of our favorite places over the years.

But in late 2023, Sean opened his latest project, Poetry Lounge in Millvale.

This one combines a welcoming neighborhood bar with the added splash of craft cocktails featuring a mix of house creations, classics, and shots- all with reasonable price points. Just the kind of neighborhood bar we like!

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Smoketoberfest is Roundabout’s End of Season Party

When Roundabout Brewery announced that they were closing their Lawrenceville location, we were pretty bummed. Thankfully, this one did not entirely cease operations and went to remote brewing to continue hosting its seasonal Roundabout Popup space on the North Shore River Trail.

Naturally, their end-of-season event, Smoketoberfest, also remained to celebrate all things fall with fun, friends, beer, and a whole lot of smoked food from some of the best food trucks in Pittsburgh.

We had missed attending this one for many years due to seemingly always being out of town, but after visiting Smoketoberfest for the 10th annual event in 2023, we can see we made a big mistake missing out all those years!

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Unspeakable Brings Speakeasy Vibes with Asian Twists

We always love it when several brands collaborate for something greater than the sum of the parts. Unspeakable does just that with Vietnamese influences from Ineffable Ca Phe and select spirits from Noire Distillery next door, all with a speakeasy vibe.

A cocktail bar with Asian elements, local spirits, and well-executed drinks? We're in for this combo!

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7 Oktoberfests in Pittsburgh to Celebrate Fall with a Beer

We have a soft spot for all things Oktoberfest, and after getting to enjoy the celebration in Munich for its wild party, we love checking out all of the Pittsburgh Oktoberfest celebrations that take place throughout September (and spill into October).

As there are no shortage of events taking place in breweries and other public places, we thought we would share a few of the top Oktoberfest events you may want to consider. Prost!

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5 of the Best Spirits Made in Pittsburgh and Southwest PA

There is a lot to love about Pittsburgh distilleries and locally-made spirits. From the numerous options to the great local grains and products sourced, those who love a good cocktail are truly spoiled when it comes to all things local drinking.

In the past, we've liked to highlight the distilleries themselves that we have visited over the years. But in this one, we wanted to shift and look at the spirits as there are five bottles made in Pittsburgh and southwest Pennsylvania that we always seem to have on hand in our home bar.

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