“You must not like living on the South Side, right?” Most Pittsburghers have expressed this to me at some point. Indeed, when I first moved to the city, I was an East End resident, living on a quiet side-street in Squirrel Hill. But I was not destined for the bucolic East End. When my living arrangement fell through, I moved to the heart of the action on East Carson Street.
I soon learned that explaining why I like living on the South Side is a hard sell. The South Side Flats neighborhood is known for its dive bars and nightclubs, and yes, we have a lot of those. But the South Side has a lot of other things to offer, as well. It has a rich bohemian history as the former location of the Beehive, Pittsburgh’s very first coffeeshop. All those quaint coffeeshops in the East End? The South Side was first.
“I’ve lived in South Side since 2011. I find the residents there have a gallows humor about the neighborhood as a whole. We laugh off most of the drunken shenanigans, but we don’t put up with serious crimes,” one resident told TABLE. “It’s almost like a badge of courage or honor to live there and listen to outsiders worry about us.”
So for your next night out, if you want to head to the South Side but skip Jack’s, Dee’s, or Smokin’ Joe’s Saloon (nothing wrong with ‘em, but sometimes you want more than a shot and a beer!), try some of these suggestions.
A Night Out on the South Side Beyond the Dive Bars
Eats
Dish
128 South 17th Street
This osteria makes the perfect date night — and is also is a piece of neighborhood history. The building on South 17th Street was once a saloon owned by a local immigrant family, then an Irish pub, and now a wonderful Italian restaurant run by Michael and Cindy Savoia. Dish is one of the most intimate and high-quality dining experiences in the city, with a carefully curated menu and bar offering. Enjoy some pappardelle ai funghi or spaghetti ai frutti di mare, each paired with a perfect glass of Italian wine.
La Palapa
2224 East Carson Street
The South Side secretly has some of the best Latin food in Pittsburgh (also shoutout to Cilantro & Ajo and The Colombian Spot). La Palapa is an amazing Mexican restaurant, with hefty portions and great happy hour daily drink specials. Their birria is unmatched and the mojitos and margaritas pair well with everything. The service is always friendly and the staff is happy to give recommendations if you’re not sure what you want.
Alla Famiglia
804 East Warrington Avenue
Just up the hill from the South Side Flats in Allentown, Alla Famiglia is another romantic, upscale Italian restaurant that makes for a really special night. For those who want to indulge, it also has an old school cigar room off to the side. Plus, Allentown is nestled adjacent to the South Side Slopes overlooking the neighborhood, so take a nice after-dinner walk with a view down Arlington Avenue.
Bonfire
2100 East Carson Street
Chef Chris Bonfili serves a solid woodfired New American menu on the corner of South 20th and Carson, one of the busiest corners in the neighborhood. His open-air indoor seating allows for you to take in the hustle and bustle and feel the breeze without being right on the curb. Bonfili specializes in items woodfire roasted octopus, woodfire salmon, and more, as well as a wide range of delectable appetizers. Frequent use of preserved lemons in salads and entrees makes for a delicious flavor boost in several of his dishes.
Drinks
Carmella’s Plates and Pints
1908 East Carson Street
Carmella’s is one of those bars that can be pretty much anything you want it to be. Glass of wine for a girls’ night early in the evening? Check. Craft cocktails on a rotating menu? Check. Shots? Check. Hearty meal with a digestivo to wash it down? Check. It’s open until midnight and also has robust dinner fare and light bites for if you want something in your stomach while you drink. Their bread is also locally sourced from Mediterra, one of our favorite bakeries. Carmella herself is often on hand to give guests a warm welcome.
Streets on Carson
1120 East Carson Street
Serving street food from around the world and a wide variety of cocktails, Streets on Carson is a unique experience. Try their vampiro tacos, arancini, steamed buns, and loaded fries while surrounded by local art. The owners, who live in the neighborhood and also have a food truck, host theme nights like Lifetime Movie bingo that are a great happy hour social event.
Acacia
2108 East Carson Street
From the outside, you can’t even tell Acacia is there. It’s styled like an old-school speakeasy with newspaper over the windows. But once you step inside, the romantic lighting makes it one of the South Side’s best bars. Their cocktail menu is always changing, but you can be sure you’ll have a one-of-a-kind experience and a quality night out.
Bottlerocket Social Hall
1226 Arlington Avenue
Bottlerocket combines a cool factor with a vintage Pittsburgh bar vibe in Allentown with its ‘70s décor, jukebox, and velvet wallpaper. It’s another place with something for everyone, and part of its appeal is its wide program of events. It hosts everything from touring bands to comedy nights to film screenings along with its bar programming. Plus, if you really love the space, you can become a member and get discounts and three free shows a month, just like the social clubs of yore!
Culture
Club Café
56 South 12th Street
Catch this classic neighborhood music venue near the historic South Side Market before it shuts its doors this winter after twenty-five years. Both local bands and nationally touring acts have frequented it, and it makes for a great destination for any music aficionados in your life. They’ve hosted everything from folk music to punk rock. And the drinks are great, too!
Brew House Arts
711 South 21st Street
While it was once a distillery and brewery, Brew House is now where many artists in Pittsburgh let their skills ferment. It has studio space, hosts a residency, and also allows local curators to take part in “Prospectus,” a mentorship program to help develop exhibitions. The spacious main gallery hosts an array of programming all throughout the year and has open hours during the day.
City Theatre
1300 Bingham Street
One of Pittsburgh’s coolest independent theaters is right off of East Carson on Bingham Street. It hosts productions by renowned playwrights with innovative set design and winning casts. This Halloween season, City Theatre will be presenting “Ghosted: Tales from Carson Street,” a selection of local ghost stories.
Color Park
1 South 6th Street
Most people think of New York, Los Angeles, or Paris as being hotbeds for street art. But Pittsburgh has its own thriving community of muralists, and Color Park by the Monongahela is where many of them come to paint. The wall-to-wall colorful graffiti and murals are vibrant and lively, just like the neighborhood around them.
Story by Emma Riva / Photo courtesy of Acacia
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