Red Ring

The atmosphere here is nice. We came on a weekday for lunch so it wasn’t crazy busy, but I’ve heard it can get pretty intense before a Pens game and on the weekends. The services was ok. Seems like they needed more staff for the lunch rush as one waiter was pretty much taking care of every table there.
Half of their menu is different combos of mac and cheese which I’m not a huge fan of, but they have plenty of other options as well. I went with the fish sandwich special and was pretty disappointed. The fish was so thin and skinny, it was essentially 95% breading. However, the french fries that it came with were fresh cut and delicious.
What I don’t really understand with this place is the fact that they have both fresh cut french fries and home made potato chips with home made french onion dip BUT they only offer them as sides. If you have both of these things, which isn’t typical of every bar, why not utilize them and create some unique appetizer options? Loaded fresh cut fries, nachos supreme but with home made chips instead of tortilla chips. Instead some of their options include soft pretzels and crunchy pot stickers which both clearly come frozen.
I’m not saying I wouldn’t give this place another shot, but there is definitely plenty of room to grow.

I stopped in with a couple friends for an early lunch on the weekend, and the place was almost empty. I can see it becoming very rowdy with sports games at night. I ordered the Veggie Stack with coleslaw. I was pleasantly surprised by the light amount of dressing in the coleslaw and the amount that came with the sandwich, The sandwich itself was satisfying, but overall, nothing too special.

I like it here! The menu is American with some twists. They change up the menu once or twice a year to keep things fresh. I would compare it to a better, more satisfying Friday’s or Applebees. The service is typically prompt, though I haven’t been there before or around a Pen’s game.
I usually get the Turkey burger with the onion/​cucumber slaw. The slaw on this burger is TO DIE FOR. When I know I’m going to be going there for a meeting, I dream about the turkey burger in advance. They also have a good selection of homemade mac and cheese.
Happy Hour is pretty good with some discount cocktails and drafts and a reduced price menu. The spinach artichoke dip and the pretzel sticks are my favorite!

I have experienced night and day differences each time I have eaten here and I must say its at its best when the Pens are playing at home. I absolutely love the design, layout, and location of Red Ring. There is always so much excitement in the air when it is filled with Pens fans who are grabbing a bite to eat before going to the game. However, when there isn’t a home game the place seems pretty lifeless. It can be the perfect choice when you don’t feel like waiting for a table anywhere else around town.
The menu is simple and traditional and it is certainly a great option when you don’t want to spend money on high priced food and drinks at Consol.
Convenience and location is everything to me so I find that parking inside the garage across the street, eating at Red Ring and then walking the few blocks to Consol Energy center works out great for when I am attending a Pens game.

My boo and I had an excellent dinner experience here. We wanted to grab food before we went to an event at consol plus I had a coupon from the Enjoy book. The whole menu looked bomb but their house Mac n cheeses sounded too good plus or adorable server was sellin them hard. I got the loaded baked potato Mac and my boo got buffalo chicken mac. We ended up switching meals LOLZ but both were FLAME. Also we ordered a side of fries — may or may not have been the best fries I ever shoved in my face. With the coup the whole shebang only cost like $ 20. I’ll definately be back if I find myself downtown again, I guess they change up their menu now and again. How whimsical.

What was great:
Staff, atmosphere, draft beer, cleanliness, bathrooms, location, and the chicken wings.
However, you would think the macaroni and cheese would be awesome since it makes up ¼ of the menu. Each of us ordered various types and thought the mac and cheese tasted very bad. We all left it on our plate. The staff might agree since we were not asked why we didn’t finish our plates or how the food tasted.

We went to The Red Ring prior to the UD vs Duquesne men’s basketball game. The service was great and the food was excellent. We will come back each year. Go Flyers!

5 of us stopped for dinner before a Duquesne game. Big Mistake. Never again. The food game out so fast that I thought, how efficient they are, but no. Half of the food orders were cold, like the french fries and pot stickers, the bruschetta was brown. I thought tomatoes were supposed to be red but that’s me. I guess they soak them in balsamic which made them completely inedible. So when the waitress came to our table to check on us, she was told what was cold and what was bad. She took it away and brought back warm food but never said that she was sorry. Also, the chicken fingers had an odd aftertaste to them and my niece stopped eating them after eating 2. When our checks came, we expected to have at least the food taken off the check that could not be consumed but it was there. We talked to the manager and he said that since 2 pieces of chicken were eaten, it could not be taken off. Apparently his wait staff had complained about us so he had the low down on our experience. Only after an argument did our checks reflect what we were able to eat. The waitress was rude and so was the manager. Haven’t you ever heard that the customer is always right? oh, and lastly, there was a hair on my last bite but I knew if I complained they wouldn’t have believed me. Back to Milano’s next time.

As a Duquesne University alum, I was pretty excited when this place first opened several years ago, when I was a student. It’s by far the closest bar and restaurant from campus, within a five– or 10-​minute walk from most buildings. It’s also a prime location for Consol Energy Center folk, only steps away.
I understand where the term red ring comes from, since Duquesne has a distinctive class ring with a red jewel. However, the name instantly makes me think of a ringworm symptom. Kinda icky from the get go, especially considering it’s a restaurant and all.
The food here is incredibly average, but what was a really big turn off for me is they were essentially serving dressed up campus food. At least before Aramark lost their contract, students looking to get a break from what they have in their meal plan would likely be disappointed because the food was from the same supplier. The same thing might apply now, but can’t be sure because I haven’t eaten campus food since then.
Also, the hours there can be really unusual and inconsistent, especially during the summer months.
Biggest perk? They serve beer. But even that’s kinda overpriced. College kids and Consol Energy Center visitors alike would probably have a better time at Milano’s. Or anywhere else.

Stopped today for lunch. The waiter, Travis, was very good and responded to every request. The turkey avocado sandwich was quite good. Came with fries or homemade chips. Not crowded. 21 bucks for both meals.

My wife and I stopped in the Red Ring Restaurant beforea concert. Restaurant was fairly empty and we were seated right away. Restaurant appeared open and clean. Had a few Duquesne jerseys/​pictures hanging but outside of that there was not too much character in the restaurant. Service was average. Not extremely efficient, but not dreadful either!
Menu was somewhat basic. Sandwiches, burgers, wings, and a few other entrees. There were approximately eight beers on tap. We had Duquesne on draft. 5.00 for a 23 ounce draft during happy hour seemed a little much. We each had a sandwich. I had the pulled pork which had a nice taste, and my wife had an Italian sandwich which she enjoyed. Sandwiches were priced fairly (around 9.00 each),
Overall there are quite a few bars around Consol with more bars to come. Red Ring doesn’t set itself apart to make it stand out in the crowd. I would definitely look elsewhere during my visits to Consol for a drink and meal.

We stumbled upon this place in attempts to park near Console and avoid the rain. The location is great if you are looking to grab a meal before an event. Upon checkin the receptionist told us the wait would be about 25 mins, but we only waited for 3 before being seated– score!
The noise level in here is crazy loud, and it was only 6:30. I think we lost our voices trying to hold conversation at dinner moreso than singing at the concert! Our pretzel burgers were decent. I would eat here again, although because of the atmosphere it wouldn’t be my first choice. It also seemed that they were understaffed. We rarely saw our waitress but she was very accommodating when she was able to swing by our table.
Average place, but satisfactory.

This place is fantastically average. The service was blah. The food was decent and the beer selection was just ok.
Came here before a Penguin game and it was packed but that’s no excuse for shoddy service.

Stopped in Red Ring last night with some friends before they went to the Garth Brooks concert. The place was packed; apparently they aren’t used to having patrons in their bar because they were sold out of every beer except Blue Moon. Then they decided to close at 10 pm, and kick everyone out since they ran out of alcohol.

I have been before today (although it had been quite a while). It was built while I was attending Duquesne and previously I would go here because of convenience (as I’m sure most of the students do).
The food was decent (although on the pricey side — $ 12 for veggie Mac & cheese with a side salad?!) I will say the Mac & cheese was very good and the portion size was quite large. I ended up with half to take home, which makes me think the price isn’t too bad after all.
Service was good — attentive and our orders were correct. I went to grab a late lunch (2:30) and there was only a few other groups there.

Bar food is tricky. It can be all over the place between really good, really bad and everywhere in between. This place coming in right in the middle.
I feel like they may have to start stepping up their game with the Blue Line Grille right around the corner and basically having the same concept. I ordered the Turkey burger with coleslaw. The burger was fine. Could have used a little more flavor, but not terribly bland. I really liked the coleslaw, which was vinegar based. They gave you a hardy helping too!
I like that they have some local brews on tap, but I believe there were only about six draft choices. Am I spoiled by the craft brew bars that have like 40 beers on tap? Probably.
Not a bad pre-​game option. But like I said, they might have to step it up a bit if more restaurants start popping up around here.

Wow, I’m actually surprised to see so few reviews for a burger place downtown.
Honestly, the Red Ring isn’t that bad. The menu is different than it was when it first opened, but I’ve always been able to find something tasty.
The place has a sporty feel, but it’s still a nice restaurant. I think it’s one step up from a chain Applebees type place.

The Red Ring is a staple for Duquesne students. It is not even a five minute walk from campus, and has a great student atmosphere: casual & modern. The inside is clean and done in bright and bold colors. I’d recommend watching sports there since they have multiple TVs, a big drop-​down screen, and an awesome beer selection. The service is always friendly and attentive, even when the restaurant is accommodating a large group. The new menu has a small eats section that I love, but I typically stick to the really reasonable happy hour specials, which are awesome and really fairly priced.

I work in town, so me and 3 of my co-​workers walked up to the Red Ring for a nice sit down lunch. We have been here before, and they have had moderate to good service.
We arrived inside and stood at the hostess stand. No one was there to greet us and that was fine, there never is. Usually, a waiter or waitress multitasks and comes over to greet and seat us right away. However, today we stood there for a good 5 minutes and waited for an employee to come over.
Finally, a waiter comes up and seats this group of 2 people that arrived right before us. He then proceeded to tend to other tables by getting their orders or refilling beverages, etc. Then, another waitress appears and she makes eye contact with us and sees we have been waiting. Clearly, we are annoyed, however she decides to clean some tables even though there are about 15 other clean tables available for us to sit at.
Both the waiter and waitress continued to look up at us, as we aimlessly stood at the hostess stand, but still no one came over! Finally, after about 10 minutes, we all actually started to laugh at how ridiculous the situation was and left.
Seriously! Either hire a hostess, get more employees, or tell the staff that they should want to seat guests for lunch. Unfortunately, every time I think of that place, I’m going to think of that terrible experience.

Pretty good. A nice and easy location to eat at while visiting Duquesne.
Service was really good, the server was very attentive, and helpful.
The burger I had was OK, a little burnt and a little lumpy like uneven.
The fried zucchini was amazing, i could have eaten like 3 servings of that alone.
Looks like it would be a pretty fun place to go before a pens game.
Ambiance is very sporty, and open, I bet they can accomodate a lot of big groups.

We had a terrible experience. We were there before Billy Joel concert. We ordered drinks and appetizer. The wings were cold In the middle and not crisp at all. We got our drinks with no glasses. We asked for glasses and we got the after our drinks were done. My vodka tonic had no vodka, and we has asked for a slice of orange with her blue moon. We never got it after asking twice. Also we never got any plates so I had to put the wings into the same bowl they came out in. Also asked for more napkins they came when the dinner came out. Dinner was ok the steak sandwich was hot, but nothing spectacular. We ordered a second round of drinks and they came out when we were ready to leave. I was surprised how bad it was because I have been there before for penguin games last year. I will not be back.

We went here before seeing the Penguins game last weekend. Sub-​par is the best way to describe this food. It was just shy of being good. The fries were tasty but had a serious lack of cheese and bacon on them. If I’m getting specialty fries, I want a lot of toppings.
I had the crab cake sandwich and the crab cake was so small, I had so much excess bun. Really didn’t feel like I got the most of the meal. I will say that the chips were very good. Not too greasy and just crispy enough. I would eat here again but not any time soon.

Right on Duquesne’s campus and a perfect place to go before a concert or Pens game at the Consol Energy Center. It can get crowded before games/​concerts so make sure to leave plenty of time. The bar is also fun to hang out at as they have great game day drink specials. I ordered the 2^nd Shift pale ale for the $ 3 special-​the bartenders said it tasted just like Yuengling which it did. For dinner I went with the cobb wrap which was a cobb salad (egg, cheese, chicken, tomatoes, lettuce, bacon) in a wrap. The hot bacon dressing was delicious. My date ordered the turkey club with homemade chips which he too enjoyed. My only complaint is that I ordered mashed potatoes as my side instead of fries and they charged me $ 1.99 extra.

The Red Ring is certainly a welcome addition to the Uptown and Duquesne Campus area. The place is clean, has lots of seating, and is not pricey.
PROS: Great pub food. Diverse menu with salads, wraps, burgers, tons of appetizers, and vegetarian friendly items.
CONS: This place can get extremely packed for a Pens pre-​game session leaving you to feel absolutely ignored by the bar staff who are overwhelmed with the volume of patrons. Service during non-​game times is also a bit inconsistent.

I was quite happy when this restaurant first opened because there was finally an option for grabbing dinner before a Pen’s game that wasn’t the Souper Bowl (dirty, crowded, nasty food) or the Steelhead Grille (very, very expensive). The décor is nice and upscale, and the food was consistently good, but the servers were hit-​or-​miss. And the place was always packed before the games so we had to arrive early to get seated and enjoy our dinner.
Because of the NHL strike and other factors, we hadn’t been to a game in 10 months. Something very bad happened at Red Ring in those months.
The meal portions have decreased and the entrees we ordered just weren’t as good as they used to be. And, really, the meals are served in red plastic baskets with a lovely checked piece of paper underneath? Are we at the beach ordering fried seafood? Their presentation used to be quite good, now it’s… plastic baskets. And our server was one of the worst we have had in our 3(?) years of eating meals there.
We noticed as we were leaving that there are no longer lines of people to be seated, and it made sense. Many of their former customers are going elsewhere– but WHERE? We will probably not be back unless our only option is the Souper Bowl…

This unfortunately named restaurant conjures up two images for me. The first is the death of a fairly expensive gaming system, and the second is too childish for me to admit to, but when this place is suggested for lunch, I flash back to the time I did the triple atomic wings challenge at Quaker Steak. For that I apologize sincerely, but I can’t control my brain, yo.
The point of that thought train is that subconsciously, I think this place already had a few marks going against it. My friend and I have been for lunch a few times since it’s so close to his office, and really the biggest surprise is that nothing is good, but nothing is really bad either… it’s as bland as a dry wedding. The worst offense being the «signature» chicken fingers, which tasted like neither chicken, nor fingers. It reminded me of that flavorless feast from «A Wrinkle in Time». L’Engled!
The wrap I had was alright, but this restaurant sets the bar pretty low. I’m assuming this is a chain since it looks like an amalgam of every chain restaurant I have ever been to. Little bit o’ Fridays, mixed with a dose of Applebees, with just a hint of Damons thrown in. It’s menu and appearance are just super dull, and really, with a thousand cool restaurants so close, this seems like a terrible misstep.
My suggestion to the Red Ring marketing department: just embrace the fact that you’ve named your restaurant after an inflamed butthole and make your menu all about incredibly hot food challenges. You’ve just been given a Christmas miracle, my friends.

Excellent location, especially if you are headed to a hockey game. The food is okay. Not a favorite place of mine, but it can sometimes come in handy. The restaurant is owned by Duquesne University and it is managed by foodservice giant Aramark, so it’s no wonder this place often reminds me of a college cafeteria.