Smokin’ Joe’s

I’ve been here a couple of times; once for 30 cent wing night on a Monday, and once just to grab a few beers late on a Wednesday. The food is decent, we tried a few more items than just the wings. Portions are huge and reasonably priced, and you get options like salads as well as typical bar food. They have several TV’s around the bar which usually show different games. What I like the best is their huge bottle selection! I’m originally from Europe, and I truly find myself missing some of the go-​to beers I used to have back there. I have been looking for some of them at so many bars here in Pittsburgh, but only found them at Smokin’ Joe’s. Their beer prices are also really reasonable. However, it’s obvious when the staff want to go home, or rather watch one of the games, or do anything but serve you. Their draft list is also quite outdated and they don’t have everything that’s on it. A bar I’ll stop by more, but I honestly don’t see myself becoming a regular.

Perfectly fine place if you are looking for a wide range of drafts.
Somehow it didn’t stick to my mind though. There are a lot of great bars along this bar street.

I always used to stop here for a quick drink, but never decided to order food. I did so about a month ago and couldn’t believe what I was missing out on.
Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to try their excellent wings (with plenty of sauces/​rubs to choose from), mouth watering flatbreads, great appetizers, and juicy burgers. The «southsider» flatbread is one of my favorites.
They also have 60+ beers on tap that will compliment any meal you order.
I’ve only had bad service once since I’ve been going here, but can say everyone is usually friendly and knowledgeable.
If you can’t decide on a place to go, you can always rely on smokin joe.

Honestly, this place isn’t that bad!
We went on a Friday evening after dinner for a drink. I was pleasantly surprised by how nice it was! They have a large selection of beer and I felt the staff helped us choose a beer we would like. I saw a few food items pass us, and they looked simple but fresh.
I was told that this place can get busy, which I believe because they had a lot of staff working. I mean initially the staff to guest ratio was 3:1. By the time we left the bar was full. Not packed but busy.
I look forward to going back here!

tons of beers on tap.
the rib wrap is a must of try if you have not.
Their wing special is also pretty good.
Nice laid back atmosphere and a good place to catch the game

They have a lot of beers and change up the bottle selection regularly. The food is normal bar type thing. Fries are definitely some of the best.
That being said…
DO NOT sit at the tables, wait staff… umm not so good. By that I mean, dont know the menu, and certainly dont know the beers, won’t check on you, and will screw up your bill. (It wasn’t very busy: no excuse)
Overall recommendation:
Sit at the bar, order a draft and get an order of fries.

Smokin’ Joe’s is so quintessentially PGH that its almost adorable.
Almost.
If you’re a craft beer fan without an ounce of pretentiousness, this unassuming joint is an absolute beer oasis. I’m talking HUNDREDS of beers. On. Tap.
Yessssss.
When we lived on the «sathsihde», we made it a habit to saunter up and down E. Carson Street to people watch, bar hop, or grab a bite. To this day, E. Carson is the best street I’ve ever lived on and I miss it immensely. We frequented Smokin’ Joe’s than I’d like to admit.
The food at Smoking’ Joe’s was pretty straight forward — sandwiches, wings, fries, so unless they’ve changed their menu around, I wasn’t ever truly wow’d. But, that’s not what makes SJ’s such a lovable spot. Its the beer, beer selection and the staff.
There’s also games in the back of the house, but admittedly, the only time I wandered back there was to visit the grungy ladies room. I spent the majority of the time trying to scout a seat at the bar, watching the Pens on the multitude of TVs.

After bad service at Primanti Bros, we came here because nothing else was really open on a Tuesday night. This place was more welcoming, had good drink specials and the food was pretty good.

I’ve lived on southside 2 years now and just walked into Smokin’ Joe’s for the first time. As soon as I walked in I began salivating at the beer selection. 6 massive bottle coolers behind the bar and 60 different draft selections. CRAFT BEER HEAVEN. The bartender Kara greeted me right away and was very friendly and knowledgeable about the food menu and beer selection. This may just become my new local hangout. I officially love this place. There are pictures covering every inch of the walls, the bar is wooden, and there’s a pool table. Seems like a perfect bar for me.

Smokin’ Joe’s is possibly my favorite bar in the South Side. If only it wasn’t the favorite of so many others, too, I’d probably stop over more frequently than I do. It’s a great neighborhood bar with an impressive beer selection (both on tap and in bottles). With over 50 taps, they do offer beer flights and growlers.
Most times when I think I’ll just stop in for a beer I will also end up ordering food because it just smells so good. Be sure to check daily food and drink specials. I used to work in the South Side and would often hit up Smokin’ Joe’s for their lunch specials. It’s mostly your average bar food but I was never disappointed. It’s a chill place for a quick bite or a long night of drinking. If you’re looking for velvet ropes, don’t go here. Smokin’ Joe’s has been around for awhile, it’s not one of those pretentious places that will be gone in two months.
When I lived in the South Side, the charismatic bartenders at Smokin’ Joe’s kept me coming back. The vast beer selection and tasty food didn’t hurt, either. In fact, I think I’m about due to stop back in.

Best beer selection in Pittsburgh. Bartenders are quick to make sure your glass is full. The food has gotten better over the years. It’s not a five star restaurant, but the wings are tasty. Especially on Thursdays when it’s 40 wings and a pitcher of miller light for $ 20. That’s a deal you just can’t beat, I wish the beer was a better choice, but it goes well with the wings. Pool table is cheap, only $ 0.50 per game. They play the Pittsburgh sports games on the tv and turn it on the overhead speakers, so if you’re looking for a good place to drink some beer and watch some sports, Joe’s is your place.

My favorite bar in South Side. Excellent selection of beer and knowledgable staff.

This place has been a favorite of mine for about 20 years. Friendly people, about a gazillion different types of beers and good burgers. Fun place to be and a great place to meet up with friends for a beer or five before heading out to a show or a concert.

I have been to Smokin’ Joe’s on a few occasions and have mixed feelings.
The wings are some of my favorite around (probably why I keep coming back), they have a variety of flavors, quality wings with plenty of meat on them, and they are very reasonably priced. In addition to the wings their Taco Tuesday special is a wonderful value with quality taco’s compared to what you get at other restaurants during this special.
While the food is the bright spot of Smokin’ Joe’s the service and atmosphere certainly is not. In the four times I have been there, I have never seen more than one server on the floor and one person staffing the bar and it shows in the service the customer receives. It can be very difficult to get a drink refill once you have already received your food unless you are seated at the bar. In addition the servers are not very friendly, I attribute this to being understaffed, they always seem rushed and stressed. The bar at the front of the restaurant makes sitting at the bar a poor option.
Overall, I would return to Smokin’ Joe’s for the wings or with friends on Taco Tuesday but it would not be my first choice.
(Side note: if you spend $ 50+ dollars your receive a $ 5 gift certificate for your next visit… which is nice)

We came in to try a hard to find beer that Smokin Joe’s happened to have on tap. We thought we would have some thirty cent boneless wings. Well we ordered the beer but instead of wings we ordered Blackened Chicken Nachos and Mac n Cheese (which they are known for. The beer-​Founders Canadian Breakfast Stout-​was well worth the trip and the $ 13 a glass price.
The nachos were huge and the blackened chicken have them a nice flavor. I wasn’t a fan of their salsa, but I would order them again. The server suggested some bacon on too of the Mac n Cheese. It was a huge plate of cheesy goodness. I barely ate a third of it. The bacon was a great addition but a couple of the pieces were really hard. I chewed each bit carefully but there were only two really hard pieces that were tiny. The rest of the bacon was fine.
They have four more beers on tap that I would like to come back to try as well as their Lobster Queso (which they are also known for).
This is definitely a bar with high top tables and bar stools, but the service is great.

As a former Southside resident, Smoking Joe’s has been a regular establishment for most occasions, in any and all weather and for any type of crowd. Despite my first check-​in here, this is obviously not my first visit to the place, so this review will be a mashup of many trips. The last check in was this past Saturday a Pittsburgh Happy Hour Valentine’s Day Barcrawl.
I found my group towards the back of the bar by the pool table and within was greeted and attended to within 5 minutes of arrival. Joe’s has a large list of rotating draft and craft beers so I naturally asked for the current specials and the stout selection. [It’s currently chocolate stout season — which is my favorite] I was delighted to find that Joe’s served Southern Tier’s Chokolat [10% ABV American Imperial/​Double Stout]. On average, Joe’s has around 100 different types of Beer in house so you are sure to find just what you are hankering for.
Being hungry, the waitress fetched me a menu, again, well between within the appropriate 5 minute window. The selection is standard American Pub food, ranging from Wings, loaded fries to sandwiches and wraps. Each day of the week during the 5−7pm happy hour there is a different food special so be sure to check back different days of the week. My personal favorite, however, are the Ribs. Joe’s will always have my heart on the Ribs as they were the only location who was willing to serve me at 1am on a Saturday during Snowmageddon February 2010. The full slab is served with a full basket of fries and a large side of coleslaw.
If you not one to ogle over the Beer selection or gossip with the Barkeep, you can easily entertain yourself with the ever popular Pool table or Darts. The lighting is dimmed for the typical South Side atmosphere and the prices are average for the city and on the lower end for Carson street. The waitstaff is efficient and friendly and the entirety of the experience is satisfyingly homestyle.
Bravo and keep it up.

Pros: Great beer selection, good food
Cons: Terrible waitress experience, bait and switch drink specials
I have been here about 10 times over the last couple of years. I never had a problem before, until last night. They usually have some sort of special every day on their large beer selection, which is awesome.
I checked barsmart and they were supposed to have $ 2.00 domestic drafts from 7pm –12 on Friday. I know that website is not always up to date so I checked the bar’s website which said that they would have $ 2.50 domestic bottles – no problem, still a deal.
When we arrived their was a chalkboard sign advertising $ 2.75 Labatt drafts for the Pens game and on the menu and on another chalkboard sign advertising 1.00 off Sam Adams pints from 7 – 12.
The waitress informed us that not only did they not have the Labatts because they were out, that they had no other specials. I asked about the website specials and she replied, «I don’t know who does our website.» I asked about the Sam Adams special and she said «that was only until 7» We tried to show her the 6 ft chalkboard sign that was 3 ft away and the menu and her response was «I guess I can give it to you since you said you saw it” — as if we made it up! She was extra surly and barely accommodating.
There were 3 of us and we ordered food, so our bill was over $ 60. I don’t mind paying full price, I just didn’t like the bait and switch and the attitude.

From a mainly strictly drinking perspective– this place is awesome. TONS of craft beers on tap and they have tons of bottles as well — to drink there or to take home.
The staff is really awesome and friendly and has been happy to help me decide what beer to try each time I have gone. There are so many beers and can be a little overwhelming when you first walk in, so don’t hesitate to ask their opinion!
I have yet to eat anything here besides the fried pickles. They are pickle chips and are honestly not my favorite, but they aren’t bad. You get a lot of them and if you come during happy hour they’re half off!
Smokin joes is overall an awesome place to kick back, watch a game or go to happy hour and drink some awesome beers! It gets packed on the weekends, so get there early on a Friday or Saturday!

This place is one of my favorite bars on the South Side… and this is coming from an Eagles/​Flyers fan. The service is excellent and I never had trouble getting a drink. The wings are phenomenal and I highly recommend ordering them even if you’re not terribly hungry. They run really good specials and they have pool and darts. Smokin Joes is basically a fun place to hang out for the night with a large group of friends.

Definitely, an older crowd at this bar; I’d say the median age was around 40 on the night I went. Though, the crowd was agreeable (that is, no one was overly friendly or unwarrantedly rude). They have pool and darts in the back of the bar for those looking to play some games while drinking. There are also televisions everywhere, so there is no shortage of activities.
Moreover, Smokin’ Joe’s has an impressive beer selection. I was unable to count (or even find) all of the taps demonstrating how large the selection is. Additionally, there was a huge refrigerator with bottled beers behind the bar redoubling the beer count. Simply, impressive.