The Backstage Bar

If you’re a male, good luck getting a drink. We went to backstage bar tonight as I went to this bar about a year ago. The atmosphere didn’t change but the bartenders are not attentive. Our bartender, big guy and bald, and another guy was more interested in chatting it up with the multiple group of ladies. I ordered a simple drink and once I finished, it took the bartender 20 minutes to stop by and ask if I was okay. Mind you its a 10pm on a Sunday so it wasn’t crowded. In the meantime the group of females drinks were half full or half empty and the bartender stopped by 2 or 3 times to see if they are okay. We don’t need to be best friends but I don’t want to be thirsty when I leave a bar. Next time I will need to show up in drag or come with ladies to get a drink. Go somewhere else unless you are here for a show or if you are a dude that looks like a lady.

Went here last night for Jazz on Tuesdays, the atmosphere is nice, my drink was made correctly, and the food wasn’t bad. I would recommend this to any jazz lovers, the show is free, just buy a drink or two while u watch

This bar is super convienent if you are attending or performing at an event at the Benedum Center. The drinks are pricey considering the alcohol content is practically non-​existent usually. But this bar is great because it’s convenient! There isn’t a whole lot going on downtown at night, and this bar is consistently clean.
They have salsa dancing and some other random events from time to time as well. The atmosphere is cool and laid back. It’s a fine place to stop at if you’re in the area and want a drink.
I THINK it’s non-​smoking. At minimum, no one has ever been smoking in there when I’ve gone in. So score!

My H and I stopped at the Backstage bar after seeing a show at the CLO and before reservations at M&P for a drink or two. I don’t have a strong opinion on the place. I had a few Troegs IPA’s and the H had a Miller Lite. I guess if I had to say anything I thought the place was a little expensive. A domestic draft over $ 6.00? Are we at the ball game? I wasn’t a fan of the prices. Meh, what can you do it was so incredibly convenient to go there in between. We didn’t even need to go outside because it’s all connected, making the transition simple. The place is modern and clean, service was nice but a tad on the slow side. Not a big of deal in this situation. I would go back if I found myself again waiting for my reservations at M&P.

Amazing service, cool craft selections, great service and a show right after your drinks ! I loved this place, the Caberet was an added bonus and it was superb overall. Anyone looking for a cool atmosphere and a neat drink list (craft beers included), this is your place!

The Backstage Bar is my favorite bar in the city.
I love to come here before or after seeing shows downtown. The drinks are good, the food is good (their menu is now presented by Meat & Potatoes. Nom!), and the staff is delightful. I love to come here during off days when it’s slow to allow more time to chat with the bartenders, they are quippy and sassy! But even when it’s super busy because of something exciting going on in the cultural district, the service is still pretty quick and they can handle a rush.
They have a nice selection of wine, which I appreciate, and they offer about eight different draft selections. Their specialty cocktails change with whatever show is going on at the Cabaret Theater, so there is always a nice variety when you go back. Another great thing about their drinks is that lot of their stuff is handcrafted, like house infused liquors and homemade simple syrups. With such a variety, the staff is always very helpful in helping you pick out the right drink for you!
I was just here this week with my boyfriend before seeing a show at Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre and had the best time. We had some wine, Justin had a beer (Abita Grapefruit IPA. Grapefruit, yuck! IPA, yuck!), and I tried one of their specialty cocktails for their show «Judge Jackie Justice.» We also shared their House-​made rosemary + sea salt chips with their own french onion dip and a margherita pizza. The chips were amazing and the pizza was great, although I didn’t care for the extra large pieces of basil.
The atmosphere is great. They feature art from local artists along the main wall, the lighting is nice (it’s dim, but without being so dark that you can’t see the person you’re talking to. I’m looking at you MadMex Oakland!), and sometimes they feature live music.
If you find yourself downtown with some time to kill or you’re looking for a good place for pre or post show food and drinks, give The Backstage Bar a try. You won’t regret it!

Brian the Bartender is a whirling dervish of a man! This is a friendly bar that is a very nice place to have a cocktail either pre or post show. There is no shortage of interesting people to talk to and there are late night drink specials. I will definitely be back.

This is a hidden treasure downtown and great place to go before a CLO show. It is not usually very crowded and you can get a drink quickly. They have a decent draft selection and fun cocktails-​usually named after the current show going on. My favorite is the craft beer case which always has a ton of great beer-​this past visit they had pumpkin, blueberry and banana bread beers. The servers are friendly and the prices are very reasonable. It is small but if there isn’t a seat at the bar they have small tables around the sides. Happy hour is actually late night from 9 – 11.

If we could give half stars, I would say this place is about a 3.5. I’ve only really visited during Jazz Fest and one time for Jazz Live on Tuesday nights. I had fun! I love the moscato wine they have, it’s really delicious. And they have started carrying a menu supported by Meat & Potatoes so you can’t lose, ya know? We tried the nachos and the hanger steak — omg, were they good, especially those nachos. I know, it’s nachos, but you can tell they use fresh ingredients AND they make their own cheese sauce. Yummy.
Our last server there (who was actually the bartender, but someone left him stranded) was very attentive and friendly. He remembered us from our first visit, which was nice. I think Backstage Bar is a good change of pace from the rest of the scene downtown — very chill, low-​key, laid-​back, etc. etc. I say give it a try, especially if you’re looking for a more … mature, maybe? … classy atmosphere.

Has anyone ever seen that episode of Portlandia where Andy Samberg plays a mixologist (or «bartender» however you look at it) and ends up quitting to move to California? My experience at The Backstage Bar was very close to that entire episode (YouTube it if you have to, it’s a great sketch) and I mean that in the most endearing way possible.
When we arrived, happy hour was going on. Sadly, there wasn’t really anything that I wanted, so I had a hard cider. There were tons of signs on the wall about all of their signature cocktails, so I knew I had to try one. Some girl sitting there was having an orgasm at the drink that the bartender made her saying it was the best drink she ever had. I asked the bartender what he made for her that she was freaking out about and he just looked at me deadpan and said «I have no idea.» At that moment, I knew he was going to be my favorite bartender ever.
I asked for one of the drinks on the wall and he said «You don’t want that one. It’s not that good.» I appreciated his honesty, because who wants to spend $ 7 on a sh*tty drink? He told me he could make me something better and he did. He made me some sort of pomegrante martini with juices and liquors that I can’t recall. It was divine — absolutely perfect.
After the bar cleared out, we got to talking to Kevin and we told him we were from Chicago. We started talking about different things to do in Chicago, Lollapalooza and the music scene. He made me laugh all night and was such an expert on Pittsburgh history and culture. Seriously, he made me ashamed that I don’t know just as much about my own city.
In the episode of Portlandia, Carrie ends up following the bartender to California. This is exactly how I feel. I mean, how crazy would I be if I went back to Pittsburgh just to have Kevin make me a drink again? I don’t know but don’t think it hasn’t crossed my mind at least once.

This was the perfect place to end the evening, My wife and I got lucky and won 2×25 $ tickets to see «The Book of Mormon» after the show let out it appeared everyone was walking over to the Backstage bar. They had some drink specials going can’t recall the details, but it was like 3 or 4 bucks a beer located on the first two rows of the display… Not many jumped out to me and I know why these were picked as the discounted choices, but its a nice spot to get cheap drinks. and they have TONS of beers in bottle and on TAP, I decided to drink more local and went with «monkey boy» it was a great wheat beer from a Pittsburgh native brewery — East End Brewing Company, it hit the spot. My wife on the other hand decided to have the bartender Kevin who FYI was amazing whip up some kinda of pomegranate thing with lots of booze, she said it was wonderful and enjoyed it greatly. I would go back to this place it has a great atmosphere darkly lit and the soundtrack in the background was great.

I’m only giving three stars, and this is why. I didn’t have anything to eat here and really only came for part of the late-​night happy hour, which was draw enough itself. They have craft beers for only $ 2.50 every Friday from 9−11pm. Not only is a late happy hour awesome for those of us who can’t make it out immediately after work, but anytime I can grab a Brooklyn Brown for under $ 3, I’m a happy guy! The outdoor seating is also nice, especially during downtown events such as the gallery crawl.

The first thing I noticed here is that the staff are SO friendly and attentive. Not to mention they have great memories! I went there for the first time in months tonight and the bartender remembered my favorite drink.
The atmosphere is classy but they know how to have fun. The food is a bit pricey but good. Love the tiramisu!
The last thing I’d like to mention is that Backstage Bar is a great supporter of local talent. They bring in local acts to play in the bar and entertain the patrons before/​between CLO Cabaret shows. It’s a great way to support the arts and help young acts establish themselves.

For being such a tiny bar, it packs a lot of punch. And by punch, i mean beer! I was surprised at the fact that they have many different variates of beer on tap as well as bottles. I wouldn’t expect that from a bar connected with a theater (CLO Cabaret). It’s a very pleasant surprise to also find seasonal pumpkin beer on tap (yay!). It’s always a downer to go somewhere and they have the usual on tap.
They also have live music nights, where they feature acoustic sets and jazz. It’s just a nice place to head into before a show at the CLO or in the Culture District. They also have happy hour specials and nice outdoor seating in the little park next door, they has a great view in the summer for people watching! I can’t really speak to the food as being the best (hopefully they’ll have Meat n’ Taters catering at some point), but the atmosphere makes up for it. Just a tiny, dimly light place to mix and mingle for a bit pre-​show. I can dig!

Although the menu was fairly limited, the food was excellent. I had a shrimp wrap with chip, delicious! The bar tenders are great as well.

Seems like a pretty fun place – but when my wife and I sat outside, we saw our waiter very rarely. Just enough to get one round, and we never saw him again. Thought his shift might’ve ended but when I went in to close my tab, I saw him hammin it up in the lounge. They didn’t even have a tab for us, so I guess we could’ve walked away.
Anyway, I had a beer so no comment there. Wife had the special – some kind of blueberry lemonade deal. It was good. But pricey.

First of all, I have to say that the bartenders are knowledgeable. Slow working, but knowledgeable. We ordered proper martinis and sidecars and our bartender didn’t even blink for classic drinks off the menu full of musical-​themed drinks. Prices are high, but we weren’t surprised by that. Food was great, portions were kind of off — the brie and olive dish was great but we only got one and half delicious tomatoes.
The bar itself is nice — dark, but clean. Small tables, so don’t bring a group much larger than 4 I would say. There was some GOOD live jazz (very amplified). Service was lacking, so don’t expect anything too quick and snappy if it’s busy. We waited a long time for our check, then after asking for it, we waited even longer before we had to say something again. A very. Long. Time. That knocked off a star.

If you’re looking for a swanky place to lounge before or after your theater trysts, consider popping by The Backstage Bar at Theater Square (across from Heinz Hall on Penn Ave) in the heart of Pittsburgh’s Cultural District. These folks keep things moving along (since most patrons have show times to make), and the food (from Café Zao) is delicious. Although the live entertainment is free (no cover) expect to dish out a tad more than usual for anything you put to your lips.
Weekdays it is also a decent place to stop for Happy Hour with your office posse.
You might want to check their website for entertainment schedules and current menu when making your theater plans.