The Fire Side Public House

Great beer selection but wood fire smoke smell was overwhelming. Stuck to clothes and hair long after leaving. Food was expensive and nothing special…$ 18 «yinzer» steak salad was too simple and quite bland. My friends got burgers and weren’t impressed. Went on a Saturday and it seemed like they only had one server managing the floor. No real atmosphere… except for the smoke.

The food was good, beer was cheap, but it wasn’t enough to make me ever go back. The place is extremely smokey and the crowd was off putting.
A group of men beside me kept dropping the n-​word and made they made the experience super uncomfortable. (Not the restaurants fault though)
The service was good and the employees were friendly, but again my eyes were watering from the smoke and I feel like I need to shower to get the smell off of me.
The place is really cool inside though and the décor and layout is suiting. If you are looking for a loud bar with a bonfire feel then this is the place for you.

My boyfriend and I went here for dinner a few weeks ago after a happy hour. I work in East Liberty and have been wanting to try this place for a while. We arrived there around 8 on a Friday night and we were able to be seated right away. We had the choice of sitting at «bar» which overlooked wood fire cooking area. However, we opted for a high top table by a window. First of all, there were so many things on the menu that I wanted to try so I had a hard time deciding what to order. I went with the Buffalo Chicken Grilled Cheese and my boyfriend got the skillet pasta. Our food came out very quickly and it was so delicious! My grilled cheese had a kick from the buffalo sauce, but the chicken had that wood fire taste… Yum! We ordered the campfire smores for dessert. It came out in a little cast iron skillet. It had a layer of chocolate, then some Golden Grahams, and then all of that goodness was topped with roasted marshmallows! Amazing! Finally, (because like I said, I couldn’t decide on what I wanted!), I ordered the roasted corn dip to take home. I ate it the next day with the Parmesan pita chips and oh em gee… It was delicious! I will definitely be back again!
On top of everything else, the staff is so friendly and accommodating! We had a very great experience overall!

First time going to this restaurant. I have to say I was very surprised! The layout is very cozy & inviting. There’s a huge bar, tv’s, & high wooden tables. I ordered a martini called «the fat man in the little coat» it was amazing, with it’s cherry chocolate flavors. To eat I ordered the black & yellow burger, this was the best burger I’ve ever had, hands down!!! The flavors & toppings were excellent & the bacon was cooked to perfection! The presentation of my drink & food was awesome, I will definitely be coming back!!!

My mouth craved some new grub so I turned to Unilocal to seek out the new hot spots in town. This place fell under my radar and it was on.
Whoaaaa Nelly. This is not what I expected. I remember this place as a hotdog joint but boy has it changed! There’s a beautiful wood fired oven with a nice lacquer top bar and sexy high top tables in there. The service was welcoming as well which made for an enjoyable evening.
The menu made me want to try a few different things but some discipline kicked in and I went for a burger. While we waited for our food, the drinks came. I was in love at first sip. Omg… I wondered what had hit my tongue? Whatever it was took my taste buds on a journey which hit all of my senses and captured the rhythm of my stroke. Oh, wait… I’m sorry. I can’t divulge everything this drink did to me. You gotta order it for yourself. Lol (it’s the lemon one)
Next.
My burger (black n gold or yellow) came with the sweet smoky bacon, caramelized onions with a generous slice of gouda made my mouth sing. I actually stared at the burger for a moment. I almost sighed out loud which is something that I try not to do since it can be misinterpreted. The fries were good… they could’ve been a little warmer for my liking but truly not a major detractor to this meal. The chipotle ketchup was yum.
So, I guess you could say I love this place. Is the food reasonably priced? Yes. Are the drinks expensive? Yes… but do you want to have an experience? Just do it. Well worth it in my opinion.

My husband and I went this weekend. My grilled cheese had a big hunk of solid brie in it and the bread was never toasted or grilled.

Good ingredients poorly prepared. They could be a great place but they don’t really know what they are doing. Service was dreadfully slow so we skipped dessert. (the best part of our fire side experience was driving to whole foods for a chocolate cake. probably faster than ordering something there and probably better tasting)
The atmosphere is LOUD. I like to have pleasant conversation with my beer and it was not happening there.
The ingredients they use are decent quality, but whomever is cooking them doesn’t have a clue how to use them. Our hand cut fries were stale. How the hell do you serve stale fries? And half the menu was «out of stock».
Draft beer selection was great (40 drafts), as was the option for half sized beers so you can taste several.

Eh. The tap list is the best thing, I think. Large selection. Unfortunately, there were some issues with all of our appetizers and entrees.
Our appetizers, the hush puppies and corn dip, were both over-​salted.
Our entrees were all bland. Two burgers had little to no seasoning and zero smokey, campfire flavor despite the wood burning grill in the open kitchen. The fries tasted under-​cooked and like they were from frozen. The portobello caprese «salad» is four slices of tomato, barely a whole mushroom cap, some feta, a little bit of basil, and not worth the $ 13 price tag. My father got the shrimp and grits, the shrimp was overcooked and the grits were a bland mush that he didn’t finish (note my family and I are from North Carolina, so we know grits).
Our server, Tiffanie, was attentive and very nice and did ask why he didn’t finish the grits. She also took it off the bill.
Overall, kind of a disappointing meal, though.

I’ve been here several times now and can say that I really like what these guys are doing. The layout is like an old diner with a large open kitchen in the middle of the restaurant. The décor though is modern. There is an open fire, wood burning grill in the middle of the kitchen. They have about 40 beers on tap with fairly good variety and quality. They also have a nice cocktail list and are happy to make something off the menu if you tell them what you’re looking for.
We came for wing night once (monday) and tried several different preparations, all grilled, though they do fry wings if you want. On Monday’s they have 3 – 4 additional sauces in addition to the three on the menu. I think the maple bacon siracha was my favorite. My only complaint is that they spicy ones (including one labeled «inferno») were not very spicy.
Another night we came to try the burgers. I had the fireside burger which comes with bacon on it and thought it was excellently prepared. The accompanying French fries were also good.
Overall, the prices are very reasonable (I like the option to get a half pint of beer), though they would benefit from an expanded happy hour (to include beer). The service at the bar has been great, but the one time we sat at a table or waitress struggled a little. Recently, I was told they plan to expand their menu shortly.

I’d been wanting to try The Fire Side Public House since driving by and seeing how festive and cozy it looked on the inside, so last night I grabbed dinner there with a friend. There weren’t more than four or five other diners when we arrived (it was a slow Sunday night) so we had our pick of places to sit. We elected to sit at the bar, which was very warm and full of fragrant smells from the nearby grill.
Our bartender offered us a draft list and two food menus immediately. One of The Fire Side Public House’s greatest strengths lies in its draft selection. There were so many quality beer options to choose from, and the vast majority were offered in both 8oz and 16oz pours. A few specialty beers were available in 10oz pours only, and there were about ten bottled beers to choose from on top of all that. I was impressed with both the quantity and the variety of brews represented. I remarked to my friend something about how many draft lists in Pittsburgh all look the same in terms of craft beer offerings (with the notable exception being Atlas Bottle Works) but that was most definitely not the case here! I went with 8oz of an old favorite, Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale, which is nearly impossible to find on draft in Pittsburgh, and 8oz of a red ale I’d never before seen.
We placed our food orders soon after being given our first round of drinks. I had the firehouse burger and my friend got the chicken skillet. Her meal was served in an adorable little cast iron pan that we watched being placed into the fire earlier. She said it was tasty, although I think we both agreed that the dish would have been easier to eat with a shorter type of pasta. I was jealous of all the fresh cheese that was ground over it prior to serving! My burger was enormous and came with a cup of fresh cut fries topped with a sea salt and herb mix. It was one of the most aesthetically pleasing burgers I’ve had in a while, and it tasted great. At $ 11 the price was right for what I judged to be quality ingredients. The bacon in particular was superb. It was what a burger should be at a slightly nicer than a dive bar but not quite a fine dining establishment.
I think overall The Fire Side Public House struggles a little bit from being an in between place… not a grungy dive or a trendy hot spot. I hope to see a more distinct identity as neighborhood gathering place emerge in the future. I’d give it more like 3.5 stars overall, but since the food was so nicely presented and the staff were very pleasant I’ll do 4. I’d like to return and see the atmosphere when it’s packed with people, since that may have been why it felt a little colorless to me. It’s the clientele who really give restaurants their heart, and in such a vibrant part of the city there’s plenty of potential for that here.

Good burger. Nice draft list. Awesome wood grill. We will be back.

You will have that delicious wood burnt smell permeating your clothes when you leave. If you can’t handle that, then this isn’t the place for you.
My friend and I tried this place after being fans of Station Street and wanting somewhere with parking (yay!) and new to try. At first the hostess station can be misleading. There wasn’t a designated hostess but a waitress who later sat us. We watched other people walk in with a similar reaction and seat themselves. The waitress who sat us said that the cocktail menu was correct but the beer menu was incorrect but the beer menu on our dinner menus was correct. However, my menu was misprinted completely so you couldn’t tell what the first column of beer was.
The waiter was great; he was on top of all the errors and things left off the menu down to the spelling mistakes and grammatical errors in the menu. My friend and I split the nachos, beer cheese fries, and corn dip. 100% order the corn deep. It was excellent and a great portion for two. Not too cheesy and lots of flavor. The nachos are huge. Lots of roasted corn, chicken, and other toppings. Take a pass on the beer cheese fries. They were slightly cold and the cheese tastes off. The bacon was under coated. We ate the fries who did not have any toppings on them and they were fine.
I love to see what’s new in East Liberty and I’m really glad to see the space being utilized. I think there are a lot of things that still need worked out. The beer menu, service, and décor is awesome. Probably not suitable for large parties over four people. I’d love to go back and give it another shot and update the rating.

So after going a whole semester of being poor and eating at home, I was super excited to finally try out a new restaurant again. The Fire Side Public House, a tucked away spot behind the East Liberty Target which opened a few weeks ago, and a spot I could not wait to get my hands on it.
My friend J and I went on Monday evening before he takes off to South America for the holidays. Even before you enter the location, you get a bright invitation illuminating from its door, being covered in blue/​white holiday lights around the roof and windows. I’m not sure if this is seasonally intended or just for sake of brightness, but either way I was happy to see it lit up.
Inside, your eye is immediately guided to the center of the restaurant, taken up by the large vent with Fire Side Public House proudly displaying over the wood fire island cooking station. From side view, along the length of the restaurant it’s set up as follows: Left [front] is the large board of beers and cocktails, middle [under the vent] are the open prep, cooking/​grilling and plating stations where you get a grand view of your food being charred and assembled, while you take in the intoxicating smells of the burgers and the skillets. On the right [back] there are a few tables for parties larger than two. The entire cooking island is ringed by bar space, always my favorite place to sit. Above you, there is breathtaking art of our favorite Steel City from various angles and in various sizes. It’s easy to miss until you follow up the vent and see where it leads. I much like that they are able to use the otherwise neglected ceiling and altogether it leaves you with a comforting feeling of sitting around a big fireplace.
The beer list is sizable for this small space with local, regional and national microbrews on tap and in the bottle. On the other side of the drink menu you get a whole listing of seasonal specialty cocktails. Naturally right now they are holiday styled. I was really tempted to get the «Santa, I know him!» just for the name but I was trying to constrain myself as it was Monday. The menu is sleek and simple, but considering that I had prime view of everything that was being served, my mouth watered at everything. J and I had a skillet each, mine the Chicken Pasta, his the Blue corn shrimp and grits. Each looked great. The chicken sausage was hearty and the pasta done just right. Two mentions: The consistency was a little bit off for me, the basil infused cream was a bit on the milky side, having the effect of «washing» the pasta, rather than coating it as a sauce should. Also, it came off too delicate. The basil flavoring a bit lost and it definitely needed salt. I’m sure they skimped on the salt in favor of the basil and the sausage, but as none of the ingredients bonded together [not even with the help of the grated fontina cheese], I was definitely missing a bite.
The blue corn shrimp on the other hand looked awesome, and I was experiencing food-​envy. It was served with three massive prawns and the grits were served good and hearty. I will be checking that out for next time. I hear it was good, despite him attempting to ruin it by drenching his food in hot sauce. [Sigh, that man cannot eat any food without hot sauce]
Lastly, it is very well priced for the quality and portion of food that you get. I’m happy to have walked away with a full but not overloaded feeling as even a carby pasta dish came off light even with a beverage you should be under the $ 20 dollar mark which is refreshing for the location and the fact that pittsburgh’s more recent places are getting out of hand. [see other reviews]
All in all I am very pleased with my experience at FSPH, especially as it’s close to my new home. I will definitely be coming back to try everything else on this menu and hopefully still before the the «Santa, I know him!» disappears from the menu.

Excellent food and service. Very welcoming from the time I arrived. I ordered the Quebec Burger. It was pretty amazing!!! I will be back often!

I was excited to try this place since I live nearby and miss station street. The hostess was super friendly and pleasant. In fact the friendliness of the staff was one of the few bright spots today. Drinks: cocktail menu has fun names and a few standard drinks and some interesting mixtures. Unfortunate to see sours mix listed. Not really a place for a cocktail menu laden with high end ingredients, but a nice menu worth a look and definitely something for everyone. The draft beer selection has a lot of local and PA brews with some good seasonals. They have a nice late night happy hour– $ 4 for any 16 oz beer below 7% abv. The beer bottles seem overpriced, with a grapefruit sculpin coming in at 8.50. This is a good place for beers after 9 pm.
The service was odd. Beers and food came out strangely timed. Almost one item at a time so one person sat with no drink or entrée.
The food was alright. Some kitchen mixups resulted in one app being doubled and the other showing up very late. Disappointed by the wings overall and I left with a stomach ache.
Burger was way overcooked and things like small plates for appetizers and new forks were hard to come by.
Once they work out the kinks in the kitchen it might turnaround. We need something in the area, so I am hooeful.
While the food was not the best tonight, I might return because the staff was so nice and for the draft beer specials.

Great great burgers as well as reasonably priced. Would be 5 stars but beer prices were not on menu.

Very enjoyable: GO. This is the former home of the Station Street Hot Dog shop, now converted into a restaurant featuring an astonishing array of beers on draft, many locally made. I had one of their burgers, which was excellent. Smallish menu, but that often means more fresh items. My son loved the shrimp and grits, which was delicious. I am pleased to see they offer Arsenal Cider, too. I was helped by Tony, who was excellent and his recommendation for an IPA (the «H2P») was spot on.

I had dinner here on one of the first nights they were open when they were serving their tasting menu. The menu was limited but still had lots of interesting plates, many of which made the cut to their regular menu now.
I’m not a vegetarian but I can appreciate a vegetarian plate that’s creative and healthy. There are plenty of dishes like the Portobello salad with roasted pistachios that are veggie and awesome. My mom had a burger and fries served on a cool wooden cutting-​board looking plate so the presentation was really cool.
The dining atmosphere is laid back and you’ve always got something to focus on with the huge grill right in the center.
All of the staff we had interaction with was really informative about the menu and its items and were relaxed, which is a good thing in my opinion.
I urge everyone to give Fire Side a try! I’d bet their menu will surprise most.

When the Station Street Hot Dog restaurant was located at 6290 Broad St in East Liberty, I visited the restaurant several times and I enjoyed their food. The problem that I had with the restaurant is that the menu was very limited and to make a long drive for hot dog and fresh cut fries, although tasty, just wasn’t worth it. Additionally, paying $ 15 or so for said hot dog and fries just wasn’t worth the effort. Hey, I can go get a pack of high quality hot dogs and a couple of potatoes and feed a horde for the same price. Would I have the same accoutrements? Not necessarily, but close enough!
That leads me to the re-​opening of the same space as The Fire Side Public House. Now, my cousin told me that the new owners were having a «soft opening» and that I should get there quickly. (I have been eyeballing the opening of this place for quite some time, so I hightailed it over there and I called my fellow Unilocaler Tim W. to let him in on the soft opening secret.)
The ambiance of the place is literally «smoky hipster-​chic». (They have a show kitchen centered around a Grillworks oven. The owners also own Sidelines Beer House in Sewickley, which opened in 2012, and Sidelines Bar & Grille in Millvale,) The menu includes sandwiches, burgers, small plates and entrees. I have actually been to the restaurant/​pub on two different occasions and they’re barely open, so be a little patient with them. On my first occasion, I had the grilled Siracha Maple Bacon wings and my daughter Muff had the Smoked Chicken Nachos as appetizers. The wings were delicious and cooked perfectly. My only complaint was that they actually came AFTER my entrée. (That’s a timing issue that the chefs have to work out.) My daughter enjoyed her nachos and I thought that they were good, but I think that they can be GREAT if they truly «smoke» the chicken ahead of time and then heat it/​sear it right before serving.
Now to the entrees! I had the Blue Corn Shrimp & Grits and my daughter had the Beer Glazed Citrus Chicken. I am a shrimp & grit connoisseur! The Fire Side’s shrimp & grit dish was tasty. Wood-​fired Cajun seasoned shrimp over blue corn grits with an over easy egg? Shoooot! Sign me up! Minor complaint? Yes! I love almost any type of shrimp in any form or fashion, but peeling grilled head-​on shrimp after they have been «stuck» in grits is not a pleasant experience. Lose the shrimp «body» shell, keep the head on and grill away! (They have another shrimp dish that is prepared similarly, «Smoked Prawns», that is better served by this style of preparation because the diner is not asked to dip their hands into grits to enjoy the shrimp.) Muff’s Beer Glazed Citrus Chicken needed a dose of additional seasoning/​sauce to enhance the dish.
The desserts that we had, Campfire S’Mores and Blueberry Cobbler served in cast iron pans were delicious. The S’Mores dish needed a little more graham crackers and the chocolate needs to be placed on top of the crackers and not at the bottom of the pan. (Burned the chocolate in spots.) Blueberry Cobbler? Yummy! They should change the cobbler seasonally.
On my second occasion, we had their signature Fire Side burger, Smoked Prawns, Beer Cheese & Bacon Fries and Chicken Skillet Pasta. All of these dishes were decent and the service on both occasions was excellent. I would definitely recommend trying this restaurant.
Was everything excellent? No, but they are definitely heading in the right direction. Once they tweak and refine a couple of the dishes, (E.g., The beer cheese sauce was way too thin) they will definitely be worthy of 5 stars, in my humble opinion. They have all of the makings (I.e., Reasonable price points, tasty menu offerings, great service) of a five star pub, just give them a moment to get their bearings. We need this type of place in the East End where you can leisurely enjoy tasty food and drinks without competing in expensive parking Olympics.

Great addition to East Liberty!
I had never been to Station Street Hot Dogs so I was excited to check out its replacement. After a Saturday at the mall of shopping with my daughter we were famished. My fellow Unilocal buddy Rochelle H. told me about The Fire Side Public House just opening the day before and that they were doing a «soft opening» and that all of the food was comped as long as you bought a drink (pop, beer etc.) so my daughter and I high tailed it over there to meet up with Rochelle and her daughter and check the place out!
Upon entering we were greeted and asked to be seated right next to Rochelle and her daughter. Surprisingly the place wasn’t packed at all. A few seconds later Dane C. our waiter came over and took our drink orders. The concept of the restaurant is all about the wood fire grill that sits in the middle of the restaurant that everything is cooked on. They also specialize in craft beer. The menu consists of Small Bits, Wings, Wood Grill Items, Salads and Skillet served items for now will more items to be added once the restaurant is running at full capacity.
My daughter started off with the Beer Cheese & Bacon Fires (Fresh cut fries, Apple Wood Bacon and Smoked Cheddar Beer Cheese) off the Small plates menu and I went with the Smoked Chicken Nachos. (Apple Wood Smoked Chicken, tortilla chips, grilled corn, black beans, sour cream, salsa verde and avocado.) I also added a order of grilled Garlic Parmesan wings. A few minutes later our small plates came. Let me tell you that there is nothing small about the Smoked Chicken Nachos portions! It could easily feed two to three people! I only ate about half. My daughter loved her Beer Cheese Fries as well.
For our main dishes my daughter choose the Fire Side Burger (Grass Fed Beef, Apple Wood Bacon, pickles, White Cheddar, lettuce, tomato and onions on a Brioche Bun). I choose the Chicken Skillet Pasta (Chicken Sausage, fire roasted tomatoes, Basil infused cream, Pappardelle and Fontina Cheese). It was absolutely delicious! I took a bite of my daughters burger and let me just say that I was one of the best burgers I have ever tasted! I finally got my wings after my main food already came. It was the place’s second night being open so I will cut them some slack.
After we were done with our meals we had to try the desserts. My daughter ordered the Campfire S ‘Mores (Fire Roasted Marshmallows, milk chocolate, and Honey Grahams cereal). I picked the Blueberry Cobbler. The blueberry cobbler was simply spectacular! My daughter must of loved her S ‘Mores as she finished it before I could even taste it!
Dane C. took excellent care of was the entire evening and never let our glasses get more than a quarter empty before he brought us another Pepsi. My only complaint it that the wings need to come out a lot faster then there are now. I’m sure once the kinks get worked out that this will be rectified.
I also had the pleasure of meeting the owner Robert Miller who also owns Sidelines Bar & Grille. He was very appreciative for my critiques, ideas and feedback.
I think the restaurants concept will be welcomed with open arms by the East Liberty community.