A Pittsburgh Bar For the Kid At Heart

This Pittsburgh nightlife rave is long overdue. My friends and I have been fans of BAR 11 since discovering the South Side long, long ago. The bar, located at 1101 Bradish St [Google Maps], right on the corner of South Side’s 11th St. and Bradish. The bar is hard to find and doesn’t even resemble a business from the outside. If you didn’t know what you were looking for, you’d miss it in a heartbeat. But, once you get inside, it’s hard to imagine that the outside could even contain and conceal the color, noise, and fun that fills the inside!

There are fire-breathing costume-wearing bartenders (oh yeah), toys galore, blacklights, strobelights, and any other kind of lights you can picture and a very eclectic music mix (P-Funk to Backstreet Boys) which suits the very eclectic crowd perfectly. There are LOTS of Pittsburghers here: young and old, hippies and preppies, men and women - all quite drunk - all having the time of their life. And they’re all housed behind a nondescript stone gray wall…

Even better, the bartenders are quick and skilled (and the drinks always pack a punch for a low price). In fact, I asked Rob, the owner, about drink price hikes after the Pittsburgh drink tax - and guess what? Minus a 25 cent increase in mixed drinks, BAR 11 prices stayed the same (which were always very good to begin with) and this equals many very happy Pittsburgh night owls!

My production crew (okay, my girlfriends) and I spent a Friday night at BAR 11 with my banging new camcorder and we got great footage (coming to a Web site near you soon!) and even better, some EXCLUSIVE interviews with the BAR 11 staff: Bartenders Howdy & Dave and Doorman 2T. We heard some uncensored stories and even got the answer as to why they were all wearing raincoats (It was a theme because it was raining outside). Read more to find out what we learned and keep an eye out on Pittsburgh Rants and Raves for the VIDEO Exclusive!

BAR 11 is never a dull place. That was basically what we learned. The atmosphere is …carnival. That would be the best term to describe it. Strobelights, fog, blacklights, dance lights, and disco balls all FLASH with the music as the bartenders bang on drums hanging from the ceiling and make random announcements into loudspeakers while snow randomly falls - inside. Everywhere you look, people have toys. Why is everyone glowing, you ask? Well, highlighters and nametags are passed out for some doodling fun…which of course strays quickly across every bare patch of skin in the place. The number of obscene drawings can be a little much (come on use some creativity people), but the effect is glowing nonetheless. Oh, did I mention the constant presence of fire between lit up bar and the fire-breathing bartenders?! Without a doubt, one of the most entertaining nights out in Pittsburgh.

During our employee interviews, we heard stories that will (for now) remain censored about some pretty uncensored moments at BAR 11 (check back for more in upcoming video). But, we also got some great tidbits about the Bar. Turns out you need to know someone to get a job there…the best nights to come is Saturday with Friday and Wednesday (guest bartenders) following close behind…you need to either be 23, female and hot, know Howdy, or show your [censored] to get a drink (Disclaimer: Pittsburgh Rants and Raves thinks this might not be the best idea and would never condone public nudity). And the toys are just there because…well, duh…people LIKE toys! Oh, and the Summer Solstice Party is unanimously considered to be the best party of the year at BAR 11 - and possibly in Pittsburgh.

In fact, before we even got to the bar that night, I had to pick up a friend and we mentioned to her roommate we were going to BAR 11. My friend’s roommate said “Well, you know…I have one story about time spent at BAR 11.” Strangely enough, almost everyone I talked to Friday night had at LEAST one good “BAR 11 story” to share - so beware becoming just another “BAR 11 victim” (see their Winter Solstice advertisement in their Myspace photos if you don’t believe me on this one). To make a long story short, this dude had never been to BAR 11 before and tagged along with some friends to attend the Summer Solstice party (more on this party further on). Unknowingly walking into the Party of the Year, he was doused with sprinklers and standing in pools of water all night (although he was surrounded by girls in bikinis, so I’m sure it wasn’t too painful for him despite his complaints). Anyway, he drove home after a few too many (Another Disclaimer: Pittsburgh Rants and Raves does not condone drunk driving in the least). And, the guy was pulled over by a local cop. He looked him head to toe with a flashlight and said, “Son, I have two questions for you. (1) Why are you soaking wet?” to which he answered, “You’re not going to believe me but….” and he told the story of the Summer Solstice Party.

The cop just shook his head and then asked him the second question “Did you have a few drinks” to which the guy was honest and answered that he had a few that night. The cop gave him his keys back and let him on his way. But, that could pretty much sum up what would happen to anyone leaving the Summer Solstice party, so beware to bring a spare set of clothes should you decide to attend this WET Pittsburgh party!

Now, as nothing is perfect, we have three RANTS about BAR 11:

The first rant is the sarcastic employees…if you can’t take sarcasm, you may be bothered by some remarks/actions/etc made. Luckily, the customer base seems to LOVE the employees, so as long as you’re not the one stuck getting a loudspeaker blowing your ear off (as the doorman did to my friend), you should be fine.

The second rant is that they still don’t take any form of cards and that can be inconvenient and cost you extra money at the ATM. It is the year 2008 and most people don’t carry cash, so time to catch up to the times!

The third rant has nothing to do with the bar, but rather is a general rant. People who do not want to be filmed should be careful what they do when they know they’re on camera - i.e. flash cleavage, boys getting DOWN to Backstreet Boys songs, and sometimes just talk stupid…I think you get the picture

Also, this isn’t a rant, but maybe a “beware to Pittsburgh sports fans.” At BAR 11, the TV seems to be always tuned to Cartoon Network (Hey, I said this bar is for the KID at heart) so don’t expect to go to this bar to see the big game.

Despite the rants, this Pittsburgh nightlife spot is a great one and I almost hesitated to publish this, having been concerned about the bar becoming TOO crowded if more people find out about it. But, truth is truth and this is pretty much the truth about Pittsburgh’s BAR 11 - it ROCKS.

Feel free to share your BAR 11 stories on this site and maybe we’ll even re-post the best ones! Oh, and You MUST come back and check out the video when it’s posted. This is funny stuff ‘Burghers…