Speakeasy

Marvelous cocktails, made by people who respect the ingredients, served in a dark yet appealing establishment…
The only thing keeping this from bring 5 star is the price, but this is, ultimately, a ‘hotel’ bar, so…
Go there. Enjoy the drinks, soak in the ambiance. Live a little, okay?

Pittsburgh has a lot of bars. Their South Side is very concentrated in terms of bars and a popular area to hit up for the nightlife scene. But I’m a speakeasy kind of gal. I like the quiet and intimate environment and the crafty cocktails that all good speakeasies offer. Sadly, Pittsburgh only has a small handful of these speakeasies.
Speakeasy is one of the former speakeasies that was restored from the Prohibition Era. It’s located in the basement of the Omni William Penn Hotel. I wish the entrance was a little more hidden to recreate the experience of entering a speakeasy. The doors are labeled Speakeasy, which is obviously a dead giveaway. Service was also lacking despite a small crowd. There was a 10 – 15 minute wait for our drinks. Otherwise, the interior and the drinks were spot on. We were able to sink into their velvet armchairs in a semi-​private nook and sip on our Oktoberfest and Apricot Sparkling Gimlet, letting the night swallow us in.

The Speakeasy is a small bar in the Omni William Penn Hotel. It is a really small place, but has a nice ambiance about it. The lounge area is setup for small intimate parties, and the bartenders come out to provide personal service to the tables as well as the bar. The lighting is low and the art is reminiscent of a 20’s speakeasy.
I went there with a few colleagues and a client after a day or meetings and dinner. It was a pretty nice spot for a Thursday afternoon. Quiet and personal. Between us we had the Moscow Mules, which come in a regular and citrus version. I had one of each and they were both outstanding. My colleagues had a Gin Rickey and Manhattan, both of which were very good according to those imbibing. This was also one of the few places I have been to that has Absinthe (a favorite of mine) and also has the cold water fountain to go along with it, though they are loathe to use it.
I did have two issues with the place though. One was that the drink menu had mostly complicated drinks that take many steps to complete. The drink orders were very slow to arrive after placing. I was typically ordering my next drink when my current was only ½ done. Also, it was very easy to hear everyone else conversation. While there was only a few people there at the time, had it been busier I expect it would have been pretty loud, which does not fit with the ambiance if you ask me. Also, a larger crowd would have slowed down the service even more.

I have been to speakeasy bars all over the country… Patterson House, The Violet Hour, Please Don’t Tell, etc. This, my friends, is NOT a speakeasy. This is a hotel bar. I should have known based on the fact that «speakeasy» was emblazoned on the door of the bar. My husband and I decided to have a nightcap after a fabulous night of dinner and drinks at Meat and Potatoes (highly recommend). We found this «speakeasy» on the bottom floor of our hotel and were elated! We entered and were excited to try the offerings. After careful consideration, we went with the Pims Cup and a Whiskey concoction which I forget the name. My husband’s drink was $ 17, so needless to say, he was excited to try it. The Pim’s Cup was a very reasonable $ 8.50. We received our drinks after about 15 minutes. My Pim’s cup was served in a wine glass. It was a dark red and topped with a plethora of fruit (apples, blackberry, ect). I double checked when our server set it down to make sure I didn’t receive someone’s sangria. Our server informed me that it was, in fact, a Pim’s Cup. It was awful. Tasted like soda water. My husband (a devout Bourbon drinker from Louisville) said his drink tasted like licorice with no hint of whiskey what so ever. We contemplated what to do. We are not used to sending back drinks, but this was ridiculous. We couldn’t choke them down. We spoke with the server and let him know that we were unhappy with our drinks. He was visibly dismayed. My husband asked for an Old Fashioned and I passed for fear of getting another subpar drink. We heard the bartender speaking ill of the couple that sent back drinks and telling other patrons she takes pride in her drinks. We were mortified. We waited 20 minutes and still, my husband had not been served his Old Fashioned. It was embarrassing and infuriating at the same time. We decided to leave since we felt very unwelcome. This is quite possibly the worst bar experience we have ever had. I warn all patrons accustomed to a certain level of craftsmanship and service when it comes to beverages to stay away. There are much better places in this city to enjoy an artfully crafted cocktail.

Better than your average hotel bar, with very nice dimly lit atmosphere. The cocktail list is long, and the drinks were pretty good. A very strong old fashioned, and the moscow mule comes in the proper mule mug with some solid ginger flavor.
What keeps them from being a top notch place is that the bartenders get overly flustered when there are more than a handful of people here. The chaos behind the bar brings the vibe down if you are sitting at the bar, and they are quite slow. Still, if you’re staying in the Omni, it’s worth checking out.

Dawn, the face of this operation, and behind the scenes too, is a fantastic bartender. When I arrived to meet my boyfriend and his friend, Dawn was explaining to them about the gin rickey cocktail and the gimlet. I started asking her more about the gimlet and said in hadn’t had cheery in a gimlet ever. I then proceeded to look at the menu and then informed Dawn I had made my choice. She looked at me and said «let me guess». After a few seconds of her feeling into my selection and personality she said «apricot gimlet». By golly she was right! Dawn has that magical bartender intuition that only someone who understands people and well thought out crafted cocktails could have. After being there for a 15 minutrs or so, she brought us complimentary warm spiced almonds. The apricot gimlet was very nice, not too atrong or sweet, it was balanced and refreshing. also makes a nice old fashioned. We will be going back because to Dawn.

Loved the ambiance! Very dimly lit, tho. Our waiter was very helpful and took the time to describe many of the drinks. The prohibition era menu was very unique. I tried the absinthe, can’t compare it to anything because I’ve never had it before, but it had a licorice flavor. My friend had a port wine and it was sweet and smooth.

Very cool little place in the basement of the Omni. Definitely an old school vibe type spot. Dawn the bartender was awesome. Try the Moscow Mule or just tell her what you like and she’ll whip you up something. Worth a visit.

I don’t know where to begin. How do you begin to call yourself a speakeasy when you are this bad at making drinks? Worst Old Fashioned and Negroni I’ve ever had. They didn’t have proper whiskey ice or glassware, but its called Speakeasy. Whiskey ice cube? Too much to ask. 50% Seltzer water in an old fashioned? Since when? This all is of course in addition, super-​super slow service. Took us approximately 20 minutes to get all 6 drinks (party of 6) and ironically, the last person to get their drink (me) was the only person who ordered their whiskey neat. I guess they had to call corporate to figure out what «neat» means. Will not go back. Ever.

Worst speakeasy ever!
Not even a decent hotel bar.
The only thing about this bar that resembles a speakeasy is the name on the door. The one bartender is trying, but limited selection makes classic drink difficult.

Very cool place. Music is old school. And i mean like piano silent movie old school. The server is very knowledgeable and they give you free snacks to eat while you sip your beverage. The vodka Collins is to die for. And it had a bbq chip as a decoration. They only thing I can’t agree about is the price. $ 30 is for 2 drinks is a little over the top. Lower the prices to $ 8 and you’d have a grand slam. This is pittsburgh and not NYC after all. Would highly recommend.

I don’t consider this a Speakeasy. It just seems like a bar at the bottom of a hotel. My drink was solid, but the service was deplorable. I waited forever. This is the worst Speakeasy that I have ever been to.

Cool atmosphere. Definitely worth a drop by for the ambience alone.
Food plays it’s purpose. Nothing bad to say about it.
Thinking about the times this place has experienced gave it a good energy for me. Definitely recommend a trip if you’re in the area.

Unique experience. Super fancy fun place in the bottom floor of the Omni. The bartenders are top notch. The drinks are unique to represent prohibition times and even are made with many local distilled liqueurs on the very same street. The pricing is reasonable and there are many drinks to choose from. Very fun ambiance.

Rude staff. Horrible service. Closes earlier than posted times. Do yourself a favor and don’t bother visiting the speakeasy. The hotel itself is great– too bad it’s stuck with this bar inside it. Go to the tap room instead if you’re staying in the hotel.

Price = 4
Experience = 4
Cool dark and mixed drinks… not the cheapest place to drink, but swank.

I’m surprised about previous reviews on bad service. The only one in this joint with bad service is the manager. The employees are amazing and very welcoming. Dom made excellent drinks. All I know was I wanted bourbon and she made me several amazing cocktails. The manager does his own thing and is of zero importance.

Great location in the bottom of Omni. Hidden in the bottom of the hotel and was an actual speakeasy in prohibition times.
The feel and atmosphere of the bar is relaxed and chill.
The drinks and food are locally sourced and original twists on some ancient and modern classics and surprisingly affordable.
Out waiter was amazing. Highly recommended.

I’m not going to give it a bad review, but I guess when I was hearing about it and envisioning a speakeasy… this just didn’t really connect in my mind.
The drinks were ok, but again, only in my opinion, not really that interesting or satisfying. The time to make a drink is very slow & when it’s not busy, hard to understand why.
I ordered a gibson & got an old fashioned so then re-​ordered and that was slow coming, too! It was o.k. The Jack Collins was meh. The cobblers were lots of muddled fruit & tasty, but hard to drink.
The décor is… meh & the lights were glaring to me. I didn’t get the bare halogen lights strung across the ceiling. The seating is odd… Long banquette style benches along the wall, but no real separation and then only footstools and an inconvenient low table. A couple of four-​tops and one two top with big wing chairs in a little alcove, a small, awkward seating area coming in from the entry.
I think the space would be great for an intimate event or gathering, but not really conducive to a 2 – 3 people coming in and being comfortable or feeling like they’re in a speakeasy.
I also think they should limit the music to prohibition-​era styles/​tunes. Much more appropriate. I also think they should have a smart-​casual dress code. That would make it much more of an experience than just seeing everyone in flip-​flops & sloppy t-​shirts.
I’m sorry if I’m being picky. I love this hotel & I’m glad they have a space like this, I just think it could be soooo much more!

Not my favorite prohibition bar that I’ve ever been to but it is certainly cool. It is in the basement of the William Penn Hotel and was apparently originally a real speakeasy during prohibition. I talked to the bartender a bit and found out that the place was not even discovered until about a year ago when they found a false wall during hotel renovations! There were also three unopened bottles of liquor dating from the early 1900’s that are now on display.
The drinks are all reminiscent of 1920 style cocktails. Very cool. Don’t expect your drink fast, these bartenders know what they are doing and take their time making your drink look and taste perfect. Waiting is easy though when the surroundings that you are in are very well done and there is old fashion music playing throughout.
I would definitely go back here though. Be careful how many drinks you order here. There prices are quite expensive.