Bob’s Garage

A group of us came here for some Christmas Eve cocktails! It was a nice vibe with all the Christmas decorations and lights! I’ll be back for the next holiday!

This is a magical wonderland of lights, alcohol, cheer and karaōke connoisseurs. The building most likely shines from space with the amount of lights on the outside. Inside, no less lights, but just add popcorn strings, wrapped beams, bows, bells, ornaments, santa paintings and people dressed as santa. We sat at the cramped bar in awe with giddy smiles on our faces for most of the night. Just try to avoid Nick at Night — he’ll try to take you to Vegas and marry you the same night, or pawn you off to his undertaker friend. Aside from some creepy lovebirds, it’s cheap, everyone is extra friendly and there were even a bunch of Christmas tunes thrown in to the karaōke. Everyone should go here at least once. It’s just so festive! I was so happy!

I just love this place. I rather hate Christmas, but since I have family that expects me to go through the motions, this is the one thing that really helps me get in the holiday spirit. Yes, I could live without the smoking, but Christmas would just not be Christmas without a trip to Bob’s Garage. And I happen to think the burgers are really good. You just have to see this place at Christmas to believe it. It’s awesome.

Bob’s Garage is a small, cozy bar in Blaw Nox. Friendly and reasonably priced, Bob’s offers karaōke on Friday and Saturday nights from 9 to 1:30. The appetizers look delicious! The place is always arrayed in dazzling lights, inside and out, and is thematically seasonal. A great place to meet friends and sing till the cows come home.

Best bar ever! Go for the experience!!! Kareoke! Crazy crap on the walls! Food is ok and not a fan of the fact it still allows smoking, but a great time overall!

One of the most unique bars in the city. check this bar out if you like Karoki, dive bars, the Sapranos, or if you think it would be interesting to see the entire collection of lights from the Griswald Christmas vacation into a 24×30 bar!

This was my second trip to Bob’s Garage just multiple years apart! I met a great friend here for Happy Hour. Some immediate thoughts…
Ahhh, Freeport Road… Not the easiest to get in and out of, especially if you are departing on 28!
As reported in other posts, you can still smoke in here. They do have a non-​smoking room but it still smells like smoke and was 80 degrees.
Food. This is an after thought! My friend and I both ordered burgers… got our orders wrong, reversed them as well. Greasy.
Tabs…got our tabs cashed out early and the next waitress had the couldn’t be bothered approach.
Beer…Mostly domestic on tap. Reasonable price.
Lights…Christmas lights are the staple here. Griswold style is up until early February do you have time to enjoy!
To make a long story short, this is a dive bar that found its niche with the Christmas lights. Past that, lots of locals and not a lot of reason to stop. Eight years since my first visit, and I’m good for another eight!

Hard drinking local crowd. Simple pub food. Friendly and relaxed local bar with a holiday by holiday light show extravaganza. Unfortunately experience marred by intense smoke. After an hour there hair and clothes, reek of cigarettes. Had to leave because my eyes were burning. Ive been there before and it never seemed this bad. I thought all restaurants were supposed to be smoke free?

This little smokey hole in the wall is a really cool spot. The decorations are what bring everyone here. Every inch is covered and it is something to be seen. If you are in the area at Christmas time it shouldn’t be missed.

Ok kids, come on… the place isn’t called ‘El Bistro de’ anything, nor will you find it under any Zagat listings. It isn’t located on the Riviera, or anywhere near Shadyside or any other trendy nose-​in-​the-​air (which is STILL laughable in Pittsburgh) acceptable neighborhood. It’s in Blawnox, and it’s called Bob’s GARAGE…
Bob’s isn’t the penthouse lounge at the Carlton… it’s a neighborhood bar. And as a neighborhood bar goes… with the karaōke… it was actually a very pleasant little joint to hang out in for an evening with friends and sing our guts out.
YES…they still allow smoking… YES, people drink well drinks there… and yes, the food has gluten in it and probably comes out of a freezer bag.
Gordon Ramsey didn’t rescue the joint, and the decorating most likely involves sales at Party City and a hot glue gun.
Bob’s Garage does not pretend to be anything that it isn’t. Wanna pretend? Go hang at a Big Burrito joint, or dial up Kevin Sousa. Bob’s is a funky and cool little joint to hang out in with a group of pretty decent people, all ages, who are out for an evening of a few drinks (I saw no drunks) being served by a bartender who was very friendly and helpful, in a location that does kind of look like Pool City exploded during Christmas time and landed in the middle of Party City during high season. It’s comfortable, laid back, and the karaōke guy on Thursdays, John, was very kind and friendly, and did his karaōke like a pro. He also had a very nice singing voice himself. He didn’t rip apart his karaōke singers like another ‘Oke’ leader in the burgh, who mostly caters to the gay bars.
The other revelers that night were in a range from very good to ouch, but the atmosphere is such that if you can’t carry a tune in a bucket… sooooooo what. People clap, and allow you to have a good time.
I can’t say I’d ever look at this place from the outside and say ‘HEY — let’s try it for lunch!’ Or dinner for that matter.
But for a fun evening just hanging with friends in an unpretentious atmosphere, and jumping up to sing… bring it on. The drinks aren’t terribly overpriced, and no one is looking down on your for what you’re wearing, or how badly you sound on a microphone. The more, the merrier.
My only suggestion would be for the karaōke guys to bring back the ‘books’. I know that everyone is staring into their palms on their smart phones these days, but really… not EVERYONE. And we had a very hard time scanning a songbook online when the signals were weak and the batteries were draining on the cell phones.
And to be honest — for the smoke whiners — maybe they’ve upped the ventilation since the last reviews were written, but even though I smoke, I generally hate smoking indoors. And I didn’t walk out with the usual smoking bar sensation of having a nicotine trail follow me home.
Bottom line, if you’re regular ol’ folk, and would like a comfy location to have some fun with other regular ol’ folk… park it in the Garage. Bob’s Garage.
ADDENDUM: Went back for a second dose on a Friday night, and had just as great a time. The difference was that we tried the food. I had a Reuben and my friends had a fish sandwich and the other a steak. Reasonable prices, not uppity gourmet, and not horrible. Just plain ol’ decent bar food.

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, yay Fourth of July, and Maholo. This place is decorated for every season and occasion from floor to ceiling. Think luau meets Christmas. So that’s kind of fun.
Bob’s Garage is pretty small and appears to be a local yocal hangout. Want to be an apt observer of yinzers in their natural habitat? Stop here for a brew and relax. I felt like I was at home — it’s friendly and comfortable here. Its one of those places you wish you could walk to. But unless you live off of Freeport Road you’re going to have to drive, so keep your drinking to a minimum.
Bar food is available and service is quick and friendly. Oh, and this is one of the last remaining establishments that I’ve seen that allows smoking. So be prepared for that.

Food is bar food nothing great. But it is a good time. Karaōke was fun if you know your songs from the 70s and 80s. Fun crowd that just wants to sing and drink no drama

This place is a riot. The explosion of Christmas decorations I encountered was hysterical, but I loved it. I went here with a meetup group for karaōke. We had the room in the back reserved so I sat down right away. I didn’t realize you could smoke inside as I had never been there before. I reeked of smoke and didn’t appreciate that part since I’m a non smoker. People crowded in and we had a very nice waitress who was left alone to basically tend to the whole bar. She was kind despite being stressed out. I didn’t have any expectations but I really enjoyed the karaōke. I ordered a beer, a bologna sandwich with onion rings, which were good. So then I reeked of smoke AND onions. I went with the flow and would go there again with a group. The bathroom was small and very clean and I had to make my way through a tight squeeze of men and women to get to the bathroom. Some of the crowd was questionable… but hey, the people watching is incredible. Recommended!

As a non-​smoker, it takes me a while to get used to the stink. As a karaōke lover, oh yea, it’s the best place in the city! I would just come for great karaōke (my husband DJs every Thursday!) and a nice atmosphere.

I’ve driven by this place so many times that I decided to try it for lunch one day. It’s not exactly inviting from the exterior or, for that matter, at the front/​side door. But if you’re hungry or thirsty, you’ll overcome any initial reservation you might have just developed. Once inside your visual senses are overwhelmed by what appears to have been an explosion of confetti and Christmas decorations that magically seem to be suspended from the ceiling like psychedelic stalactites. Once you accept that you’re in an alternate universe, you can mosey up to the bar or find a seat at one of the small tables. I chose the former and noted the abundance of ash trays scattered all over the bar. Since I’m not a fan of eating where there is a heavy layer of cigarette smoke, I nearly got up and walked out. Luckily, no one at that particular moment was firing one up so I stayed.
I needed a beer (one of those days at work where I felt I owed it to myself to just have one…) but alas, the tap selection consisted of two lite beers (never!) and two summer ales (blue moon and summer shanty — neither of which will ever pass my lips). So I figured it was gonna be one of those days from start to finish and just ordered water.
Perusing the menu left me feeling like this wasn’t my day at all so I opted instead for a burger. While it was ok, it wasn’t great. Maybe I was so distracted by all the crap hanging over my head and worried for my personal safety that I couldn’t properly focus on my meal. Service was good and friendly but the atmosphere and I don’t match. And, for that matter, equivalent bar food can be found at your neighborhood tavern and you won’t have to have your senses assaulted. I won’t be back.

I’ve only been here once, but it was on December 23, which is about the equivalent of strolling into Mecca during the Hajj. In wintertime, Bob’s Garage becomes a local destination because the two-​room building gets completely overloaded with holiday decorations. The effort apparently takes two full Sundays and about 250 man hours. It doesn’t get pulled down until the first Sunday after Valentine’s Day, which is about how long it takes for the holiday hangover to pass.
Three phrases you won’t hear inside:
— «I come for the food.»
— «The air in here is just so fresh!»
— «Don’t put that decoration up. It’s too tacky, and we don’t have any more room.»
What makes it all especially nice is that it’s all part of a massive December fundraising effort on the part of the Spirit of Christmas charity which aims to buy toys, clothes and food for needy North Hills families. As if the lights aren’t enough to dull the senses, we experienced an overpacked bar and bad karaōke (redundant, I know) that evening. Lots of shouting about raffle tickets and door prizes. A talking Santa train overhead. Not exactly a place to sit and have a normal conversation, but that can be foregone in favor of the joyful cacophonous maelstrom of holiday revelry.

Cozy place, Christmas decorations year round and great karaōke

They have 4 gourmet cheese sticks with marinara sauce for $ 7.95. No, I lied, they’re not gourmet, they’re the frozen kind and they’re awful, why would they charge so much for them?
However, this place is fantastic! Lots of Christmas decorations everywhere, and I mean everywhere! They also have karaōke at 8:30, the crowd is older (your parent’s age), they dance and sing along; it’s a great time. They get packed so expect to stand around, the place is small but no one cares and they will hang out for a while, it’s hard to get a table at this smoky «garage». If you don’t smoke, you can hang out at the add on but it’s not as fun as the bar area. This is the place to have a good time!

A must see in Pittsburgh. If you have not been, it is a little hard to explain but I will try.
This place is theme decorated (to a particular holiday) for lengthy period of time. Example — January — they were still in their Christmas Theme. The sensory overload on the decorations within the bar is very amusing similar to the feeling you have when you are looking at a house decorated with 10,000 Christmas lights. Some of the pictures on Unilocal do not do the place justice.
This particular night was our third stop and it was Karaōke Night. The place had a great vibe.
My only knock on this place is that they still allow smoking. Beware if you are not used to smokers because your sinuses will go into overdrive. I will go back but need to pace myself.

I love this little bar for a couple of reasons. Its a very friendly place full of unpretentious regulars, mostly the 30 plus crowd. Drinks are cheep. I’d almost call it a dive but not quite because the place is always decked out beyond belief from whatever the last holiday might have been. When I say decked out beyond belief, I seriously mean just that. Ya’ won’t believe it. The bartender’s are always nice and actually know how to make drinks. The bar itself is cool; its a rectangular shape so everybody is facing one another. The food is very top notch although regular bar fair. The only knock I’ve got on the place is that it gets a little too smokey for my taste and they sometimes have karaōke, which I’m not always in the mood to hear.
If you’re driving through that part of town, stop in for a drink. You’ll enjoy it!