Embury

Went to Embury back in June and was severely let down. I sincerely appreciate the owners/​managers creating this place. This is exactly what Pittsburgh needs, world-​class cocktails made by people who are passionate about it. The fact is probably the majority of bars around here still feature egregious, free-​pouring, 1980’s-style junk (think cloying sweet-​and-​sour mix with an unmeasured slosh of bottom-​shelf «bourbon» for a whiskey sour). So I’m thrilled that Embury exists and obviously has the talent and vision to produce great stuff.
Unfortunately on our visit the service was simply appalling. I definitely don’t mind waiting for a drink, good drinks take time and that’s no problem. Where I have a problem is when one of the bartenders is flirting out in the hallway with a girl, and the other is nowhere to be seen. Now, as much as «self-​service cocktail lounge» appeals to me for many reasons, I don’t think that’s what they were going for.
A final nitpick: I actually thought the atmosphere had a lot going for it but please get rid of the corporate office-​style glass door. I don’t think 1920’s speakeasies featured fully transparent doors to let the US Marshals take a free peek inside at the prohibition-​be-​damned party.

Came back to Pittsburgh this week for an Embury take two. I want to give them 2 stars for service and 5 for drinks… round that, to a three. So sad, Embury, you’re really cool! For Pittsburgh.
Basically, I was disappointed by the service. It seems like either my Boston Bartenders all want to jump my pants, or this bartender couldn’t multitask to save his life. I’m thinking the latter. Now, I don’t mind waiting a good long time for a delicious cocktail, but what I find inexcusable is how long it took for him to greet me upon entering. Not only was the place quiet for a Saturday, but after awkwardly sitting down at the bar, it took him maybe another 15 minutes to engage in conversation. Then, the poor guy couldn’t even sustain the conversation whilst mixing drinks. It was embarrassing.
All in all, the drinks were still stellar but the service, questionable. Maybe I’m just too spoiled with being a «regular» at home.

The caveat is as follows: I’m coming from Chicago, and I was spoiled by The Whistler. (If you’re ever in Chicago, I HIGHLY recommend this cocktail bar)
Arrived on a Saturday night around 10; very little wait and the male bartender was kind enough to make a drink from a sketchy description of one I imbibed previously from Chicago. My party finished our drinks, waited a bit for the wait staff to return and they didn’t. I subsequently hit the bar for refills, and the female bartender was a bit short, and frankly off-​putting. Later, the wait staff never returned to close out our tab, so I proceeded to the bar to pay up, and had a substantial wait (over 10 minutes… the female bartender was again short… and a bit rude.)
The décor is great for a small bar and the drinks were solid, fresh and tasty, but the five dollar cover is ridiculous. The bathroom is cute and the secret handle is a nice touch. Service needs a touch of polish and professionalism. Overall, would go again, but maybe in the mid-​week when they are not as «busy»…
To be honest, the highlight of the night was the older Asian woman outside selling her chicken skewers — AMAZING!

Friendly bartenders that handcraft pre-​prohibition era style drinks.
There can be a little bit of a wait, it can get a little pricey.
But these drinks will have you wanting to order more or come back another night. Ask your bartender questions about what you’re drinking — they will have answers.
Also — the secret bathroom? (The door is made to look like part of a bookcase!) Amazing.

1920s-​era cocktail lounge. Great drinks crafted with care using fresh ingredients. Yes, you need to wait for your drinks, but these are soooo worth waiting for. (Yeah, I did the «multiple-​o» thing right there. It is absolutely warranted).
April is a great bartender and took good care of us. Especially enjoyed the bourbon cocktails (the Horse’s Neck — with a lemon twist the likes of which I have never seen elsewhere). Didn’t have any food (I think there was a private party going on at the Firehouse restaurant so the kitchen was closed to the downstairs lounge), but it didn’t matter. Would happily return for a few rounds of drinks at Embury. Pittsburghers are fortunate to have this gem in their neighborhood.

This place is great, of course service is going to take a bit when the bartenders are making hand-​craft cocktails with fresh ingredients, this isn’t your jack n’ coke college bar. That is why you’re paying $ 10 for a cocktail in the Strip District in Pittsburgh, these guys know what they are doing.
Like others, when I was there they had 1 bartender, so don’t expect them to crank out the drinks when a lot of orders come in. These people are craftsmen, artisans, they take pride in making a great cocktail. Michael was my bartender, he literally sliced up and sampled 2 different jalepenos, finally deciding to go in the back and get a 3^rd one, to make my cocktail. That’s what these folks do.
The food looked good, but not necessarily the massive pub-​portions you might expect, so I wouldn’t come here hungry. The vibe and music is very chill, appropriate for the place.

Makes up for a smoke-​filled disaster upstairs.
Great bartenders, cool atmosphere, very unique for Pittsburgh.
$ 10 for my drink… I asked for something with St. Germain and received a delicious Guilty Rose… St. Germain, gin, lime juice and a little grenadine. I hope I got the ingredients correct. Anyway, this is a great place to talk and learn about quality spirits and try new things.
The only bad thing is that it took 20 minutes for our drinks to arrive. Overall, I’d go back for a nightcap.

the cocktails are great. fresh ingredients. can’t go wrong with letting the bartender choose your drink or make an off-​the-​menu concoction inspired by your likes.
they’ve mastered the speakeasy theme; their décor aligns making you feel as if you’re sitting in a forgotten library.
when last we were there, the bartender shared that GQ had recently featured a cocktail on their menu. i can’t remember its name, but it was tasty.
definitely a breath of fresh air and provides huge contrast to its upstairs firehouse scene.

Embury is a cozy, small space and can get a little crowded on a weekend night. Don’t be afraid to actively get the bartenders’ attention; because the ingredients list in each drink can be rather involved, you might have a bit of a wait if you’re being too polite and waiting for them to notice you.
That said, the drinks are fantastic. Embury styles itself as a pre– prohibition-​era speak-​easy, which means no votka; most of the drinks are built on whiskey or gin. All the drinks are $ 10. It seems like there are different concoctions on offer each time I go. I’ve never had a bad drink here. Highly recommended!

Incredible – I went with my brother to Embury early on a Saturday night and it was a great way to start the evening. Great atmosphere (sweet soundtrack playing in the background of blues and jazz), classy bartenders, and delicious drinks – I had a Rising Sun, an Old Fashioned, and their twist on the Manhattan.
The food wasn’t too expensive, and I look forward to going back soon to taste it. The service was a little slow, especially as the night picked up and the crowd started coming – but I was with good company, and got out to hit a less-​expensive bar crawl! If you’re in Pittsburgh, GO TO EMBURY. You won’t be disappointed.

I really enjoyed the vibe of this place. It’s small inside so I can’t imagine too many people in the space — it would get cramped real fast if there was a big crowd.
But since my friend and I went yesterday (Wednesday) there weren’t too many people so we found a seat and ordered our drinks. I got a Rising Sun which was good — it’s probably my fault that it wasn’t great b/​c I’m not a big whiskey fan and there was whiskey in it, so I was nursing it and didn’t finish it. It had a good flavor but I kept tasting the whiskey which made it hard to swallow. We also ordered some fries — which were fresh and well seasoned. It was also a huge bowl of them when they arrived.
I definitely want to go back and choose another drink and then update my review. To be honest I was slightly disappointed because I had been to a speakeasy place in Chicago which was totally amazing and the drinks were awesome. The drinks were so creative and flavorful you couldn’t taste the alcohol b/​c there were so many other flavors having a party in your mouth.
Before we went to Embury — my friend and I went to Salt of the Earth and had dinner (which was great) and had a drink there. The drinks at Salt were AMAZING and hands down better than Embury.

I read about Embury in an in-​flight magazine and had to stop by the next time I was in Pgh. I had recently been to Drink in Boston and hoped-​beyond-​hope that Embury would compare. It did not. All of these stars are for almosts. Embury is almost a great post-​dinner/​pre-​big-​event-​in-​the-​Strip place for the weekends or a quiet night joint on weekdays. All drinks are $ 10. Embury is tiny and was packed on a Wednesday night because someone was having a birthday party there and Firehouse Lounge upstairs was closed.
The female bartender who served our table was almost okay. She took a good 15 minutes before even acknowledging our table even though we had been told by another bartender to sit anywhere and our orders would be taken. She recommended the drink of the day, but said we had to just try it since we probably wouldn’t want it if we knew what it was. I was craving a good Dark & Stormy, but I tried the special, which was called The Last Word. I was not a fan of the green chartreuse-​based drink, which just tasted like green chartreuse and pickle juice. The drink was unusual, but just okay. The service was just very slow and the bartender we had was very unfriendly.
I’m sticking with the three stars rather than the two it deserves because there was a good vibe and I’d like to try it again.

Super swanky and very chill.
Great for date night or a gathering of friends.
Service was slow, but to be fair, there was only 1 bartender and we had such a great time it really didn’t matter.
All cocktails $ 10 and $ 15 for absinthe.
I went with a party of 6 and we had a little tasting party. Everything was delish (except for the Old Fashioned, but that’s just not my glass of whiskey) and my absinthe didn’t win anyone over, but I enjoyed it.

As a semi-​regular patron of Embury, I am said to say one of the best bars in Pittsburgh has jumped the shark. Embury has hired new, younger bartenders who apparently don’t give a rat’s ass about customer service. After not having been there in a while, we came on a Saturday night, and there were two new faces behind the bar. My girlfriend ordered her favorite drink, and the bartender snapped back at her «off the board only!» She didn’t want anything else, so she walked away. Then I came up to order and had to listen to a full minute of the bartenders bitching about how she ordered something that’s not on the menu! Dear bartenders: it’s not a good idea to bitch about customers in front of other customers. If you did that where I’ve worked, you’d be fired on the spot.
Unfortunately, you’re no longer able to «order just about anything your heart desires» or have the bartenders «[mix] a couple of drinks especially for [you] based on [your] tastes». The atmosphere, which was provided mainly by the bartenders, is dead. The old «chefs» like Geoffrey have given way to «cooks» who won’t make a drink without a recipe and care more about the money in the till than the customers who put it there. Maybe it’s different on slower nights, but on a Saturday, Embury’s become nothing but your average South Side bar with an above average cocktail menu.
Epilogue: I was contacted by a manager to apologize. I appreciate that a lot and will give Embury another try and a fresh review when/​if I make it back to Pittsburgh. It’s a shame Geoffrey moved on because he really is a one-​of-​a-​kind bartender in both his mixology skills and personality. One night, we were going to Firehouse and stopped in Embury a few minutes before last call. My girlfriend ordered a gin fizz, but there were no eggs left at the bar, so Geoffrey went to the kitchen for one. When he was making the drink, he broke the yolk and had to go back to the kitchen for another. He did it with a smile on his face: at no time did I get the feeling that he had the attitude, «how dare she order such a complicated drink? I want to pack up and go home.» Now that’s how you build a clientele.

This is by far my favorite bar in Pittsburgh. Amazing drinks, great atmosphere, and cool clientele.
The bar is pretty small so be mindful of that fact when you’re planning out your night. Drinks are $ 10, which may seem like a lot to some but to get drinks of this quality it simply costs more.
The new bartenders are coming along nicely, but I still miss Geoffrey who was simply the best!

Simply outstanding.
Simple décor. Knowledgeable bartenders. Calm atmosphere. Old school jazz. And most importantly world-​class cocktails.
They have a cool cocktail list on the wall featuring 6 – 8 creations form cocktail guru Dale DeGroff who I understand had a hand in starting the bar. Also there is a huge cocktail bible on the bar so you can order just about anything your heart desires. The key to any great cocktail bar is being able to rely on the recommendations of the bartenders, and Embury was definitely on point. The most interesting drink of the night was the Faust’s Pact that was made with muddled jalapenos, though everything was very good.
Next time I’m in Pittsburgh, I’d definitely go out of my way to make a stop by Embury for a couple cocktails.

I always get a little too excited when I find a bar in Pittsburgh that specializes in cocktails instead of pitchers of Yuengling. This place is adorable; the aesthetic is charming (like a bar had a baby with an old london library) and little details like grandfather clocks that house bottles of booze instead of pendulums plus secret doorways in the bookshelf that lead to the restroom add to the ambiance.
The bartenders take their time making the drinks (good in most cases; annoying when it gets more crowded) but the concoctions are often unique and made with quality ingredients. They really should be considered «mixologists» for their ability to create a custom drink based on each individual customer’s personal preferences. They do classic cocktails like the Dark & Stormy very well, too.
My only complaint are the prices ($ 10 for all cocktails); like many have said, it’s more akin to New York or San Francisco. Of course, in Pittsburgh I’m used to going to bars where the drinks are cheap because the intention is to get hammered on many of them. This is not one of those places, so in the end it all kind of evens out.

My husband and I stopped over in Pittsburgh for a night and were on a mission to find the best cocktail lounge in the city. Online searches and reviews led us to this lounge.
Our standards are abnormally high since we hail from Chicago where we’ve been totally spoiled by the Violet Hour. But the Embury did not disappoint. Our drinks were fantastic, and our bartender, Geoffrey, was very amicable and knowledgeable. Our experience was definitely enhanced because of him. He shared esoteric mixology knowledge with us, asked us what we liked, and mixed a couple of drinks especially for us based on our tastes. It was exactly the kind of experience we were hoping to have.
I’m surprised that Unilocal reviewers have not yet mentioned the restroom. The entry is designed to look like a secret door embedded within a bookcase wall. Once you find the hidden doorknob, the interior walls of the restroom are lined with pages from a first edition copy of David Embury’s The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks. The charm of the restroom definitely added to the overall appeal of this up-​and-​coming cocktail lounge in Pittsburgh.
Excellent!

Stopped in to this classic cocktail bar after dinner with my parents in the Strip while we were in Pittsburgh over the holidays.
The drinks were very well-​crafted and lovingly prepared by the friendly bartenders. The Pisco Sour I had was beyond FANTASTIC. My mom had a gingery Dark ‘n’ Stormy served in a tin cup. Embury has lovely ambiance and I especially enjoyed the period music.
The only downside is that they’ve put San Francisco prices on their cocktails, but being from San Francisco I didn’t mind too much.

Embury is a very fine bar for people who enjoy only very fine cocktails. Named, we hope, for the author of The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks — the trusted guide to classic cocktails with fresh ingredients. And for $ 10 a drink that is absolutely what you’re getting — the fine art of mixing drinks in front of you slowly and done right. No short cuts here, and for the love of David A. Embury don’t order a vodka and Redbull, this is your chance to get a cocktail like a sidecar made perfectly.
Park in the real lot, not the gravel lot below the deck. The parking in their paved lot is free. The menu comes from the upstairs Firehouse Lounge, which is delicious. Everything’s a bit spendy but worth it. Our bartender, Geoffrey, is a mixologist of the highest order. Tables are small and wobbly, it’s a little dark, but the secret door bookcases and grandfather clocks being used as liquor shelves make the tiny tables worth it. It is a very small bar. They play good swing jazz. We loved it. We loved every element of it.
Don’t plan on a group larger than 4 if you want to share a table. This is not for the woo girl and bro dude crowd looking to dance and meet other singles (go upstairs to the Firehouse Lounge for that). This is for people who respect, appreciate, and spend a lot on the fine the art of mixing drinks.