Ruggers Pub

Let me preface this with i don’t mind smoking in a bar, but the smoke here just lingers. Perhaps they don’t have a smoke eater, I honestly don’t know, but the bar currently has 7 –8 people in it and the air is so heavy from smoke it almost chokes you.
Moving on.
I’ve been here before and have ordered the Seiten «steak» hoagie to which it was asi asi (so-​so). Needed cooked longer to make it less gummy. This time I tried the salad and it was spot on. Perfect distribution of ingredients and Seiten properly cooked. The service was okay, as the bartender was busy talking to her regulars and playing cell phone, so I had to get my own salt and pepper. Clearly thats not a deal breaker, but I find that to be quite annoying.

Oddly enough, I started coming here with my mom. Great place with really good black bean burgers and the best fried pickles. Also, everything’s cheap!

Awesome trivia night! Amazing host and great price on beers! Food was good! I’d go back even though I hate the smell of smoke! Just a great group of people in the place!

This is where we come when I want to drink too much. Don’t judge me. It’s Ruggers.
Growing up on the south end of Pittsburgh but hating East Carson and the train wrecks that careen down it each night, Ruggers is a tiny haven of whiskey and cigarettes nestled by itself beside the Birmingham. The drinks are cheap, the food is surprisingly great (freak out about pickle chips), and they do fun stuff like trivia on Wednesdays and team Cards Against Humanity.
If you’re just going to piss about cigarette smoke, don’t come here. Everyone smokes. Best case scenario, they have a patio in the back with picnic tables that don’t require you to get emphysema. It’s actually a nice, little patio. Regardless, Ruggers is worth the stop though. They have a huge draft list that always includes an Arsenal and seasonal Woodchuck for those wimps like me that aren’t super into beer. They also do that whole cheap PBR pounder thing, but for a buck or two more, have Janice make you a nice lil’ cocktail. There’s usually a draft on special until it runs out too. The only real advice I can give on a negative is avoid Rugby nights. unless you’re into rude, super drunk Brits. Typically I’m not.
Look, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Until I can get a bulleit rye for five bucks in the East End (ha!), I’m taking the bridge to 22^nd.

BEST BAR FOOD!
Ruggers is a great off the beaten path bar in South Side.
Good beer selections, plenty of spots at the bar and an amazing
Grub menu. They have the best Veggie Steak sandwich/​Veggie Burger
and many other vegetarian dishes!

It’s divey, smokey, but cheap. Their batman shots are kind of what they’re known for. There are some regulars but it’s never crowded. I wouldn’t seek it out but I wouldn’t be upset if I ended up here again. Bar tenders aren’t mean so that’s always nice!

For a small local bar, I really enjoyed this atmosphere and beer selection. Some of the most knowledgable and friendly staff I’ve met while in Pittsburgh. This place is great!

My hands down favorite bar in South Side. I have been going to Ruggers for 3 years now the place is the shit. First they got an amazing beer selection that always changes. Next to that, beer is pretty damage cheap which is a win. Food is good too, go on a Tuesday if you can get a spot and you can make your own hamburger for practically nothing. My college favorite was a hamburger pattie, chicken filet, onions, tomato, lettuce, french fries, jalepanoes, pepperjack cheese, and buffalo sauce with a side of fried patios. This thing was so big it could barely fit in my mouth. I think with all of those extra ingredients the total cost with a Yuengling was $ 9 on Tuesday. The place fills up so you have to go early on Tuesday. But overall they have great happy hour specials during the entire week that are must to go to.

Where else are you going to get fried pickle chips instead of fries when you order a sandwich?! My love of fried pickles and cheese steaks collide here into yummy deliciousness. A laid back atmosphere on top of it makes it all worth it.

Rugger’s ½ price «pick your own burger» night on Tuesday is awesome and cheap. And they have a great selection of ever-​changing beers on tap (I like Erie Railbender mostly and it’s on special on Tuesday’s). Janice is the best bartender in town and she’s there most nights. Jukebox is awesomely filled with punk rock, emo, metal, rock, and other music your mom probably doesnt listen to now.
It’s really the only bar I like to go to aside from Gooski’s. It’s nice to go to a bar and it not be all IPA’s on tap. If you stop in, say Hi, I’m probably there.
Oh and it’s a Rugby bar, which is cool.

Ruggers is certainly worthy of three and a half stars. It’s a low key pub a few blocks off of Carson Street. On the night I went, the crowd was a bit younger (on average) than elsewhere is South Side. I liked that they were showing the Pirates game. And, I was very satisfied with the number of craft in-​season drafts on tap.

Its an average South Side bar. They have a good beer selection on draft and in bottles. The prices for drinks are pretty average for South Side as well.
The food is decent but the wait for the food can be terribly slow.
We come here for the convenience of the location and despite not being the best we keep coming back.

Ordered food for take out. The Reuben, BLT, stadium pretzel and munchie platter. It was TERRIBLE. I mean, so bad we didn’t eat most of the food and that NEVER happens. My husband has eaten at the bar and thought it was pretty good, but I will never eat there again.

Up side: Cheap beer. Cheap food. Vegetarian options on the menu.
Down side: Smoking (might be an upside for some). Sometimes smells like hot farts.
It can get really crowded on weekends, but I like it.

I’ve been going to Ruggers for awile now. You wouldn’t expect them to have great food, but they do. Wed trivia is also the best I’ve been to. The DJ for it is hilarious and plays really good songs between questions. It gets packe din there fast on Wed so get there early.
Love Ruggers!

Ruggers Pub was recently featured in a groupon. Since I had never heard about it, I looked it up on Unilocal and was pleasantly surprised. Dropped in this past Tuesday for half price burger night. This was 1 of the best burgers I’ve had in pittsburgh, simply because it wasn’t fooled around with. The bartender obliged me with an excellent manhattan. The staff was friendly. The other patrons were also friendly. We were a little cramped at our table but, on leaving, I noticed that they have a picnic tables for al fresco dining. all in all, very nice evening. Great food. Enjoyed the whole experience. Oh, by the way, almost forgot… Don’t skip the fried pickle chips. They’re fantastic.

Tried Ruggers for the first time. I didn’t realize until we ordered that it was a smoking bar. Fortunately no one was smoking at the time, but that will keep me from going back.
Two things I don’t understand: 1) The rules in Pittsburgh regarding smoking where food is served. 2) How anyone can stand to eat in a cloud of cigarette smoke.
Anyway – back to my review. They have a pretty extensive menu, including some nice veg options. I had the seitan steak sandwich which was pretty decent. It came with fried pickles, which weren’t as good as I was expecting.
The biggest negative for me was how long it took to get our food. I was there on my lunch break and it was not at all crowded. By the time our food came, my lunch hour was just about over and we had to inhale the food so that I could get back to work.
So if you don’t mind smoke and you’re not in a hurry, you might enjoy Ruggers. Personally, I won’t be back.

I tend to avoid the following things: The Southside, so-​called «pubs,» sports themes and bar food, especially things eaten with ketchup.
Now that I’ve discredited myself as a stand up human being, I will say that I love Ruggers Pub. I’ve found the patrons and staff to be pleasant, the music tolerable if not good and the best veggie burger in town, served with deep fried pickles.
Yes, the BEST veggie burger in town. Yes, deep fried pickles!
**Half priced burgers on Tuesdays!

I can report this is a 99.9% bro-​free bar.
There always seems to be way more guys than girls, but instead of the guys decked out in von dutch most seem to have not showered in a few days, and are down to have a good time.
Ruggers also gets points for being a smoking bar and not being too dank, and has a real nice outside area with ample tables/​seating.

Once you get past the chain influence of South Side Works, just about every place in the South Side has character – some good and some bad. Ruggers definitely landed on the side of good (thought not without qualification).
The menu is larger than you might expect from a place of it’s size: soup, salad, burgers, wraps. They even have a few vegetarian options (including a rather distinct veggie burger).
The beer list is even better than than the menu. They don’t have a huge number of taps, but what they have is almost entirely craft beer. They seem to keep something on tap from Great Lakes and East End, plus a few other regional brewers. They even tend to keep a fairly session-​able craft brewed option – which tends to keep me happy. They also keep some bottles and cans in a half-​sized cooler, but I’ve honestly never really looked into the list.
The food was distinctive – well worth eating, but not particularly outstanding. This is the type of place you seek out for the atmosphere and staff more than the menu. The tiny little bar tends to be packed on the weekend, but during the week the Free WiFi makes for a great place to catch up on email over a beer.
Keep in mind that Rugger’s is a a smoking bar. That weeds out many, but I don’t have too much trouble wading through the smoke. Weighing everything in balance, I do have to say that I’m a fan.