The Library

Well, I live about a block or two away fromt his spot, just moved there. I am from this area of Pittsburgh but never started going to the Library until I moved here. My first impression is of the door guy, he is awkward and different in his own way never very friendly but not rude in anyway! I never went upstairs until last night. I have always stayed true to the downstairs bar. I have had one or two differnt bartenders they are both sweet and happy girls seem to be in their late 20’s. After about 12 times of enjoying myself at my secret get-​away, I had a terrible experience. :(
I invited all of my friends there 5−10−16 and two of us had a beer and then split a bottle of $ 52 wine that was half off. (Saviuagn Blanc) It was delicious and all was well. After our wine we ordered a shot for celebration. Not a straight shot but a mixed shot called «Green tea». (Peach schnapps, sours, jameson and sprite). Both of us happen to be bartenders and worked together in the past. We had not seen eachother in almost a year and we were celebrating a special occassion. Sarah our bartender re– turned with our shot and we asked to close out our tabs. After filling out the tab and generously tipping Sarah, we took our shots. To find out there was nothing in the glass but sours mix. (If you have ever drank this straight it is very tart and like instant heartburn) Very upset, but still polite we explained to Sarah our devistation. She defended herself saying she had made the shot correctly and would not compensate us in any way even though we were there from 7 until 1am and had been regular or even ideal bar patrons. My friend got a little mad and we decide we would take our business upstairs to the other bartender and then walk home. Once arriving upstairs we waitied in line at the bar where a male bartender was working with dar medium lenghth brown hair. We placed our order with him for again two green tea shots! His response was the last that I ever expected! He said that he recieved a phone call from our previous bartender downstairs and she said not serve us! I was furious! So very furios. I had spent $ 130 in food and drinks for my boyfriend and I and even paid for the shots that were not made correctly! Not including my friends who were there who also spent money. This all took place because I called her (SARAH) out for serving me sours as a shot! From a bartender to a bartender. If you feel someone has had enough to drink and they order a shot. TELL THEM NO! Don’t make them some bullshit and charge them for it. Especially when they are not even drunk and will remember your name, and face and leave a terrible Unilocal review for your boss to read! Thanks. You lost a customer.

We will not be back. A group of friends and I went to the Library and were greeted with the most fowl tempered bartender I have ever encountered. No greeting at the bar, just an «ID» and and eyeroll, she took my card to start a tab and that was that. Every drink ordered after that was just as uncomfortable. This was the same with all the members of our group.
I think the bartender forgot she works at a bar called the library, not the actually library.
Apparently we were being too loud on a Friday night for her and instead of coming out to ask us to quiet down a little bit SHE THREW ICE FROM BEHIND THE BAR and hit someone that was just standing there. That was her way of dealing with the situation and paying customers.
Really the food and deals are not worth the poor service. I assume from reading other reviews the woman in question is a Manager– I hope the owner understands how having someone like this can affect their business.

Really great happy hour! I enjoyed my time here the other night and would make a return visit especially for the happy hour which is every day, and twice a day! Their draft selection is limited, I believe about 10 – 12 but I was able to find something good, though I started off with a Manhattan, and it was just ok.
We ordered rather quickly after getting our drinks and was enjoying watching the Pen’s game on one of their big screen TV’s in the downstairs bar. In the past I have hung out on the outside patio and recall that being nice. They have two pool tables and big tables for larger parties, which I especially noticed while checking out the upstairs.
Being a Saturday evening, and in the middle of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the place was pretty busy. We sat at a high table right behind the bar, which was good for the most part until people started gathering directly in front of you. The crowd is pretty young, and was getting younger as the night progressed.
So a couple more drinks and we are still waiting for our food. Although I was hungry this didn’t really bother me too much since I had beer and the game to distract me. It only seemed to come to my attention when I realized it had been about 30 – 40 minutes since we ordered. Shortly thereafter the food arrived. I ordered the Book of Mussels. The mussels were good, and tasted pretty fresh but the sauce was really milky. The menu said it was a white wine sauce. It sure did seem like a cream based sauce. It also only came with two small pieces of toast. I might have asked for more, but that sauce wasn’t really tempting me to soak it all up.
I was still hungry afterwards, probably because it was late and I had only had breakfast that day. I was tempted to order off the small plate happy hour special but ended up declining the thought. All in all, I enjoyed it, food was descent, service was ok, and the specials were great.

I’ve been here a handful of times before and always loved their happy hour with half price small plates and drink specials; food has always been tasty and it was a good deal!
We went last night for an actual dinner and had a pretty rough experience…
— What happened
— What should have happened
— Brother got a diet coke and was presented with a 16oz bottle (not even 20oz!) and charged $ 2.75 for it with no acknowledgement of it. I’ve definitely had soda from a gun here before.
— «Unfortunately our fountain machine is down; is a bottle ok?»
— Ordered a ‘pre-​made’ pizza that said no substitutions, which is totally understandable, but we weren’t allowed to take something OFF of the pizza?
— Don’t make me eat mushrooms
— After 40 minutes of waiting for our food with only a handful of other tables around us, I asked the server and she agreed it was too long and went and asked about it; we were told «Well, they burned your pizza so they just put another one in so it’ll be a few more minutes»
— Come to me before I have to wait 40 minutes and explain the situation so we know what’s going on; maybe offer us a quick snack to munch on to hold us over.
— Finally get all of our food; we got the Opedius Rex pizza that was mediocre, WAY too much garlic and we love garlic; crust was great though! Chili cheese dog special was a good deal and tasted good from what I heard. The server said the manager comped our meals (thanks!) but still charged us for the soda?
— Just comp the whole meal; it was weird and the server felt super uncomfortable handing it to us. Don’t worry, we were still going to tip her and we tipped her well. She was great though the whole experience and we know it wasn’t her fault.
— Asked to see the manager to see what was up with the evening; I’ve worked in a few restaurants and you never know what’s going on behind the scenes. Server comes back and says, «She’s upstairs right now, she’ll be down in a little bit» I asked her to clarify and said, «So she’s not coming right now? She’ll be down later??» And the server said yes.
— When an unhappy customer asks to speak to the manager (female, I think, Sue?), you don’t make them wait! I was mildly unhappy initially after everything that happened, but when the manager chose to avoid me and the situation, that’s what stoked the flames. From reading some other reviews, looks like this manager has caused some other problems as well (Michael M.‘s review from 12÷28÷15).
Sorry Library, our gym is in the South Side and we are often going to restaurants in the area, but will not be back; plenty of other great spots to grab a bite to eat.

Stopped here on our way out of Pittsburgh for a few beers. We saw that they had the Bells Hearted Hop Slam on draft, which we had just tried elsewhere the night prior. it was just opening on a Sunday, and we lucked out and hit happy hour. We were the first to arrive, but the place soon filled with people. Their draft list was decent, and we loved that they had pool and darts. We ended up staying for the entire happy hour (s)! We’ll definitely be stopping by again when we make another trip to Pittsburgh.

I’ve only eaten appetizers here but they are awesome. Huge portions– one app is enough for 1.5 meals. Appetizer happy hour is the way to go. The drinks are probably good– there’s a very creative selection– but I’m not a drinker so I don’t know for sure. Go upstairs if you can– cuts down on noise and cluster.

The monster cheese is without a doubt the best bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich I had had in my life. They have a good list of draft beers but they cost on average $ 7 for one. The tots are crispy and cooked to perfection every time that I go. Service can be slow sometimes but they have some great happy hour deals!

I had gone here with a friend for lunch on a Sunday. The service was not very good. The bar/​restaurant was not busy at all, so I’m not sure what was going on with that. I will have to give them credit for the food though. I had the Oedipus Rex pizza. It was perfect! My friend had the Helen of Troy salad. The salad was big and she said it was tasty. I would love to give this place a 4 or 5 star, but the service was far from that. The prices were not bad and they have some really good specials. I would recommend checking their website out to see the menu option, hours and specials.

Great service!
Decided on The Library for happy hour with friends. The atmosphere was chill and relaxed but the food was fresh and on point.
I had the chicken nachos to start which were loaded with fresh cheese, olives, chicken. Not only are they awesome but they were half off. I also shared the garlic parmesan wings which were fantastic. Super churchy and well seasoned.
I’ll def be back!

Spent $ 50+ to have the bartender RUIN our night and threaten to call the police.
I will NEVER go here again. We had spent over $ 50 and had the bartender threaten to call the police if we did not leave, simply because we were sitting at the bar while a buddy was sipping water to sober up.
He was leaning up against the bar watching the tv, when the bartender snapped at him (no she did not ask if he was ok, or ask nicely) that «he has to sit up or you have to go». I told him he had to sit up to drink his water, and he did so without argument. Not even 5min later after he was sitting there, quietly watching the football game while sipping his water she told us that we have to leave, and forced us to wait outside for our über to show up in the cold. When we asked why we had to leave, she said that she’s the manager and can do what she wants, and if we didn’t leave she would call the police.
This is the absolute WORST treatment I’ve ever received at any bar I’ve ever been to. We were being responsible, making sure we sobered up our friend before leaving and they kicked us out. Had something bad happened to him, they could have been held responsible and sued. Absolutely disgraceful. I recommend taking your business elsewhere, where the bartender will actually make sure to take care of it’s patrons.

So when I step into the library there is nothing really that differentiates it from any other bar in the southside, maybe the pool table upstairs? There are no books or bookshelves that I saw, but the menu kind looks like a book so i guess it goes with the theme. If you like $ 7 beers and $ 14 pepperoni rolls this is your place!!!
So why would i give this place 2 stars then if its nothing special yet overpriced? HAPPY HOUR! Its really the only time i would come here unless i was dragged in. The beers come out to $ 3 – 4, the apps are half off (and not bad) and they have a mix drink special usually with Pinnacle Vodka.
Unfortunately i think that 90% of the people that come here are in the same frame of mind as such it usually gets crowded during happy hour, so keep that in mind.
For all the choices you have in Southside I would not really recommend this place unless you come during happy hour. You can get the same atmosphere and people a block or two down the road at almost half the price

I am all in on The Library. They have a great beet selection with a sweet happy Hour which includes food and drink. The menu is diverse and can please most eaters. (Although, I do miss the children’s book menus.

If you need to get to a good, affordable wine night, come to The Library on Monday or Tuesday or you know why not both, red wine is good for the heart, I’ve heard that somewhere.
With bottles being affordable to begin with, half off makes them an excellent deal and even better from 5−7pm and 9pm-​1am they have half off small plates.
Personally my favorite are the pretzels with beer cheese but the pepperoni rolls come in as a close second.

This is definitely one of the better wing joints in Pittsburgh and its great that they have a wing night on Sunday (and another wing night on Tuesday!)! Now their wing night is AYCE for $ 12.50 currently, which is a decent deal, but you’ll probably need to put away at least 18 to make it worth it compared to other deals. Of course one of the good parts about AYCE is you can try to try many of their delicious wing flavors, but they do have a five wing minimum per flavor and will only allow you to order 10 wings up front. After that, you have to order in 5 wing batches. Blue cheese and ranch are reasonable at 50 cents each. One of the really cool things about their wing night as well is that you can get the wings naked or breaded! I don’t know of another place that gives you this option.
I have been here a few times for wing nights, nothing else, and therefore have tried a number of the flavors. The sauces I can recommend and which are probably their hottest flavors are Dante’s Inferno and Cajun (which is wet). Both are delicious and actually really aren’t that hot at all, but taste great. Next up, spicy BBQ, Buffalo Ranch, and Buffalo Bleu are all pretty solid as well. An OK flavor would be their Buffalo Garlic Parmesan, which is nice, but it uses shredded Parmesan, instead of sprinkled, and it is not caked on the wing like you would find at Fat Heads. I would not recommend their Thai sauce if you are looking for that sweet and spicy chili Thai flavor, as it taste more like honey BBQ (which is OK, but not what I am expecting).
As you can tell, I only have done the wings here, because I have only come on AYCE wing nights and they are good wings. They rank up there with, but maybe not quite as good as Bigham’s Tavern and Fat Heads. The rest of menu sounds like its pretty good and maybe one day I’ll venture off the beaten path, but I really like the wings. As for other takeaways, this place is pretty easy to find a table on Sunday nights and if you can get here for happy hour you can get some good drinks at great prices.

Here lies the remains of «Spirit of St Louis». I know everyone usually posts pretty plated «before» photos, but this is an ode to the delicious veggies in a wonderful sauce on a light crisp tortilla. Didn’t use the salsa– poor waste of salsa and I really really wish someone were here to finish off this nutrient powerhouse!!! I had the veggie option. Not sure if the meat variety is the same… Oh and the PRETZELS!!! OMG more like butter rolls! Very yummy beer cheese! And my alibi for wasting that morsel of awesomeness!!!
Very good specials… No regular beer on draft. So if that’s your thing, sorry. Full bar otherwise

My friends and I love The Library. Not the most amazing atmosphere, but it’s a chill bar with a good crowd and solid food.
Happy hour food specials are bomb — I always try to go for these. I’ve had almost all of the apps/​small plates and none have disappointed. They’ve also got great wing specials and the wings themselves are delicious.
Sandwiches, salads and burgers are good, but because the special is unbeatable I usually stick with that.
A plus: the crowd tends to be more mature than some of the other southside staples. If you’re looking for a consistent, low key good time in the southside, go here!

I can’t believe I haven’t left a review for The Library yet! I’ve been coming here for a number of years now, but more recently my husband and I have been coming a lot for Monday’s $ 1 tacos and both their normal and late happy hours.
It seems there a lot of mixed reviews but I absolutely love The Library. You really cannot beat their happy hour specials. Half off all craft beer drafts and half off all small plates. The beer selection is always good. It’s not super extensive but they usually have something for everybody on tap. I think their food is really delicious. I haven’t had some of the items other people are saying aren’t that great, but I have never been disappointed with the food here.
My favorite small plates to get are the Billy Goat’s Gruff (stuff poblano peppers), Marco Polo (pepperoni rolls), and the Frida Kahlo (nachos). When we go for happy hour we typically get two small plates to share and it’s always more than enough food for dinner. Anytime you have an option of meat (nachos, tacos, etc) I always recommend the pulled pork. Whatever sauce they use is delicious.
Their regular food is also really great. I’m usually partial to the sandwiches and wraps. The Blackened Canteen and Last Queen of Hawaii are really good. I love going on Mondays for $ 1 taco night. Most places that have taco night usually just do the typical dry beef, cheap tacos, but here you get your choice of shrimp, pork, sausage or chicken. You can also get a spicy sour cream drizzle that gives the tacos extra flavor. Definitely raises the bar for taco night!
The servers are always very friendly. Depending on the night the service can be slow sometimes, but I never mind because I really just love hanging out here. The 2^nd floor back patio is wonderful when it’s warm out.
The Library is definitely one of my favorite Southside places! I’ll keep coming back for the great happy hour prices and delicious food.

The library’s theme is such a cool concept. Books in the windows, appetizers have book names and book pages on the tables. The plates are even shaped like books! So cool.
As much as I like the concept of this place, I only come here to eat or drink if a special is going on or if I have a groupon or living social. Their happy hour is pretty awesome. We went last night around 9:20 and after 9 all small plates are half off. I didn’t feel like waiting until 10 for drafts to be half off, so I ordered myself a beer. They print you out an updated version of their draft list when you sit down which is pretty convenient. I ordered helltown rapture IPA which was pretty tasty!
For an appetizer we ordered fried pickles. Originally they ask for $ 9.50 but with the special they were $ 4.75. Which is awesome because they are not worth more than $ 5. They literally are pickle chips that are breaded. They honestly aren’t very good, but if you are craving fried pickles like I always am– they will do the job. They are definitely not the best fried pickles I have ever had– too salty and greasy and I hate that they are pickle chips (I prefer spears or fresh cut pickles).
My boyfriend ordered their pulled pork sliders from their small plates and enjoyed them. The coleslaw on them really complements the pulled pork. I went all out since we had the living social for $ 25 and it was half off small plates… I ordered a veggie quesadilla ($ 5.25 normally $ 10.50) and also their pepperoni rolls (around $ 7 normally over $ 14!). The quesadilla I have had before and love! The chipotle sour cream they drizzle on too is awesome and really makes the quesadilla. They don’t fall apart and they are full of flavor. The pepperoni rolls were thick! You get 4 in an order which is pretty awesome. I literally could only eat 1, they were so big! Stuffed with pepperoni but they could have been more cheesy! Not bad for $ 7 but not worth $ 14.
The library is deserving of 3.5 stars but I rounded up. It’s a cool place to check out, but like I said, go during a happy hour to get the most for your money! And check out their patio upstairs!

I really love the concept of the place, definitely living up to its name – The Library. The menu is organized in chapters (like a book) and each entrée is named after a literary classic. Unlike other bars in Southside, The Library has a very sophisticated, but yet relaxing atmosphere. There are plenty of seats and tables for dining and drinking. The service was wonderful and tons of food/​drink specials for those on a budget.
I came here in time for their happy hour special, which included half priced appetizers. Had the chance to try the Arabian Nights, a plate filled with pita bread, fresh veggies, black beans and red peppers hummus, and the Renegade, fresh breadsticks with marinara sauce. Even for the appetizers, the portions are huge! The hummus was amazing and probably one of the best I’ve ever tried. The breadsticks were warm and fluffy with a hint of garlicky goodness dipped in steamy marinara sauce.
Overall, The Library is definitely a unique part of the Southside scene. I love the concept and amazing food! Give this place a try and embrace your inner nerd!

Well, we are officially moving out of the North Oakland/​Shadyside area in less than 3 weeks, yay! :D We found a much larger apartment near the South Side Works for the same price so we went to sign our lease Friday! We wanted to celebrate with a drink and it was happy hour, so we headed for the library (it was our first time).
We ate on the patio and shared some half price chicken nachos. Bobby enjoyed a long island (he’s been on a long island kick for awhile now lol) and since we were on the porch and it was superr hot that day i just drank water. even though we went to celebrate.
Our server was friendly and we enjoyed ourselves. Some of the nacho chips were clearly stale but eh– what can you do. The two happy hours are a deal and since we’re close by im sure we will be back