Gooski's

Gooski's is the ultimate Pittsburgh dive experience with a few bonuses.  Like other dive bars, it features cheap drinks, a smoke-friendly atmosphere, an eclectic crowd, and a complete lack of pretentiousness.  What makes it better than most other dive bars:

1)  Ping pong table in the back.  Although it might be hard to secure on weekends, it's usually open on weeknights.  There are simply not many things in the world better than drinking great beer while playing ping pong.

2)  Nice craft beer selection.  You won't be limited to ordering PBRs and Miller Lites here, despite the divey-ness of this bar.  Also you will find your favorite craft beers, if not on tap then at least in bottle, at rock bottom bar prices.

3)  Decent food.  It's been a long time since I've eaten here, and my tastes have evolved since then, but I do remember enjoying some tasty pierogies here.  Also, I have heard many nice things from others about the food -- consider it above average (at least) for dive bar fare.

4)  Sweet live music on weekends.

5)  An amazing jukebox.

6)  Character.  I guess most dive bars have this, but Gooski's just has that certain Je ne sais quoi about its character that makes it different from all the others.  Just come.  You'll understand.

While the place is smoke filled I enjoy the atmosphere. It's not pretentious and I don't feel like I have to be remotely concerned with what I look like here. Mostly because it's also rather dark.
It has a nice section in the back to play pool and just to relax however, it's not the most appealing bar that I have seen or would like to frequent. It is however, nice enough.
Cheap drinks and cheap atmosphere

We roadtripped to Gooski's to see our friend's band a few month ago. We had never been to Pittsburgh before and I'm still dreaming about the wings.  They were awesome.