We ordered drinks at Harvard & Highland early on a chill night out pre-dinner.
The staff was super-friendly and the decor made me happy - as in it looked like they built their own stools kind of happy - we were early and it was fairly empty still.
Unfortunately being early meant the bartender was solo and a bit overwhelmed with the specialty drink orders that seemed to take about sixteen steps each. The bartender and some of the other staff were good personalities to stop and chat a bit and it was entertaining to watch so the wait wasn't actually bad - plus I love my friends - but the sixteen steps weren't quite worth it for the drinks. They just didn't hit the mark. I was excited for smoked + Brazilian sugarcane + pineapple and I got a lot of smokiness and a somewhat odd combo. I tasted one of the other drinks and had the same sort of "odd and not quite good" reaction, but I gather the third whiskey was killer.
I am a big, big fan of H&H! I don't recognize half of the ingredients on their cocktail menu, but anything I've ordered has been fantastic. Â I love the vibe here as well...dark, but very modern and minimalist even though the drinks are totally old-fashioned, craft cocktail kind of concoctions.
I like this place enough to go way out of my way to stop here even though there is a similar place in my neighborhood, so 5 stars it is!
Good drinks, and the bartender recommended me two books on the subject that made good reading. Â :-) Â They're doing craft cocktails well; if you want a sazerac or a ramos gin fizz, this is a good place to try. Â If you're looking for a long island iced tea? Â Wrong bar. Â Very much the wrong bar.
Bizarre (and pleasant!) bar food.
We were lucky enough to randomly be at Union Pig and Chicken on the night of Harvard and Highland's soft opening, so we've got a special little place in our hearts for it. Â Situated above Union, it's a sweet open space with some damn fine views of the East End, which can fill you with wonder, or make you lament the human condition depending on what's going on outside.
 Every drink you order here is (seemingly) lovingly crafted by the bartenders, and usually involves no less than 5 steps, one tool that I have never seen before, some type of herb or fruit that is unfamiliar, and a single novelty sized ice cube.
 We went here for New Years this year, and they had an open bar, so I tried everything twice, then thought I was really good at karate, only to find out in the morning that I had grossly overestimated my skills.  My favorite drink is, by far, the Lew Brown, a delicious smokey blend of a bunch of things that I would never think to put together.
 I'm fairly certain that you now have access to the Union menu, including the Rye and Jelly Jar list, so the sky is the limit as far as drink choices.
 Now that the weather is warming up, I'm itching to head down here in the early evening and watch the sunset with a bunch of people.
I stopped by here a few Saturday's ago with my girlfriend for some after dinner drinks. Â We had been looking for a reason to come here and so whenever we had dinner in East Liberty, we decided to stop. Â After walking up the stairs we arrived to find a really awesome space. Â There were large windows on two sides of the building allowing you to look out over North Highland as well as some Adirondack chairs, high tables, regular tables and bar. Â Whenever I was looking for the bathroom (only downstairs inside Union Pig & Chicken) I also found out that they have a large second room with a jukebox and pool table that I had not noticed whenever I originally walked in.
For my drink I went with something that resembled a Manhattan while my girlfriend went for one of the fruity rum drinks. Â Unfortunately I can not remember the names of them and I am unable to find a list to tell for sure. Â My drink was fairly good and cost about the same as I would expect it to at any fancier place. Â It was my girlfriends drink that was the real star though. Â After getting through some cloying sweetness that most fruity drinks have, there was a strong taste of smokiness on the finish which left me forgetting the sweetness and wanting more. Â When all was said and done, we enjoyed our time here.
The bottom line for me is that I would definitely head back here in the future. Â As long as you are aware ahead of time that is not going to be a night of cheap drinks, I think that you can really enjoy both the drinks and the atmosphere.
I was really really torn on whether to give H&H 3 or 4 stars!! Â
The cocktails are standard quality craft cocktails, but without any frills and nothing particularly spectacular about it.
The atmosphere/decor is just ok. Â It's very bare and, due to the lack of crowd, empty feeling. Â I suppose we did go out for drinks at around 8 on a Sunday evening, but I mean, who doesn't do that? right? :p
Service was pretty average as well. Â There was only one bartender/staff, but it was sufficient for the small number of people. Â He also didn't seem too interested in telling us more about the cocktails and basically told us all the cocktails were great.
In the end, we choose the Agnatha & Anni and the August 21st, 1959. Â I really liked my Agnatha. Â Crisp, tart, strong. Â I didn't like all the tiny ice bits in it though, but that's easily remedied as the ice melts. Â The August 21st was ok. Â I'm not a fan of smoky flavored drinks, but if you are, this one would be a good choice.
Overall, I would come back again because it's just too convenient. Â Plenty of street parking, closely located, solid cocktails, and no worries about finding a table.
To be succinct: the service was pretentious, the drinks were confusing and overpriced.
I couldn't quite figure out what Harvard & Highland was trying to do -- and to be honest, I don't think they know what they are going for. Frankly, I found it to be a hipster bar that was trying to class it up a notch, but has since gotten resentful now that the classy crowd has started showing up.
For $10-12 a glass, I expect my drink to top-shelf, unique, made with love, strong, and/or any reasonable combination of the above. They may have been from high-grade scratch ingredients, but unfortunately the bartenders lacked enthusiasm for making them and lacked the creativity to make anything not on the menu. The drinks lacked the wow-factor to make up for the poor service and high price. I'll take a bottom shelf drink from a top-shelf bartender (mixed with some love) any day over what H&H is serving up.
After having enough of the overpriced craft drinks that came paired with an attitude, I asked for a simple whiskey-ginger. I was countered with: "We don't have soda drinks here." Not a "Well we don't have ginger-ale, but I can make you a ginger drink with whiskey in it." It is this sort of pretentious attitude that is keeping me from coming back.
The seating area is unique, and I loved the large windows overlooking East Liberty. Unfortunately there wasn't a lot of it, and I found it difficult to engage in conversation with my friends because of the seating/standing situation.
I'm not one to write bad reviews, or any reviews for that matter, but I left H&H grossly disappointed. I had high, if not reasonable, expectations. I've eaten at Union Pig & Chicken numerous times, and will be back to eat. But the service, culture, and attitude that H&H gave off was enough to keep me from coming back. Not to mention the drinks are overpriced and under-made.
I know Kevin Sousa doesn't like food critics. I know a few people on staff here. I really adore one of them and she'll probably strangle me next time I walk in for writing this. She should know I'll come back in spite of all these things. And that she's nice. She's super nice.
I think the concept is good. It's all so close to being great. It's great that Pittsburgh is even trying to do this sort of thing.
I hear the furniture, sparse and minimalist as it is, was crafted by a local guy who's pretty great at what he does. I don't think the layout works. The benches aren't quite comfortable, you can hear everything everybody else is saying, and it just feels too open and empty. I feel exposed, especially in the Adirondack chairs.
I don't feel like I can comfortably chat up the people around me either, my typical tack when sauced or in Pittsburgh and especially when sauced in Pittsburgh. Because the vibe lacks warmth.
I don't get a sense they were going for warmth, but I still think there could be a little more warmth. Maybe that'd be resolved by a crowd in the joint. I've never seen more than a handful of people in H&H on any given night of the three I've been there.
On the bright side, this openness gives you a stellar bird's-eye view of East Liberty. Above street level, with the Home Depot-facing windows as large as they are, it feels like you're inside a diving bell in the Great Gentrification Sea. You expect to look over and see Jacques Cousteau and Richard Florida toasting artisinal martinis.
The cocktails are decent but not quite masterful. I'm used to living in the epicenter of the Brooklynification of America, Brooklyn's Williamsburg neighborhood, and I've some snooty expectations of what a cocktail should be and do. At H&H they're potent though the balances aren't quite right. I'd recommend sticking to the more simple things like straight whiskey or gin and tonics.
I'm not a fan of the Wigle whiskey and gin products which seem to be an emphasis on the drinks list. I don't understand why people are going nuts over that stuff. It could be good but tastes like it was rushed to market, sold with the idea of being "un-aged."
No complaints about the service. Our waiter has always been on top of his game.
I was very excited when the stylized Union Pig & Chicken suddenly took the place of an otherwise homely storefront on Highland, but I was even more surprised when one day, seemingly out of nowhere, there was an "H & H" coat of arms visible in the unmasked upstairs window. Once I heard that at least one bartender from Salt of the Earth was connected with this new venture, I was sold.
My boyfriend and I probably made a bit of a mistake in being a little hurried during our first visit, since we spontaneously popped in before a show at Shadow Lounge on a Thursday night. Nonetheless, the staff (it appeared that one person was tending bar and the other was serving drinks, which was plenty of service for a room of five low-key parties) was very gracious and accommodated our rush with cheerfulness. Although there were two stools available at the bar, there were a handful of people seated on each wing of the L-shaped hub, and it seemed to make more sense to respect the intimacy of the space and opt for a table.
We both ordered A Common Plot of Land (bourbon, rye, Luxardo, smoked onion Fernet Branca, $10) at the bar before seating ourselves, and kept an eye out so we could intercept our drinks without troubling the staff. (Ultimately, the charming server insisted on bringing them to us when they were ready.) Now that I have looked up "Fernet Branca," I understand what it was that didn't sit quite right with me--while I was expecting to get a lot of flavor from the bourbon, there was some bitterness (which I can probably attribute to the Fernet Branca) that came through quite a bit. This isn't an ingredient criticism so much as an expression of taste, especially since my boyfriend happened to love it. I look forward to spending more time there and indulging in a longer cocktail session; our game plan at Salt of the Earth has generally been to go for two each, swap sips, and get a better sense of what the menu has to offer.
Despite not being in love with what I ordered, I could agree with my boyfriend on one thing: the cocktails were potent. Hardly a bad way to start (or end!) a night.
I read about Harvard and Highland in the City Paper and decided to check it out with some friends on a Saturday evening. Â We headed up the stairs from Union Pig and Chicken and were greeted by floor to ceiling windows, a bar in the corner, and two eager bartenders. Â
The drink list changes often, and there are usually 2 special drinks written on the chalkboard next to the bar. Â I liked how there was one specialty non-alcoholic drink on the menu (for the non-boozing friends/DDs). Â
The complexity of the drinks justifies their price and how long it takes to make them. Â We all enjoyed our drinks. Â I think it's a great place for 1-2 pre/post dinner drinks (unless someone else is buying-then stay all night!). Â There is plenty of seating, both at the bars and picnic style tables. Â Go check it out!
Leave your coronas, heinekens, and vodka/cranberries at the door- Harvard and Highland is here to entertain your tastebuds. Harvard and Highland is a bright star in my East Liberty world and is a great bar with wonderful craft cocktails that will match your mood. The menu is diverse and each carry unique tastes. They also get plus points for their creative cocktail names (my fave is S.S. Awesomepants!)
I love the space, though it can get pretty loud when the bar's bustling with action (I suspect it's because there are few textile pieces to absorb the sound). The bartenders are attentive and while they have a demanding job description, they have an uncanny talent with keeping tabs on who doesn't need a drink, who is new, and who needs a little patter to decide on a drink.
When I walked in for the first time, I had no idea what I wanted to ask for, since the cocktails are deconstructed with ingredients and leave a lot of imagination as to what the final result may look like. Don't be afraid to have a conversation with your bartender to decide on your next drink! I trusted my bartender and let her know what kind of drinks I liked (I usually drink blah blah blah and I'm in the mood for something refreshing/spicy/with a kick please!) She was able to make recommendations based on that  and gave me the High Line (I think that's what it was..but it was on the chalkboard) which I must say was pretty refreshing.
I can't wait to come back and taste what else Harvard and Highland has in store for us!
I decided to use a classmate happy hour as an excuse to try this place out. The space is very cool, with the hardwood, large windows, and red chairs. Totally Modern. The cocktail list looked really great, and the ingredients were all of the highest quality. He drinks a whiskey drink, and a cider drink (oh wait, thats a terrible chumbawamba song). I had a whiskey drink (with my new mistress, Rye) "A common plot of land". Â It was decent, somewhat reminiscent of a Manhattan. Feel there could have been more of a bouquet of flavors. The gin special was nice. Good times had by all.
I love the environment and I am eager to try out all the libations on the menu. I would say its best to stop by for a few cocktails for happy hour or before dinner.
Pittsburgh definitely needs more bars like Harvard & Highland. Sometimes you want to put down the gin and tonic (while delicious) and pick up something with a creative mix of new and interesting flavors. Â With the expertise of a REAL bartender (few and far between in the steel city) you can do that here.
The ambiance is nice-- a large, open space with huge windows (excellent for people watching too) and a variety of seating options. Â I went with a large group and we were able to easily adjust the seating... and the huge red lounge chairs were a definite plus! Â The best part about walking into this bar is that to get there you enter through Union Pig & Chicken and therefore get to smell all of the delicious smoking meat as you pass through. Â Way to make my mouth water before I even set eyes on a cocktail list!
I will be honest, I am no cocktail connoisseur. Â At one point while enjoying my first drink and browsing the menu thinking about my second, I actually had to get out my phone and google some of the ingredients just to know what type of liquor was in them! Â This place does assume that you know something (or at least more than me, which is not hard) about your spirits. But have no fear- the bartender is super friendly and will answer all your questions-- and I am assuming it doesn't really matter what is in the cocktails anyways because everything was delicious.
I started with one of the drinks from the menu (sort of). Â A spiced apple cider with option to add liquor = one of my favorite fall drinks. Â I asked the bartender what she normally recommends to add other than rum (not a huge fan). Â She said they normally do add rum, but instead she could use a butternut squash-infused bourbon. YUM. Â For my second drink, I decided to inquire about one of the specials on the board... I honestly do not remember what all was in it but I know it included some kind of brandy and another liquor mixed with earl grey tea and garnished with a sprig of rosemary. Â I wish i paid more attention to what was in it because it was AMAZING. Â It was a little bit tart and tangy and not too sweet and extremely refreshing. Â
Will definitely be coming back to try out some more... seems like a great place to hide out during the cold winter months!
What a tasty little hideaway! It's so secret it doesn't even have signage yet...
I was a little confused as to if i was supposed to go into Union Pig & Chicken or if there was another entrance. I went into Union Pig and noticed a brightly lit hallway and made my way upstairs. Thankfully, it wasn't someone's living room I walked into, but a very clean looking bar.
It was clean in the sense that it was literally, very clean, but also it had a really clean aesthetic. I think you just expect craft cocktail joints to look like a speakeasy in the sense were it's darkly lite and mysterious.This place is bright with tons of natural light coming through the huge windows, light colored wood and a bunch of fun adirondack chairs lined against the wall. It was like a southern style speakeasy, but without no mint juleps!
The bartender was super friendly and definitely knew what he was doing behind the bar. I never claim to be a cocktail expert, but I do enjoy a fancy pants cocktail once in a while! These fancy pants cocktails were divine! In my humble opinion, there are times when I go into these places and I feel like there's just SO MUCH alcohol inside that tiny glass. I want to taste everything equally, I don't need to be falling on my face 20 minutes into happy hour! The cocktails I ordered seemed to be the perfect mix of everything.
I tried the Agnatha & Anni, which was bluecoat, yellow chartreuse, lingonberry and grapefruit. It was exactly what I wanted. Totally refreshing and as I said, the perfect ratio of juice to alcohol.
I honestly thought it couldn't get any better than that drink. But it did! I also tried the Grandeur & Glory and it may have been better than the first, which I don't even know how that could happen! It was Boyd & Blair vodka, cocchi americano, pear & savory. I have no clue what half those things are but they came together beautifully for another refreshing, not too tart, not too sweet cocktail.
Two things to note: They do not serve food from Union Pig upstairs and they don't serve the drinks from Harvard downstairs. They're neighbors that don't play together. I would think you'd want to serve those drinks downstairs or order up some food upstairs, but I'm sure there's a reason behind keeping them seperate.
I'll be back... and probably often!
I don't think it's much of a secret that Salt of the Earth has been serving some of the best cocktails in Pittsburgh for a while now. Â Therefore, it's not suprising that if you take one of their outstanding bartenders and put her in another place, there will be great cocktails.
I visited Harvard & Highland with a group of friends this past Saturday night. Â Arrived on the earlier side, grabbed a table, and ordered cocktails from the very creative list of original creations available. Â Overall, the space is small (as big as Union downstairs) but has great floor to ceiling windows that look out on the street corner. Â There were about 4 tables on the left, a few stand-up tables, a few wooden beach chairs near the corners, and about 8 seats at the small bar. Â Being fairly new, the place still had the nice smell of fresh-cut wood!
After our waiter delivered our cocktails, that was the last we saw of him for the evening. Â After a long time wondering why he hadn't come back, I saw him in street clothes with a backpack heading out the door. Â No other person came by to take our orders. Â Getting impatient, for the rest of the evening we had to get our drinks directly from the bar which was challenging because the place was getting more and more crowded. Â By around midnight, H&H was jammed packed and there seemed to be only 2 bartenders frantically working. Â It was clear they were very understaffed.
If Harvard & Highland stays as popular as it was this past Saturday, they're going to need to hire more help. Â Their inability to keep up with the crowd almost certainly cost them money (we ourselves would have ordered more had we the opportunity). Â I suspect this will change as H&H figure out when they're going to be the most crowded.
It's important to note that cocktails are the only thing on the menu. Â There's a few non-alcoholic seltzer drinks. Â I was surprised there wasn't a selection of high-end bourbon or other hard alcohols if you didn't want one of the speciality cocktails. Â There's also no food at all (but Union is downstairs if you want to eat beforehand). Â
This is a great space with a great bartender and a lot of potential. Â I hope that in the future they'll increase their number of servers and offer something to munch on while people enjoy some of the best cocktails in Pittsburgh.
I had one of the best drinks of my life here last night, thanks to our patient and talented bartender. It was pretty quiet, probably because it's a new place, and we were there fairly early. My friend and I agreed that it would be a great space for a private event. We also agreed that it was a good thing it's close to my house because we definitely were better off walking home...
As for the price, I had the slightest bit of sticker shock until I remembered how much I paid for a terrible cocktail with no discernable alcohol content at TGIFriday's the other night. (Don't judge, I had a gift card.)
Anyway, I'll definitely be back to H&H!
I have a feeling the young people in the area who would most appreciate the simple sophistication of Harvard & Highland probably can't afford to be regulars and/or post up here for the night. That said, it is absolutely worth the cost for the quality ingredients and creativity in these craft cocktails. Â
A lovely place to come for a sunset drink, as the completely windowed room faces west and gets a great glow around happy hour. Â I wish there had been more people to mingle with, and maybe with time or happy hour enticements, there will be, but for now, it's a nice quiet place for a "get to know you" drink with a friend or a date. Â Would also be a great space to reserve for an intimate cocktail event, I think they can seat 50?
Crafted Cocktails! Pittsburgh's latest addition to a craft cocktail bar is spot on. The ambiance was upscale casual, nice early jazz playing in the background, and the lighting was perfect.
Now on to cocktails. We tried several on the list and were very impressed with overall tastes and the creativity. They also had a distinctively Fall flavor profile which I really enjoyed. At $8-$12 I believe that is also a great bargain. These are not typical mixed drinks! These are cocktails crafted with 4,5, sometimes 6 ingredients, with top shelf spirits, and unique house-made shrubs, bitters, and infusions. Well worth the price.
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