We stopped in on a whim one night to watch a Pens game and I have to say, I fell in love. Â Fantastic drink specials Friday and Saturday night. Â The bartenders are always nice and you rarely have to wait for anything. Â Food wise I have only ever had the fried pickles, wings and the rib wrap. Â It's bar food so don't expect anything healthy but that wrap is something special.
Review Source:On a recent weekend trip to PGH, stopped in here for a beer before last call.
Beer selection is, of course, amazing: 60+ taps and 300+ beers = you can't go wrong. Did not have food, as it was right before last call. Barkeeps were nice enough, knowledgeably chatting us up about Boston sports (where I'm from).
Will definitely be back on a future trip to sample more of their extensive beer list.
I'm lucky that I get to travel for a living and I use my Yelp App to seek out great beer spots. Â In the last year I have over 150 hotel nights in fourteen states. Â So I've had a chance to visit a tremendous number of great beer joints!
My Holy Grail is the big three- A great beer selection, amazing gastro-pub food, and a bartender that looks like a Victoria's Secret model! Â I haven't found this mystical place yet but I'll keep trying.
Smokin' Joe's is one for three but it's the most important one and that's a great beer selection. Â What can I say; the tap list and the bottle list are both exceptional. The organization of the beer list itself is very good. Â Many less traveled folks would probably say five stars but I'm going for 4. Â The lists at the 5 star places include IBUs and a more extensive description of each beer. Â BTW, the beer prices are very competitive here. Â
As others have said, the food is hit and miss here. Â For me it was a miss. Â Actually I'm not even going to discuss it. I'm going to think of these folks as a four star beer place without a menu.
If you are a beer aficionado and in the Pittsburgh area, a visit here is a must. Â Just eat first and come here for the brews.
No smoking on East Carson is always awesome, and the draft selection is crazy good.  Totally average and some above average bar fare, but the 25 cent wings on wednesdays during Trivia was why we checked it out.  The wings and beer were good, but the Trivia kind of sucked.  It was crazy hard and the teams that were doing well had their phones out the whole time.  Also the host was basically making out with the microphone when reading the questions and was almost unintelligible.  And the song breaks and time to answer the questions were soooo longgg the whole thing dragged.  It was not  the trivia night for our group, but we will back back for the beers and wings.
Review Source:Make no mistake, Smokin' Joe's is THE beer destination on the South Side. Â Hundreds upon hundreds of beers line the walls and taps, and they're always on top of their game in terms of jumping on seasonal releases like Bell's Hopslam and Southern Tier Pumking (but get there within a week of these being released because they get kicked fast!)
It's got a dive bar atmosphere without really being a dive bar. Â There's no smoking, none of the furniture is quote unquote "sticky", and the bathrooms feature operational toilets. Â It always gets super lively in there on the weekends and on Wednesday trivia nights. Â In my experience, the wait staff can be a little cumbersome, but only when it's very busy, and I can't imagine working a place like this on a Friday night is an easy gig so I really don't mind waiting a few extra minutes for apps and dezzies. Â The bar staff is downright terrific, and one bartender bears a striking resemblance to actor Ken Marino. Â You'll know him when you see him. Â He's an awesome guy.
There's a few negative reviews on here that cite the quality of the food. Â Obviously you're not going to score a gourmet swordfish and scallops cooked over a rooster's husk and sauteed in kangaroo blood or whatever people eat in fancy restaurants, but as far as pub food goes, the food is perfectly acceptable. Â I usually go for the cheese and artichoke dip, and that's more than enough to soak up the immense quantities of alcohol that you will inevitably drink there.
Smokin' Joe's has become a regular stop for me in the past two years, mostly because I'm there once a week for trivia. Â I like going here for several reasons:
First, they have an extensive and relatively cheap beer list. Â 60 on tap and over 300 in bottles.
Second, They are open 11 am - 2 am every day of the week. Â Since my "weekend" is Monday-Tuesday, I appreciate somewhere I can go to unwind on a Sunday night.
Third, they have some of the best wings in the city. Â if you go on a Wednesday, they are 40 cents each (25 for boneless).
Lastly, it's the perfect South Side "Goldilocks" bar. Â It's not expensive and pretentious, but it's not so shady that you think you will get knifed if you insist on ordering something classier than Miller Light.
A few weaknesses to note. The bartenders are amazing, but some of their servers are painfully slow. Â Also, the food menu is really hit or miss. Â The wings, spinach dip, and french onion soup are all fantastic. Â Their burgers and sandwiches are somewhat lacking. Â
Overall, however, Smokin' Jones is one of my favorite bars in the South Side.
Smokin' Joes, like many bars on Carson Street, differs depending on when you decide to go.  It's either loud, crowded and has top  40 music pumping, is packed with Penguins/Steelers fans during a game, or is relatively low key with patrons hanging out over sports and casual conversation.  I've decided to go during these different times and one thing is always a constant: the beer.  With an extreme bottle selection and an impressive draft selection, Smokin' Joes is the place to go on Carson Street for the beer lover (besides Carson Street Deli).  If it isn't too busy you are able to 'try before you buy' with their draft selection which is always nice when you want to try something new.  Due to the awkward setup of this bar, it gets quite jammed up on weekend nights when you first walk in but you can usually find some standing room in the back near the pool table and darts.  As for the food, typical pub grub fleshes out the menu.  The food won't blow your mind but will leave you content when hungry.  I've had the ribs with a side of fries and it was satisfying.  All in all, I enjoy Smokin' Joes during the more mellow parts of the day (before 9 pm on the weekends) but I find myself coming back quite often due to my affinity for delicious beer.
Review Source:I love beer. 3 stars for that. It is a bar after all.
As one of the first places I visited when I moved to Pittsburgh I remember coming out of the bathroom and seeing a family of four with two young kids in the bar and nearly passing out. What is the deal in PA with being able to bring your kid to the bar. Now I have a kid and we regularly make it out for a pint.
Aside from the grand beer selection, I don't have anything really good to say about. The beer tasted dirty, like they could afford to clean out their lines. The waitress was pretty miserable and we were her only table. I asked her for a few condiments, and much to my surprise she charged me for each one. WHICH IS FINE, but isn't that something that the waitress should inform you? Did i know I would be paying almost a dollar for hot sauce? Really? A buck, for a  little cup? Whatever happened to giving a bottle of Franks, or something? My fries came out partially cooked, so I sent them back. I made sure to grab my sandwich before she took the basket away (you know what they say about sending food back!) and the waitress didn't offer a small plate or extra napkins to place my sandwich. So i had to sit there holding my burger in the air.
Overall, my experience was awful. Luckily there are a bunch of other places in the Southside for a quick bite.
A good place to go during the week for a good beer and some bar food. Â Smokin' Joe's has an excellent draft list and for fair prices. Â The staff are friendly and polite and the place is just a little "divy". Â
The food isn't really worth it though. Â The wings are 40cents a piece twice a week, but the wings are soggy and the sauces are bland. Â I'd stick with beer you will be impressed.
Stuffed from a burger and sundae, I eventually ended up a few blocks down the street at Smokin' Joes to close out the afternoon. Of course I didn't eat anything, but just grabbed a drink. I was initially excited about the excellent variety of beer selections and I may have stayed for more than one pint except for one thing: the three douche bags sitting next to me at the bar. Â Obviously, all single, late 30-something know-it-alls who felt it necessary to talk about international politics, recessive genetics and other completely random stuff, all ultra boring for a bar on a Saturday afternoon. It wouldn't have been nearly as bad had they not been the type of idiots who unintentionally talked loudly to one another, even though they were all sitting close together and there were few other patrons in the place. Apparently, we all had to hear the 'intellectuals' impart their wisdom on and about the world.
After a short time, I downed my beer, got an acknowledged eye-roll out of the guy sitting on my other side and got the heck out of there feeling very annoyed. I realize Joe's has no control over which idiots walk through their door, so I'll probably give them another chance someday.
Great selection of beer. Â Appetizer deals and less parking difficulty were worth coming in earlier than the crowd. Â
Our waitress was less helpful than desired. Â They should really just keep a chalkboard of the drafts on tap and erase them when no longer available instead of having the staff come back to the table like 8 times to tell us they were out. Â She also screwed up our bills.
Burger was good at the moment, but a few hours later I felt like ass. Â And, no, it wasn't because I was drinking- I didn't even get to have more than one. Â Which, by the way, was a skunky Bell's Oberon. Â I'm always curious when going to places with an extensive draft list how long the keg has actually been tapped....
I'll probably give it another try sometime.
Absolutely the best Friday happy hour in Pittsburgh. Â Half off appetizers from 5-10, $1 off drafts from 5-7 and then $2.50 domestic bottles (though not all) from 7-10, and they have an incredible beer selection--something like 60 beers on tap another 100-something bottled. Â There were 6 of us grad students who went out, 2 beers each and enough food to warrant calling it a meal, and somehow with tax and tip it was $60. For SIX people. Â What up, Pittsburgh. Â
The food was pretty good for bar food--bruschetta was a bit odd (maybe it was the bacon) but the mac & cheese bites, prov sticks, and hot peppers were great, and fries, zucchini planks, and potato skins were all quite good too.
The bar area is pretty long but they have tables with servers as well, and various games (pool, darts) around for your entertainment. Â At 5:30 it was not very crowded but around 8 tables started becoming more scarce.
With the least amount of pretension allowed by craft beer bar law, this place ranks high on my list of great beer bar destinations. Â With over 60 drafts, and 350 bottles their selection covers some impressive ground.
The back bar couldn't be any simpler. Its a full length row of glass door coolers, exactly what you would expect to see along the back wall at a 7-Eleven convenience store. Â (a wild fantasy 7-Eleven, but a 7-Eleven nonetheless). Â These coolers are propped up a bit higher and leave the people sitting at the bar a good view of the beers offered. Â
The service was great - from both of the bartenders working the bar. Â It was a very busy afternoon when I was there, and they made it look easy. Â Great mix of very friendly locals and tourists.
To say that I have had a few beers in my life would be a tiny bit of an understatement. Â I love to try new beers, or at least beers I have never had. Â At Smokin' Joe's I had Moylan's Nitro Special Bitter, Anchor Brewing's Humming Ale,
Ballast Point Brewing's Reef Rye Brown Ale, and Elysian Brewing Company's The Immortal IPA. Â I was impressed with all 4 of them, and oddly enough, most impressed with the Humming Ale. Â Awesome selection.
Looking for a bit of a snack to go along with the beers, I ordered the pierogies and added the kielbasa option. Â I saw them served to someone else across the bar and had to get them. Â Unfortunately they were hard to find on the menu. Â For some reason they are way in the back, almost listed as an afterthough. Â They shouldn't be. Â They were prepared just as I had hoped. Â Topped with a bunch of quick high heat pan fried in butter white onions, leaving some teeth to them, but also giving some of that sweet caramelized flavor. Â
There is a large flatscreen TV on the wall that separates the front and back of the room. Â The screen changes showing you their list out the most recent tapped beers, the list of IPA's only, and a few others. Â Great idea.
I'll be back.
The Good.
Awesome beer selection. On tap and in bottles.
A great bartender. Sweet, attentive and not afraid to tell you if a beer sucks.
A mean Bloody Mary. Thick and spicy.
The rib wrap. Seriously, it's just ribs in a wrap. Can't be bad.
The wings are fat and juicy, and the spicy BBQ is a winner.
Smokin' Joe's is a perfect place to catch a game. Good food, good beer, and good people.
The Bad.
They don't toss the wings in the sauce...just dump it on top. Same goes for the "rubs."
The burger was huge, but overcooked and dry. Good flavors on the Reuburger though.
The Ugly.
There's Jack, and other liquor available in the soda gun. That could definitely get ugly.
I used to LOVE to eat at Smokin' Joe's.
They used to have really great food.
However, now their food is REALLY bad.... I don't know what happened! Â I don't know if they got a new chef or new supplier.... but we go out of our way to avoid having dinner here, which is sad because we used to love it.
Here on Vacation last week. Â Great place. Â I watched football on Sunday. Â Most locals were upset with the Steelers beat down that Baltimore handed them but no worries, at the end of the day the locals on the South Side still had a great time. Â Good times with good people no doubt.
Review Source:Great bar lots of choices if you like options for bottled beer and tap. Not my favorite place in the southside to frequent but then again I'm not a big beer drinker. There are so many places on the southside that this should be one of your stops for and appetizer or perhaps a import beer.
Review Source:This is one of the bars that makes the Carson Street experience enjoyable. Â Although less so than The Library, Smokin' Joe's is one of those places that has multiple personalities depending on the time of day. Â On weekdays and up until around 10pm on weekends, the place has regulars, you can use the pool table or play darts without too much trouble, and it's a great place to catch a Pens game. Â Late night on weekends, the downstairs gets packed with one too many girls sipping on Washington Apple shots for my taste...But it's certainly still fun. Â Unfortunately, unless there's a game on, the upstairs is always, well, boring, and the excellent beer selection does not extend to up there. Â I wish they could do something to make better use of the upstairs space.
Don't expect the bartenders to know how to make any sort of specialty cocktail unless there's beer involved. Â I'm obsessed with the Haystack: half Hoegaarden, half Framboise.
One thing that's a little backwards about Smokin' Joe's is the abundance of Miller Lite specials. Â You are a beer bar with a huge selection on tap and hundreds of bottled beers: Â Why all the specials on crappy beer?
Smokin' Joes is one of those places...where they have tons of different beers on tap, where the food is yummy, where the jukebox selection always includes what you want (Mr. Roboto? You bet!)...and where everybody knows your name. This is the kind of place where the older South Side locals go 3-4 nights a week and have been for years. Pop in on any random night and most likely they'll be sitting at the bar. (Ask for Finn and tell him Kim sent you!) Â It's also a home to young professionals and the college crowd, and overall the vibe is very chill and casual.
The staff are super friendly and always willing to suggest a brew if you're overwhelmed about the hundreds, yes hundreds, of drafts available. They have many hard-to-find selections and will give you a taste if you ask, definitely a beer-lovers dream.
Great wing selection as well and you can't beat the 35 cent wing specials during the week. Try the seasoned salt, the perfect complement to a nice cold beer. The pizza may take a little while to make but it's worth the wait. There's also a $2.50 vodka anything special on Saturdays. And if it gets a little too crowded for your liking on the weekend, just head upstairs to a secret bar where there's plenty of seating.
Definitely a must go if you've never been there and are looking for a great neighborhood bar!
There are a few bars in the South Side that will always be on my list: The Library, Fatheads and Smokin' Joe's.
Is it because of the awesome beer lists?
You betcha.
Zero pretension -- but somehow manages to keep out the regular "riff-raff" that consumes Carson on weekends. There is ALWAYS a variety of options on tap; plenty more in the beer coolers (including one completely random brew that we were previously unaware of its availability in PA... OR IS IT?!). And just as diverse the bottle selection is Smokin' Joe's guests -- sure, you'll have a few stragglers who enter in all-dressed-up party attire (and typically, leave soon thereafter), but for the most part, this dive is your everyday "I want to be Norm here" neighborhood bar.
And with that, of course, there are ALWAYS "issues" in the women's restroom (on my last visit a couple was arguing in one stall, and another was clogged and flooding all over the floor).
Pull up a bar stool, and let's chat craft beer and dem Stillers, Pittsburgh!
Went on a Saturday. They were having $2.50 vodka drinks. The fried provolone was delicious! We had 2 types of wings: the french something that was not that great, but the medium parmesan was great! Wings were served with celery and carrot sticks. We loved that we had 15 wings, cheese sticks, 4 vodka drinks & 4 draft beer for $36. The bartender was attentive and willing to make sure we liked the beers before ordering. She asked questions and gave several samples before we could decide on the perfect one. We sat at the bar and enjoyed every minute!
Review Source:This is one of my favorite bars in town; it manages to ban smoking and elude the trashy Jersey Shore-esque scene that most of Carson street attracts. Most of the people there are graduate students or professionals, and you can actually hang out and have real conversations there. A friend of mine from Ireland was complaining  that she couldn't find some rare type of whiskey in the US, and the bartender magically procured it- on the house. Smokin' Joes definitely gets everything right!
Review Source:I'm new to Yelp, but this is one place I will review.
East Carson Street is over-flowing with bars and restaurants. However, there is one place many seem to miss, and it's quite the hidden gem. If you like great beer, great bar food, friendly/cute/knowledgable cocktail waitress, and bartenders who know their drinks, Smoking Joe's is the place for you.
Commonly mistaken for a dive-bar, "The Joe" is a staple of the South Side for beer-lovers. I've been going there since I was underage, but this is one of the few places I will go back to. Has a very neighborhood/town-bar feel to it. The beer selection is incredible; they always have 65 beers on tap from all-around the world, including seasonal selections abound for those with adventurous taste-buds, in addition to over 300 or more on bottle.
The food is above-average and inexpensive. Their wings are the best in the Southside, and maybe the city. Tuesday and Wednesday nights are designated "Wing Nights", 30 cents each from 7 to 12, and Thursday night is "Yuengs and Wings Night", 40 wings and a pitcher of Yuengling for 12.95. Aside from the wings, the Burgers are good, and one of the better Steak Salads I've had. Everything is under 12 bucks.
The service is exceptional. Tommy and Llama run the bar, and they know their stuff. Just don't ask Tommy how he feels about Big Ben or the Steelers. The cocktail waitresses are cute, funny, attentive, and know their beers.
In terms of entertainment, there are plenty of HD-TV's around always playing whatever sporting events are taking place, and they will always allow you to change the channel to watch a different game if need be. They don't run a tight ship here, fairly laid-back. There is a Golden Tee machine, as well as a dart board, and a touch-screen Jukebox.
The crowd: Literally an eclectic mix of young professionals, thirty-somethings, folks from the neighborhood, and can become "College-y" on weekends. A self-proclaimed "Penguins" bar, this place always seems to fill up on game-nights. Like others said, weekends are hectic, but here's a secret; they have an upstairs called "The Distillery".
The Distillery is just a name for the upstairs bar. A smaller room littered with beer-paraphenilla, the upstairs has a smaller tap selection and a smaller bottled selection, but if not busy, the bartenders will go downstairs and get the beer of your choice. The bonus of the upstairs is the drop-down projection screen, great for hockey games or football games. This upstairs is only open Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings.
There are specials every night of the week, but you don't need an excuse to come by the Joe, get some wings, and have a beer you've never tried before. Just tell the boys what kinda beer you like, and they will point you in the right direction. Tell them John sent you in.
This bar does what it sets out to do. Â They have an excellent beer selection and have some pretty on the ball bartenders. Â Like any bar in South Side, when it's crowded, the experience can be pretty miserable. Â It's a high end beer joint infiltrated by douches who don't care what they're drinking. Â I wish those guys would just drive down to Jack's and drink some swill. Â If the downstairs is crowded, it might be worth it to go upstairs. Â Bartender is equally as friendly and it's a smaller space, which can be good or bad. Â I do repeat, why do people go to this bar just to drink a Bud. Â It's like going to the Four Seasons and ordering a fucking hot dog.
Review Source:The finest speak easy in the tri state area and possibly the entire planet. Â The Beer selection is as broad as your ever gonna get both on tap and in bottles. Â Very fun atmosphere and the bartenders and wait staff are both very fun and friendly. Â OK occasionally they will hijack the juke box and play music no mortal would want to hear but that's a minor flaw at most and playing a little Neil Young or Dylan on the box quickly erases the memory. Â The food is good bar food not exceptional but still very tasty. Â But I'm there for the beer, friends and fun. Â Smokin' Joes is definitely a bar to frequent, god knows I certainly do!
Review Source:Five Stars for Great Beer Selection!!!
Doesn't look like much from the outside, but if you love beer, this will be your new home. Â Not only do they likely have Every Single Beer You Know, they have about a million other kinds too. Â If you like beer, and if you like adventure, you will love this place.
The people are cool, but I found that it was far more fun to go with a huge group of friends and take over the place. And then meet people.
The 5 best restaurants in the 2015 Denver Restaurant Week
3,611 Views | Category: Denver
The complete list of 2015 Denver Restaurant Week businesses
1,972 Views | Category: Denver
The tourists' guide to Portillos: 5 must have dishes
3,318 Views | Category: Chicago
Pho = Pronounced "fuh" not "foe" for pho-king sake
2,915 Views | Category: Denver
Indulgery selected to exhibit at Collision Conference
2,987 Views | Category: Press Releases
Not Logged In
BUSINESSES
Local Businesses
Near Me
My Favorites
SOCIAL
Blog & News
MY ACCOUNT
Login
Register
Contact Us
Add Your Business
