Restaurant in Pittsburgh, United States
Honky-Tonk Taco Counter
Bakersfield Penn Ave on Pittsburgh's downtown Penn Avenue is a whiskey-first bar that works well for a pre-show drink or a casual evening out, but it's not the right call if food or wine is the priority. Easy to walk into, comfortable for solo drinkers at the bar, and best for small groups keeping things relaxed. Book elsewhere if the meal needs to carry the night.
If you've been to Bakersfield Penn Ave before, you already know the core proposition: a bar-forward spot on Penn Avenue in downtown Pittsburgh where the whiskey list does most of the heavy lifting. The question on a return visit is whether the experience has deepened or just stayed consistent. For food and drink enthusiasts who want a place that rewards closer attention, the answer matters. The short verdict: this is a solid choice for a drinks-led evening in Pittsburgh, particularly if you're working through downtown before or after something else, but it is not the venue you'd book when the meal itself is the main event.
Penn Avenue's stretch through downtown Pittsburgh is a practical address: walkable from the Cultural District, visible enough to find easily, low enough in pretension to walk into without a plan. Visually, the space reads as a working bar rather than a dining room — expect a counter-focused layout, exposed materials, and the kind of lighting that signals this is a place for drinks first. If you're arriving from a show at the Benedum or the Byham, it reads as a natural pit stop. If you're hoping for a composed dining room experience, look elsewhere in the city.
The wine program at Bakersfield Penn Ave is secondary to the whiskey focus, which is worth being direct about. The bar's identity is built around bourbon and mezcal — that's where the list has depth, and that's where you'll get the most out of the experience. If wine is your priority for the evening, Pittsburgh has better options: FET-FISK takes its beverage program more seriously across the board, and Apteka in Polish Hill pairs its natural wine selection with food in a way that feels intentional rather than incidental. At Bakersfield, order the whiskey and treat any wine list as a backup option.
The format works leading for groups of two to four who want a relaxed, low-commitment drinks stop. Solo diners will find the bar seating comfortable and the atmosphere easy to settle into without the social pressure of a table for one. For a special occasion or a dinner where the food carries the evening, this is not the right call , the food offer is designed to support the drinking, not the other way around. Pittsburgh has venues that do both better: 1930 by Atria's or Alfabeto are worth considering if the meal needs to match the occasion.
For context on what Pittsburgh's dining scene can deliver at the serious end, the city has been building a case for itself quietly. The gap between a casual bar stop like this and a destination meal remains significant , venues like Chengdu Gourmet or Carmella's Plates & Pints show what the city can do when food is the focus. If you want to build a fuller picture of where to eat and drink across Pittsburgh, our full Pittsburgh restaurants guide is the place to start, alongside our Pittsburgh bars guide for drink-first evenings. You can also browse our Pittsburgh hotels guide, Pittsburgh wineries guide, and Pittsburgh experiences guide to fill out a full trip. For reference points on what serious beverage-forward dining looks like nationally, compare against Smyth in Chicago or Lazy Bear in San Francisco , venues where the drinks program and the food are genuinely co-equal. That's a different category entirely. At that level, you're also looking at venues like Le Bernardin in New York City, The French Laundry in Napa, Atomix in New York City, Emeril's in New Orleans, Single Thread Farm in Healdsburg, and Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler in Brunico , all of which operate at a fundamentally different level of intentionality around how drinks and food interact. Bakersfield Penn Ave is not competing in that space, and doesn't need to be. It's a bar doing bar things well, in a city that's earning more attention for its dining options overall.
Yes, with one caveat: come for drinks, not a full meal. The bar seating is easy to occupy solo and the format doesn't require a companion to make sense of. If you want a solo dinner where the food does the work, Apteka in Polish Hill is a better call , the counter experience there is more food-forward and gives a solo diner more to engage with.
Casual is fine. This is a bar, not a dining room with expectations. Smart casual covers you comfortably , there's no reason to dress up, and overdressing will feel out of place with the room's character. Pittsburgh's downtown bar scene runs informal; this venue is consistent with that.
Not really. The drinks list is strong enough to anchor a celebratory round, but if the occasion calls for a meal that matches the moment, book somewhere else. 1930 by Atria's is the more natural choice for a Pittsburgh special occasion dinner , the room and the format are built for it in a way Bakersfield isn't.
Groups of 2–4 are the sweet spot. Larger groups may find the bar format harder to manage without a reservation or advance coordination. For a larger group night out in Pittsburgh, check capacity and booking options directly , no phone number is currently listed for this location, so approaching in person or via their website is the practical route. Alternatives for larger groups worth considering: Franktuary (Lawrenceville) and Grandma B's tend to handle group bookings more easily.
Depends on what you're after. For a drinks-forward evening with more food intentionality, FET-FISK is the stronger option , the beverage program there earns its own attention. For a casual group dinner with good value, El Burro Uno is worth a look. If you want something food-led in a relaxed setting, Apteka is the most distinctive option in Pittsburgh's mid-range: plant-based Central European cooking with a natural wine list that actually pairs with the food rather than sitting alongside it as an afterthought.
| Venue | Cuisine | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bakersfield Penn Ave | Easy | — | ||
| Apteka | Unknown | — | ||
| FET-FISK | Unknown | — | ||
| El Burro Uno | Unknown | — | ||
| Franktuary (Lawrenceville) | Unknown | — | ||
| Grandma B's | Unknown | — |
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