Kelly's Bar & Lounge

We visited in September 2024 and raved about this place, from the food to the service to the vibe. We were so excited to stop on this time, only to be majorly let down. Like other reviews have stated, the service was lackluster. Much of our food was overcooked and burned. The male server was curt and said it’s how it’s suppose to be, but that’s not how it’s been in the last. We brought friends to show this place off and our whole table left disappointed. Unfortunately we will likely not recommend this place in the future.

Had a good time at Kelly's Bar, contemporary twist on the traditional bar menu, with vegetarian options, good drinks. At a reasonable price.

A fantastic old school bar & restaurant! One of the best reuben sandwiches I've ever had!

Kelly’s is exactly what I want in a neighborhood bar. It’s small. It’s dark. There is one side which hosts a massive rail and other intimate booths which run parallel. The music was on point all evening. We came after a Pirates game and it was slammed, after waiting for five minutes we got a table. The food here is homey. Massive portions and definitely proper pub food. Went with the fish sandwich, Cajun meatloaf and Mac and cheese. The fish sandwich is massive. It needs sauce, so make sure to coat the boat in provided tarter. The meatloaf had a nice kick and was smothered in perfectly cooked onions. The Mac and cheese was good, albeit not the most amazing and didn’t live up to the hype for me. I would, however, order it again. If you’re looking for a cool spot in a gentrified neighborhood, Kelly’s is your go-to.

Really good pierogies! 10 for $10 classic cheese and potato pierogies, perfect for two people and delicious. The drinks were crazy strong though. We had one drink and were blasted (I had like 3 sips of mine). If you can handle your booze, def get going to Kelly's - if you're a lightweight like us, maybe share a drink or get something from a bottle like a cider 🥴

Great local spot. Dive bar vibe but good service and yummy reasonably priced food. They do daily drink specials and also often have food specials. The burgers are awesome and if it’s your first time you have to try the mac and cheese, it’s worth the wait!

I WISH I COULD LEAVE AN AWESOME REVIEW… I MEAN I WISH I COULD HAVE A PHOTO OF DELICIOUS MAC N CHEESE but alas, all we were served in 15-20 minutes was a bottle of water.. THIS IS SAD BECAUSE I worked here many years ago; I have enjoyed the delicious Mac n cheese, their burgers and Pittsburgh Bites.. the ambiance, the diverse population... but on TODAY, I CANNOT say ANYTHING GOOD save that they did return the Ray Bans that my husband left at the table AFTER WE LEFT ABRUPTLY; AFTER waiting quite a while as the server walked past us back and forth and BACK AND FORTH, to check on her table.. and failed to even look in our direction. I know we’re a Beautiful Black Couple, but geez, no need to be intimated.. like most human beings, we are friendly, and we Tip well when we are served well! I can’t tell you anything was good because I never tasted a thing! I’ve received better service on much busier nights.. and Yes! I empathize when the back is open but .. No. You never even greeted us - with your eyes - 👀 long after we were given menus and water (by an other). Disappointed. *But I will say, this - TASTE OF INDIA ALWAYS COMES THROUGH AND THEY’RE JUST UP THE STREET. So if you sit down at Kelly’s and find yourself hunger 15-20 minutes later looking at room temperature water.. and you like Indian, you will not be disappointed. Kelly’s, do better. And fix your seats. SINCERELY, Dr. Kim Champion

Great place I loved it, it is small and dark, I like the red lights. Staff was great. I spent most of my time out on the back deck during happy hour. Great food there was this grilled cheese appetizer that came with olives, it was amazing, I have never ate that before. Happy hour had cheap drinks, libations all a around. Would definitely go back!!!

Kelly's is your typical hole in the wall with great bar food. The inside is super dark and there's bar seating as well as some smaller booths available. There is also seating available on their patio out back. Our server was nice and patient. I thought our cocktails were decent and reasonably priced for what they were. They have your basics and they're sticking to them. The food was delicious fried bar food. Overall, a solid dive bar that is open every day of the week.

This place was a whole vibe! Before walking in you'd think it was a drive bar and sketchy. Do not let this deter you! I repeat, do not let it deter you! Go inside! The food is delicious and top notch. The service is friendly and quick. They've got a bar full with many selections but I love how it had local beers you could pick from. Especially the sour beers. It's hard to find sour beers and they had three to choose from, all three local! I loved the vibe too. The pink hue, the dark lighting, and the 80s music just took you back in time to good days! It's a little loud because the music so if youre going for an intimate chat, probably not the best place. But id still go for a date, a friend's night out, or just dinner! I will be coming here again while in the area. It's decently priced as well.

You can't beat $5 daily drinks specials with late night food til 11pm, including the infamous mac & cheese

Best dive bar in Pittsburgh. Can't beat their rotating $5 cocktail and the best fries ever. Great service and hidden gem within East Liberty.

Kelly's is exactly what I want in a neighborhood bar. It's small. It's dark. There is one side which hosts a massive rail and other intimate booths which run parallel. The music was on point all evening. We came after a Pirates game and it was slammed, after waiting for five minutes we got a table. The food here is homey. Massive portions and definitely proper pub food. Went with the fish sandwich, Cajun meatloaf and Mac and cheese. The fish sandwich is massive. It needs sauce, so make sure to coat the boat in provided tarter. The meatloaf had a nice kick and was smothered in perfectly cooked onions. The Mac and cheese was good, albeit not the most amazing and didn't live up to the hype for me. I would, however, order it again. If you're looking for a cool spot in a gentrified neighborhood, Kelly's is your go-to.

Some of the best bar food in the city. Drinks are nice and stiff. In the winter you risk frostbite if you cop a squat in the men's room stall. Can never predict what the music will be. A couple of the bartenders look like they might do dominatrix work on the side. Another bartender seems to simultaneously be his own customer. Seats can be hard to come by. Lighting is dim. It all adds up to my kind of bar. Reasonably priced. Not a bar to find any extracurricular late night workouts, but there's an occasional 6 worth looking at.

Upon walking in the man at the door yells "Kitchen's closed; order at the bar!"... it was 10:30PM on a Saturday. Their website states 12AM kitchen closes.... Ok. Maybe they were slow. Um, no. Place is packed. As we walk to the back with our group a male working there says "get out of my way" as he pushed past. Not inviting. I was instantly made to feel unwelcome. Later in the night, the same prickly worker, who was apparently a bartender made our drink order. When we asked which drink was which (because both drinks were clear liquor with soda, his response was "I don't fucking know". Then this same man threw our change at us.. ($7 and change.)... just Wow. I get the impression: They probably could care less about this bad review.

I love it here! Recommend the tofu bites, the Rachel, and the tuna melt. Their side salad is excellent as well (spring greens, dried cranberries and walnuts). The food is enough of a reason to stop, but they also have a daily $5 cocktail and excellent ambiance. It's retro and moody inside. You feel like you've gone back to the 90s. Prices are great and so is the staff.

An ideal night cap spot! Cozy bar with booths and bar seating. There's all kinds of beer and cocktails available. It's usually busy in there on the weekends, but I've always managed to find a place to sit.

I started coming here because I live walking distance to it now. It doesn't look like much from the outside but it's a really fun atmosphere when you go in! It feels like a diner but it serves great cocktails and food. They also have really good vegan options surprisingly too! This is a great spot that my girlfriend and I like to come to.

I've been coming here for almost 15 years, but no more after tonight. When my (39 year old) partner presented a French ID, the bouncer became very hostile and angrily told us to leave. Which we gladly did, but there was no need for him to raise his voice.

My go-to dive bar in the city!! Cheap but delicious drinks, yummy apps, great happy hour. Never had a bad time here and the 80s playlist is SUBLIME

One of my favorite places in East Liberty area. The perfect dive bar, Kelly's has daily $5 cocktails for happy hour and perfectly worn in booths to sit in. The drinks are pretty strong and tasty, and the food is pretty excellent for being a bar as well! The tater tots are a favorite side of mine, perfectly crispy and salty. If you come on a Friday or Saturday evening, or honestly past 7 most nights, expect maybe a little wait to grab a table or seats but it's worth it! The service is interesting, it's clearly busy inside and the employees are doing their best to provide quick service, if you're nice and polite, you can expect the same. Great prices, great food, great cocktail list, definitely highly recommend.

Cheap solid drinks and the Mac and cheese here is fantastic. Love the patio during the warmer months. A great dive bar that doesn't allow smoking inside (thank you).

A little rough around the edges but great atmosphere and cheap drinks. It's very unsuspecting from the outside however once I stepped in it was packed full of people. They do have a patio out back but it is more lively inside however the space is a bit small and can get cramped. This seems to be the type of dive bar where you can talk to a random stranger and not be deemed strange. They have $5 daily deals so be sure to take advantage of that. Great place for a fun time with a group of friends.

Gosh, I so want to give this place a better review as I was really excited to come here. It is an old school bar that exudes a hip vibe from the outside and in its dark interior. The burger was very good -- I will say that. Unfortunately, I thought the service was very inattentive and they were also out of a couple things that I tried to order (both drinks and food). The bathroom was also very dirty. I'm disappointed to be disappointed. What else can I say? ‍

Strong cocktails and nice vibe. One of my favorite spots in the city to grab a drink. Both inside and outside seating, but it can fill up quickly

I spent a Monday afternoon at Kelly's after reading an article announcing Kelly's as the quintessential Pittsburgh bar. Kelly's has the classic appearance of an urban dive bar, but never did I imagine, after all the accolades in the press, Kelly's would be a tried and true dive. Dark, dingy, and just about empty, Kelly's did greet me with Hendrix in the main room, and Metallica's "Seek and Destroy" in the bathroom. I ordered my vodka and "Pittsburgh Bits" from a very normal and pleasant bartender. Yet, the other patrons, with long ZZ Top beards, were straight out of that tv show "Duck Dynasty." I have to admit, they were quite funny, but the tune from Deliverance was playing in the back of my head. This is not the kind of bar any dude's wife or girlfriend would feel comfortable. Kelly's isn't the quintessential Pittsburgh bar, but it is the quintessential dive bar. If you need a depressing, dark bar to wallow away in, Kelly's is your kind of place. When I'm in a depressive, self destructive mood, I just rather watch a dark, disturbing Scandinavian movie which helps me realize most of the world is depressed. Then I am ready for a bar where folks are laughing and happy, enjoying the human condition. That seems more like Pittsburgh to me.

Great bar with great service. The daily specials are always great! Happy hour is 5-7 which i personally love! The fried pickles are always so crispy and delicious. The fries are a must have. Best fries in town!

Great hamburgers better than Butterjoint the place is a classic dive with a long history the new management has really improved the food FRESH CUT FRIES

Ambience is dark grunge, low lights, packed on weekends, 80's rock hits. But friendly diverse crowd, super reasonable food prices and country club pours. Recommend the Boulevardier.

The burger was burnt twice. The service charge is so expensive. The service charge is 20 percent of subtotal and additional tips are also required.

The bar looks like something out of the 1920s. I love it. The music playing was really classic rock. Not just the hits but stuff that I haven't heard in a few decades. . The beer was cold and rather inexpensive. I ordered a hamburger just the way I like it. It was about 1/3 pound of beef cooked medium rare with sautéed onions , blue cheese, tomato , and lettuce on a toasted bun. The French fries were fresh cut and wonderful. All for about $12. The atmosphere was very laid back. I'm going back probably today to check out the back patio.

If you're open until 2 AM, don't be shitty to people calling at midnight to ask about carrying something out and then hang up on them. How am I supposed to know "last call is in four minutes" when you're closing two hours early? Better call them before you show up, because who knows if anyone is gonna be there.

Not bad. The two times that I was there, however, I was unable to get their Mac and Cheese (one time it was something about the oven not working the other tie they had run out), which is kind of their specialty, I hear.

This is one of my favorite bars in Pittsburgh. I ALWAYS have a great time at Kelly's. They have the BEST cocktails. Caleb is a fantastic bartender and friendly. I had the best negroni I have ever had here, and do be sure to try the food. The burger is one of the best in Pittsburgh. Great crowd, great food, great drinks. In an area that is quickly being gentrified to the point of being unrecognizeable, Kelly's is a true neighborhood gem.

This is one of those places that are really "charming" amongst locals and I can't explain why. It is a small bar with indoor and outdoor seating, cool drink specials and pretty yummy food! They have something for everyone it seems, including vegans such as myself. I'm not a big drinker but I still end up coming here once in a while with friends. I've sampled a few things here and they are all tasty. Their fries are fresh cut tasting (can't actually confirm they are really fresh cut, but they look like it) albeit a bit greasy. Their beyond burger is good too! Wasn't seasoned with anything but it still tasted perfectly fine with the usual lettuce, tomato and onion. Basically what I am trying to say is.. if someone invites you here, GO. Get a drink. Grab a snack (or burger if you're hangry). And enjoy!

Kelly's is a landmark, an institution, and a standby place to meet. The attraction is the owners' commitment to a recreate a nostalgic, magical classic bar with great drinks, good beer, and excellent bar food. People rave about the Mac 'n' Cheese, and yes you should order it. Some week nights feature vinyl DJ's. The vibe is generally hip and the drinks are strong.

Who would have thought a little hole in the wall place would have this many really good vegan options! The Pittsburgh bites made with tofu and buffalo sauce were great...nice and crispy and the vegan chicken sandwich was awesome. Our server was friendly and attentive. I'm from out of town and can't wait to come back to Pittsburgh so I can get that tofu and that chicken sandwich again!

It seems like Pittsburgh is full of cool bars, and Kelly's is no exception! With the pleather seats, dim lighting, and dark red walls, Kelly's seems like something right out of the '50s or '60s. I guess some people find that divey, but I actually thought it was kind of hip and romantic. Definitely a unique atmosphere worth coming out to Shadyside for. The cocktails are great, and the selection is unparalleled. This is definitely a good place to get out of your cocktail rut and try something you wouldn't normally order. I had the Presbyterian, basically bourbon and ginger ale with a little bit of club soda thrown in. There's a rotating $4 cocktail special, even on weekends! But even if you eschew the $4 bargain, cocktails are reasonably priced at $6-8. Our waitress was awesome, so friendly and attentive! She made all of our drinks herself and absolutely killed it. Apparently Kelly's is known for their baked mac 'n' cheese, which you can even order in a "mini" portion, but I skipped it this time. I'll be back!

Went to Kelly's with a co-worker after work last night !! We were going to grab to go drinks and walk home together. But decided to have a drink and small bites on their back patio ! I felt some kind of normalcy for the first time in awhile !!

Racist place. No one comes to take your order if you're brown. Everyone had someone come to then except me who's been sitting for 35+ mins

Kelly's is a divey, dark bar in east liberty that is a great break from having to compete with sports like other bars in the area. They always have a solid draft menu with rotating choices, and have a great happy hour from 5-7 with $2 off drafts and 1/2 price apps. They also have a $4 speciality cocktail every day and you can't go wrong with just ordering their old fashioneds and manhattans, which are some of the best priced in town. It's one of my favorite places to meet up with friends and catch up, as it's a very unassuming place. Sometimes it's hard to find a table though, and it's not really the best bar to stand in. Besides the Mac and cheese, the food is nothing to write home about. Cheap and gets the job done, but come for a drink instead!

Cool atmosphere, great drinks, very cool bartenders. Feels like stepping back in time, I hope they never change!

Bartender (with really long dreadlocks) was violent. My friend went to get a drink and he was perfectly sober. The bartender started shouting at him out of the blue. Specifically, told him to get his drink and get the f*** out of there. We were completely confused. All my friend had done was called for him saying "excuse me". My friend thought he had done something wrong so he apologized. The bartender turned violent and manhandled my friend all the way out of the bar. We have been to bars all around Pittsburgh and have gotten along with all kinds of people. Never had a record of troublemaking. This was a horrible experience for us. I understand that one bad review doesn't mean too much to you guys, but please look into this. I even went to the bartender and asked him politely if we did anything wrong. He was quite abrasive in his response to me as well. This is in no way fair. I have never faced this kind of behavior since the 2 years I've been in Pittsburgh. As a consolation, the Mac n cheese was pretty good. P.S. If you look at your one star reviews. You will find that a lot more people have been in the same situation as us with the same bartender.

Incredibly kind service staff and incredible patio. Great for a casual group happy hour! Can't wait to go back

This sucked. Bartender said we had until 1am, as we closed our tabs. We were then promptly shouted at repeatedly, and shoved out. We were in fact just minding our own business sitting on their back patio, causing absolutely no concern, and were ready to leave by 1 like asked (we also expected to have until 2 like it says online). And this all happened at a clean 12:30. I wish I could take a few bucks back from my tip to the bar tender because dudes a jerk to put it mildly. When he was serving drinks he completely disregarded most of the night anyways.

A DJ spins cool some nights, reasonable drinks, cool bartenders and good food. This is my go to bar when I want to chill out and listen to some groovy music.

Kelly's is one of my local favorites. The drinks are so cheap. And the food is inexpensive but delicious, for what it is. My go to is the Tofu Bites or the French Dip Sandwich. Also they have ice cream cakes that are a must. In the winter cozy up in the small booths with a group of fiends or enjoy the patio out back in the summer. Staff is also really great.

Kelly's is a classic divey type part with the bonus of having good food. Their cocktail of the day until 7 pm is only $4 and they have good discounts for happy hour. Their beer isn't the cheapest ($5 for yuengling) but neither is it terrible. They also have good food. The mac and cheese is really good but can take a bit of time. They also have a good selection of sandwiches. A small Mac is 5, the large 7, and most sandwiches with fries 10. It can get super packed and loud though.

I lived extremely close to Kelly's for a very long time until I convinced myself to wander in. With dark windows that reminded me of something you'd think would be at a strip club, I really didn't know what to expect. Ambiance: Seedy and Dive bar all rolled into one. Extremely dark but with welcoming staff that made me feel a lot more comfortable. Not my vibe. Food: Macaroni and Cheese is phenomenal, literally the only thing to go back for. Drinks: Daily special and a local Arsenal Cider of tap are always great to have, but overpriced for the space.

Most frequented bar. Great food. Cheap prices. Nice rotating draft list. Lots of drink options. Love.

I love a good dive bar and Kelly's is a great dive bar! It's authentic, let's face it hipster dive bars suck, and I'm guessing (what do I know I'm a tourist?) it has been here fore-evah and seen the fortunes of East Liberty rise and fall. The decor alone is worth visiting for, there are booths and barstools, a jukebox, neon signs, and there's a ton of linoleum. The colour scheme skews towards red and black and the lighting is just dark and dingy enough to have you squinting when you emerge outside into daylight. There's a patio/garden out back - but I didn't go there because that's not dive-y enough for me! The servers are good, I mean it's not like we are going to become friends after a couple of visits, but they were welcoming enough and efficient. The customers were a mix of all sorts of people with a good mix of age groups. Kelly's serves bar food but we only came for drinks. There's a surprisingly good range of draught beers and cocktails available. The daily happy hour has beers at $2.00 off, half-priced appetizers and a daily $4.00 cocktail. Yes, you read that correctly - Four. Dollar. Cocktails. - insane right? If you're in the neighbourhood please stop by Kelly's and show them some love, places like this are disappearing fast and getting harder and harder to find. There's plenty of fancy pants bars with $10/15 cocktails but when did you last have a decent $4.00 one in a real authentic bar? Exactly.

Good times. Good people. Good burgers. Cheap drinks and must have macaroni and cheese

If I could give 0 stars I would. 4 of my friends and I decided to pop in and were immediately greeted by a bouncer demanding our IDs. We hand them to him and go sit at a booth (that is wet and the seats are completely ripped to shreds). The booth was tiny and there were 5 of us so one of us was hanging off the seat. Two other members of the wait staff proceeded to walk by and scream at us to "have our IDs out." When we complied, but also asked why our IDs needed to be checked so many times, they had some odd excuse. Our waitress found out that we were only ordering drinks and not eating, so she sat us at the bar to make us more comfortable than in the cramped booth. As soon as the bartender comes up to us he discovers that 2 of the 5 of us weren't drinking alcohol (one was driving) and proceeded to scream at us that if we were drinking water we weren't allowed to be at the bar. We tried to explain to him that we were, in fact, drinking alcohol, but he had yet to take our orders besides the two girls who were drinking water at the moment. He continued to scream at us, made the two girls with water leave the bar area, and then yelled at the other 3 of us for our orders. We decided to not drink there and leave, to which he threw his hands up in disapproval. Whole staff has attitude problems, place isn't "divey," it's crusty, and I shan't be returning. Kelly's just lost a few fans.

Ordered the crispy fish sandwich, pretzel, and the famous Mac n cheese. The fish sandwich was right out of the fryer, super crispy and good amount of flavor even without the tartar sauce. The pretzel was decent and the cheese was almost too thick. The Mac n cheese lived up to the hype and had a great texture on top and very rich cheese flavor throughout the dish. The beer selection was good and the prices were even better.

I've been going to Kelly's for years. It's one of those steadfast places that keeps up with the times and they know what customers like. $4 drink specials are enough to knock you on your ass at times. Super laid back, good vibe. A friend is part of LUPEC and it's exciting when they have specials happening. Now and again the help gets a little testy when it's busy. Understandable that it can become overwhelming and hard to keep up. However, patience and a smile go a long way with customers.

Kelly's has been on my to-visit list forever, but I finally received the opportunity to check it out on Wed. I was planning to go to Burgatory with a friend to claim my free birthday milkshake, but a previous commitment ran late to the point that we were unsure if we'd have sufficient time before closing. Since my friend had also suggested getting drinks, I suggested that we try Kelly's instead, so we headed over. When we walked in, nobody came to greet us, so we seated ourselves at one of the booths. Upon doing so, a hipster waiter, complete with large gauges, tats, and interesting hair handed us menus. He told us that the drink special of the night was a rusty nail, which consisted of Scotch and Drambuie (orange liqueur) for $4, so we both decided to try it. It was smooth, but quite strong, to the point that it burned a bit going down. The ice thinned it out as we drank, however, so by the time we finished it, it was substantially thinner. Because we were hungry, we decided to get some snacks to go with our drinks. As a mac and cheese snob, I had to order the mac and cheese, since I'd heard of its claim to fame as one of the best in PGH. Consistent with my preferences, this mac and cheese is of the baked variety, and comes with a crust on top, but has a sharp cheddar sauce that is surprisingly creamy underneath. Although it didn't beat my current front runner for best mac and cheese in PGH (Carmi), it's definitely in the top tier of mac and cheeses (score: 9.0/10). Based on my recommendation, my friend ordered the sweet potato fries with cajun aioli. When they came out, the fries appeared more like chips, but thicker (see photo). While the flavor was very good, esp. hot, the texture left something to be desired, since they lacked crispiness or crunch. Overall, I enjoyed the drinks and food at Kelly's. The ambience was interesting--something of a cross between a bar and a diner--and came off as hipster without trying too hard (a la Wingharts) or being pretentious. My only complaint was that the music was a bit loud--not so much that I had to shout across the table, but enough to be slightly annoying. I don't have any complaints about the service, except that I was carded (I'm not usually carded at bars anymore--but then again, my friend is a couple years younger than me). I'd definitely be up for stopping back in, esp. to try the much-talked-about happy hour, and some of the other interesting, less common drinks served there.

First time at Kelly's tonight-drawn in by their retro neon COCKTAILS sign like a moth to the vodka. Yuenglings were $2 for happy hour and our Pittsburgh Bites (boneless chicken wings) were only $3.50 and came super spicy, which I dug, but looked like little bricks of...ahem...something you might scoop up while following your dog on a walk. The tilapia in my tacos was breaded and fried sans spices or herbs, so the main part of my taco had absolutely zero flavor, and was topped with shredded iceberg lettuce, which added a little crunch but not much else. The boring theme was completed by everything being wrapped in a flour tortilla. I don't know about you guys, but for me, flour tortillas with tacos are a huge no-no. Just, why? Why would you do that to a perfectly good taco? I could go on about tacos for days, so anyways, they were salvageable with the loads of guacamole, fresh salsa and sour cream that came on the side. BUT, on a scale of 1 to 10 the mac and cheese was an 8 and had a crazy crust like you've never seen; charred just shy of being totally burnt, it was sort of sealed into the bowl (since it was baked in the dish). And if you're going to a lounge to have a beer this is definitely the best mac and cheese you're going to get your hands on in the city. East Liberty is a slumbering restaurant meca until 7 when the trendy folks that are employed around there get off work and head out for dinner and drinks. At 5 when we walked in there were two other tables taken, by 8 when we left every seat was full. The loud chatter over beers echoing off the red walls (Kelly's is going for a 50's diner feel with checkered floors and wide white booths) rounded out the "lounge" aspect of it perfectly. The server was tatted, dreadlocked and pierced, but instead of seeming too "alternative" she gave the place a grungy-but-hospitable feel that worked well.