I visited Ten Penny for drinks & dinner with girlfriends about a year ago and decided to give it another shot last night with my boyfriend. We were going to a show at the Byham and it was one of the first beautiful nights in Pittsburgh this Spring, so basically everywhere downtown was busy. We ended up making reservations on Open Table about 30 minutes before arriving & it looked like we got one of the last reservations because everyone else was being turned away when we arrived.
I remember having a pleasant experience last time I went, nothing that exactly stood out but the food & service was good. Last night was the same. I love the atmosphere inside of Ten Penny, it has the industrial chic look that is popping up everywhere in Pgh, but it's cool & neat to look at. And since it was nice out, they had all the windows open which I love! Our waitress was very attentive & was also very helpful when we asked questions on the menu. Despite how busy she was, she took the time out to explain the specials & answer the questions we had.
Chris & I actually ended up getting the same meal last night. We both got the salmon entree. It has a molasses glaze & pineapple salsa on top. I honestly LOVED this meal! The salmon was cooked to perfection, the glaze was unique and unlike anything I've ever had & I was obsessed with the pineapple salsa on top. Perfect & light meal! The sides are "family style" (but they actually aren't that big), so we shared the whipped mashed potatoes & the asparagus. The mashed potatoes were delicious & the asparagus was pretty good but had butter sauce on top that I wasn't overly excited about.
Overall, Ten Penny is always crowded when I go past, the atmosphere is cool and the food is pretty good. I'm sure it will continue to do well in downtown Pittsburgh. There are a lot of other places I would go over Ten Penny but it's always a great option for a good meal and nice night out.