Full disclosure I ended up at Smallman Galley because the restaurant my friend and I planned to go to was packed. But sometimes things happen for a reason, and this time it was a good reason! I think the concept of Smallman is really interesting and unique to Pittsburgh.
When I walked in I wasn't sure what was going on. There was not an evident area for the hostess or to wait for seating. Well, this is due to the fact that you choose to sit wherever you'd like! And it is group seating, so you might be at a table with other diners, or you could pick one of the few two tops that are available. There is plenty of room and I think this is a cool concept. After you find your seat you have a couple choices for food. There are several different 'restaurants' inside. I chose Iron Born Pizza. It's "Detroit Style" which apparently means very thick crust and square shaped. It was delicious. I HAD to get it because several other people were eating it and it looked amazing. I had the mushroom and cheese and it was hard to not eat all six (square) slices!
I was there during happy hour so drinks were all half off. Six bucks for a decent glass of wine - yes please!
For a Thursday evening after work this place was packed. I look forward to coming back and trying one of the other food options. I think this would be a fun place for a large group of friends to gather.