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| - The south hills of Pittsburgh is clearly in need of more places like this, because whenever one opens it is immediately packed. In fact Mindful will be a no-go for me unless it's a weekday for lunch, at least for awhile. With that said, it is worth the effort to take a half-day off on a Friday or skip out of work for a quick bite to check it out.
The parking situation is tough, but even on a weekend evening if you circle around enough times you'll eventually find a spot. They do have 2 spots reserved for 15 minute parking for the bottle shop.
I have tried Mindful twice for two different purposes and had good experiences both times. The first time was for a Friday lunch date with my husband. We sat upstairs, which is a seat yourself area with it's own bar. I am not sure if it is self-seating only for lunch. The decor tends toward industrial. With all of the concrete and metal it is definitely loud and we could hear the conversations of everyone around. When crowded this area might be more inviting, but during lunch it felt bare and more like an overflow area than part of the restaurant. There is a small upper-level patio and we noted two adjacent garage doors that I imagine will be open to the dining area in nice whether. The downstairs bar area has large windows that I also assume will be opened. I can't comment much on the decor of the downstairs dining area, but I did note open views of the brewing area providing something interesting to look at while dining or waiting for a table.
In contrast to the extensive beer list, the food menu is medium in length. It offers plenty of selection without being overwhelming. I appreciate the variety of healthier dining options, freshly prepared foods, and locally sourced ingredients. We tried the homemade hummus with chips and vegetables appetizer. The hummus was nice and the fried flour chips were light and crispy. Unfortunately I was expecting about 50% of the plate to include a variety of veggies for dipping, but only received a few disappointing sticks of carrots an celery that would have better suited a basket of buffalo wings. My entree was a burger, which I took the opportunity to order with a lettuce wrap instead of a brioche bun. The burger was grass-fed, substantial, and cooked nicely. I ordered the "salted caramel apple burger" which was better in theory than in practice. The apples were too sweet, so the dish just didn't quite mesh. However I removed the apples and saved them for dessert, which was just fine. The standard side dish was an excellent little green salad. My husband subbed this for house-made fries, which were crispy and delicious.
Onto the beer! While I am far from a beer aficionado, I do enjoy beer quite a bit. I appreciated the extensive selection of rotating taps including Mindful's own brews as well as a huge selection of domestics and imports. One thing that would be very helpful is a beer primer or beer guide on the back of the menu. I've never bothered to commit beer theory to memory, so it would be nice for people like me to have some basic descriptions of beer types handy. This would make the ordering process a little less overwhelming. I like the option to order 5 oz. glasses of beer, which allowed me to sample three different types at a reasonable price.
For my second trip I stopped in on a Friday evening to hit up the bottle shop on my way home from work. I took advantage of one of the 15 minute parking spots, which was great. I grabbed an empty 6-pack holder and set to work. The selection is overwhelming, however within a couple minutes the cashier noticed my perplexed stare as I side-stepped back and forth in front of the many coolers. He came over to ask if I would like some help, and with his beer expertise I was soon on my way out with a variety of stouts to try. Loved the personal attention to a casual, uneducated beer drinker like myself. I also appreciated the separate cash register for the bottle shop so I did not have to wait for the bartender. The bar offers draft beers to-go in "crowlers" These are 32 ounce growler-cans. It's a great way to take home a favorite draft you may have sampled, however it would be nice to have the option of taking a larger amount in a regular growler. You cannot bring back a crowler for a refill, either.
Overall this is a great addition to our slowly burgeoning south hills dining and drinks scene. I'm hoping that once the novelty wears off the crowds will dissipate a bit.
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