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| - When I moved back to PGH from LA, I lived 1/2 a block from Billy's. It was a local bar with casual (and good!) dining.
Fast forward 14 years, and I know own a house on top of Troy Hill ... just up the street from Scratch. (If anyone ever tells you life doesn't come full circle, they're a liar!)
While I love local dive bars, some of the old-school places on Troy Hill can be a little scary (and I'm a tough girl). I mean no offense to my neighborhood, but really .... they are. When I have 10 friends that want to do a bar crawl, I'll go into some of them. Until then, I'll hit up Scratch, Tammy's and the Troy Hill Inn.
So, when Scratch opened, it was a breath of fresh air. If you've read my other posts, I'm not into trendy, pretentious establishments. I like a blue collar-feeling places that serves high-quality food and drink. While the decor and menu are a hip and trendy, the vibe is down-to-earth and people are friendly ... it still feels like the Pittsburgh I love.
Definitely try the poutine and, when you're free on a Sunday, stop for brunch. If you're into a shot and a beer, you can get a Jameson and Miller Lite for $5.50. There's always a great selection of crafts on tap, many of which are regional brews. The prices are completely reasonable and much less in comparison with other city neighborhoods.
The sometimes have live music on Thursday night -- I think it's the third, maybe last, Thursday of the month. We've also stopped in for the Tuesday trivia. We're both smart people and feel like idiots ... it's hard! But, if you're up on your pop culture knowledge, it may be up your alley. It wasn't for us :)
My only complaint ... the bartenders aren't always attentive. I've been in when it's not that busy (5-6 people at the bar) and rather than engaging with patrons, they're chit chatting themselves. I'm cool with that ... if my beer isn't sitting empty on the bar.
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