#6323 - Dante Club, Rankin, PA - 8/27/2025

Dante Club, Rankin, PA

The Dante Club is not a place you are likely to stumble upon if you are not seeking it out, tucked in the shadow of the Rankin Bridge in the old steel and wire manufacturing borough down the Monongahela River from Pittsburgh. Even the Google Street View images give no hint of business, showing instead the bridge flying over it. But one cohort who can find are movie producers -- flicks that were partially filmed here include "The Deliverance," "Last Flag Flying," "Mindhunter," "The Road," "American Rust," and "Out of the Furnace."

Owner and bartender Danielle Cioppa told me there were two types of people who find the bar without being locals/regulars: People who attended the local community high schools that are memorialized in the space, and movie people. She was surprised to find out I was neither.

Dante Club, Rankin, PA

The movie people obviously like the old, classic working man's bar vibe in the historic space - as do I. This neighborhood used to be heavily Italian, and as can be seen in an old book of club by-laws, rules, and regulations possessed by the bar owners, the "Dante Club" can be traced all the way back to 1924, when it began in the home of Mrs. Teresa Russo. The club began renting the current space in 1936 (shortly after prohibition), and became a chartered club with a liquor license in 1937.

It would remain the members-only Dante Club for more than half a century, because it was sold in 1998 to someone who opened it to the public renamed "Hidy's Cafe." But finally in 2022 Todd Cioppa purchased it for his (Italian) mother Anita, who was 80 years old at the time and returned it to the original name and ran it briefly before passing away two years later. It's now run by Todd and his wife Danielle.

Danielle noted that attendance at the bar varies widely, from very slow nights to big crowds. She hosts a lot of different sorts of events, bringing in old bar owners for interviews, staging a fish fry contests from the innumerable churches and volunteer fire departments that produce them every Lent, craft nights, live music, comedy shows, Steeler games, Pride week specials, and watch parties for the various films created here. The bar has also served as the hub 

As we were discussing my hobby, Danielle provided various historical notes on the bar, and quizzed me about other interesting local bars, adding a few to my to-do list. I'm following the club on Facebook now for future events.

  

Anita Cioppa's coats hang in an
abiding homage

115 W Braddock Ave, Braddock, PA 15104 - (412) 852-6919
Est. 1937 (first becomes a club and bar), 1998 (opens to public)
Previous bars in this location: Hidy's Cafe
Web site: dantesrankin.com - facebook - instagram 
Articles and reviews: yajagoff.com