#6502 - Chinatown Inn, Pittsburgh, PA - 3/31/2026

Chinatown Inn, Pittsburgh, PA

I finally made it to the Chinatown Inn, the last living vestige of Pittsburgh's Chinatown community, which thrived in this area of town particularly in the period of 1910 to 1940, until the construction of the Boulevard of the Allies and other urban renewal efforts drove out the vast major of residents and tore down many of the buildings.

While the restaurant has been on my to-do list since virtually the day we moved here, I confess that I only recently noticed that it has a small bar at the rear, and that this moved it up my priorities. I do not know how long they have had a bar, but the restaurant opened on Labor Day (Sep 2), 1946. It was founded by Tong Yee, who had worked the transcontinental railroad after immigrating from Taishan in the Guangdong province in the early 1900s, and has remained in the family ever since. In 1948, Tong handed management over to his son Soo Lim Yee, just returned from duty as a U.S. Army truck driver in WWII.  After 40 years at the helm, Soo Lim Yee passed ownership to his stepson Jonathan. In 1988, Soo Lim Yee passed ownership to his stepson Jonathan Yee and his wife Wei, who run it to this day.

At least one account says that "the building itself was constructed by Chinese immigrants in 1933," (nextpittsburgh), but whatever the case it was a center of the Chinese community for many years before that. A March 1930 Post-Gazette article describes the temple there at the time:

"We went there recently with Yee Lee, head man of the On Leongs, who led the way from low-lit Third Avenue up two flights of narrow stairs past the numbered doors of the officers' quarters.... The shrine is a fantastic niche, in the center of which is a painting of the deified General Kwow Kong, to whom joss-sticks are burned morning and night. There is an ornately carved teakwood altar holding beautiful vases of Canton, China, nameless doodads crowned with artificial flowers, and solid lead incense burners inlaid with colorful enamel. Peacock feathers, embroideries framed in ebony inlaid with mother-of-pearl and odd lamps complete the picture. Rococo chairs line the walls, under paintings by Chinese, Italian, and American artists."

And like so many businesses in Pittsburgh, it also served as a speakeasy during prohibition. E.g. on Nov 29 1930, federal agents raided the building and arrested Yee King Lai, the president of the temple of the On Leong tong, and seized a quantity of gum opium and 25 gallons of moonshine whiskey. For those who hear "tong" and think "gang," this was primarily a large association of Chinese Merchants and Businessmen. It is true that, as with the Italian and other communities, in the prohibition and depression eras Pittsburgh witnessed sometimes homicidal clashes between the On Leong tong and the Hip Sing tong. But by about the mid 30s it had become an organization more similar to the Chamber of Commerce.

Today the bar here at the Chinatown is small (4 seats) and plainly secondary, and the food menu remains unapologetically classic Americanized Chinese done well:

'Meat is never frozen. Every cut is done by hand. Soups start with chicken bones and simmer overnight.... Their egg foo young is still hand-poured and pan-fried to order, its crispy edges soaking up a house-made brown gravy. The chow fun features wide, silky rice noodles stir-fried with beef and bean sprouts in a smoking-hot wok. And the chop suey, a dish that is often dismissed as Americanized, is proudly prepared with fresh vegetables and lean cuts of meat, just as it always was. While newer, trendier restaurants have emerged with bold flavors and modern flair, Chinatown Inn has stayed the course. "This is the food people came home to," Jonathan says. "And it’s still what a lot of them come back for."'  (nextpittsburgh)

You can certainly find some more extravagant and/or strictly traditional Chinese in neighborhoods like Shadyside. But the Chinatown Inn remains a solid, dependable place for both meals and history.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Nov 20, 1930
By the 1930s, opium was a social custom confined
to elderly Chinese, while the young preferred whiskey

520 Third Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15219 - (412) 261-1292

Est. 1946 - Building constructed: 1943?

Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site: facebook 

Articles: nextpittsburgh - alexeatstoomuch - nashuproar - verylocal - wikipedia - entertainmentcentral - discovertheburgh - yelp - tripadvisor 

#6446 - Chambers Hotel, Apollo, PA - 1/14/2026

Chambers Hotel, Apollo, PA 

The Chambers House Hotel was constructed in the small Steel-town borough of Apollo, PA in 1889 and opened in 1890. It is doubtful, however, that this included a bar, as by early 1891 there was a local prohibition act in place, which seems most likely to have remained into the years of federal prohibition. I have not yet found any information in primary sources or historical works that would help provide an approximate date for a bar opening in the building (legal or not). But the current bar space certainly has the feel of being in place over quite a few decades.

Chambers Hotel, Apollo, PA - Date unknown
Here includes no longer existing top floor

On this visit I chatted with Jennifer Seniow who, with her fiance Walter, purchased the hotel within a month of their wedding in 2020. Jennifer and Walter had discussed dreams of owning a bar, and as the offer they had on this historical site where Jennifer had worked apparently would not wait for them complete their wedding event before closing a deal. If that wasn't enough of a challenge, after remodeling and upgrades, they opened in November 2020 for about a month before facing covid-related shutdowns mandated by the state.

A letter in the March 22, 1891 edition of the Pittsburgh Dispatch notes that the class of people who oppose the law are "unrepentant and cunning sinners, together with a few victims who are misguided and really the unthinking class of people who look upon every man as honest and no one with suspicion. These latter have merely taken the word of the would-be saloonists that it is for the best interests of the people ..." The same letter does opine that "It now appears that the movement for the repeal of our present law originated at the Chambers House," but adds "Two of the owners, however, were kept in ignorance of the scheme, because they were known to be opposed to it."

Chambers Hotel Bar, Apollo, PA

The Apollo Area Historical Society has a nice web site with a few articles on the hotel's history, including this sequence of events:

"The Chambers Hotel was constructed in 1889 by a citizens group headed by Sheriff James H. Chambers, and was opened to the public in 1890 as the Chambers House.  The elegant hotel was built on the corner of First Street and Warren Avenue in the business center of town. In 1912, the building was bought by Mr. and Mrs. C. A. Hartman who changed the name to the Hartman House.  The name was changed back to the Chambers Hotel  in memory of Private Eugene L. Chambers of Apollo who was killed on December 7, 1941 during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

The Chambers Hotel Milestones

• 1889     The Chambers Hotel was built.
• 1912     Mr. & Mrs. C.A. Hartman bought the building & changed the name to   Hartman House. 
• 1942     Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Maraffi bought the building. 
• 1948     Fire destroys fourth floor.
• 1950     Name changed back to Chambers Hotel by the American Legion to honor Eugene Chambers. 
• 1953     Frank & Mary DeMeno bought the building.
• 1976     Fire again causes much damage to the building. 
• 1987     Jim & Maryanne Minnick bought the building.
• 2020    Walter & Jennifer Seniow bought the building."

Source:  https://apollopahistory.com/apollo-history/places-buildings-structures/the-chambers-hotel/

Footnotes: The 1925 Sanborn Fire Map still refers to the hotel as the "Chambers Hotel," which seems curious for such an important resource of the time, but primary sources do verify that it was officially the Hartman House by 1914, and remained under that name under subsequent owners through at least the late 1940s, although from various sources it may have been known at times as the "Weikert House" (while owned by Earl and Mary Weikart) and/or "Heritage House." Other owners not mentioned in the milestones above include James T. Klugh (from at least 1902 to the 1913 Hartmans purchase) 

As mentioned, the hotel and bar do a nice job of preserving the historic feel even as they add new amenities. While there is a range of food and drink choices, it retains the vibe of an old "beer and shot bar." I was grateful on my visit to have the opportunity to chat with owner Jennifer and patron Shawn. Bless the people who are keeping these great old historical places open and alive.

223 1st St, Apollo, PA, United States, Pennsylvania - (724) 478-3427

Est. 1890 - Building constructed: year
Previous bars in this location:
Web site: facebook 
Articles: apollopahistory - trubyfarmhouse - triblive - 

#6434 - Shale's Cafe, Pittsburgh, PA - 12/30/2025

Shale's Cafe, Pittsburgh, PA

Shale's Cafe (AKA Shale's Rinkside) is a neighborhood dive established shortly after prohibition, and in recent decades has been a sports bar, catering to fans of the Penguins hockey team and Duquesne University sports. It is located across the street from PPG Paints Arena, home of the Pens and popular concert venue, and near the previous Pens home in Civic Arena. Shale's is now open only when there are events in PPG, which means it is only open when nearby parking is really expensive. But it is the quintessential locals' sports bar, and although PPG hosts all kinds of events (we recently saw Paul McCartney there), I was glad to finally visit the bar in the right circumstances - i.e. before a Pens game.

The crowd there is friendly and the staff - perhaps tuned to timeliness of fans trying to pound a few drinks for a reasonable price before heading to the arena - are as attentive as any you'll find in the city.

Shale's doesn't appear in the 1934 Polk directory, but it does appear in the 1935 edition, so I have no reason to doubt that it was established in '34. Based on the information I have accessed, this makes it probably the 5th oldest bar in the city (for details on my data and criteria see my page on Oldest Bars in Pittsburgh). There do not appear to have been any legal bars in the location before that, although Saul Zarkin, the first owner of Shale's, was busted here in 1927 for a major bootlegging "cutting plant" operation here, with raiding prohibition agents finding whiskey ageing machine, labels, counterfeit stamps, 70 gallons of alcohol, 17 cases and 69 quarts of whiskey and gin.

Almost 100 years later, Shale's would be closed by another raid, as liquor control agents shut down the bar, nailing a piece of wood across the front to prevent re-entry, and charging current owner Jimmy Parey with operating without a current liquor license. The raid occurred on Jan 22, 2025, and the bar would resolve matters and reopen the following April 5th.

I do not know the age of the three story building (currently two floors for the bar and a third containing an apartment), but newspapers show rooms to let at the address by at least 1895. It was a grocery by 1899 and a restaurant by 1908. Saul and Myer Zarkin ran it with a few partners from the 1920s to the 1940s, with David Casper taking over in the 40s until 1980. For fans of hockey, hometown or visitors, and just fans of welcoming old neighborhood joints, it is not to be missed.

Shale's Cafe, Pittsburgh, PA

1208 Fifth Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15219 - (412) 391-2949

Est. 1934  
Previous bars in this location: No other legal bars known
Web sites: facebook - instagram
Articles & Reviews: yelp - tripadvisor - thegreatpittsburghpubcrawl - patch - patch 

#6432 - Velum Fermentation, Pittsburgh, PA - 12/20/2025

Velum Fermentation, Pittsburgh, PA

Velum Fermentation, opened April 12, 2023 in the bottling warehouse of the old Duquesne Brewery complex on Pittsburgh's South Side. The complex still includes the "Duquesne Clock," at 60'x60' the largest clock in North America and the 7th largest in the World. The clock was first installed on Mount Washington in 1933, advertising various brands and beverages, until Duquesne Brewing purchased it and moved it to their brewery in 1961. The brewery closed in 1972, but the clock remained, and was just recently refurbished and upgraded for local icon Iron City Beer.

The Velum brewpub is relatively small and it took me a while to even find it in their vast "community center," which features a 30-barrel brewing system and an arcade, and which hosts everything from drag shows to pickelball. (it was hosting a vintage clothing market on the day I visited.) I enjoyed a Thrifty Haze IPA.

2120 Jane St, Pittsburgh, PA 15203
Est. April 12, 2023 - Building constructed: 1955
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site:
Articles: link - link - link

#6427 - Park House, Pittsburgh, PA - 12/10/2025

Park House, Pittsburgh, PA

Ever since we moved to the Pittsburgh area I've been waiting and hoping that the historic Park House bar, in the Deutschtown neighborhood, would reopen. Well on Repeal Day (12/5) of this year, it finally did, and the new owners have done an excellent job.

The Park House opened shortly after prohibition ended and some say it has the oldest and one of the first liquor licenses in Pittsburgh - with a past owner claiming it had the 2nd license issued by the county, on June 1, 1933. (I would love to see a primary source or other source of evidence for this?). In any case, city guides feature it under the "Park House" name starting in 1934. I do not have data for 1933, but a Pittsburgh Press article described it as a "restaurant since 1933 when predecessor of the Park House opened."

As for it's previous lifetime, the building appears to have been constructed in 1892, and the same Pittsburgh Press article says that it "Opened as a hotel in 1893." However, if it ever featured a bar before the end of prohibition - at least a legal one - this must have been very briefly. The liquor license data from the pre-prohibition era, available from newspaper archives, is quite comprehensive. The records do show that on Dec 7, 1908, Louis W. Stahl successfully transferred to Patrick Brennan, the owner the Park House address, the liquor license Stahl had obtained for 621 Ohio St., after he failed to secure the lease on the property for which he was authorized. However, the following April Brennan was refused renewal of the license, and neither he nor anyone else appears to have ever applied again for the property. (Most of the 279 refusals for that year in Allegheny County were on the basis that there was "no necessity" for new liquor retailers at the time.)  As for illegal bars (here in the city that coined the term for "speakeasies"), I can't rule that out of course, but there were raids of hundreds of these in Pittsburgh and I've found no evidence for this location so far.

During the several decades preceding and during prohibition, the property hosted a number of retail businesses, in addition the available living spaces on the upper floors of the 4-story building, most notably several years as the Park View Theater, a nickelodeon featuring singers and professional acts of a wide variety.

Where the Park House ranks among the oldest bars in Pittsburgh relies primarily on one's personal views on some fairly arbitrary questions about what constitutes a single bar. Primary among these is whether you allow for bars of entirely different names. The Pittsburgh city limits contain a good 20 or so bars that operate at addresses (and usually the same buildings) that hosted bars before prohibition, with at least eight of these dating back to the 19th century. For my part, I feel it's necessary to have basically the same name over a bar's lifespan (e.g. it's fine if it changed from using "saloon" to "tavern" to "cafe" to "bar and grill"). Given that, and my current state of knowledge, I would tend to put Park House second to the Original Oyster House, which opened in 1871, and was named as some kind of "Oyster House" for most if not all of that time. (And according to Rick Sebak, the space hosted the Bear Tavern as early as 1827.) Shale's Cafe claims to have opened in 1934, and I while I have found it listed in a 1935 list of liquor licenses, it does not appear in the 1934 Polk directory. The Squirrel Hill Cafe (AKA "Squirrel Cage") may also be a contender, as it opened sometime in 1934 (again, I don't know exactly when the "Park House" name was adopted during that year or possibly 1933). In any case, my visit to the Park House has inspired me to create a more detailed working page on the Oldest Bars in Pittsburgh.

Owner Michelle, The Park House, Pittsburgh, PA

Finally, to the current incarnation of the Park House: Seeking to avoid the crush of the opening weekend, I made it to the bar on the evening of Wednesday Dec 10. I had a very pleasant dinner discussing the old version of the bar with local Tim, running into bartender friend Bradley, and especially chatting with owner Michelle Lynch about all the work she and partner Patrick Edson have done on the place.

It looks beautiful now. Their prodigious work cleaning and remodeling is accentuated by a new antique back bar, obtained from the great Wooden Nickel Antiques in Cincinnati, and extended by a local craftsman, as well as lamps and wallpaper perfect for the vibe of the dark wood and old space. Even the flatware was thoughtfully researched and chosen. It's certainly more formal than the old days Tim described of free popcorn and peanuts, with shells strewn across the floor, but remains a comfortable neighborhood joint. As the new owners catch their breath a bit, Michelle plans to work on putting up old photos of the place, and collecting verbal histories from long time patrons (the stories were flowing at the grand opening, I was informed) and a sort of homage to previous owner Zamir (and his falafels). 

And while I confess I forget what I was told about the background of "Chef Issac," I loved the food. I started with a burrata bruschetta that was delicious, and then much enjoyed the meatball sandwich (in a town that features a lot of very mediocre Italian food at bars). I have added the Park House to my list of favorites in Pittsburgh and look forward to going back many times.

403 E Ohio St, Pittsburgh, PA 15212 - (412) 224-2273

Est. 1933/1934 - Building constructed: 1892
Previous bars in this location: Possibly Patrick Brennan bar, 1907-1908
Web sites:  parkhouse412.com - facebook - instagram 
Articles: pghcitypaper - patch - yelp - tripadvisor - pittsburghhappyhour 

#6414 - Pickle Bill's, Grand River, OH - 11/22/2025

Pickle Bill's Lobster House
Grand River, OH

Yesterday we stopped for lunch at Pickle Bill's Lobster House in Grand River, OH, hard by the eponymous river and just a few blocks south of Lake Erie. Pickle Bill's started in 1967 in "The Flats" in Cleveland, which I was lucky enough to visit in its rocking heyday. "I virtually started the Flats," founder Jerry Powell once said.  (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Dec 16, 1991)

Eventually the originally business foundered, apparently based on problems with a ship called the Flying Cloud which Powell converted to a floating restaurant and which eventually led to a punishing set of building inspections. 

Powell worked odd jobs for six years, until a friend gave him virtually free access to a building at the current location, which he refurbished with the help of family members and some financing help from an old high school friend. The new Pickle Bill's (named in homage to the perennially pickled W.C. Fields) opened in 1982, originally seating 50 to 90 people (the number varies by source). With continued additions over the years, including a floating barge bar, rooftop bar with swings for seats, boardwalk seating, etc. is now said to seat nearly 700 patrons, and serve up to 1,000 meals on sunny days in Summer, boosted by Jerry's "all you can eat" features. The new place has demonstrated its resilience by rebuilding after being leveled by fire in 1998, and pounded by floodwaters in 2006. (Ibid)

A printed history in the restaurant itself, describes the concurrently blooming relationship with his wife:

"In 1984, the beautiful and brilliant Marianne Benkowski began working at Pickle Bill's as a lunch server and bartender. Within 2 months, her business savvy mind and passion for the restaurant earned her a manager position. While bonding over their enthusiasm and visions for Pickle Bill's, Jerry and Marianne fell in love. In 1998, Marianne became Jerry's co-captain and partner in life when they married in Scotland. For over two decades, Jerry and Marianne Powell ran Pickle Bill's side by side, creating fun and unique ways to continue ever-elevating the restaurant's architecture and dining experience. Unfortunately, Jerry passed away February 8th of 2021, but Marianne continues to maintain ownership and keep Jerry's vision and golden standard of service for this iconic All You Can Eat Lobster House alive."

101 River St, Grand River, OH 44045 - (440) 352-6343
Est. 1982 (1967 in original location) 
Web site: picklebills.com
Reviews: link - link - link

#6415 - Hoff's (Reithoffer's), Auburn Township, OH - 11/22/2025

Reithoffer's, Auburn Township, OH

Today Trista and I took a mini road trip up to Lake Erie, making several interesting stops, with my favorite being Reithoffer's craft cocktail bar, music venue, art gallery, and event center (AKA "Hoff's"). The facility lies in Auburn Township, Ohio, just southeast of Cleveland and Chagrin Falls, and is named for longtime resident and junk collector John Reithoffer. John, whose parents bought the 1906 building in the 1930s, passed away in 2016, and in 2018 the property was purchased by artists Jason and Debby Wein, who have transformed it into a lovely and unique space for lovers of bars, art, and design.

Hoff's, Auburn Township, OH

The building hosting the bar -- actually 3 of them -- and the galleries upstairs, is comprised primarily of Jason's work, his furnishings and decor, and in particular his glasswork. Jason, the founder of Cleveland Art whose work is found everywhere from Vegas casinos to various private homes and buildings, is a welder and glassblower, with particular eye for melding industrial salvage into beautiful new furnishings. Along with arts events, the bar now serves craft cocktails and hosts musical events. The scene we stumbled into this afternoon seemed to me some kind of neighborly open mic night with a large and friendly set of guitarists and other performers laughing and comparing notes as they took turns performing.

I immediately added Hoff's to my favorite bars list, and am looking forward to many future visits on our trips to the greater Cleveland area.

17711 Ravenna Rd, Chagrin Falls, OH 44023 - (216) 246-7644
Est. 2018? - Building constructed: 1906
Previous bars in this location: None known 
Web site: reithoffers.com - facebook - instagram
Articles: guaugamapleleaf.com - voyageohio.com