Love the vibe and upstairs stage! They change their funky decor seasonally and this time I went they had a huge cherry blossom-like tree with dangling lights hanging over the large bar. There are a 4-5 retro, red-laminated booths and a couple tables in the back, and they open up the garage door front on nice days! Went there on a Friday night and the service was quite slow - but they were busy so we just ordered from the bar even though we were in one of the booths. We ordered nachos and fries and the portions were big and tasty! Highly recommend for bringing friends, dates, exes you get along with, and just about anyone you want to show a good time! read more

Great parties with good dance music once a month. If only they like... Gave you oxygen to breathe while you dance. Sundays (downstairs) they have an amazing vegetarian dinner special. I quite like it. read more

This is one of my favorite bars in the city, but I choose to go other places when I'm trying to meet up for a chat (it can get REALLY loud here, even for a bar) or on a night where there's a really crowded event. The bartenders are friendly but sometimes don't talk to you at all, from my experiences. Sometimes they're up for a chat or recommendation, sometimes not at all. One night I tried to order a beer and was told "we're all out of that one" and walked away and came back 5min later to ask me what I wanted. Kind of weird. I've seen them throw hissy fits behind the bar when things go wrong or someone makes a mistake. Um, okay. The beer selection is amazing, always good local crafts and seasonals on. Pretty affordable and what I would recommend. I've had some good cocktails here too, but I always think of it as more of a beer bar. Wednesday night trivia is very fun but expect a full night out for it - you have to get there early to get a seat/bar/table space and you will be there for a long time, so grab some beers and those amazing fries with the dipping sauces. The venue space is also really cool, and the dance parties and live music events upstairs generally turn out to be a fun, packed crowd of people. read more

The hipster bar. Dancefloor upstairs, bar with food downstairs. Non-smoking now, so the smoking section is outside/out-front. The dancefloor doesn't seem to get going until late, and can fill up pretty quickly for popular stuff. The food was actually pretty tasty, and accomplishes what it sets out to do; it's an interesting and well done vegetarian fare. It's not an out-of-the-park dining experience; the food probably wouldn't stand alone if this were a restaurant. That said, I order the food every time I'm there, and leave a little happier than when I walked in. They started stocking Hendricks gin, which is a winner in my book. read more

Great atmosphere, drinks and staff make this watering hole set up by refugees from New York one of the best bars in Pittsburgh. The downstairs is the main bar area. It's a nice layout that get redecorated fairly regularly. Only drawback is that it can get really crowded on Pub night (Wednesdays) and weekends. On weeknights, you can usually get a seat at the bar or in a booth. Even when it's busy, though, the bar staff is quick with your order. Brian is an amazing bar tender. Maybe second only to Tim over at Gooski's. They also have a good brunch on Sundays that is open 12pm until late into the afternoon. Upstairs is basically a variety hour. You can stumble upon almost any kind of music there. A week after seeing the Cults play a 4,000 person venue in Amsterdam from a balcony, I saw them on Wednesday one person back in the upstairs in Brillo ($8!). Amazing. read more

Went out to Brillobox on Friday night for the first time, and I had a good time! There was an excellent selection of beers, both on draft and bottled. The drinks were reasonably priced, and my mojito was delicious and extra strong. My party also got some french fries that were damn delicious. I'm serious. Probably the best fries I've had in a while. I think they had some kind of curry/garlic seasoning? And there were three delicious dipping sauces. Next time I want to go for food because the menu was veg friendly and looked delicious. read more

My boyfriend and I went to Brillobox for dinner and drink on a Friday night around 6:30, it was his first time there (I've been there before). The service was great in the beginning but towards the end of our meal it was pretty slow even though it wasn't very busy. The beer selection was on point as usual, the Unibroue Strawberry & Rhubarb Ephemere was really good! We started with the Creole Cauliflower which was great as always, the maple mustard is the best! I had the Tofu Melt vegan and he has the McBrillo, I know some people complain about it but I love that the sandwiches come with a small salad on the side instead of fries. The dressing is fantastic and the greens are fresh. The Tofu Melt was really really well done. I was a little bit skeptical because making it vegan would remove the cheese and mayo with out substitutions but man! It was yummy, I would definitely order again. One note - when they made it vegan I think they used oil instead of butter to crisp up the bread which made the bread just a little bit greasy. Apparently the McBrillo was great (I didn't try it so I can say first hand) and it was a huge sandwich! I also have to say the fact that their happy hour goes until $7 on Friday is awesome! The Cauliflower is only $5 and draft beers are $1 off (there are a bunch of other specials too - $5 margaritas anyone?!). read more

Still loving the Brillo Box...my tshirt design business Family Dinner for One just participated in Make Shop Rock 2 at the Box this weekend, and it was fantastic, with a great turn out! The menu has changed since last year, and is all veg now...delicious. My bean taquitos rocked. But the rest is the same...same great staff, same great drinks, and lots of fun. I could do without the smoke, but I can't subtract a star for that, since the 'Burgh goes smokeless in less than a month! Hooray for everybody's lungs! read more

After dinner, I came here with my friends one night for drinks. We grabbed a booth and just enjoyed good conversation and the atmosphere. I really liked this place. They had a nice selection of beers and had mixed drinks and liquor as well. The music was good and it wasn't too terribly crowded. We went on a night where there wasn't an event going on here so our waitress was on point. She came by to refill our drinks and was just really on top of things. I really like the ambiance of this bar and would probably come back again. read more

Brillobox's Sunday vegetarian dinner has been on my list for awhile and I was finally able to make it a couple of weekends ago. They had just unveiled their spring cocktails menu that night as well as their spring decorations and I just couldn't get enough of how pretty their spring decor is! The huge bough of blossoms over the bar area is absolutely gorgeous and makes for an interesting contrast with the rest of the room. I ordered the guava margarita - ok, a tad on the sweeter side for me. I'dv preferred salt on the rim and kind of assumed it'd come that way but it didn't, so if you're like me and like salt-rimmed margaritas, remember to ask! They also didn't have a couple items on their drinks list that day which I found wierd because their social media post invited people to come check out their new spring drinks menu. For the food, I ordered the Seitan wings which were hard, chewy and I think overdone). Totally skip Seitan wings here. I also got their veggie dinner dish, which that day, was curry flavored rice with vegetable pakodas (which is batter fried fritters). The pakodas were excellent but the rice was quite flavorless and bland. I wish we could've just gotten another portion of just the pakodas!! I'm also not sure that the crispy pakodas and rice which is quite dry go together as a combination. The rice definitely needed a sauce or something that could offset its dryness. I get the feeling that their Sunday dinner can be hit or miss. But they only reveal the dish a couple of hours before they open and you're going to have to take that chance if you want to try it. Brillobox often also hosts a lot of music events which seem like a lot of fun and could perhaps make up for the food being so-so. I'm going to give Brillobox one more shot before I make up my mind. read more

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I like Brillobox simply for the wide range of experiences that it offers. I have been here for many, many dance parties upstairs. But I've also had a quiet dinner, or casual drinks on a weeknight with friends. I don't know of too many other places that offer this kind of dichotomy. The upstairs gets very crowded on busy nights, but as someone who really enjoys a good night of dive bar dancing, I don't mind. It also gets REALLY hot, even in the winter, so dress accordingly. The themed PGH Bro Club parties are fun (e.g. last week was Rihanna vs. Beyonce -- YES PLEASE). I also enjoy Pandemic, which features a wide range of international dance music. The covers for these types of events are pretty reasonable. I like going late but you have to be careful; admission to the upstairs has been cut off early due to reaching capacity in the past. I haven't had a meal here in a long time, and I can't remember a whole lot about it... I do know it was tasty, though. I recently moved to a new place in Lawrenceville and can walk here, so I plan to stop in for dinner in the near future. I have been here on "quieter" nights too and have also had good experiences in the downstairs bar. The bartenders have been really friendly, and the crowd is pretty chill (gah--I hate that word). Overall a great place, and one that I am happy to now call my neighbor! read more

This place is different most other bars in Pittsburgh and definitely fun to try on a weekend night. I went here with some of my lady friends, and we split the fries as well as some sort of fried kale appetizer and got a round of beers and a hard cider for me. The kale was crispy and unlike anything I'd ever had before. I really enjoyed it. The fries came with three dipping sauces and were fine...the presentation (in a tall wire cone with a paper liner and three little cups for the sauces) was by far the best part. I prefer my fries thick-cut, so these were a little on the small size for my taste. The service was also fine. Nothing to write home about but nothing to keep me from coming back again either. In short I enjoyed the fried kale and loved the dark red interior. Everything else was rather unmemorable. read more

This place was maybe my favorite stop in Pittsburgh. Cool atmosphere, wish I'd have been able to make a show here. Got the Bahn Mi, and for a mayo-hater like me they offered to replace with some straight Sriracha. Awfully nice. Also, the folks needed our table for the DJ and so they comped us our drinks for the "hassle" (really wasn't an issue). Would absolutely go back, next time would make it a point to hit a show. read more

This place is falling apart. Literally... The huge disco ball fell from the ceiling as we were watching a concert. The bathrooms are disgusting and everything needs a good cleaning. With that said it's a nice small venue to see a band, with great acoustics! We did not eat or drink downstairs so I cannot comment about that. read more

I really like the atmosphere of this place and the food was good. However I felt like the bar tender put zero effort into any of our drinks. We all had trouble sucking them back because they were so bad. It wouldn't of been an issue if she actually checked on us, but she didn't and that's disappointing for a slow Thursday night. I would definitely still recommend to friends just because it's such a cool small place. Maybe next time will be better read more

I wish I could take this place, pick it up with all the people and everything, and bring it with me to Los Angeles. I visited the Brillo Box late Saturday night with family; my cousin described it as (the place across the street where all the cool kids go). The decorations are awesome (mixture of 60's era fixtures, plastic christmas decorations, stars), the people are neat (throngs of masked/courpse-painted hipsters as there was a masquerade upstairs), AND their jukebox is well-stocked (Wire, CSS, ELO, etc.). Everyone was very courteous as I moved from one corner of the place to the other, no pretentiousness, no hostility. Why can't every place be this awesome? Good drinks, good people, good time! read more

Usually I like the set up of the place, the interior tree branches and lights decorating the bar. This time I found the paintings/photos they chose to display to be creepy and they definitely went overboard with the santa decorations and christmas ornaments. Which might be a plus to others. I honestly don't know where hipsters come from, but they seem to congregate here.. if you're looking to mingle with any this is the place to come. as is much of bloomfield and lawrenceville. My friend was playing oldies songs at brillobox on a sunday night and we ordered a few appetizers and many drinks throughout the night. Sometimes the bartender is extremely busy and alone which sucks. They have a great selection of beers and I felt lame ordering a yuengling so that I could stay within my budget. They also had the church brew works on special for 3 bucks. On sundays they have a vegetarian dinner for six dollars, most recently it was saag aloo. They have a korean bbq sauce which isn't authentic by the least and is way too salty. Their menu is eclectic and includes vietnamese bahn mi along with other dishes. I would order their fries which are a well seasoned huge portion if you just want something to snack on while drinking beer and cocktails. I'll probably edit this review as I frequent this place more often, some of my friends live a minute walking distance from here. It is a fun place to hang out and talk with friends. read more

I visited Brillobox for my second time a couple weeks back. My friend and I were on a monster road trip and we stopped in for dinner on one of our nights in town. We got there around 9:30-10 and walked into a night of pub quiz. We did not participate, but the music they were playing along with it was pretty great ("Gilrs on Film" by Duran Duran and "Cool It Now" by New Edition are 2 examples). I had a pretty tasty hamburger and my friend had the bbq beef. Hw seemed happy with it. The waiter was attentive and we had a 2nd round of drinks pretty quickly. I'm particularly fond of the decor of the bar, all red, flocked wallpaper and ravens here and there. The first time I went, it was much less crowded and I was able to get a cushy booth. This time, it was bar stools, which was fine. The crowd was a bit younger and more hipster than I remembered. This isn't a judgement or points against the place, just an observation. All in all, I'd recommend Brillobox. The food is tasty and pretty cheap, the atmosphere is groovy, and the crowd is fairly accomodating. read more

Great place for peaceful drinks on the 1st floor. Great place for fun dancing on the 2nd floor. Fun crowd and really good music on most of the nights. read more

Great bar staff and good beer selection, food wasn't too bad either. It's a different, I'm not sure if trendy is the word, place as far as decor goes. Feels like the same 30 people are there every time I go. Not bad though if you are looking for something different read more

So this place is an absolute gem as long as you're not hungry. The service is mediocre and the food is also. My partner and I got the McBrillo burgers which seemed very delicious but they were SUPER DUPER SALTY!!! the fries with the three dipping sauces was the best part, the fries are totally worth it..I hear their vegan food is pretty good as well...my only concerns is being that their burgers are super salty how is the vegan food being prepared?..anywho check it out! I heard they have really good shows there from time to time read more

I've been to Brillo dozens of times and love it every time. Drinks are good and affordable, ambiance is super unique, and I always run into an old friend. The second floor is a good bonus and most of their dance nights are low key but fun. Stopped by for improv last night and it was hilarious. Won't be stopping my patronage any time soon! read more

Raspberry beer and the door guy is reading Game of Thrones? Sold! Plus they were playing Prince and had the Pirates game on. Huge plus! Love the Japanese cherry blossoms over the bar! Love it! read more

Brillobox - Enjoying the dream! - Bars Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Like many bars that are cool, this is a great place on a Sunday night but WAY too loud and WAY too hard to get a drink on ammeter night, Friday or Saturday. Unlike many bars that are cool, the bartenders stay cool regardless of what night it is; the drinks are stiff; and the lb. of wings are some of the best buffalo wings I've had in years, (definitely NOT for sissies, which is a good thing). PS. I was hoping that the place is under construction right next door to Brillobox was the same bar expanding, but bummed to find out that it is a F@*#-ing sports bar...... Just what this wold needs: another another breeding ground for date-rapers...... And right next door?! PATHETIC! I already hate the place. read more

Such a cool place- the decor is so fun, you find your eyes just strolling around the room. We went on a Friday night, and the crowds were surprisingly low. Nevertheless, our service was embarrassing (for them). The people working there seemed "annoyed" to have to tend to us..... so they didn't. Never checked on us, never asked us if we were all right/ needed anything, never even came over with more water. They went rushing by us a dozen (or more) times without even making eye contact (we tried- it became a funny game we were playing) The food was good. Fried cauliflower, tomato soup, veggie burgers- all yummy. But I can get plenty of attitude back home in NY, I don't need to pay for it in PGH. read more

Going to the Brillo Box after you've lived in Brooklyn for a year is being asked five hundred times "Isn't this like Brooklyn?!?!" No. It's not like Brooklyn, It's like the some tryhard joint in the fuckin LES with trees and projection cartoons and god damn. Their drinks were okay. And cheapish. read more

Review just for drinks- and for drinks, it's great! What a fantastic space, the flowers above the bar are gorgeous. This bar has a lot of character and it is great that the front opens up on a nice summer night. Love the old movies playing in the background. Good variety of cocktails, some that are rotating and seasonal. Many different beers too. I would DEFINITELY recommend Brillbox for a unique night out for drinks in Pittsburgh! read more

Brillobox - Love the flowers over the bar! - Bars Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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Service was absolutely terrible. The servers should be more respectful to customers, she actually took a condescending and negative tone towards patrons attempting to give business to the establishment. Not a friendly or welcoming atmosphere. read more

The downstairs bar is very nice and really well decorated and lit, but for whatever reason, they pump up the music to a volume that is incredibly uncomfortable, and your waiter will actually have to scream in your ear, and you in his to accomplish only a slightly correct communication. Seriously, I'm not at a fucking rave in Ibiza and when you deafen your waitstaff, things will get messy. The upstairs is kind of douchey. I get that the PBR thing is to hipsters what Natural Ice is to frat boys, but I stand by my belief that there is no need to have it on draft. Downstairs beer selection is pretty cool, but truly not worth the hassle. read more

Nice-looking mellow bar with odd videos playing on projector screens. I wouldn't go as far as call it the hipster bar of Pittsburgh but it does draw a crowd of funny-dressed people who like to talk about their latest art piece they made while going through a breakup with yet another boyfriend. Drinks are okay, the downstairs bar gets packed fast and is small, good luck finding a place to stand without getting constantly bumped. And I have not ventured upstairs. read more

The people who work here are seriously the lowest of the low; rude and hostile to customers, terrible at actually mixing drinks, and not observant when you go up to order. Not to mention the fact that one of the bartenders refused to serve me saying I was 'pretentious' while another bartender has cornered me multiple times and tried to kiss me - I wish I was joking, but these are the types of people they hire. The entire place reeks of sweat and lack of ventilation, the floors are sticky, and the bathrooms unbearable. All this sort of makes sense given the place was started by a guy from NYC who believes that intrusive and boorish employes can be counter-weighed by hipster decor. I won't be returning. read more

went there for drinks at night and we had some french fries too, drinks were okay, fries took forever. Next morning we went for breakfast, ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE FOOD. Coffee was watered down, "Hash browns" were a pile of pepper flavored potatoes, eggs were a pile of mush. Toast was good. It also took well over an hour to get our meals and we ordered eggs and bacon. Do not go there to eat! read more

I touched Jeff Mangum here. Automatic 5 stars.

My wife and I left the country for four months and where did we go the first night we got back and had a babysitter? BRILLOBOX! We usually share the mac and cheese triangles but after being away for so long I refused to share with my wife and made her get her own! LOL!! The bartenders are always so nice and have great stories to tell. Even though my wife and I are both around the corner from 50 this place reminds us of being young and dumb, and that is said with much much love. read more

This bar is really well done. It is also a hipster's paradise on Penn and Main. Don't get me wrong, I love Pittsburgh but this bar feels un-Pittsburgh somehow. The interior is decorated well and I remember admiring the wallpaper last time I was there. They have that typical old movie medley playing on the back wall as well. Hipster grad. students fill this place on a Saturday and Wed. (trivia night) and pretty much every night I've ever been there! I rarely know any of the trivia tid-bits but somehow I still enjoy it anyway. Good place to go for drinks on an off-night. Also, they have really good beers on tap (hop this hop that). Go. read more

Great happy hour specials, and fantastic food. I love their clearly marked vegan offerings, and their starving artist $6 vegetarian dinner on Sundays. Their fries are unbelievably good, I'd argue the best I've had, especially with the vegan sauces you can request. Vegan options tend to be around $10 for a sandwich type dish, which is a little pricey, but it's totally worth it for the quality/creativity of the food. I also love how frequently the decor changes (is it seasonally?), there's plenty to look at and the vibe is pretty sweet for any kind of visit. read more

I love Brillobox! This is with no doubt my favorite dancing bar in Pittsburgh! I always make it on the first Friday of each month for Pandemic night when the awesome DJ "Pandemic Pgh" plays amazing global music!! The crowd is pretty diverse with a majority of hipsters. This Pandemic party takes place in the second floor, and they frequently have good bands playing upstairs. The first floor is more like a chilled bar with diner tables andtasty food! very vegan/vegetarian friendly too! Drinks are inexpensive, and bartenders are decently nice. The only downside for this place is the restrooms!! There is only one upstairs and it's a unisex restroom and it's been pretty gross every time I was there! This is a downside I would overlook because the rest of the place (music, food, drinks, atmosphere) is simply awesome!! read more

Seriously, one of the best places I've been to in Pittsburgh. Was home for the holidays and went out with friends, and this place seriously rivals the cooler clubs I've been to in New York and Boston. It was apparently funk night, so the music was awesome, and contrary to what I had heard, I didn't get too much of a hipster vibe (which was nice). The dance floor was crowded enough to make it fun, but not so much so that you couldn't move. All in all, a great experience! read more

Brillobox is many different things. On any given night it can be a bar, a restaurant, a dance club, a venue, a movie theater, or just a hipster-watching mecca. Some nights, maybe most nights, it is all of these at once. The bar/restaurant portion of Brillobox offers mostly standard fare for this type of bar in the area. A decent draft beer selection that changes regularly at OK($6ish) prices, a food menu of slightly upscale pub grub(French Fries? Sorry, we only have 'Pomme Frites') - Appetizers in the $6-10 range, entrees in the $9-14 range, and a large liquor selection with some cool additions at times(Can't wait to see another vessel of pineapple infused tequila grace the shelves). To me the bartenders are friendly in general, as long as you don't waste their time, and they'll generally pour a stronger drink. The downside is that the best I can say about the food is that it is inconsistent - sometimes wonderful and sometimes bland. Also, the bar can get packed at times so don't always expect to get a seat. At a certain point in the night(8 or earlier), they card everyone at the door, so minors be aware. Every Wednesday they have a Trivia night around 9pm that features a wide range of questions, including a video round and a name-that-song round. The trivia questions are usually well thought out - difficult, but not impossible with a diverse group(6 or less), and third through first competes for a free appetizer, a $10 gift card, and a $25 gift card, respectively. Ties are settled by arm wrestling. Every Sunday at 6pm they have a $6 vegetarian dinner special that goes 'until they run out'. I have yet to attend this, but it is high on my list of to-dos. They also serve a brunch on Saturday and Sunday which I have not been to, and many other events throughout the week. The venue/dance club portion of the Brillobox is upstairs and depending on the night usually opens around 8 or 9, and there is usually a cover to get in. There is no seating up here save for one vinyl booth, and table space is limited, so get there early if you need either one of those things. The upstairs is small, narrow, and loud, and tends to get packed, so if you aren't looking for a party, then don't bother coming up and paying the cover just to be miserable. On the bright side, if that is your kind of thing, then a dance party night is definitely a place to be. Shows here tend to be decent, and are always 21+. There is also a smaller bar up here. The crowd is filled with the hipsters of Bloomfield, Lawrenceville and the Garfield Arts District, but I've never noticed much elitism among their ranks. The music mostly caters to them - sometimes it has substance, sometimes it doesn't. If it's a dance party, you can't and shouldn't, ask for much. In general, Brillobox offers a pretty fun time for almost any kind of night you're looking for read more

I've only been for shows, not food. The venue has cool wallpaper and I like the window behind the band. Very cozy. I've been for a few post-rock shows, and once for an indie-pop band. All good shows. My biggest pet peeve with this venue is how difficult it is to hold a front row spot, even if you get there at doors and stand there the entire time. I know this can happen anywhere, but it seems worse at the Brillobox because (1) the stage is less than a foot off the floor, so you can't hold your ground by leaning on it; and (2) the band needs to walk through the crowd to get on stage, opening up more possibilities for people to push you back. Very annoying when you're only 5' tall and genuinely need that spot to see anything. At the last show, the guy next to me actually put his foot up on the stage, but even he lost his spot between sets. Aside from that, everyone else seems cool enough. I've chatted with a few random folks, and they were all very nice. And once the music starts, the between-sets annoyance wears off quickly. Overall, I've really enjoyed all the shows I attended there. And of course, if you're just there for a dance party, it's all good :D. The one indie-pop show I attended was a lot of fun. read more