Live in the Detroit area, traveled to Pittsburgh with my son recently to attend a Pittsburgh Pirates game. Wanted to see their awesome stadium. Incredible experience the entire time and happened upon Cafe Nikos after a tour guide at the Fort Pitt museum recommended we head up to Mt. Washington and check out the local fare. I hate being a tourist so decided to take a chance and go into Cafe Nikos. No tables. No wait staff. Awesome. Long old bar with locals. Quiet. Not obnoxious. The bartender was extremely sweet and made the best spicey Bloody Mary. Cash only. The best fresh fried zucchini and great gyros. Learned a lot about the area and memories of the tornado that hit in 1998. I will make it a point to go back when I hit Pittsburgh again. Also, has a great pool table. $1 game. Pool sticks not warped. We play a lot of pool. read more

Cafe Nikos is a fine establishment right on Shiloh Street in Mount Washington. Niko and team really know how to lay out the hospitality. Food is delicious and beautifully presented. The bartenders and servers are so kind and helpful. Everything we tasted was so good. Crispy flavorful wings, sliders, and more appetizers like charcuterie kabobs, hummus with veggies, and perfect sized dessert assortment! The drinks are served fast and fresh, I saw a wide assortment being enjoyed! Definitely add Nikos to your Must Visit in Mount Washington! read more

With no shame I will admit that one of my guilty pleasures is bar food (although I guess that doesn't make it guilty). A friend told me about Cafe Nikos and their wing special on Mondays, which is 40 cent wings. My boyfriend loves wings and so does my brother, so of course we were excited to check it out! We walked in and were greeted with that homey dive bar feeling. I was in there like swimwear ready to order some drinks and mozzarella sticks, and the boys were making their way through the list of wing sauces. Nikos has two bars, and they are separated into two different rooms. We sat in the back room with the second bar that wasn't opened when we first arrived because there were more open seats there. My tequila and tonic was perfectly strong, and soon enough our order was placed for two dozen wings, fries, and my cheese sticks. It arrived pretty fast, and we ate it even faster. No complaints from any of us about the quality of the food, and the boys even wanted a second round of wings and cheese sticks! Overall, Cafe Nikos gave us a great evening out. It wasn't a glamorous place, but who goes to a little bar and expects anything fancy? The food was extremely cheap and great for the price, service was friendly, and it's in a cute area of Mt. Washington. Needless to say, we'll be back! read more

I've been coming to Niko's regularly for almost 5 years. Let's start with the basics. It is smoking and it is cash only. It's not expensive and definitely not fancy. If you're looking for a dive bar with good drinks, good food and a solid experience then this is it. There are two big rooms, each with a bar. One is the main bar area while the "back room" has a pool table, darts, etc. We go almost weekly for the 2/$3 burgers + $1.50 Yuengling drafts on Thursdays. The burgers are really good in comparison to other $1 burger deals. They even deal with my pain in the ass burger orders (basically add everything!). Aside from the specials all of the food I've ever had has been really good here. The menu isn't huge and is mainly "bar food" but it's always been tasty. The fries are seasoned really well, and for the price you pay you definitely get a lot of food. We've gone to their Halloween parties, NYE parties, St. Patty's Day, etc. The drink specials are always on point and the atmosphere is always fun! We've never seen any trouble here and there are definitely a group of regulars who hang out here. Dina is my main girl! She is one of the bartenders and general runner of the show. She's an awesome bartender but Amanda and the other girls (and guy!) have all been awesome to us. I've even met the owner a few times and he has always been incredibly nice to us! Overall, Niko's is one of our "Cheers" bars for a reason! It's a hidden gem and we'll be back time and time again. read more

One of my all time favorite bars! Good food, nice bartenders, always a lot of fun. I need to write 2 more characters lol.

I have a weird, maybe-unhealthy love affair with Niko's. #1: the food is awesome, even if it's bad for you. They're one of only two places in the city that I know of who serve hot balls (that's spicy fried cheese balls, to those who are unfamiliar). Their salads are awesome, fries are great, and they accommodate silly requests like, 'can I have that chicken sandwich without a bun and just covered in cheese please.' Love their chef. #2: drinks are pretty reasonable. I've only been here on Wednesdays (and one overly-dramatic, post-Steeler-loss Sunday that involved some bar fights and an early end to karaoke), and I know Jimmy gets a little feisty when we karaoke singers do a song that's a little loud for him, but I love him anyway. #3: karaoke on Wednesday nights. Same DJ as the one I rave about at St. James (spoiler alert: he's the best karaoke DJ this karaoke-junkie has ever had the pleasure singing with). The crowd is what makes Niko's so weird yet awesome. On any given karaoke night, there will be a mix of nerds (that's us), bros, middle-aged dudes, Steelworkers, Duquesne girls, punk kids, and weird old men (so, kind of think of what SNL's Stefon would say about the crowd at a karaoke bar, except turn down the freaky and turn up the Yinzer). And on most karaoke nights, that mix somehow works. I can't say I've ever been in a bar other than Niko's where someone busted out Billy Ocean's "Caribbean Queen" and everyone started dancing and singing along together. The crowd is generally really supportive of the karaoke singers, some nights in a way that makes you feel kind of like a Mt. Washington rock star. The cons: it IS cash only (but there's a PNC just down the block, and the prices are so cheap that you don't need to take out a ton of money anyway), and it is smoking. And occasionally, some of the old dudes at the bar say a few inappropriate things at you. All that said though, Niko's has kind of sort of somehow weaseled its way into my top spot for local karaoke bars, and it's now one of my favorite places to spend a Wednesday night in the 'Burgh. read more

Cafe Nikos - Outside Niko's on a Wednesday karaoke night. - Bars Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

A very classic dive bar! They have cheap food, great drink specials, nice bartenders and smoking is allowed. I went on a Monday night for the 40 cent wings and Yeungling draft special. I ordered a dozen wings- they were good and came out relatively quickly. Nikos is exactly what you expect from a local dive and I respect it. My biggest complaint is that's it's cash only, there's an ATM on site so it's really not the biggest deal on the world. read more

Cafe Nikos - 40 cent wing night- Mondays - Bars Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Little drive from downtown but drinks are good and cheap. You can smoke inside, there is a pool table, and it has 2 bars. Bartenders were quick on drink orders! CASH ONLY bar so come prepared! Dive bar, but stays open until 2am so if you're looking to continue the party check out Nikos! read more

Cafe Nikos - a drink with a straw in a tall glass - Bars Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Visiting Pittsburgh for one night and we were looking for a hardcore locals dive hangout .... and we struck gold Turn back the clock 10-20 years Smoking permitted - I hate smoke but it added to the show Everyone doing shots and beers Women ordering their own pitcher of Yuengling No one drinking water Pool table busy all night 70-80s tuned in juke box all night 4 dollar imported bottles 5 dollar monster shots of premium liquor 5 dollar gyros all day every day Food is good and cheap Drop ceiling and laser light show Some weird and awkward conversations about uncomfortable things such as double chocolate stout and ATM Great times - thanks to Deanna who runs the show Can't wait to bring the Philly Boys back to this throwback from yesterday read more

Cheap drinks. Fun local, yinzer crowd any night of the week. Smoking is allowed so be warned, and it's cash only. They have a pool table so I love coming here for a quick bite and to play a few games. read more

Such a fun bar with cheap drinks and a great bartender! We stumbled upon it when the bar we were trying to go to was closed. It was a great find! The only negative thing for me was the smokiness. read more

The absolute best place for cheap drinks and great food!! The food is so delicious every time. Very consistent service and you always feel at home! Highly recommend this to anyone looking for a great Pittsburgh dive bar! read more

The drink prices are a decent deal, and the bartender is fairly attentive on the refills. Though, it can get very loud in there, so make sure that when you order your vodka-soda and a water, the tender knows that those are supposed to be two separate beverages. (Ick.) The food, I think, tops the drinks. At Niko's I had probably the freshest side salad I've ever had at a dive bar, and I had a well prepared (though, thankfully, not well-done) bunless burger that the cook did not even give me crap about when he came out to deliver it. (The cook, by the way, has a lot of pizzazz, and I like that he personally delivers your order.) There is also a fun two-nights-a-week karaoke (Wednesdays and Sundays) that, even though it shuts down at 1:30 instead of two, is always a raucous and fun affair. Now for the minuses: it's not necessarily a place you want to go after a Steelers loss, as evidenced by the fist-fight that broke out about 10 feet from me and my friends one evening. Second minus: the cash-only deal. C'mon, even food trucks use Square now. This sort of thing is fine for the coffeeshop where you're spending a buck-ninety at a time, but when you're ringing up a food-and-drinks tab, I'd really prefer to use a card. Last minus: you may or may not have to defend your date from the sleazy middle-aged clientele. Like, peel those grabby creeps away. (And this applies to both the males, who hit on my wife pretty rabidly, and some of the females, who get touchy with my other pal who joins us for karaoke.) If you're not comfortable being assertive with strangers, you might not have a great night. I really like this place, and I've never had a problem with the staff, or even most of the patrons -- but I've had enough gross-out encounters with a chosen few that I can't give more than three stars. Go in a group. read more

Thursday night special of 2 cheeseburgers for $3 is well worth the trip. Reminds me of the way burgers were made everywhere way back in the day. read more

Have been here twice for karaoke night. Beer could be a little cheaper. Plus I prefer to use my debit card so I can track my spending but they are cash only and I rarely carry cash. Also the bartender could use an extra hand it seems. read more

Bar is pretty dirty and the crowd is not Pittsburgh's finest. Red beards or the summit is a way better value.

Baby Bear's Bed. Not too loud, not too quiet. Not too dumpy, not too stuffy. I've been here several times, GREAT service - the staff is very friendly and fast. The backroom has Darts and Pool Tables which are kept up pretty well, no lean on the pool table. While this is more of a typical neighborhood bar setup rather than a restaurant, the food is very underrated for bar food. Not a huge menu selection - but fresh/quality ingredients. Their Quesadillas are made with large chunks of fresh ingredients, not just randomly thrown into a blender like at other establishments. They have good wings and great portions on their Tacos. read more

Good bar food, cheaper drinks, CASH ONLY. 2 bars, pool tables, darts, smoking inside and cig machine in house. Juke box as well!

If you don't mind that it is a smoking bar, you should enjoy it here. Their food is reasonably priced and great quality for the price. Taco Tuesdays is amazing. Prices are reasonable on drinks, and usually it is a good crowd of friendly people. read more

I could give this bar a one or a five star ratingbased on my mood.it is the ultimate dive bar. Smoking...cool...shots...cool....drunken antics...awesome. Loud music and cheap food, they've got it all.Best place to go if you just want a local hole in the wall experience.and the bar tenders are great too. read more

Nikos is an old school laid back watering hole with excellent food, some of the nicest bar staff around and set in a quiet neighborhood. We let the young kids frolic across the street at Redbeards and the hard core drinkers up at Sloppy Joes. The prices are always fair and reasonable, some damn good (and a lot of bad, wannabe pool/dart hustlers). Sports and a nice mixture of daily specials to keep everyone happy. Karokee is always a fun time and honestly it is my favorite bar of all time---so I'd struggle to find anything negative to say about the place. You'll love it up here. read more

Taco Tuesdays - woohoo! And these aren't fast food tacos or the cafeteria style junk you get at a lot of other places. Big, with fresh ingredients stuffed into a grilled tortilla - 2 for $3! Drinks are reasonably priced, too. Nice, friendly people on both sides of the bar. read more

Love this bar. Bartenders are always outgoing and friendly. Cheap drinks and love that I can play pool and shoot darts.