There are lots of things I regret to not have done while in college and visiting Fiddle's is one of them. Honestly while at Cal U visiting Brownsville to eat a meal was never on my radar, nor should it have been.
Some of you people, from far and wide, may actually recognize this place. When Hollywood comes to the Pittsburgh area both movie and television productions seem to love this place. If you have seen 'Abduction' with Taylor Lautner or the Netflix show 'I Am Not Okay With This' then you have seen the inside of this restaurant. It's got that old, gritty, worn interior that screams we are here to last. Visit their Facebook page and it tells you they are celebrating 100 years of business, and for good reason.
I must make you aware that their hours are not long during the day. With that I will move forward. Not knowing that they had the wonky hours that cover mostly breakfast and lunch I showed up closer to closing time than I wanted. But they did not turn me away, which was great. In fact I ran into one of the workers outside prior to entering and she greeted me even before I got close to the front door.
Once inside you can tell why Hollywood has a love affair with this place. It has been able to withstand recessions, a pandemic, and the toughest of all, Brownsville's slow decline. If you can basically outlast the town you have your business in, you are doing something right. I chose to sit at the counter, I feel it allows for a more personal experience inside. I could have chose a booth, but I thought it would have been better to not make the servers run around to get to me. Their menu is currently available via QR code, so you can browse at your leisure.
Being at a diner, one known for hot dogs, I went with that. I got myself two hot dogs and a order of fries. Once I place my order all my attention went into my surroundings. This place marveled me. Looking around outside of the initial entry area you notice just how ornate this place is. You also become aware of how old this place really is. Everything is dark wood and it is all carved. If you choose to partake in a booth it will have this darker, warmer feel to it.
I also decided to strike up a conversation with the workers in here. First thing out of my mouth was, "Wasn't this used in a movie?" That opened the floodgates of information for me. I love everything that has to do with pop culture. She answered and informed of a few things that have taped on location here. She pointed around at things that were prominently featured in any given movie or television show. There is one particular window in the front of the store that has Fiddle's painted on it. For a movie it was to be shot out, Fiddle's supposedly has a supply of those windows on site from the production team of that movie. I assume to use in further movies or just in case they have to replace anything in the future. I was also informed that one Hollywood star wanted to purchase one of the booths within, but the owner denied that actor the chance. You can't give up a piece with that much history attached to it.
I guess I showed mention the food. This is a place that you will see a majority of your food prepared in front of you. Especially if you go the hot dog route. They more rather quickly behind the counter, all while chatting with one another or interacting with the customers. You get to watch your fries drop in the fryer, your hot dog being turned on the griddle. Every action when it comes to food is in total view.
The hot dogs were amazing. I wanted their most sought after dog, but they were out of chili for the day. So I went with what was suggested, onions and yellow mustard. The combo was perfect for a fresh hot dog. It cooled it down enough to make it able to be eaten. The fries, fresh from the fryer were in need of some ketchup. All in all, two hot dogs and an order fries filled me up here. It also filled my need for pop culture for the day. read more