Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Poetry Lounge

    4.7 (19 reviews)
    Closed 3:00 pm - 2:00 am (Next day)

    Poetry Lounge Photos

    Business Info

    POETRY LOUNGE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?

    You might also consider

    Recommended Reviews - Poetry Lounge

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    Seth Portenlanger
    Amy P.

    Friendly bartenders, fun atmosphere, awesome performances! Plenty of drinks including 3 NA options. Friends said that the hot dogs were good.

    Karla D.

    I absolutely love Poetry Lounge. Literally everything about it from the decor...amazing homage paid to so many local and national folks alike. Mural by the famous local artist Rick Bach. Love that you can attend poetry readings, open mics, book launchings, deejay nights, live band karaoke, live bands, art shows, and so much more entertainment-wise. THE STAFF ABD OWNERS ARE SOME OF THE MOST INCREDIBLE HUMAN BEINGS ON THE PLANET!!! Light food menu, can't beat a hot dog and chips for $5. Let's talk cocktails... On par if not better than the likes of high-end cocktail bars you'd expect in NYC, London, or Chicago. Carefully curated, liquid works of art. Support local business.

    A murder of goth chicks
    Natalie H.

    Great love music, friendly bartender, creative strong cocktails. Drinks to suit a wide range of budgets and tastes.

    Mirabelle Skipworth and the Brink Of live at PL
    Terry B.

    Love this place. An intimate, trendy, hipster dive, with vinyl spinning and great live music.

    Drink menu

    See all

    5 months ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 month ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Amy P.
    58
    31
    20

    1 year ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 1

    5 months ago

    Great people. Great vibes in general. I reallt was here for some other things as well. But the vibe was on point

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Joe M.
    185
    1
    0

    5 months ago

    Service is always perfect here. Unless you're being rude to the staff once they let you know you may have had a little much to drink.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Karla D.
    269
    3810
    22299

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Liz E.
    0
    10
    2

    2 months ago

    Good music, good drinks, nice ambience, nice crowd. Parking can be challenging but worth the walk

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 months ago

    The coolest, sweetest bar I've been to in a while. Super fun vibe! We were in on a Monday night for karaoke. Great bartenders and DJ.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Joe C.
    0
    41
    0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    5 months ago

    my favorite bar in the city! best bartender (especially brexlyn) and cool shows with bangin dj nights ;)

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Great local bar in Millvale! Good drafts. Good cocktails. Great music. Great crowd. Great bartending staff! Highly recommended!

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    Ask the Community - Poetry Lounge

    Review Highlights - Poetry Lounge

    Great music and it's a fun vibe because it's packed during events on weekends.

    Mentioned in 2 reviews

    Read more highlights

    You might also consider

    The Forge

    The Forge

    4.5
    (263 reviews)
    1.4 mi

    Back for another fantastic meal at the forge. They have a summer drink menu, I got the Lemongrass…read moreis greener. Super delicious, nice ginger flavor. We shared the rainbow platter, shawarma hummus, gambas al ajillo, labneh, and a peach! Pizza. The shawarma hummus had a delicious flavor. The pickled veggies had a nice kick.

    I'm confused about why this place is so beloved; but knowing Pittsburghers, I have a small clue…read more Upon walking in you realize it's just as small and cozy as many other establishments on Butler in Lawrenceville. It's cute but crowded with plush seating. I can't imagine being here on a busy night, it must feel like there's no breathing room. Service was fine. Our order was correct and servers were friendly. The best part about this place is the cocktails but don't expect them to be strong. My drink was absolutely delicious but with the mood effects of a mocktail, meaning nothing. I ordered two because why is this almost $20 with no buzz in sight, are we not a lounge? The menu was plentiful though I think the chef may be a little off about the origins of some of the menu items- just be Greek, friend, it'll be okay. I didn't try the pizza, which is almost half of the menu because I wasn't impressed by the small plates. How can you get pickled cauliflower wrong in Pittsburgh. That should be a sin. The hummus was okay but could use a little more ancient influence... like maybe 4,000 years worth, idk. Overall, I wouldn't be back and wouldn't recommend. It's trendy in it's ambience but doesn't deliver anything better than 25 other spots along the same street. AVVA in Aspinwall is a better option. I came here based on reviews by Elite's and this place was incredibly misrepresented.

    Photos
    The Forge
    Baked Brie bowl - wood-fired oven-baked Brie wheel encapsulated in pull-apart dough with spicy thyme, pepper, and garlic sauce
    Baked Brie bowl - wood-fired oven-baked Brie wheel encapsulated in pull-apart dough with spicy thyme, pepper, and garlic sauce
    Drunken mushrooms - mushrooms stewed in red wine, onions, spices, herbs, cream, served with crostini

    See all

    Drunken mushrooms - mushrooms stewed in red wine, onions, spices, herbs, cream, served with crostini
    Unspeakable

    Unspeakable

    5.0
    (20 reviews)
    1.4 mi

    We've been here 4+ times now. Unspeakable has such an incredible vibe--cozy, intimate, and dimly…read morelit in a way that feels perfect for a date night or catching up with a close friend. The atmosphere alone is worth a visit. The drinks are definitely crafted with care and have a lot of complexity, but with only two bartenders working, it took quite a while to get ours. Not the place to go if you want quick service or are grabbing a drink before another event. My biggest downside is the price point--most cocktails are around $17. They're good, but at that price I can really only justify having one. Note: They do not have food, just snacks like peanuts. Overall, amazing ambiance and well-made drinks, just expect slower service and a higher bill.

    This is my new favorite cocktail bar in Pittsburgh. Every single drink I've had here has been…read morefantastic. I've been twice so far, I've tried six different drinks. Very impressed by their craftsmanship and experimental flavors. There's not many places in this area that even attempt to do that. I love the speakeasy vibe. Super cool entrance and fun comfortable lounge upstairs. It's a fantastic place to go as an intimate group. But it's kind of small to take a group of more than 4 friends. Cocktails were made surprisingly quick even on a busy night. Everything is just really great about this place. Except for maybe the price lol but at least you're getting what you pay for in a good way

    Photos
    Upstairs fireplace
    Upstairs fireplace
    Violet desert
    Violet desert
    Unspeakable

    See all

    Cavo Nightclub

    Cavo Nightclub

    3.4
    (116 reviews)
    2.2 mi
    $$

    I had my first experience doing a private table/bottle service at Cavo last weekend, and it is SO…read moremuch more fun than just going as a regular patron. They supply you with a party bus to take you to the venue beforehand which definitely set the energy for the night. Once there, we got escorted up to our table in the upstairs section. It was the perfect mix of comfy & private, but we still had the balcony to dance on over top of the main dance floor. The bottle list was a good mix of options at various price points, and they had good mixers too. The bottle girls & bouncers were all extremely professional & friendly. The music was great. I think this would be my only way doing Cavo now! Food: N/A Drinks: A- Service: A Ambiance: A

    I have no opinion about the nightclub itself because I never went inside. However, the valet…read moreexperience outside was enough that I would never consider visiting. While we were eating dinner across the street, a valet attendant left a van parked with bright lights shining directly into our table. When I politely asked if the lights could be turned off or the van moved, he responded with a terrible attitude and actually turned the lights even brighter so they were aimed at us. I even said, "Dude... we're just trying to have a nice dinner," but he continued to be rude. If that's how people are treated before they even walk through the door, it's not a business I have any interest in supporting. Management should expect much better customer service from anyone representing their establishment.

    Photos
    Room #2
    Room #2
    Room #2 (bar)
    Room #2 (bar)
    Room #1 (entry)

    See all

    Room #1 (entry)
    Spirit

    Spirit

    4.0
    (141 reviews)
    1.0 mi
    $$

    We came to the new pizzeria for dinner on a Sunday night and had a great experience. The new space…read moreis very nice - a more elevated experience than the prior design/setup. They were not very busy so we were able to get a table right away without a reservation. We stated with fried artichokes and a caesar salad, which we shared. The portions were a nice size for sharing. We then had the white pizza and the chicken parmesan for our entries. Everything was fresh and delicious. The service was also excellent. I highly recommend Spirit. We will definitely be back.

    Came here for the AMBOY Filipino popup and was so happy at the result!…read moreWe loved the food! We greatly enjoyed the servers. They were kind and fun, obviously skilled at their jobs. Let's get the one problem out of the way: Our only issue was that the host was incredibly cold and seemed very irritated with us, which we were not used to. We tried to joke and interact in an upbeat way, but they almost seemed to be repulsed by us and annoyed that we were talking to them. We had a reservation, so we really didn't have a choice. I suggest Spirit find a different position for that host, as good of a person as I am sure they are, they don't seem to like people at all. I am taking off a star because of the host being a complete buzzkill to the beginning of our experience. Who you hire matters! Where is 3D Mark or someone who loves to play and makes you feel like family? As for the food, five stars. We loved Chef Raf's pop-up! We loved that it felt like a beautiful combo of Spirit's pizza kitchen with Raf's high quality filipino flavors! The drinks were good. We were delighted at the vegan options and all of the cool nonalcoholic drinks. LOVE. The atmosphere was also super cool. Lots of plants, a moose horn, a bear head mascot mask thing, windows with natural light that slightly look out onto the street. It's not that big of a space in the room we were, but there's one big booth in the back that can sit maybe 7 people if you squish.

    Photos
    Soft Vein . . .
    Soft Vein . . .
    1/2 Dozen Seitan Wings
    1/2 Dozen Seitan Wings
    Spirit

    See all

    Poetry Lounge - lounges - Updated August 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...