Wheelfish is a casual BBQ restaurant that serves dinner, on some days lunch, and catering. The menu lists appetizers (e.g., spicy cheese curds and chicken wings), a couple salads, sandwiches, tacos, several meats, sides (e.g., slaw, sweet-potato fries, corn muffin, and potato salad), and drinks. Trivia and live music are sometimes available for entertainment. In the past few years, my husband and I have eaten at Wheelfish a few times. For our meals, the hostess and waitress promptly and politely served us. Here are my reviews for the foods: Pretzel bites - 4.5 stars - This appetizer was a large size. We really liked the flavor of the pretzels and the honey-mustard dip. We thought that the cheese dip was OK. Pulled-pork nachos - 5 stars - This appetizer of nachos was huge! Many tortilla chips were topped with gooey cheese, pulled pork, jalapeños, sour cream, and pico de gallo. Fried deviled eggs - 4 stars - The egg white was breaded and fried. It contained a yolk filling and was topped with a spicy jalapeño. We prefer traditional deviled eggs, but these ones tasted good. Mix-and-match soft tacos - 4.5 stars - The pulled-pork taco contained pulled pork and vegetable toppings that were very flavorful. For the brisket taco, I enjoyed the flavor of the brisket and toppings, but the juices made the tortilla soggy and caused it to fall apart. Shrimp tacos - 4.5 stars - These were on sale on a Thursday. The shrimp were breaded, and the toppings of napa slaw, mango salsa, and chipotle aioli tasted very good. Meat entrees - 4.5 stars - My husband liked the smoked chicken the most (5 stars), and he described it as being "delicious." We also ate ribs (4.5 stars), kielbasa (4 stars), brisket (5 stars), salmon (4 stars, needs more seasoning), and pulled pork (4.5 stars). Macaroni and cheese - 5 stars - My husband said that this macaroni was the cheesiest thing that he has ever eaten. He described it as "delicious." I ate some of the macaroni, and I agree that it was extremely cheesy. French fries - 5 stars - These fries were perfectly crispy and salty. Grilled vegetables - 4.5 stars - I wanted to make my meals more nutritious, so I chose a side of grilled vegetables, which are seasonal and included peppers, corn, squash, and zucchini. This mix of veggies had a very good flavor. Side salad - 4 stars - This salad contained a lettuce mix, some tomatoes, some pickled onions, and my choice of dressing. It was fresh but was slightly plain. Pork 'n beans - 3 stars - My husband ordered this side. He ate only a small amount of the beans and sauce, and he thought that they tasted just OK. For drinks, we had iced tea, diet Pepsi, and water. The waitresses brought refills. read more

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The best. We wish we could eat here more often. The food is so so good. The takeout process went super smooth. Everything was packaged well and was still warm when we got home. The service was quick and timely, it was easy to place the order read more

Wheelfish - Outside - Bars Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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Not knowing what to expect our first time ever hearing of this restaurant we left glad we came. Our server was very friendly and attentive to all of our needs, paired along with the atmosphere of a local sitting on a barstool playing guitar, it doesn't get much better. Finally the food was something to certainly write home about, most notably the smoked potato salad! We will be back our next time through the area for sure.. read more

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My husband and I went golfing nearby and stopped here at random. It was unexpectedly amazing! I got the smoked salmon sandwich and he ordered a "build your own" mac and cheese bowl. It looks like they do small bands and maybe outdoor events. The server was also the bartender the day we went and they were very kind and efficient. read more

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I'm finding it a bit difficult to write an updated review for Wheelfish, because they used to be my favorite consistently good BBQ spot in the Pittsburgh area, but I've now had 3 recent trips with really poor quality. To be clear, the service is always great in my experience. From a friendly host staff, wait staff and bartender perspective, I have zero complaints. But the BBQ at a BBQ joint has really been sub-par lately. Severely over-cooked, under-seasoned and in some cases poorly butchered. I'd really encourage ownership to take the steps you need to in order to get the kitchen back on track. read more

It does pay to get out of ones way. Great atmosphere, friendly staff and delicious BBQ with truly elevated sides. Definitely coming back for more read more

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I try not to leave bad Yelp reviews because I think everyone is entitled to a bad day. But I was actually pretty disappointed with this place. And for $100, my meal should have just been better. That said, prices there are fairly reasonable; but our meal didn't justify the cost and I left kind of irritated. The yelp reviews have been so good for so long and I've been anxious to check it out. Apparently the day I was there, they were anticipating rain so were not fully staffed and it ended up a nice day, so they were super slow. Our server was hustling and she was a sweetheart but kitchen was slow and the waitstaff was stretched super thin. Deviled eggs were tasty but a little greasy. Cheese curds were good too; so we started out okay once the apps finally came out. The entrees--not so good. The pulled pork was okay; had a flavor I wasn't crazy about, a little gamey maybe, but it was passable with their sauces, which I liked. My husband's tacos were tiny, and he had a bite of fatty meat that grossed him out. My sweet potato fries and his smoked potato salad were very good. My daughter's ribs were just bad. Dry, chewy, hard to eat shoe leather and the connected end was just downright gross--Slimy and flabby/fatty. These were not the smoked, fall-off-the-bone ribs you hope for. Maybe we hit Wheelfish on a bad day. The vibe reminded me a little of a Nashville restaurant/music venue and I had high hopes. But ultimately, I'm puzzled by the positive Yelp reviews given our experience. Again, it was an understaffed day so maybe it was just an unlucky day to hit it bud sadly, I probably wouldn't go back. read more

I had it delivered via Instacart. I had a pulled pork sandwich and a quarter pound of beef brisket. The flavor was OK, but they were both dry. I was surprised that the pulled pork didn't have any barbecue sauce. I wish they would've given me a cup so it would've helped with the dryness and added flavor. The coleslaw on the ppulled pork was OK and I had a side salad instead of fries, which was also OK. I think that the dryness of the meat. the dryness of the meat combined with not giving any barbecue sauce made the meal less than stellar, but there's room for improvement at least. read more

Great local bar! Loved listening to live music, eating good barbecue, and having a great time. They had my favorite Arsenal Cider on draft, which was awesome too. The servers were all kind and helpful. Good came out very quickly but we also weren't rushed. Highly recommend! read more

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Was suddenly in the mood for brisket and checked around to see what was around and realized we hadn't been back to Wheelfish in a long time. We used to live closer and then it fell off our radar after we moved. I went with the two meat platter with brisket, white meat chicken, sweet potato fries and corn bread. Delicious all around. The chicken ended up being my favorite. I was expecting it to be dry but it was perfect. Brisket was also great. Table had a choice of three sauces for the meats. People often post about those sweet potato fries and I have to agree they were a solid choice. Service was on point. We got a table quickly and our server was very attentive. Space itself is kind of cool. Kind of like being in a barn. Lots of wood. The smell of meat smoking outside the building was intoxicating. read more

Wheelfish - Building - Bars Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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A nice little place in the Pittsburgh suburbs. The food and drinks were fantastic! Our server was helpful in our selections. They had live entertainment the night we were there. read more

Really great barbeque in the North Hills! It's tucked back in an unassuming location, though easily accessed from McKnight or Ross residential roads. I visited on a Friday night and managed to snag the last table in the main dining area prior to live music starting. My husband and I both were impressed by the reasonable prices and the cozy ambiance right off the bat, and we were quickly visited by our server. We tried two apps (deep fried deviled eggs and cheese curds), both were excellent, and my husband tried the 2-meat combo while I tried the pulled pork nachos for dinner. Everything was fresh and flavorful! Very smokey flavor, very generous portions, all accompanied by great local folk music. We also loved the 2.50 Yuengling on tap! They also offer local craft beer and Boyd and Blair cocktails, which is nice. I'd love to return for more live music and to try more of the menu! The sandwiches look great, as does the mac & cheese. Lucky to have this hidden gem spot nearby, especially given that BBQ as a cuisine is so sparse in Pittsburgh! read more

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Good food, nice service, definitely will be back! We came here on a Saturday for lunch and arrived shortly after they opened. They weren't overly busy, so was able to be seated quickly. We started with the nachos and their giant pretzel! The chips tasted like they were homemade. For my main, I had the pulled pork sandwich and Mac n cheese. Both were very good. I had the medium bbq sauce on it- delicious! Food came out fairly quick. Overall, I really liked this place. Felt like a hidden gem and I enjoyed the rustic feel inside. read more

Wheelfish - Pulled Pork Nachos - Bars Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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Pretty standard BBQ spot. I wasn't particularly impressed with any of the items I got from here, but then again, it's Pittsburgh BBQ. Perhaps some of their other meat is better, but what I had was substandard. I tried the 1/4 lb of pulled pork with Mac n cheese and fries. The pulled pork was just okay. Price for the portion for about average. Definitely better deals in other places but not terrible. The meat was somewhat dry and the sauce wasn't anything too special. Some fattier pieces but mostly leanish. The fries were a bit soggy but decently seasoned. They went well with the same sauce they gave for the pork. I would have liked more of the sauce, as that's were most of the flavor in this meal was coming from. The Mac n cheese was also just okay. It had a sort of artificial taste to it. The little bit of breadcrumbs on top seemed just like an afterthought, as there wasn't much of them. Somewhat oily. All in all, I wasn't a huge fan of this place. It wasn't bad, but not great either. Wouldn't really see myself returning here. read more

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It was a really cute place. And the food was pretty good. I would definitely go back.

Amazing food, incredible experience, and really enjoyed the live music! We had Kylee serve us- and she went above and beyond to everything we needed with great attitude. We loved everything about this place. Also, the gluten free beer was GREAT!!!!!! So many gluten free/celiac options, too. Super homey, Yellowstone feel to the restaurant. Would highly recommend. read more

Wheelfish - Live music, sauces on table, family friendly - Bars Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

It was a perfect middle spot to meet. Sunday brunch was ending. We ordered from the lunch menu. We started with Bloody Marys with huge olives. Great start to the day. As an appetizer, we had deep-fried deviled eggs with a slice of jalapeño pepper. Delightful. We ordered the salmon sandwich and shrimp tacos with sweet potato fries and Napa slaw. Both meals were good-sized portions. Look forward to trying other items on their menu. The fried fish sandwich will be available during Lent. No pictures ... sorry ... I was too busy eating. Large gravel parking lot. One step to enter restaurant. A wheelchair bound guest had a little difficulty getting inside, but table height was wheelchair accessible. read more

I stopped here for a quick bite and it was very good. I tried their tacos. I got one fish taco and one brisket taco and they were both very good. You also get a side with that and I tried the beans. They were a little too sweet for me but that did not keep me from finishing them. The service was very good. This would be a good place to go in the summer as it looks like they have a nice eating area outside. I would definitely go back to try some of their other bbq items. read more

Wheelfish - Front of restaurant - Bars Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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I am always a fan of places that support live music. How I never ever heard of this place until my friend from NYC played here April 2023 is beyond me. I had zero idea this placed existed & it is tucked away in residential area in Ross Twp. It has a lot of regulars by the looks of things. Lots of BBQ choices. Tap & bottled beer & cocktails. I had my burger made into a wrap & subbed sweet potato fries. It was good. The bar was busy & bartenders & servers were busy all night. I'm glad my friends from NYC got a good crowd for their gig. It is very LOUD inside, even without music & the volume of people talking made the music difficult to hear. Gravel parking lot & looks like outdoor seats when weather warms. I'd definitely go back. read more

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Fantastic food. Service was terrific. A great feeling and great place for terrific BBQ.

Really enjoyed wheelfish this past weekend with some friends. I got the wheelfish sandwich--pulled pork, brisket, bacon, honey mustard, etc. the flavors were great and the portion of fries was huge! I'm not sure what the dipping sauce was--I couldn't put my finger on the flavors but I was not a fan. My husband got some brisket and ribs, unfortunately, neither of which were all that impressed with either. Not enough flavor/smokiness for our liking. His corn muffin was delicious, as was the mac and cheese. The restaurant itself was clean, had a fun vibe, and the service was attentive and helpful. The music was extremely loud, which made it difficult to chat with our friends, however our 1.5 year old son really enjoyed it and was dancing in his seat. Haha! read more

Wheelfish - Wheelfish sandwich - Bars Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Stopped in tonight with some friends for dinner. Waitstaff were very attentive and had great recommendations, the music was nice, and the tables and sitting areas were nice and clean. Food came out pretty quickly and the Mac 'n Cheese was nice as was the cornbread muffin which came warm and wasn't dry! The brisket on the other hand was unfortunately dry and lukewarm but the bbq sauced helped remedy that. The ribs rounded the meal out and had a nice glaze and were moist too which was great! read more

Wheelfish - Two Meat Platter - Bars Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Great beet salad. Nice smoked meats. Nice atmosphere. Fab pretzel bites including the cheese sauce. Too many brisket options.

This little spot feels like a hidden gem. It seems like it's the middle of nowhere but is only a few mins from Ross Park Mall. We stopped in again & had a delicious filling meal. This was the least busy I'd ever seen it (mid-day on a Sunday) so it felt a little "dead", but we sat at the bar & enjoyed our food! We started with the fried deviled eggs, they didn't look too appetizing this time but tasted great. I take the jalapeños off and they're still flavorful with the filling and the bacon jam on top. Great unexpected combo. We know the price of eggs has gone up but $10 seemed a tad steep for how small they were this time. Next, I had a pulled pork sandwich with a side of Mac n cheese. Both were really good, appreciate how nice & hot the Mac was, and the sandwich was huge! I love that they give you a little box with the 3 different bbq sauces in it to use. I like a combo of the bold Texas and sweet Memphis sauces. My husband had the brisket sandwich with hand cut fries. Again, they didn't look too appetizing but I asked for a couple fries to taste the sauces before adding to my sandwich and found myself asking for a few more! Haha. They were tasty! Where this place falls short, in my opinion, is the drinks...our first time here they offered craft cocktails and the last 2 times we visited they don't. Please add a cocktail menu back to your offerings! The ambience is "down home" rustic, cozy. It's not fancy in any way, which is perfect for bbq. We want to come back when it's nice to sit outside with friends. We did feel this time that for what we got the price point was a little more expensive than we remembered/were expecting. Overall, still a great little joint. read more

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Tried to come to this place once before and there was too long of a wait so was excited to come back, figured it must be amazing! The best part about this place is the ambiance. It has a really cool look from the outside, small and cozy inside too. And while some things we tried were great, others were a big miss. We started with an order of the wings. These were pretty good - big and meaty, well sauced, great taste. We also got a combo platter with brisket, pulled pork, and ribs. Both the brisket and ribs were dry and overcooked and flavorless. That pulled pork though... WOW. Slathered with some bbq sauce and it's a party in your mouth. For sides we got the sweet potato fries and mac and cheese, both of which were just okay. Prices are reasonable for portion sizes... service was just okay. Kept having to flag our server down for things. Beer menu is another highlight. Seems like they have outdoor seating too so I might be persuaded to come back for some day drinking and pulled pork. read more

Wheelfish - Combo platter with brisket, pulled pork, and ribs - Bars Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Four words. Deep fried deviled eggs. BBQ is delicious. Enjoy anything from the menu. I am sure you will be back for more

This place is so unassuming ... Located in a Pittsburgh suburb Ross Behind a little strip of stores They have great fish tacos Brisket tacos Great smoked salmon on a bun sammie Generous portions of fries and sweet potato fries LeoneaS ice sandwich if your in need of dessert It's currently take out pickup and that's good with us read more

Cool new vibe. Food was average. Will be back to try again. Staff was not super friendly.

The food was so disappointing. Coal black burnt ribs! The split (not whole) wings were not worth $9. My husband did not enjoy his sandwich. Just not worth the money. Will not be going back. read more

This was a great surprise of a bar in a little neighborhood setting. We were at a high school football game, so we did not get here for dinner until 9:45. The waitress was great and so was our food. The brisket was amazing and I would suggest ordering fries. The macaroni and cheese was so different but I really liked it. My husband tried the baked beans and liked them too...super sweet and different. The pulled pork was good, but the brisket is the way to go. The bar is a small area but the outside I bet is the place to be! read more

Wheelfish - Pulled pork, brisket, fries, Mac n cheese, and baked beans - Bars Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Love this place Such a find in the middle of a-neighborhood Great food Low key Good local beer on tap (could have more ) read more

Have dined here a few times trying to get a feel for what they do well, and what they don't. Admittedly Pittsburgh is really light on good barbecue. So arguably this could be a 4/5 if we graded on the Pittsburgh curve. But barring that, this is a solid 3. Some offerings are really good. Others are bad. And others are not even offered, and they should if we really are talking barbecue. The good - great ambience and fun, low key outdoor seating area. Great spot for drinks / happy hour - the chicken, salmon and kielbasa are the clear winners in terms of the meat offerings. If you're not sure what to get that's where I'd start. Pulled pork is also pretty good. (note I haven't tried the ribs yet). The bad - the sides feel like after thoughts. The fries are too greasy. The corn muffin is disgustingly sweet. I'm guessing that's to appeal to the yinzer pallet but does not work for me. - now In fairness, the grilled veggies aren't bad, but that's pretty hard to screw up. And the slaw is also pretty good. - sadly the brisket is just OK. Cooked well and flavorful, but it was very fatty. IMHO this should not be the case. The absent. There are classic barbecue fare not on their menu and I don't understand why because they are easy enough and IMO staples of great bbq. - Let's start with southern barbecue basic #1 - hush puppies. Why are these not on the menu? It could be the owners are not trying to go fill southern flare here but that's a miss for me - smoked turkey is another notably absent and easy item that I was hoping to find. This place has a lot of promise and for what they offer, they do it well (except the sides). It just feels like it could and should be so much better with a couple changes. read more

Wheelfish - Smoker filled the outdoor area with great aroma - Bars Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

We waited over an hour and despite there being a number of tables, we were never sat. We were a party of 3 and when we entered were told there might be an hour wait, but the staff was very unsure of that and did not take our phone number or anything to notify us. We stood around and enjoyed the live music, the reason we came, and watched various parties of 2 get seated no problem. I even went up and checked with the host and hostesses multiple times, and they told us ambiguous answers as to when we could possibly be sat. By then we were starving and had waited an hour so had to leave. It's a shame because the food looked good, but the service prior to us being even sat was enough to turn us away in pursuit of a better experience. read more

Loved coming to Wheelfish for BBQ! We came on a weeknight evening which I think was definitely a good choice. We loved the brisket, and thought the sides were a great complement as well. Service was great, and atmosphere was very relaxed. Would love to come back. read more

Wow! Why haven't I stopped here before? The building is perfect for a BBQ place, inside decor and everything was very cool and I will definitely be back to have drinks at the bar. Now onto the food: I ordered the Two Meats & Two sides option for $20. It doesn't look like much but I left full, almost forced the last of Mac & Cheese down. The BBQ sauce flavors were very good. The meats were very lean and not fatty, which I liked. The BBQ gave it the right amount of moisture. Service: Was great! Girl server kept her distant but was stopping by and refilling at the right times. I appreciate my time eating and not being bothered the second I start eating. read more

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Amazing food!! Had the chicken tacos!! Delicious Will be coming back for sure! Wish I would have tried it earlier! read more

Awesome find, we were shopping at Ross park mall and wanted to try something new, this place was about 10 minutes away and loved what we found. The bbq was amazing, we started with the loaded nachos, the pork and cheese were amazing, we threw on some extra house bbq sauce and BOOM. Fell in love with the place. Drinks were fast and well poured. We also tried the kielbasa which was smoky and flavorful. My pulled pork sandwich was killer, the coleslaw and mustard bbq sauce formed what was an incredible sandwich. Not to mention the live music was fun and well done. Overall awesome restaurant, great environment, great food and drink. Will definitely go again. read more

Wheelfish - Pulled Pork Nachos Pulled Pork Sandwich - Bars Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Great food! We have a been here a few times. Service can be a little slow when they are busy. But who really cares about that. The food is so good it doesn't matter. Ambiance is great, live music, down to earth feel. I can't wait to visit in the good weather with the outdoor seating! read more

Food was so good. Had the "Smokey" aroma as soon as you walked in the door. Expected great things and was not disappointed. Shredded brisket sandwich was very full and flavorful. Played bbq plate with 3 meats was also good portions and very yummy. Service with Bella was outstanding. Very attentive to all her customers. Ambiance for a Sunday luncheon was nice with good background country music. Bar was fully stocked (not just local stuff). Beers were nice and cold. Look forward to coming back! read more

Wheelfish - Brisket sandwich and potato salad - Bars Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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Stopped in on a little road trip and everything was fantastic. We enjoyed the chicken wings appetizer, and the Farmhouse Sandwich and Ribs were both excellent as well. Service was friendly and prompt. Would definitely come back when I'm in the area. read more