The hubs and I met up with fellow yelpers Carrie and Matt here last night, upon the suggestion of CW herself. They have only been open a week and their hours are Thursdays and Fridays 5 - 10pm and Saturdays 12 - 10pm. They do not have a kitchen, but according to their website, they have food trucks. Since it was questionable if we were going to eat here or not, I decided to give Yellow Bridge a call to find out for sure. I could not find a phone number on their website, even under the 'contact' section, so I looked them up on facebook, which I no longer have, but was still able to find a number. I was told that Speals on Wheels would be there, and the bar would have 'light snacks'.
The parking lot isn't the best. It's gravel so, of course, there are no lines and people are parked haphazardly - some on an angle, some straight in. It's not very well lit so it was difficult to back into a space. Upon entering around 6pm, the place was pretty busy already. We were able to get the last table in the bar area because a couple were getting ready to leave and were nice enough to give up the table for us. These small, round tables are small, so the table gets a little crowded with 4 people. Each table had a beer list on it, which consisted of 4 ales and 1 IPA brewed in house and 2 ciders and 2 meads provided by Arsenal Cider House. I am not knowledgeable on brewing, IPAs, meads, etc. and don't claim to be. However, I am willing to give most any beer at least a try. Drinks range in price from $5 - $7, but you can get a flight of 5 drinks for $8, so my husband and I went with that. You can only get the 4 ales and the IPA in a flight, but that was fine. The drinks came in a cute little muffin tin, the 6th spot being filled with some popcorn (light snacks?).
Jeff (hubs) and I ordered from the food truck - Cuban Wrap, Margarita Chicken Wrap, Onion Rings, and a can of pop came to $23. I had the chicken wrap and it was pretty good. My husband said his wrap was also very good. Onion rings were huge, but the breading was dark. It was surmised that this was not because they were burnt but maybe the oil needed changed. No matter, I am not technically including the food in my review.
Pros: The place is clean, although it very well should be since it is brand new. It has a nice feel to it. It's a small space, but cute. There is a small bar, some high tables, a few small round tables, two unisex bathrooms. There is also a separate room with one big table, dart boards, and some board games. Upon arriving, this was the only other table available, however we felt funny sitting in a completely different room alone and also taking up a huge table for four people. Also, the bartenders are friendly and knowledgeable and are willing to give samples. Beer prices are not outrageous. Also, it always seems that everything is happening in the burgh, so it is nice to see some new things for us who live outside the city.
Cons: Being new, I'm sure that they weren't expecting the place to be as busy right off the bat. Definitely need more tables, more space. Anyone that lives in Westmoreland County knows, something new opens up and it is super crowded and the new place to be, even if it's an Applebee's or Walgreens. I'm serious. I found there to be some space that would have been better for another purpose. For example, there was a long table in the room connecting the bar area to the dart room, that had a lot of bags of popcorn on it, as well as napkins, baskets, etc. And pizza, which I found disconcerning. It appeared that the pizza was for the staff and maybe family members, I don't know, but I didn't feel that it was appropriate to be sitting out and watching people walk over and get it and just stand there and eat. There was a wash sink in the room as well, so it was kind of a strange set up. If it is going to be used as a staff area, it should be blocked off somehow. The other thing that we (because not just me) found strange was that there was a toddler and a baby in the bar. I mean, this is not a bar / restaurant. In fact, they don't even serve food, so why would you bring a child? At one point, the baby was actually sitting on the bar, being held there by an adult. I just found that odd.
Overall, Yellow Bridge has found it's niche. Right off of route 66, good location, great exposure. They will most definitely be successful. The place is brand new and does have a few kinks to work out, but they already are doing it right. Would return to meet up with friends for a drink but would probably go somewhere else for dinner before or afterwards. read more