Gooski’s

I love Gooski’s. I always felt like I would since several people I know and trust have suggested it to me, but one thing or another kept getting in the way of me actually trying it out. On Friday after a disastrous foray into a newer establishment that hasn’t quite found its feet yet, my friend and I decided to hit up this place instead.
We walked in and were greeted by reddish lighting that provided just the right amount of illumination and music that was loud but not so much that it inhibited conversation. The atmosphere was decidedly no-​nonsense and very chill. It’s the sort of place where you’re left alone to socialize and drink… imagine that! As a young woman it’s refreshing to say the least. At the risk of sounding like Goldilocks, Gooski’s is just right.
The selection, prices, and service are all on par with what you would expect from a high-​quality Pittsburgh dive. They even have some more rare beers, one of which I immediately ordered. The bartender was rough on the surface, but warmed up after I sassed him and ended up giving us free snacks. I love it when bartenders take care of you but then hang back without trying too hard… nothing worse than when a bartender tries to be your best friend and/​or insists you «try» beers you don’t like. The bartender we had this particular evening was the perfect balance. I will be back soon.

This place has a sign indicating their disdain for Unilocal,which only makes me want to hop on and write them a nice review about my pleasant experience here.
Gooski’s is a divey punk bar somewhat in the likes of NYC’s Lower East Side/​East Village. It’s dark and grungy and smells appropriately like cheap beer. On the other hand, their restroom is rather clean for this type of establishment and smelled nothing of poorly-​aimed urine when I was there. And, for a smoking bar, they seem to have a first-​rate ventilation system to suck away the cigarette clouds.
Cheers to 24 oz. cans of a variety of beers (including better ones like Heineken) for $ 5 or less, and cheers to the bartender who gave me a free t-​shirt.

I have mixed feelings about Gooskis. Overall, I do enjoy my time there, but they (staff and regulars) seem to pride themselves on being exclusive and pretentious about not wanting tons of people from outside the neighborhood coming in. They have something along the lines of «If you needed Unilocal to find us, you don’t belong here.» on the mirror behind the bar, which takes away some of my excitement for the place. I’m not into that attitude all. You are a bar. People like bars. Be happy you are making money. I live in Polish Hill, so I do hang here occasionally, but that is my least favorite aspect.
It is quite a bit pricier than drinking at the other neighborhood bar, The Rock Room, but has an equal divey grimy charm. It is also VERY dark, like almost weirdly dark, in the front room. It is much brighter in the back room where you can pay pinball, pool or ping pong, unless there is a show. People also rave about the jukebox which is actually one of the old school machines with mix-​CDs rather than the usual digital ones you see in most bars now.
The food is ok, I’ve had chicken sandwiches and burgers here that were pretty good for typical bar food. The best time to go is during happy hour or definitely Thursday nights when they have a special on all of their craft beer.

A super cool bar with really nice bartenders! And on top of that they have ping pong tables, which was awesome for me because I get bored at bars easily but still want to have fun. I would go back here in a heartbeat!

Coolest bar in Iron City, Tim is a hell of a bartender and a stand up guy. Highly recommended if you’re not a []]] (square)…

Bartender was an A%$HOLE, don’t was your time going there!!!

Perfect dive bar. Cheap drinks. Cheap food. Great variety in both. Good live music. Friendly bartender. Smoking is allowed so it’s like it’s 1998 with the ash tray smell leaving the place. Go swirly for what it is you really couldn’t ask for more.

This place has a lot of character, from the bar itself, the patrons and not to mention the decorative graffiti on the bathroom walls. Awesome for shows, pool, or just to hang out and drink beers. Defiantly one of my favorite spots in Pittsburgh, this place is a gem. Prices are extremely reasonable for drinks and shots.
One thing to be aware of– this place is cash only and smoking is allowed! This doesn’t bother me but could defiantly bother some people.
Overall, this place is awesome for a hang out and you won’t break the bank doing so either.

Gooski’s is the shit. Just read the rest of the reviews. It’s just the type of place you wanna be if you like bars with a little bit of edge. Go to Gooski’s, sling some drinks, listen to tunes, smoke if you wanna, make memories.

This place is great but I hear that they sacrifice you to Rob Halford if you’re a yuppie/​bro. Better not chance it!

This place was recommended on my visit to Pittsburgh. Not disappointed. Dark, divey, great beer selection and the type of relaxed, grungy hipsters who don’t try too hard or act like assholes. Wings were served in a basket of fucking oil and were greasy as fuck all but I wasn’t expecting haute cuisine in a dive. Great place to chill, chain smoke and try and get laid.

Fucking awesome wings. Thy sell anchor steam beer so that makes me super happy … Great bar … Great beer. Great food …

Best dive bar in Pittsburgh, interesting crowd, tons of beer choices, large menu and the fries were good. Then again, most everything tastes good when there’s 32 Oz of Arrogant Bastard Ale in your belly. Great prices!

Rarely does a dive bar deserves such high honors but I wish I could give more.
First off, as 2 Asian gals, we stuck out like two crazy swollen thumbs. It was a Tuesday night and there were live bands performing. There’s a cover charge BUT when the doorman asked if we were here to see the bands and we honestly said it was out first time, he simply smiled and said «go ahead».
We found seats at the bar and was greeted by a bartender with the longest goatee I have ever seen. Having ventured into Brooklyn, New York plenty of times… I have seen a LOT of goatees.
We made friends friends quickly with the fellow patrons who weren’t shy to point out the house rules which were basically along the lines of «have your order ready, money ready, don’t make us kill you». I won’t lie; it was a bit intimidating but after a couple of beers, we were good.
It was a lively crowd and was PACKED. Bathrooms were immaculate and jukebox/​pool table/​ping pong table/​live bands were on point. I can’t say it was my type of music but it worked.
Parking was a bit scary bc it was was on steep hills (hence polish hills) BUT wow, the pierogis were FCUKING amazing (yes, I will try to use profanity bc they were that amazing)!
I almost didn’t want to write a review bc not only does the bar rules included something along the lines of «if you needed Unilocal to come here, you don’t belong here» but this place is an amazing diamond in the jewelry store– it stands out the brightest amongst all diamonds.
Will def have to come back.
P. s. Shoutout to Tim for being the best bartender in Pittsburgh– I can see why he was voted #1.

I could begin by raving about the viking warrior of a bartender who mans the helm, sending your drink of choice your way with a sincere and quietly engaging, «Here you go, brother» and who, when not cashing out each drink order in turn, always makes up the check at night’s end fairly and utterly lacking in calculated mathematics. It is what it is, after all and there’s never a need to debate figures after a few cold ones.
But the beauty of this place, in short, is it’s complete lack of snark and irony. There is no ironic winking at or poking at one’s preferences — all that seems to matter is that a person HAS preferences. It is a genuine place in all of the best ways: the décor, food, beers, staff, music, etc.
One of many examples of this that I can think of is from this past winter, during the playoffs. It was not a meaningful game, with the Steelers being out of contention, but there was nevertheless a fairly attentive football crowd for the late game/​matchup. Anyway… once the game ended around 11ish, the amazingly well-​curated jukebox came on (filled with favorite A-​sides and endlessly surprising deeper cuts), perfect wings and pirogies kept flowing from the kitchen, and the aforementioned viking warrior of a bartender switched it over the Turner Classic Movies (TCM).
I’ve no idea what was on; I think it was just a series of old-​timey commercials or a lesser known movie from the 40’s, but the same football-​watching crowd just seemed to watch the black and white characters without comment, puzzlement, or as if the change marked some sort of shift in the evening. It just was and people noticed and we liked it.
It was a good night.

Twelve hours ago, I was kidnapped by friends and swept away to an Eastern European Netherworld for a night of metallic mischief.
An underground playland awash in red, purple, and violet light like a German brothel, Gooski’s is a Hessian, punk-​rock barrelhouse where bands such as Liquified Guts, Radium Girls, No Reason To Live, and edhochuli entertain small cults of devotees.
Located in Polish Hill, a land of Old World charms, a subversive Unholy Saturday mass was taking place.
A bartender who resembled a time-​tossed Viking passed pierogi and Old Bay wings to other patrons who in turn passed them off to me as if we were on a Satanic version of «The Waltons» during a family dinner scene. When I handed a twenty dollar bill to the massive Nordic server, some sour cream accidentally smeared onto the cash, only for Hagar The Affable to laugh heartily at my foible.
A fire-​haired fairy princess with the face of a model and the tattooed body of a L.A. vampire walked up to me and smiled, revealing a chipped front tooth as she eagerly recounted the story behind her dental mishap.
As Liquified Guts tore into their set, an obese, jolly concertgoer took turns putting his fellow headbangers onto his shoulders, gleefully catching and dizzying them in the «airplane spin,» a pro wrestling maneuver from yesteryear.
A bearded young man handed me a PBR after he saw that I had on an Amon Amarth t-​shirt. «I been comin’ here since I was a kid,» he told me.
A veteran rockdog with long, alabaster locks and a hippy’s headband told me tales of glory after I pointed out the Hawkwind patch on his denim-​n-​leather vest.
I did not know any of these folks, yet I felt as if they had known me since high school.
Cigarette smoke didn’t faze me. People’s shoulders bumped into mine as I passed back and forth through the thin corridor that leads to the stage, the gentle, jovial collisions acting as catalysts for conversations with absolute strangers.
Graffiti decorates the walls along with an iconic picture of Johnny Cash flipping off the world.
Exquisite, plump, buttery packets of dough, cheese, and potato and dead-​on crispy, succulent chicken limbs were savored.
Necks were sprained. Backs were slapped. Ears hummed like tuning forks.
Far from and far more than the typical sanitized concert experience, it was a few hours of worship and camaraderie for the freaks and night creatures, Gooski’s being their Great Refuge in the slopes of the East End.
The joyfully subterranean realm that is Gooski’s will not be appealing to everyone, but then again, if it was, it would no longer be subterranean.
P. S. If I had a complaint, it would be due to the narrow hallway, which made it difficult for the musicians to shuttle their equipment through. A backdoor near the stage would be great for that sort of thing if possible.

Want to go to a dive bar in Pittsburgh? Gooski’s is the place for you! This quickly became my go-​to place after the first time I visited. I was going to a live show in Polish Hill with a cover, and Gooski’s was the closest place with an ATM. I walked into the bar, and it was so dark I couldn’t even find the ATM! And when I finally got there I couldn’t find where to slip my card in. Ironically, I love the feel of this place. It’s a dark neighborhood dive bar, cheap drinks with cool bartenders, cool Polish Hill residents with no hangups about superficiality. The bar is also equipped with a good juke box, ping pong and pool tables, and a stage in the back for pretty good live music. It’s pretty smokey inside, so beware if that’s not your thing. The food is actually pretty good too. Overall, I love this place and am usually there about once a week.

Gooski’s is the ultimate Pittsburgh dive experience with a few bonuses. Like other dive bars, it features cheap drinks, a smoke-​friendly atmosphere, an eclectic crowd, and a complete lack of pretentiousness. What makes it better than most other dive bars:
1) Ping pong table in the back. Although it might be hard to secure on weekends, it’s usually open on weeknights. There are simply not many things in the world better than drinking great beer while playing ping pong.
2) Nice craft beer selection. You won’t be limited to ordering PBRs and Miller Lites here, despite the divey-​ness of this bar. Also you will find your favorite craft beers, if not on tap then at least in bottle, at rock bottom bar prices.
3) Decent food. It’s been a long time since I’ve eaten here, and my tastes have evolved since then, but I do remember enjoying some tasty pierogies here. Also, I have heard many nice things from others about the food — consider it above average (at least) for dive bar fare.
4) Sweet live music on weekends.
5) An amazing jukebox.
6) Character. I guess most dive bars have this, but Gooski’s just has that certain Je né sais quoi about its character that makes it different from all the others. Just come. You’ll understand.

While the place is smoke filled I enjoy the atmosphere. It’s not pretentious and I don’t feel like I have to be remotely concerned with what I look like here. Mostly because it’s also rather dark.
It has a nice section in the back to play pool and just to relax however, it’s not the most appealing bar that I have seen or would like to frequent. It is however, nice enough.
Cheap drinks and cheap atmosphere

My memories of time spent drinking at Gooski’s are glowing red. That’d be due to the string of red Christmas lights that line the wall of liquor behind the bar, turning your drinking neighbors’ faces that festive-​slash-​nightmarish hue. Like Hot Stuff the Little Devil.
Gooski’s is my favorite bar in Pittsburgh, and one of my favorite bars anywhere, anywhere. Anywhere. This neighborhood bar on Polish Hill is divey and comfortable; dark and smoky and punkish all over. The bartenders were cool– friendly nuff and yet you could tell that they take no malarkey. Drinks are strong and well-​priced, plus there are a good range of beers available from Polish to good crafts and all kinds in between, including some nostalgic, «Hey my old man used to drink St. Pauli Girl,» varieties… and Lowenbrau. Pop’s favorites.
By the way, about the smoking thing, the sweet freedom of smoking inside, I actually don’t even smoke anymore, and I wasn’t even an inside smoker when I did, but for some reason I find it important for people who want to smoke to have a place. Roam free!
Everyone’s mentioned the jukebox, and I will too. I geek for such things as great jukeboxes. Gooski’s collection of albums is completely excellent, fun, and basically perfect. I’ll admit seeing The Pogues up in there is an appreciation-​adder. I’d say that it’s remarkable. I was able to remark. Very good.
Oh, I didn’t even mention that they seem to have really good/​dangerous daily drink specials. I forget exactly what the deally was, but on a Tuesday night there was some kinda boozy bargain that made us look at each other right in the eye and vow sternly, «No. NO.»
Or we’d stay all night…
That’s a testament to legitimacy of this bar, as well as to our own particular brand of ‘ism.