Jack’s Bar

I can’t believe I’ve never reviewed jacks before. Deff a cool stop on the stretch of carson. The coolest part is in the back where there is another bar, more room, pool tables, dart boards ect. Always a fun time here. Well atleast on a weekday. I dont really bar hop on the weekends anymore ._​_​.

This is a classic Pittsburgh bar. I have been coming here since I was 21. It has a dive feel with a Juke Box. The bar tenders are friendly and the drinks used to be cheap. I was there a few days ago after not having been in quite some time. The drinks are no longer cheap. The ambiance continues to be that of a great dive bar. For a different twist, get there at 7AM and hang out with the night shift crowd.
I used to come here a lot, but while other bars stopped smoking, Jacks continues to allow it. Ventilation is poor. After 15 minutes, you and your clothes will stink. Consider yourself warned! If you can tolerate this, then you will be happy with this bar.

Solid dive bar. Drinks are cheap, bartenders are friendly, and the food is pretty good for a dive. Get the fried hot dog with chili cheese!

Oh Jacks. The typical dive bar that everyone loves. Is there a bar anywhere in Pittsburgh that’s open more days out of the year than this place? Jacks is South Side staple that everyone has to go to at least once in their drinking days. The prices are always good. The only downside is the crappy bathroom situation. Tiny and cramped are an understatement.

You will get smoked out. :(. But it’s a down to earth hangout. There are plenty of choices on booze and they do have food they cook behind the bar. My kind of spot 2 thumbs up.

Jack’s is one of my first memories of Pittsburgh, my mom’s as well. So it’s a generational bar! Been around forever. Divey and smokey. Pool tables and dart boards adorn the back room. Had fun on Saint Patrick’s Day! Lots of drink specials and food specials as well.

This is an awesome dive bar. The cab driver who brought us down to East Carson Street recommended it as a «truly Pittsburgh experience». Apparently this is also the oldest bar still operating on East Carson Street. The crowd here is kinda funky in a good way and you can tell this place has been around forever when you walk in. The walls are adorned will all kinds of comical signs that were hand drawn on bright poster boards and are very colorful and flashy. Some of these signs are even used to advertise menu items though I’m not sure i would ever eat here. My favorite thing is that they sell beer cocktails here. What?! The best being the Jack’s Twizzle made with Angry Orchard cider and red licorice vodka! Bartenders seemed friendly enough. It was a cool place to hang out if you like neighborhood watering hole type places with a bit of history and flair.

Jack’s is a integral staple of Pittsburgh and the historic Southside. How can you not love this Bar.
As a former Carson Street resident, Happy Hour goer, Dater of Barpeople and Eternal drinking Tourguide, Jack’s is always a favorite and a keeper of fantastic bonding memories.
Located at the End of Carson on 12^th street this dive/​biker/​yinzer Bar immediately stands out with it’s 70s style Neon Light Glass Tile exterior and spraypainted walls. With the bold statement of «Best Bar in Pittsburgh» you cannot help but test it for yourself.
First of all I must say that this bar is open from 7am to 2am everyday. This allows for a huge variety of patrons, from the overnight nursing staff from the Hospital, to the local alcoholics that start drinking at 11am, to liquid lunch professionals, college students, professional who still believe they are in college etc.
There is a front Bar which has a long fully stocked bar and 3 or 4 standing tables. There are two entrances that are open at different times throughout the day exiting out to the sidestreet. Through the narrow passage way there is the back bar which opens in the evening and on Saturdays, with 2 pool tables, a juke box and a Dart board and a second back entrance. [this is where I usually hang out]. A doorman will be checking IDs in the front and at both doors on St. Patty’s Day.
The entire Bar is cash only but fear not there’s an ATM, also the drinks are cheap so not a huge tug on your wallet. The drinks are strong and people are characters. It’s a smoking bar with a minimal menu if any. I personally have been scared to eat anything or quite frankly never thought to. That’s not what I come to Jacks for.
You come to Jack’s for:
1. Scoping out the Bartender your best friend hookup up with to make sure they aren’t a Manw**re [he is] and progress to meet some of the best people in your life [his friends] and prevent your roommate accidentally from making out with her cousin [that almost happened]
2. Invent the game shirts or shots after the premier of Magic Mike [winners game]
3. Waste the remaining per diems that your company gave the India Trading Team visiting Pittsburgh
4. Force your new First year MBAs to try the best drop shots ever [BATMAN’S!!! — tastes like a root beer float]; or your socially awkward coworkers they are the same people
5. Have your NJ friend flirt tirelessly with Beverly the Bartender
6. Find one or two Pretty Boys to hook up with
7. Sing Living on a Prayer at the top of your lungs
8. And so many more shenanigans.
9. Can I repeat BATMANS
That was a snapshot. It will be hard to find a soul who does not have their own version of this amazing bar. So if there are any places that are a need to try. This is one of them!

This place is pretty great. We went to the bar in back where it was just us and the bartender, Michael? Guy had some good stories to tell and made good drinks. $ 4 for a vodka/soda.DOUBLE. This is regular prices not happy hour. Why can’t we have bars like this in Connecticut. Only downside is the place is cash only which can be a bit of a pain but at $ 4 a drink, I can drink all night for $ 40. This felt like real Pittsburgh, a man’s man bar. Would definitely come back.

This is your typical dive bar. It was fun tho. It’s real cramped, but we were lucky to get a table off to the side. The beer is reasonably priced.

Jack’s is three different bars depending on what time of the day you go in. They open at 7am so first thing in the morning it is a night crew bar since that is their 5pm. So you will see nurses, security guards, and construction workers. Around noon it turns into a biker bar. They have special motorcycle parking with Biker Vision (a camera that points to the parking area so you can keep an eye on your baby). After 10pm it turns into a college bar. The place is typically filled to the gills and top 40 is playing. You might get groped, puked on, or sandwiched.
It is a dive bar in all senses. Cheap drinks, crappy floors, and bartenders that have zero time for your BS. All in all it is a fun place if you just want to have a cheap drink and a good time.
The only reason I give it 4 stars instead of 5 is because of their bathroom situation. Occasionally they will get a large group before the back room opens up (the backroom has bigger bathrooms with more stalls) and there will be a line for the single stall woman’s room.

Jack’s was my favorite bar in the South Side area of Pittsburgh. I could have stayed there all night.

I visited Jack’s on a particularly busy night. It was shoulder to shoulder everywhere on the Southside that night, which definitely made a difference in the experience. I’ll try to keep this in mind when I review Jack’s.
Jack’s has an interesting look. Its a nice little bar with hand written signs on the walls– not cluttered but getting crowded. It’s gimmicky but not tacky, which is a hard balance to find. Their drink prices are untouchable, they are seriously sooooooo cheap. Pitchers of shots are like $ 12. It’s ridiculous. We stayed here for about an hour before moving on. I think the smoke and the fact that the pool tables were covered up were the only complaints I noted. All things considered, Jack’s is a great place to start the night. On a less crowded night, I can see myself enjoying it a lot more.

You can’t get any divier that Jack’s. This is the low of the low, the dregs of the Burgh, the armpit of the city, the thorn of Carson ST, and the black eye of the South Side. It’s so bad you have to love it. Open 365 days a year (yes, they are even open Christmas Day) this is a bar you can get falling down, pee on a cop car drunk for under 10 bucks. Don’t EVEN ask for a fancy shmancy drink here, odds are they won’t know how to make it. This is your atypical steel city shot and a beer bar, enter at your own risk, you have been warned.

How can you go wrong? Maybe the perfect dive bar. Loud music, cheap beer and friendly people. I got drunk at this place twice and both times I had a blast. If you go to Pittsburgh, this is the bar to visit if your into dive bars.
Thanks

This place made me love Pittsburgh. CHEAP food and beer. Nothing fancy, just a fryer behind the bar. Normal bar fare, but fresh and tasty.
Nice bartenders helping us find stuff to do in Pitt (we found, we stayed at Jack’s).
Beer specials and mixed drinks were good as well. A perfect dive!

I’m in Pittsburgh. I’m not a Steeler fan but here for the Bengal game (totally not a Bengal fan either). We’re here for shenanigans and debauchery. Totally looking for a dive bar.
My search has ended. This place is absolutely fabulous. Cheap drinks. Stiff drinks. Fantastic attitudes, both by the patrons and by the staff. This place, as a previous reviewer had noted, defines dive bar. Who else serves pitchers of shots. Yes, pitchers of shots. That is exactly how it sounds.
I think we walked the whole south side strip, and went to a dozen or more bars that night, but ended up here three times. I don’t know why we left, only to think the rest of Pittsburgh would be just as fab. This is our go to place. Thank you Jack’s for being there in our time of need.

I can’t believe this place only has 14 reviews. Jack’s defines «Pittsburgh Dive Bar.» For reals.
Open at 7am. Serves food. Smoking allowed. Reasonable prices. Awesome jukebox. What more do you need? If only it weren’t in the South Side. Then again, I guess that’s part of it’s charm.

This is one of the most entertaining dive bars I’ve been to, but for a different reason than many of the others I’ve gone to. Typically, I go to be entertained by the wildlife that attends the bar. However, they have several entertaining pictures around the bar that show the bars funny philosophies, rules, and even their menu. In addition, they have some props in the bar that make for some good photo opportunities.
Drink selection is typically from local breweries with larger scale production or from America’s mass production breweries. Simple well drinks are also available here along with straight shots.
This is a cash only business, so bring money. If you forgot money, there is an ATM on property for you to withdraw some cash for your beverages.
This place is a smoking establishment and they are open every legal minute of the year 7am-​2am daily except Sundays when they are open 11am-​2am.

Got here before the crowds on Bourbon… err I mean Carson St. started to roll in. It’s a much different atmosphere when there isn’t the rowdiness of the college/​young adult crowd in there. You can actually sit and enjoy a libation and talk amongst yourselves.
Drink are definitely reasonably priced, which is great for a place that has so much competition.
Half the time I was distracted by all the kick ass signs hanging on the walls/​ceiling.
Be sure to put your nose where it says for an amazing view.