September 29, 2011
Ambiance is dark, a bit divey, but not dirty. Food is pretty good bar food, sandwhich burgers and the like at very good prices. Beer prices are on par with the rest of Pittsburgh. Probably the best tap selection in Pittsburgh just behind Fat Heads. Some rarities can be found here and there as well and the bottle list is pretty extensive too. Definitely worth a vist.

September 14, 2011
Nice big bar with a good selection. It was Oskar Blues night when i went. The service was good but nothing exceptional. Enjoyable experience.

August 26, 2010
We went in here after we saw the line to get into Fat Heads. I was pleasantly surprised for pretty much the same reasons JoeMcphee stated. In an area surrounded by lesser dive bars, the quality of the tap and bottle list was impressive. Tried out stuff from some new breweries here and revisited old friends. Prices were pretty good, considering. and the service was very good. We also played darts and hung out with the very sociable, very drunk, Pittsburgh RB crew.

July 26, 2010
Looks like a dive from the outside, but it’s actually pretty nice once you head through the doors. Dark with high ceilings and a crazy old mechanical contraption driving the ceiling fans out front. A great selection of stuff that we don’t see in New York and prices that we definitely don’t ever see in New York. A long row of bottled beer in coolers behind the bar that are priced incredibly well (8 bucks for Orval in a bar!). The bartender knew his stuff and could offer suggestions pretty readily based on what you told him you liked. Also deserves props for being the place that inspired the creation of Souther Tier Farmer’s Cream - a 50-50 mix of Creme Brulee and Farmer’s Tan that renders the undrinkable merely mediocre.

June 25, 2010
I really like the atmosphere, darker bar feel, tons of taps. The selection is very good, but the prices are moderately expensive and the service is decent. One complaint was that the bottle list was not up to date and many bottle they did not have.

March 24, 2010 [ Updated November 7, 2011 ]
Dimly lit, small but lengthy corner bar that gets pretty crowded with college party crowds on weekends, definitely the dive-feel to it. Expect shouting and darts matches. Probably the most consistent and well-rounded tap list in the city. Specialties from Founders Slappy Sappy and SH IRS to Nugget Nectar and Hopslam. Additionally, nice bottle selection including tough Pgh finds like HotD. Had food once, pretty standard grease, though decent enough. Prices are tolerable for South Side. This is where you should drink when in the South Side, so do Fatheads for a sandwich and then get drunk here, then hit Library to sober up, or just stay at Piper’s all night. I have had several problems with rude service, possibly my own drunk ass fault, but quite douchey and know-it-all even though they know jack shit.

March 19, 2010
Great Selection of drafts. Good Food. I make sure to stop here everytime I travel to the South Side. Definitely Recommend.

November 2, 2009
I have been here several times, but have never taken the chance to give it a rating. Easily the best part of this bar is the tremendous selection of beer. They have around 60 beers on tap, nearly all of which are craft items. Additionally, there are at least 150+ other beers in bottles in a series of large glass coolers that face patrons sitting at the bar. In the end, it is not difficult to find something totally new to try, or to revisit an old classic. More recently, they have begun carrying beers from breweries previously unavailable in western PA; specifically, Avery, Pizza Port/Lost Abbey, and Hair of the Dog. The only downside to the selection is the at times prohibitively high pricing. I once paid $30 for a Lost Abbey 750ml. While this isn’t the norm, it is to pay between $5 and $8 for a beer. I haven’t had the food, but have been with others that have ordered things. It is your standard pub fare, with most of the items being deep fried...not necessarily a bad thing. The atmosphere is more old-school barlike, dark, loud, and often crowded. The barmen are generally nice, quick to wait on you, and happy to make a suggestion. Overall, definitely worth visiting, if you’re in the area.

October 9, 2008
Wow, I’ve never been to a place that actually had 60 taps of micro and imports, impressive. Had no trouble finding something I never had before. Wenesday at lunchtime, no crowd at all. Only three people at the bar. Very freindly and kind employees. Barmaid knows about these beers and they are much more affordable than Fatheads down the block. This is a very nice place to visit. Old style steel city bar ambience. If you hit this place you should also go visit Piper’s Pub and Fatheads as well, they are all on the same block. Didn’t have any food this time.

April 27, 2008
Just got back from Pitt for my buddy’s bachelor party weekend. Luckily, one of the places where we all met up was Smokin’ Joes. Great, comfy dive bar. Awesome tap selection - among the beers on where Tid Fidy, Hop Rod Rye, Stone IPA, 90 Minute and a great bottle selection including all the good PA stuff plus Southern Tier and Great Lakes. Service was prompt - I got the BBQ burger and HUGE mozzarella cheese sticks which were awesome. Great sports atmosphere too. Watched the Pens/Rangers game here and it was exciting. The only negatives were the smoke and that in the upstairs taproom, the Bells Two Hearted keg was off - kinda flat, warm and just not good. Aside from that, a place you should definitely check out.