Piper's Pub: Emerald of Carson Street Pittsburgh

Part of the life in Pittsburgh is located in the South Side. Pittsburgh's South Side is most notorious for great independent shops as well as having outstanding restaurants and different foods that cannot be found elsewhere in the city. Piper's Pub located at 1828 E Carson Street Pittsburgh, Pa is most known for having the best Irish cuisine in the Pittsburgh area. When you go to Piper's Pub, you need to park on the street or at one of the numerous parking lots along Carson Street. Personally I would park in a lot and walk to the establishment. It helps increase your appetite, as well as helps burn some calories when you walk back to the car. It can be hard to find if you are not paying attention but it is a great place to go for a casual dinner or lunch, even breakfast. They bring in cuisine from Ireland as well as some American dishes as well.

They are open daily 11 am to 11 pm on weekdays and Saturday and then Sundays they are open from 9 am until 10 pm. There is also live entertainment on the weekends which makes this place even better. If you are a scotch drinker then Piper's Pub has to be on your list of establishments to visit. They have a list of at least 10 different scotches, and more. They also have their own family whiskeys you can try. The brown gravy used within their dishes such as the Beef Shepherd's Pie is created using Guinness to add a special taste and tint to the meal. The menu consists of numerous soups, salads, sandwiches, and things from Ireland. The prices are reasonable for the amount of food that you receive and it is served straight from the oven/stove, so it is piping hot when you get it. The waitstaff informs customers when the plate and food are too hot to eat. You can tell the customer is the prime focus of this establishment and they have customers' interests at heart.

The Chicken and mushroom pie I had was simply wonderful. The flaky bread on top was a little hard to cut through with just a spoon, but was great especially when dipped in the chicken gravy. There is a lot of food in your meal, and a lot of vegetables. Many places that make a pot pie like meal have more gravy than chicken or vegetables, but not Piper's Pub which had so much food, I was unable to finish it. The vegetables were not over or under cooked, neither was the chicken. It was tender enough to almost fall to pieces off my fork. The gravy was wonderful as well, it wasn't too tart or too full of chicken flavor. It was perfect for a chicken pot pie feel. It wasn't your normal pie, as the pastry was rectangular in shape and on top of the bowl. You have to cut it or use your fingers to tear it into pieces to eat with the chicken "filling." For the 9.95 that I paid for the meal at lunch, it was well worth it and I still had much left over to make another meal out of. The price of 9.95 seems to be the standard price on the lunch menu for the items from "across the pond." Sandwiches range from 7.95 to 9.95 and the salads are generally 9.95 aside from the house salad which is just 4.95, but I would pay the extra money for more on my salad.

The dinner menu is slightly different. the salads and sandwich prices are the same, but the "across the ponds' are a little bit more, about 15.95 most likely because for dinner you get more food. There is also an entree addition to them menu where you order things like New York Strip Steak, Chicken Medallions and more. Those range from 14.95 to 22.95 for the Fillet Mignon. Even though the prices are a little bit higher for the dinner menu it is still well worth it for the atmosphere, entertainment (television programs and weekend entertainment) as well as the amount of food that you will get. There is something on the menu for everyone, no one in your party will be disappointed in your meal at the Piper's Pub.

The staff is very attentive, but also knows to leave customers alone to enjoy their meal and atmosphere of the establishment. The restaurant is also a pub with the pub area located in the front and the sit down meal area in the back closer to the kitchen. The lighting is very dim, but still enough to allow you to see of course. I enjoyed it because it added to the personal feel to the place. It allowed my date and I to focus more on ourselves as if we were the only ones there. It was quiet without a lot of noise from the televisions that were on or from the other customers; there is enough space between patrons that you cannot over hear conversations and get distracted or have your evening/lunch ruined in any way.

Piper's Pub in Pittsburgh's prestigious South Side is a great place to have a business lunch, dinner date or just a meal for any old reason. The prices are reasonable, the food is out of this world and the atmosphere makes you feel comfortable and ate ease. Piper's Pub is one of the best restaurants in Pittsburgh with amazing Irish cuisine. If you plan on spending time in the South Side or Pittsburgh in general, you need to take the time and stop in at Piper's Pub and sample some of the food it has to offer.