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    Big Jim's Restaurant & Bar

    4.2 (365 reviews)
    ModerateAmerican, Italian
    Closed 11:00 am - 7:00 pm
    Updated over 3 months ago

    Big Jim's Restaurant & Bar Photos

    Business Info

    BIG JIM'S RESTAURANT & BAR ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Divey
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Big Jim's Restaurant & Bar

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    My turkey Reuben.
    Richard J.

    I've wanted to try this place for a few years now but never seemed to have an opportunity. So yesterday I was heading in a completely different direction when I decided to turn around and drive another hour and finally give it a shot. I'd never make that trip again, but if I happened to be in the neighborhood I might stop by. It's a real dive bar in a shady neighborhood the place was exactly what I expected, our sandwiches were huge and the ingredients were very tasty, I had a Turkey Reuben , and the meat was fresh roasted turkey and lots of it, my friend had a corned beef Reuben. They're were very good and we both had half to take home for dinner. Their staff were very friendly, attentive, and helpful. Food was great and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a unique experience.

    Gnocchi
    Roseanne W.

    If you are super hungry, you are in luck at Big Jim's! The portions are ginormous, especially the calzones! I was with 12 friends and everyone was happy with the food, portion size, and service. We were surprised at how crowded it was at 1:30 in the afternoon...but, with the state of the economy, people are happy to get so much more for their food money. For the restaurant to be so crowded that they could not fit one more person in on a Wednesday afternoon, says a lot about this neighborhood secret. Even the bar area was crowded with locals, and it reminded me of the "Cheers" bar. All patrons that I saw in the restaurant had a to-go box. I don't know how they do it!

    Whole chic parm
    Denny V.

    4/11/26- Popped in for lunch today, and the place was nearly empty but the hostess, bartender and waitress were super pleasant. Ordered the Fried Jalapinos and they were good, but the basic Sysco product. I don't think anyone makes them from scratch- do they? Anyway for $6, I wasn't disappointed. My son ordered the Big Jim's Club and could only finish half. Look at the size of that sandwich! Then I ordered a side of fries to go w his other half so he could take it home w him. Thanks Big Jim's..! Keep on, Keeping on...!

    One server wearing an Imaculate Reception T-shirt
    Fellman B.

    I went to Big Jim's with my brother and a friend after running the Pittsburgh Great Race. I was very hungry. We knew the restaurant had hearty dishes. I ordered the cheeseburger with Swiss cheese, with the burger cooked medium rare. It came back perfect, served with tomato, onions and lettuce, with a dill pickle on the side. The server, Toni, was very accommodating. My friend had a strange request for her Reuben sandwich order. She doesn't eat meat, so she asked if she could give her corned beef to me and just have her sandwich include sauerkraut and cheese. "No problem," said Toni. However, when the order was served, the cheese came on top of the corned beef, and my friend's sandwich had no cheese...just sauerkraut. The cook had gotten the special request wrong. The bread was a hearty, thick Russian rye. Toni agreed to have the sandwich sent back for cheese to be added. And there would be no extra charge for the cheese already on the corned beef. My brother requested extra sauce for his eggplant Parmesan. No problem! The restaurant is very sports-oriented. Games in the TV, and the servers were wearing Steelers-related clothes. It's a homey place to go for good bar type food.

    Layers of corned beef in this Reuben
    Peggy H.

    The food here is amazing! Big, delicious portions. We had Reubens, fries with gravy, and open roast beef smothered in gravy and fries. They use Mancini bread- big flavorful slices, large amounts of tender, seasoned corned beef, with dressing on the side. The fries are submerged when cooked in some type of oil which brings every bite more delight to your tastebuds than ever before. The flavorsome bread on the roast beef is toasted, which is a nice touch, and compliments the thinly sliced tasty meat. The gravy is just like your grandma's- full of rich flavor. The staff is friendly, quick and thoughtful. This place has your hometown bar, restaurant appeal. We will be back!

    Pepperoni, extra cheese, and jalapeños, please and Thank you
    Gretchen U.

    Finally came in for an early dinner and had the best service possible. As the folks started coming in there was a great smell of all the delicious options for lunch, dinner and just a lovely time. As always a big thank you.

    Italien sub & Iron draft
    Johnny K.

    Great ole school Pgh bar! Iron City on tap & bottle. Big, delicious italien hogies and fun locals.

    Open face Open Faced Roast Beef Sandwich
    Brooke H.

    Always a treat. Food is always amazing no matter what you order. This place is busy so offer grace because those servers are RUNNING! If you want a real Pittsburgh dinning experience, this is it. You are elbow to elbow with your neighbor and everyone is here to have a good time. When one table sings happy birthday, or cheers, you ALL do. It's just a happy experience all around but if you are looking for a quiet meal, this isn't it. You can't get prices for the portions anywhere like Big Jim's.

    Homemade Lasagna
    Sarah G.

    Classic Pittsburgh spot! Portions are generous, food is old school and delicious, and the staff are friendly and make sure you are taken care of. Feels like you are in someone's home! Will absolutely be back.

    Interior - bar area
    Trish T.

    Great dinner the other night in this hole in the wall in Garfield. We popped in last Friday around 6pm, and the place was packed to the gills! Not even a couple seats at the bar. We didn't have to wait long for a 2-top. The hostess was really welcoming and entertaining while we waited. It was clear the place has a sizable regular crowd. Everyone knew everyone, it seemed. The atmosphere is very "old Pittsburgh" - energetic and almost like being in someone's old, paneled living room. A server took our order pretty quickly. The beer selection was quite varied (happily there was a hazy IPA!). Beer seemed a popular pick judging by all the tables and bar top around us. We waited a long time for our food, but I don't think that's usual. Our extremely apologetic server explained that the kitchen had been overwhelmed by 3 huge, unexpected parties. We were fine. The food was really good. My husband had their Reuben which he said was quite flavorful. He loved the Thousand Island dressing. My Alfredo pasta was crazy rich and dotted with roasted broccoli (you can have it plain, with broccoli &/or chicken). The surprising standout of the meal, though, was our basket of fries! I mean, they were the real deal - fresh, some skin on, and super tasty. The portions are large at this place - so come hungry! I took home 1/2 my meal. A nice evening. We'll definitely be back!

    Hot Sausage Hoagie
    Jack R.

    Saw this place on Diners Drive in and Dives and figured it would be a must go to spot. The staff was definitely very friendly and you definitely get the old bar restaurant vibe the second you walk in. Pretty decent menu. I didn't get anything that was tried in the show, but I got the hot sausage sandwich. I wasn't overly thrilled piece of sausage on a large piece of bread that was toasted and pretty dry a lot more bread than there was sausage.

    Mike M.

    Multiple reviews below of how this is a nostalgia childhood spot for me. But first time getting a spread in one sitting...and most impressively each item is consistent every time after all these years! Chicken parm, fish sandwich where I add creamy slaw and thousand island for a Reuben style, and "side" of Italian hoagie

    Italian Hoagie

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    3 months ago

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    29 days ago

    Food is always superb! Great staff and prices not too expensive. Love the vintage style

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    3 months ago

    Great food for decades served with service smiles and more. Cozy environment . If in area stop simple bar approach and dinner room in back.

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    10 months ago

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    1 month ago

    Great staff and excellent calzones. They also had Iron City in bottles. Now i have to add letters to make at least 85 characters

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    8 months ago

    Always get the chicken parm. Sometimes its very fishy tasting from the oil I surmise. Otherwise portions are enough for taking home.

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    The Woods House Historic Pub

    The Woods House Historic Pub

    4.2
    (67 reviews)
    0.9 mi

    We ate in the basement level, by the bar. Feels something like a colonial or British pub. Small…read moreroom, rustic. 20 table seats in the downstairs portion with room at the bar for 9 more. Stone walls. Exposed wood and burlap ceiling. - Honey whipped goat cheese: this is good. Warm piece of crispy baguette. The tomato confit side goes well with it. - The scotch eggs are fantastic. Crispy outside, nice eggs within. Excellent with a little bit of Frank's. The dijonaise with it works well, gives almost a deviled egg vibe. - The fish and chips sandwich is fantastic. Large portion: Two of us could have split it and still walked away full. Battered. This one is cooked perfectly. The sandwich sandwich roll is crippled and lovely. The tartar sauce is subtle and dead-on. This is exactly what I want from a fish sandwich. - The french fries that came with the fish and chips are nicely cooked, medium cut. Crispy potatoey and perfect. These are crowdpleasers - everyone at our table liked them. Could possibly be worth a trip in and of themselves.

    Great vibe in this place and you feel it right when you walk in - super quaint, like stepping into…read morea nice Scottish/British gastro-pub. It's a bit confusing at first - you don't enter from the "front" of the house; rather, you head around to the back, just off the small parking lot under the balcony. You enter directly into the lovely stone walled bar area that has a decent number of dining tables. There's an upstairs that looks quite different. We - far & away - preferred the downstairs. Much better ambiance. The place was already humming at 5pm! We took the last open table (we had a reservation). Our server came to the table pretty quickly to welcome us, put down menus, and let us know that their draft beer system was on the fritz (what?!) - had been since the day prior. Ack! But they had a really good brown ale in cans from nearby Hazel Grove Brewing, which we had been wanting to try anyway. We ordered our meal pretty soon after, as the place got even busier. But that's when things got a bit harrier. The wait staff got more & more overwhelmed, and the kitchen was overwhelmed, too, clearly as it took 40+ mins for our appetizer to come. But it was good. The goat cheese toast w/ yummy homemade tomato jam. The sliced French bread it was on could've been toasted more - for sure - but the flavors all played really well together. Another 40 mins later, we got our meals, which was fine - we were enjoying each others' company. But we couldn't get our waters refilled to save our lives, & it took forever to get another round of beers. People at other tables were getting restless waiting, too. Three of the 4 of us ordered fish & chips for dinner. The fish was huge - beer battered haddock. The tartar sauce - homemade- was mild and flavorful. The hand cut fries were good, but my sisters-in-law substituted with sweet potato fries - and those were *really* good. My hubs got the bangers & mash which he said "wasn't bad." The peas were fresh and good, and he really liked the mashed potatoes, but sausage was just "meh," he said. No one came to clear our table as people finished their dishes. The 1st beer glasses sat on the table, as did our appetizer dish. As a group, we ordered bread pudding to share for dessert. To my shock, the server was actually going to cram it onto our table with ALL the dirty dinner/appetizer dishes still there! I said, "No no. We need to have these taken away." We started stacking dishes for him to remove. I mean, yuck! We were trying to give the guy the benefit of the doubt on some of the other stuff - he was totally crushed under an avalanche of customers - but that was a bridge too far. As for the dessert - it was a huge serving with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream & a swirl of caramel on top. I thought it was a bit like eating a good apple pie, but my fam wasn't impressed at all (they all love bread pudding). One sis-in-law said it was way too firm and just seemed like the ingredients had been buzzed up and mashed together. BUT --- it was a good night, and we'll be back. I think we would opt for a week night, instead. Hopefully, it will be a bit less busy. And definitely, we want to try the patio. It looks really quaint with all the white twinkle lights. The parking situation is a bit tough for anyone with special needs. One sis got the one (I think) handicap spot near the door (the other small handful of spots were taken); the other sis had to park up a rather steep hill (she waited while we retrieved her car for her when we were done). There's a decent amount of street parking, but I don't know what that situation is like if you come after 5p/530p.

    Photos
    Interior - taken from entrance
    Interior - taken from entrance
    Fried green tomato sandwich
    Fried green tomato sandwich
    The Woods House Historic Pub

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    Nicks On Hilltop

    Nicks On Hilltop

    4.4
    (13 reviews)
    2.1 mi

    4.5 stars. Nick's on Hilltop is a local, family-owned restaurant that serves breakfast/brunch,…read morelunch, and dinner. Examples of menu items are chicken and waffles, grits, sandwiches, salads, loaded fries, and wings. I was a customer here once for takeout. The restaurant has two floors--the first floor with a gorgeous library, which I think would be a great spot for kids to study and adults to work, and the second floor with a bar and party space for private events. One of the owners promptly greeted me, took my order and payment, and made pleasant conversation while I waited for my foods to be cooked. She showed me the cool lit-up selfie spot near the bathroom mirror and door. I ordered the Troomy Chicken Club (grilled chicken tenders, bacon, troomy sauce, mozzarella, lettuce, tomato, and onion) with a side of Loaded Fries and also six Whole Wings with my chosen flavor of parmesan. All three foods were very fresh and tasty very good, but I would recommend adding a bit more parmesan to the wings.

    Nick's on Hilltop in Mt. Oliver is such a cure neighborhood spot! They have a dining space…read moredownstairs, bar upstairs, and all the warm, welcoming vibes!!! Their fall cocktail list was incredible -- I tried the Pumpkin Spice Martini, Hilltop Harvest Sangria, both full of great flavor! They're known for their famous Troomy Sauce, so of course I had to try a few dishes featuring it! The pickle chips with Troomy sauce were perfectly crisp and flavorful, and the loaded fries were a perfect shareable appetizer. The Honey Nut Bacon Salad was another standout -- light, fresh, and full of flavor!

    Photos
    Upstairs bar
    Upstairs bar
    Hoagie and Caesar salad
    Hoagie and Caesar salad
    Outside entryway

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    Outside entryway
    The Urban Tap

    The Urban Tap

    3.9
    (454 reviews)
    1.9 mi
    $$

    Better than bar food! Group of us came here for food and drinks. Friday night and not super busy…read more(yet) so they seated us right away. The drink - damn was that a smooth old fashioned. Notes of spice, wood, nuts, and slight fruit. The taste was great, but just smelling it was pretty intense. The salmon dish was great. The ginger carrot mash was seasoned and puréed enough that it didn't taste like eating just carrots. They cooked the salmon too perfectly to my liking. The service was excellent too - laid back, friendly but they didn't play either about getting your order on time. Solid bar/restaurant, 8.5 / 10.

    If noise is your thing, if yelling to be heard excites you, if inedible, burned food sounds…read moreenticing then by all means, run, don't walk to the Urban Tap. I wanted to place a carryout order. I first tried online but there was a glitch somewhere in the system. I called instead. When the phone was answered, the background noise was intense. It was so loud that the employee couldn't hear me. At that point I decided to just go in and order. When I walked into Urban Tap, the noise was almost deafening. Music blaring, voices raised to be heard. No one was using their "inside voices", they couldn't. I sat at the bar to order. I never got waited on. I finally caught the attention of one of the bartenders and was ready to place an order. We leaned towards each other, yelling to try to be heard. I couldn't hear her when she read back my order. I really wasn't sure what I'd be getting. Unfortunately, I did get what I ordered - brunch breads and an order of biscuits. It took quite a while to get food - no surprise there. I checked our food when I got it. Oh Lordy, those biscuits looked good. This southern girl appreciates a good biscuit and did these look good. I got the food to the car and we headed out on the next leg of our adventure. About an hour later, I just had to grab one of those golden, flaky discs. Butter? Jam? Nah, the biscuits looked like they could solo on their own. I took one bite and my eyes flew open - not from the deliciousness, it was because of the sheer amount of salt. That can't be right so I took another small bite. I tried a teeny bite of the next biscuit. Salt. The biscuits were inedible. No, I don't mean that I didn't like the flavor. They contained so much salt that there was no way someone could eat these. That's ok, there was the banana bread French toast. It looked a little dark in color but it never crossed my mind that this might not be normal. I took a bite. It tasted odd, off, something wasn't right. My husband pegged it - it was burned. Before grilling or after? No idea. There were also a couple of donut holes. Not even worthy of a second bite. I also ordered fruit. It was good but still not enough to save the meal from dismal failure. We won't be back .

    Photos
    Restaurant & bar
    Restaurant & bar
    Autumn daiquiri
    Autumn daiquiri
    Fall sangria Espresso martinis

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    Fall sangria Espresso martinis
    Cold Friends Kitchen

    Cold Friends Kitchen

    4.7
    (25 reviews)
    1.4 mi

    I have said it countless times. I am not a food truck guy. 95% of the time I have had them, I am…read moreseverely disappointed and pissed. They are going to be pricier (understandable if you know food industry) and just have not had many that I would ever say I loved THIS IS NOT THE CASE Pork Belly bites. Cooked perfectly and melted in your mouth. The char siu glazed had the perfect umami to spice ratio. Made you feel warm We split two burgers. Their Billionaire and Jelly Belly. What I loved about both these are they aren't smashed to fucking hell and paper thin. Thats what I hate about smash burger. I want juice in my bite. Delivered here The Billionaire was easily our favo and can't imagine another burger can top this beauty. Vanilla candied bacon, caramelized onions, French Brie, arugula and white truffle garlic aioli. Get a side of that aioli for the fries. UNREAL The Jelly Belly. Muenster, bacon, jalapeño apricot jam (insane pairing), candied peanut crunch and peanut butter. I always love a burger with peanut butter. The Quesadilla. BY FAR the best thing. Holy FUCK. That amazing pork belly with, their fire sauce and a house made wasabi aioli. I never thought I would love another quesadilla besides chicken Latino's but wow Not a food truck guy, but am a Cold Friends guy. Seating is connected to the brewery so a ton of outdoor tables and inside.

    Cold Friends Kitchen was the best thing about my night at Velum. They're a different company so…read morethey get their own stellar review. It's a food truck setup, so you do have to go outside to order, but I loved the food truck scene back in Cali so this was part of the experience. I ordered some perogies and my friend did the black and gold Mac. Big big portions for a decent price. Some things are expensive but you absolutely get your money's worth. Most importantly, they have an option on the menu called "Pay It Forward," and it's exactly as it sounds. You pay for a meal for someone less fortunate. My past has several moments where I could have used this, and being that (for once) I have a tiny bit of financial stability, I was more than happy to support this mission. Good food and social conscience? That's a tasty meal.

    Photos
    Cheeseburger Egg Rolls
    Cheeseburger Egg Rolls
    Pork belly bites
    Pork belly bites
    Food

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    Food
    Proper Brick Oven & Tap Room

    Proper Brick Oven & Tap Room

    4.3
    (1.1k reviews)
    2.9 mi
    $$

    I somehow always find myself back here for a delicious late night bite!! They really are one of…read morethe only spots downtown that serve food later in the evenings, which is something to always appreciate. Our server (I believe his name was Cody) was genuinely one of the nicest guys ever!! Incredibly amazing energy and super kind to answer and questions or provide recs. We tried the White Sangria and they had a Pina colada both delicious and so refreshing! We have recently tried the Pesto pizza (I sub chicken on top instead) and the brisket mac and cheese which was probably the biggest mac and cheese I have ever seen and super yummy. If you haven't checked it out yet I definitely recommend it to everyone I know!

    We went to the Benedum and stopped in after for a late dinner. It's a cool space, small with good…read morebar seating. That is where we ended up at the bar. I tried a black cherry ale that was delicious. My husband got a Vienna lager he enjoyed. He got the black and gold pizza with potatoes, garlic sauce, pepper, res onion parmesan, and provolone. It is fired in their brick oven with a crispy crust. He enjoyed it but it was a little over done and it was hard to distinguish the toppings as the char was heavy. I got the carbonara. It was definitely not traditional. The sauce was very thick and almost floury. They serve it with pork belly, which does not give the same punch of flavor to cut through the sauce as guanchali or bacon. The papardelle noodle were dry and clumpy. The dish was very heavy. Do not recommend. The place is chill. It is close to the theater. I might try it again if in the area.

    Photos
    Lots of drink selections.
    Lots of drink selections.
    Brisket Mac and Cheese
    Brisket Mac and Cheese
    Appetizers

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    Appetizers

    Big Jim's Restaurant & Bar - tradamerican - Updated August 2026

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