Went here for drinks the other day after having lunch in the main dining room ( gorgeous!), after our friend who dined with us left. It was a great opportunity to get more of a feel for this historic landmark. Great ambience overall, especially if you are into history and/ or railroads. Located in the former Pittsburgh and Lake Erie train depot, there are so many fine details here: the ceilings, the windows, the light fixtures, the P&LE RR insignias on the doors.... Jackie was the solo bartender and she was great: very friendly, professional and attentive. We only had a few drinks, but I watched how she interacted with other patrons and she was fantastic. Also knows how to mix some good drinks! Highly recommend; will definitely return if I am back in Pittsburgh! read more

See all

We visited this Saturday and wanted to sit at the raw bar. It wasn't open yet so we sat at the main bar. We used to frequent The Gandy Dancer years ago and always loved their Charleys chowder and fresh made sourdough rolls. I ordered some and my husband ordered the lobster bisque. Mine was good, but there was no lobster to be seen in the lobster bisque. We asked for bread and were told they had none and then when we asked for crackers they also said none were to be found. They are extremely understaffed and we were so disappointed in our meal. Even the bartenders agreed with us that the place has gone downhill. We won't be back. read more

This is always a laid back place to stop, whether it is after work for happy hour or a quick lunch. There is bar sitting and also some tables available for seating. During this visit the wait staff was kind of slow but it didn't take away from the good food and delicious drinks. Happy hour is responsible and worthwhile. read more

See all

My husband & I were here for Happy hour date after work. Ordered off the Happy Hour Menu which we thoroughly enjoyed it as everything tasted mad fresh. I ordered the Pomegranate Martini- bomb!!!! Not too sweet, as the sugar on a quarter of the rim balanced out the mild pomegranate tart. One of the best martinis I've had the pleasure to enjoy. My husband had the Mango Mojito which he loved! We also had the Calamari & Crab BLT sliders-- both were equally good. I was soooo relieved that the calamari was not over cooked nor rubbery-- this was tender & crunchy-- the right amount of crunch with Chipotle aioli & Honey siracha glaze over it-- wasn't drenched in the sauce. But you can ask them for it to be on the side if you don't like it on the calamari. The Crab BLT sliders were 2 per order & made with crab salad- not soggy, tasted fresh. Will come back for HH again. Pricing is greatttttt during happy hour! read more

See all

This saloon at the bottom of the Grand Concourse has a fantastic outdoor, but covered patio to enjoy during the warmer months. A large group of us took advantage of a Thursday evening happy hour out there and were able to spread out around one table. I had the spicy cucumber martini that was just the right amount of spicy and refreshing from the fresh cucumber. My friend had the white sangria which also had a cucumber element and she said it was different, but she enjoyed it. For $7 at happy hour, both cocktails were worth it and the ambiance made it all the more enjoyable. read more

Gandy Dancer Saloon - Spicy cucumber martini - Bars Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

See all

I love showing off the Gandy Dancer to people new to Pittsburgh. It's been a special place for me since moving here 25 years ago. The Gandy Dancer is located inside the very majestic Grand Concourse, a gorgeously restored train station originally built between 1898 and 1901. The bartenders are all fabulous and there's a great happy hour with lowered drink prices and delicious appetizers half off. read more

See all

We came for a pregame party before the college basketball tournaments. What a great saloon next to the beautiful old train station. This saloon is very nice and warm, not a dive. There are very nice tables and booths with a bar. For the event, hot trays of food were delivered for a buffet line, but the food, tho very good, was not plentiful. People had to wait for food to arrive. Hot trays were never full. If planning an event check about the buffet line. There was a cash bar. Restrooms were in the old part of the station and were nice. We'll definitely return to try the menu and relax in this old, but very nice saloon. A parking garage is nearby. Handicapped accessible. read more

Gandy Dancer Saloon - Formal dining in the train station next door. - Bars Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

See all

What a neat bar nestled in the former Train Station known as the Grand Concourse in the Station Square area of Pittsburgh. This has potential to be an excellent bar but I fear it's on it's last leg. After dining at the restaurant the night before, we figured what a neat place to have a few beers. Well, it was good for maybe one beer before the bartender told us they were closed. It was like 8:30p or so and there was no warning, no last call, no signs of it being closed as there were still a few people at some tables around the bar. He wasn't very friendly about it and complained about people ordering a beer then hanging out for a few hours with one beer blah blah blah. Anyway, it may be better on the weekends or earlier in the evening. The attitude definitely needs to go. We did not feel welcomed. read more

Gandy Dancer Saloon - IC Light Draft - Bars Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Service is terrible. Waiting over 45 minutes just for soup. This place is totally understaffed.

Love this spot! It's a nice upscale bar atmosphere. The happy hour here is really good with food and drink specials. It is from Monday- Friday 4-6:30pm with seafood small bites and cocktails, mixed drinks, beer and wine. I was able to make a reservation on Open Table, but when I got there they said they don't take reservations. It was a little confusing since Open Table even asked me to confirm my reservation. Other than that it wasn't busy at the time we went, so we were able to be seated right away. read more

See all

The food and drinks were great, it has a great atmosphere, stepping back in time. The serivce was fast and friendly staff.

Went here on a first date recently. It was a Saturday night and it was busy. We had a long wait because the place was shortstaffed. The food was excellent... Crabcakes and coconut shrimp appetizers. Overall, a pleasant experience but they could have used extra help that night. read more

I asked the bartender for a smoked old fashioned & she said okay... brought me an old fashioned, not smoked... still good, just not what I asked for. Later she asked if I'd like another one & she said embarrassed she just realized she didn't smoke the first one. She proceeded to make me another & it was smoked & delicious. read more

See all

Came for the happy hour and we had an overall good time. Service inattentive at arrival. Bartender ambivalent about us standing there looking at him. Waiting . . . waiting. He was busy talking with his coworkers. Once we interrupted and were sent to a high top, we ordered oysters, calamari and the spicy cucumber martini off the HH menu. All were good and well priced. Waitstaff (Amanda) was friendly and helpful. If we are in the area I think we'd return. read more

Ivana and marissa are great servers. Oysters were good. Pretty ambience. Cool architecture. Check it out. read more

See all

Love this bar. Visited with friends again last night. the food, drinks and ambiance especially at happy hour are wonderful. However, the piano player was so loud that we were shouting at each other because we couldn't hear. We asked the waitress to ask her to please quiet the music down but no success. No one needs to hear music blaring that loudly - it takes away from the point of getting together. read more

While visiting Pittsburgh for business, we came here for dinner one evening and decided to sit at the bar. Service was OK, nothing special. The menu is really nice looking and honestly, the food we got was great. Drinks are decent and the wine list was adequate. The venue is really pretty and looks great for having a special event. Even though the food was really good, I just can't see returning for the price and service, it's a "one and done" visit for me. read more

See all

It has been years since we were here since we moved out of town, so it was nice to come back for old times sake. It didn't appear much had changed in the cosmetics. We had the most unpleasant bartender I think I have ever encountered. He approached us and never said Hello or anything. He just kind of looked at us as if to say "what do you want". We looked at each other thinking we were in the wrong place, because it used to be so nice here. We ordered martinis and they were just ok. Vodka wasn't cold enough and didn't fill the glass. The bartender never ever said a word to us. It was bizarre. Prices weren't bad, which was surprising. The place was dead on a Saturday night at 7:00. read more

Gandy Dancer Saloon - Bars Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Stopped in for Happy Hour the night before Thanksgiving, it was packed. I had not been here in about 5 years but remembered they had great oysters. They did not disappoint. They have a very nice happy hour selection of food & drinks. I enjoy the old time ambiance of the train station. My server Jeff was great. I had 6 oysters, and Cajun chicken tortellini and 2 glasses of premium Chardonnay. It's a great pit stop for tourists & locals alike. read more

See all

So many mixed feelings about this restaurant. It looked awesome and it's connected to the grand concourse so you can choose either menu to order off of. When we arrived we were told to seat ourselves. After 30 minutes our waitress shows up with bread and then walks away. We didn't get to order yet. It took 30 minutes for our waitress to come and take our order. We decided to order drinks and food at the same time so we didn't have to wait longer. She brought our drinks back after 15 minutes and let us know that some stuff we ordered was out of stock so we had to change things up. After another 30 minutes, we got our food. It was cold. There was almost no one in the restaurant so we were confused as to why it even took so long. We were at the restaurant for over 2 hours for no reason at all other than slow service. The food was mediocre. I will not go back. read more

See all

I'm reviewing the happy hour - it's daily from 4:30-7 and it's awesome Started with a pomegranate martini which was so delicious and packed a punch. We went on a Thursday and they had a great special on oysters $1 a piece so of course we got a dozen. They have a special happy hour menu which had a nice selection of items to nosh on- I would totally recommend the flatbread and the blue cheese sliders (they served 2 and were way bigger than what I thought they'd be AND they came with French fries!). I would not get the mini lobster roll - too much bread and not enough lobster or filling. The oysters were perfect! This was not on the HH menu (it's on the regular dinner menu) but the fish tacos were really fresh and delicious and a great deal! Came with a bowl of black bean soup and a side of rice too all for $12. The wines were $6 a glass and the cab was actually tasty! Would definitely come again for the happy hour! Josh, our server, was attentive and great. read more

See all

As a lunch venue on a work day, the prices are decent but the service is way too slow. I work in Station Square so expect quick service but it seems they may be used to either slow business lunches or tourists. That said, the iced tea and fish tacos were both excellent. read more

The Gandy Dancer is a gorgeous, old school bar. It's wonderful to sit there, take it in and enjoy your drink and maybe an appetizer or two. My wife and I loved going to the Gandy Dancer. But our last visit there we decided we needed to find another place. The service at the bar has been pretty consistent lately- inattentive. We've gotten better service at local bars. There's always a wait at the Gandy Dancer. A wait for someone to greet you, a wait for your first drink, a wait for someone to check in on you to see if you want to order food, a wait for someone to check on you to see if you want another drink. The food is good, if not expensive. The drinks are fine. So, I guess if you're not in a hurry you will like the Gandy Dancer. As for us, we'll be looking for another place to chill when in the city. read more

What a surprisingly pleasant experience I had here. I say "surprising" because, last time I met the same group of friends here, I remember having terrible, slow service and one option on the menu for me, a vegetarian. Tonight, though, we learned that you can order from either the Gandy Dancer or Grand Concourse menu here (though that doesn't work the other way around if you're next door at the Grand Concourse), which gave me a few more options. We were also here during happy hour which offered great drink specials as well as appetizers including avocado toast, queso dip and crispy smoked mozzarella. I ordered a sparkling sangria ($6) which was strong and very good. Very different approach to a sangria with white sparkling wine and cucumbers instead of fruit, making it a little more savory than sweet. Our server was excellent and attentive, never letting an empty plate or glass sit for more than a minute yet never being obtrusive, offering suggestions, even mentioning what the dishes he was passing by with to serve to other tables were. The Salmon of the Angels, which is angel hair pasta with salmon, is very popular here and two of the four people at our table had it. I ordered the roasted vegetable ravioli from the Grand Concourse menu with a smoky marinara sauce ($17) and it was delicious. I try to avoid bread baskets but whatever herbs they bake into this bread, combined with it being warm and fresh, made it irresistible. Our server automatically brought dessert and coffee menus when we were done; we passed on desserts but had coffees which were a perfect end to a very nice meal. Based on this experience, I will come back to this lovely Pittsburgh landmark, which is beautiful and grand even into the restrooms. Oh! And stop at the lobby on your way out to ask for your parking to be validated. I thought we would just get a couple of dollars off but parking ended up completely free. Good spot for meeting friends but would also make for a great date night and a no-brainer as a place to take out-of-towners for its historic landmark status as a former train station. read more

See all

How can you not like this place? It's like the Godfather of Pittsburgh- so much history, so much character, so much delightful romance. A visit to the Gandy Dancer always puts my wife in the mood... ;) In the mood to head home afterwards & cuddle. We didn't know about the Thursday Oyster special ($1 each) so we came here on a Tuesday. I had my heart set on oysters so I ordered a dozen (3 for $5). They were fresh & meaty with just enough salt water to make them taste like the ocean. I could have settled for a little less shell bits mixed in, but I guess that comes with the territory. The issue we had was with their draft beer system. The Coors Light smelled a bit sour & tasted a little bitter. I think the lines needed cleaned. Nancy offered to get us drafts from the other bar but they too tasted bitter. We ended up drinking bottles. I hope they have the lines cleaned before our next visit... read more

See all

Got a couple drinks while waiting for over an hour for our table at Grand Concourse. In hindsight, we should have just stayed here! Cold, strong drinks served up with a smile. Saw a few people enjoying food at the bar, or at their tables and also the oyster bar read more

See all

Great happy hour. Awesome service. Good drinks. Sad they don't have oysters Rockefeller anymore. Last time we went maybe two weeks ago waiter said they don't make them anymore. HUGE disappointment as they were the best I've ever had. Calamari not so good either. Other than that amazing!! read more

Gandy Dancer Saloon - Old fashioned - Bars Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

See all

Three of us "old friends" met on November 11th. We had the best time,and the best food! at the Gandy Dancer. Our servers were excellent; the very best. They were the ones who made the whole evening shine. We would like to thank Taylor and Miranda. They are two young women who should receive recognition for their professional service, and superior people skills. read more

I've been to Gandy Dancer a few times for happy hour, and just recently, for brunch. Happy Hour here is pretty solid but I was really impressed with the brunch. $32 may be a little steep for what you get unless you have a huge appetite. I was able to handle two dishes of pretty good food. I opted to try the Tater Tots and Chicken Tenders (both at the kid's station). The tots were good, but cold, and the chicken finger was just your generic chicken finger. Other than that, I had a slice of the Prime Rib, pieces of cheese, pasta salad, sausage, bacon, Western Omelette, etc. The selection here is great and I highly recommend coming here if you're hungry and like a large selection to choose from for brunch. I sat at the bar (was the only one sitting there). The bartender was attentive as I was his only patron. If I weren't leaving the area, I'd probably be here most weekends for brunch. read more

The Grand Concourse and Gandy Dancer Saloon are Pittsburgh staples and for good reason. While the service wasn't great and the restaurant had a strong... odor, its location is wonderful and the food is quality (especially if you enjoy seafood)! They catered to my eating restrictions with care and provided a pleasant environment to catch up with old friends. This restaurant/bar is historical to Pittsburgh and has been a family favorite for a long time. If you're a yinzer having a nicer evening in Station Square, definitely consider dining here! read more

Gandy Dancer Saloon - Angel Hair Shrimp Pasta - Bars Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Don't have high expectations when you come here haha. It was my first time here, my boyfriend wanted to come here for his birthday for the pasta and clam sauce. We had to ask if we can sit anywhere and the bartender said yes. So we waited at least ten minutes before my bf asked if it was ok that we were in the booth. Finally we got menus and the bartender apologized. We ordered the calamari and dynamite scallops to start and my bowl of clam chowder came out with the starters. The calamari tasted like hollow rubber.... Doesn't make sense right and there was like two squirts of sauce. Don't know why my bf didn't send them back, I think he just ate them out of boredom at this point. I wasn't brave enough to try the scallops because I'm pregnant and I wasn't impressed with the quality of the calamari but my bf said they were good. My clam chowder was oddly darker than normal New England clam chowder and didn't have a great flavor. Both my bf and his dad said the linguine and clam sauce use to be so much better. My bf ate 2/4 mussels from the dish because the second one tasted off. The only good thing I had was the pull apart bread that they brought back. It was super fluffy and yummy. 1 star for the bread. 1 star for the bartender dealing with bad dad jokes and compensating 2 beverages off the bill. read more

We went for happy hour! There special drinks weren't strong but I got a well drink after and that was pretty strong! I ordered the clams and tempura shrimp! They were both ok. Not enough broth or flavor in the clam sauce and the tempura shrimp was think it batter and not enough sweet sauce on it! Service was ok. read more

See all

I recently visited the Gandy Dancer Saloon where I haven't eaten in years. My friends and I were pleased to see some of our old favorites on the menu and that the bar area had the same cozy feel. The downside was that we waited several minutes for a server and things continued in that fashion for the whole meal. My friend's drink wasn't right, and no offer was made to replace it. Despite the bad service, the meal was enjoyable because the food was still delicious. I had Salmon of the Angels; my friends had the Fishwich and Shrimp and Artichoke Pasta. The sauces were their traditional tomato/garlic lightly seasoned. Fish was generous and the prices were reasonable. If it weren't for the service, I'd give it 4 stars. read more

Gandy Dancer Saloon - Fishwich no bun - Bars Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

See all

We stopped in to the Gandy Dancer on 11/22/18 Thanksgiving day before visiting my family. I was born and raised in Pittsburgh and have always loved this place. We sat at the bar and since it was Thanksgiving the crowd was packed in the lobby waiting for the Thanksgiving buffet. We inquired about the price of the buffet which was $42!! The bar was quiet and we were waited on quickly and kindly by the bartender. I ordered a Pomegranate Martini and my companion ordered some type of bourbon. The Martini was excellent and so was the bourbon! I love the atmosphere here and would love to come back on a non holiday to try the food again. I definitely recommend the Gandy Dancer! read more

Good food, good drinks Service was below average And there was a little girl skipping around the bar area the whole time read more

This is another occasion where I wish Yelp gave the option to hand out 3.5 stars because this really was a 3.5 star experience. First, Gandy Dancer and Grand Concourse are basically in the same building and are somewhat connected. Even though I thought I was looking at the Gandy menu on Yelp, I was somehow actually looking at the Grand menu, and that's the menu where I found what I wanted. So, seeing that the negative ratings were primarily for the service rather than the food, I ventured into Gandy to grab the Blue Crab Club Sandwich. Again, I had thought it was on their menu. I sat at the bar, got a menu, and quickly realized it was different from online. No problem, the bartender (who had greeted me quickly) said I could order from either menu. Great! I ordered the club with fries, holding the tomato, and it came out soon thereafter. Maybe it's the lack of tomatoes that's the cause, but I had a lot of bread (three slices since it's a club), a lot of lettuce, a layer of bacon, and not much crab. Every bite's taste was pretty much bread, lettuce, mayo (a lot of mayo!), a hint of bacon, and an even more slight hint of crab. The crab tasted good from what I could gather. There just wasn't enough of it. I love mayo, don't get me wrong, but this had a lot of mayo. I was wiping my mouth (and face) with my napkin after every bite. Mayo lovers of Pittsburgh, rejoice! This is your mayo haven! The fries were fantastic. Crispy, but not overly crunchy, with good flavor. Service was consistent, but not fantastic. My tea glass sat mostly empty for a long time and was never refilled. At the point I put my credit card out, it sat there for awhile before the bartender noticed. Overall, good but not great, and worthy of a 3.5 star rating. read more

Gandy Dancer Saloon - Bars Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Discovered Thursday's are Buck-a-Shuck and enjoyed a dozen $1/oysters with the necessary fixin's. Enjoyed the happy hour drink and food specials as well. read more

Gandy Dancer Saloon - Bars Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Used the frequent the Gandy Dancer often. Tonight was a swing and a miss. A rude server and lack of menu items resulted in us leaving before the drinks were ever delivered to the table. Even the host was apparently annoyed by the existence of the customers who came in to dine. A really weird and off putting experience. read more

Stopped by here on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon to get it a nice cold drink at the bar. We asked the bartender a question in regards to getting a bottle of wine we saw on the menu, and his response was "I don't know, I've only been working here for four days." Not to overwhelm him we just decided to order two glasses of Prosecco. He poured one in a champagne flute and the other in a Pilsner glass. We were in shock at his glassware choices! As we we went to take the first deep sip, we were upset that the Prosecco was very warm! We tried numerous times to get his attention but to no avail even though the bar only had two other customers. We finally got his attention and told him about the warm for Prosecco, and asked nicely for a cold glass. The bartender angrily grabbed our warm non-matching glasses off of the bar, very aggressively dump them into the sink with a lot of hostility and poured us two cold glasses - this time he got the bottle from the fridge. We were going to ask for a second round but the bartender just looked hot and bothered. So, we gave up, paid our bill, left and walked next door to another restaurant where we were greeted with a happy warm smile, a great seat outdoors overlooking the water and two identical ice cold glasses of Prosecco! We enjoyed this bar much more that we decided to stay, order a bunch of appetizers, a full bottle of cold Rose and enjoyed the beautiful weather outside. Very disappointed how we were greeted at the Gandy Dancer Salon by the rude bartender. I will never got back. read more

I had higher hopes for the Gandy Dancer based on recommendations by friends and unfortunately my experience this past Saturday night with 6 of my girlfriends fell extremely short. We arrived around 8:30 and most tables were full, but it wasn't bustling and busy which was fine for us. We sat ourselves and a waitress came over about 10 minutes later to take our drink orders. She seemed new from the beginning, and I am not sure if she was just overwhelmed, but I have to say our service throughout the night was really poor. It took quite a while for our 3 dirty martinis, 2 cosmos and 2 mango mojitos to arrive and we had to ask twice for ice waters. The cosmos and mojitos were excellent. The dirty martinis, in addition to the glass only arriving half full, were hard to drink. Just not very well made. We placed our food orders and we were so into conversation amongst ourselves that I didn't realize how long it took, but we did have to keep asking for water & drink refills in the meantime. I ordered the Charley's Chowder and their bruschetta and around the table, others got the crab stuffed mushrooms, Caesar salad, burger and fries, and salmon pasta. Our food was good. Not anything great or amazing. Nothing that I would hurry back to get again. It was standard and in my opinion, there are better places to get bar food in the Burgh. The fries seemed to be frozen and the flatbread the bruschetta came with was just plain. The soup was good, but I added salt. The pasta was good from the bites I tried but again, just kind of average. We ended up having a drink at the bar after dinner and by that time, the place was completely cleared out of anyone left. Our bartender was extremely friendly and funny. They were cleaning up the restaurant while we waited for our Uber to the next location and she was fun to chat with before we took off. It was just OK. I'd go back and give it another try, hopefully with better service. Not in any hurry, though. read more