PGH Dining: Bar Marco

If you're walking in the right direction on the right street in Pittsburgh, you'll be lucky enough to see Bar Marco.  Walk in, sit down, and order a drink, because this is an experience all to itself.

 Husband and I have been to Bar Marco several times now, and it's definitely a favorite. It may have something to do with the fact that it's so close, being in The Strip.

 The atmosphere screams artsy, with an industrial vibe; a common decor theme in up-and-coming or 'already-there' venues in Pittsburgh. 

 Side note: Bar Marco changes their menu often...They have new designs for their paper they print the food and drink selections. This time it was an architectural layout of the Strip. 

I'll write about two separate times, once late at night, and the other during happy hour hours. The prior was spent ordering herbaceous drinks and tiramisu.

Most noted was James' {Husband's BFF} drink, decorated with a spring of thyme.  Gorgeous and delicious. 

In the dark...

Lit from behind by a candle.

Also, for the ladies, you'll be happy to know that the servers/waiters/bartenders are the sexy hipster types. Oh, you know the type. Low v-neck shirts. Long jorts. Sneakers with little to no sock. 

Check it out!  They are just so cute.

Okay, I'm done.  Back to the bites and booze review. 

Husband ordered his typical absinthe drink, which evidently "is all the rage." This is his Sazerac {peychaud's, absinthe and cognac - super serious, and you only need one}.

To finish off our cocktails, we ordered the tiramisu.

It almost covered the plate, and a was more than enough for three people to share. 

 Afterwards, our adorable hipster waiter told us about the art gallery upstairs.  We paid out tab, and headed up.  It's a long, skinny building, but the art is placed on the walls in such a way that it becomes a method of storytelling. 

This particular exhibit was pen or pencil drawings of birds from the area. 

Intermingled were landscapes from a somewhat mythical-looking place.  

Another time we ventured to Bar Marco was to take my best friend our for her first night in PGH.  She has a soft spot for Austin, Texas, which is a hipster capitol of the state; We knew just where to take her. 

 We were seated next to the old subway-tiled wall, which happened to have a crack shaped like a heart. Aww.

This time, we ordered food to go with our delightful booze. 

 It was a meat and cheese plate, complete with their honey-infused walnut pesto. It was heavy on the hone, light on the pesto, but we all agreed it was lovely with the other three selections. {house-made chorizo?!}

For our drinks, we chose:

Grower 75 {Grower Champgane, Bathub Gin and lemon}  

Caipirinha {Cachaca and Lime}

And, Husband had his Sazerac again. The three drinks were lovely, and were were lucky enough to see each one made, shaker and all.

After our bites and booze, we headed upstairs to see what the art gallery offered. This time, it was much more graphic and colorful.

We'd just missed the exhibit, and many pieces had already been purchased. What was left was interesting and eclectic.

Bar Marco is a true jewel in Pittsburgh. I'd be happy to take any visitor or long-time Pittsburgh resident to take in the art, food and prohibition-style cocktails. And to ogle at the cute hipster boys.

 Neighborhood: The Strip District

Good For: Cocktails, Art, Lite Bites

Gems: Art gallery above

Drawbacks: Somewhat pricey