Mullaney's Harp and Fiddle. Pittsburgh, PA

2329 Penn Avenue #96

Guinness Tag: $8.00 | Overall Rating: 6.40

Today's Dedicated Pint: Cincinnati, Ohio

I think a lot of people in Pittsburgh will disagree with what I'm about to write about the place they call the "Harp & Fiddle," but they can shove their little yellow towels up their ass and stop reading for all I care. After going to Cork Harbour Pub down the street without any bias and absolutely loving it there, I stumbled into this door with open arms as well. I was ready to fall in love with two of two Irish Pubs that I came across during my visit to Pittsburgh. Check out the article I wrote about the Cork Harbour Pub after reading this one and you'll see that I have no intentions of giving someone a poor rating just because their bones lay in Pittsburgh (and why I'm even in this city to begin with).

To be honest, I was a lot more excited about coming to the Harp & Fiddle over Cork Harbour as we cranked the car from our hotel. From google pictures and google reviews, it looks more authentic than it is. There are certainly a few things that I really like about the place though, so don't think that this Pub is the worst of all time because it surely isn't.

As we were walking towards the front door, we noticed the awesome patio where somebody painted some giant Guinness toucans on the brick wall. The curb appeal out front is classic without any greenery. There's a welcoming foyer upon entering and as soon as you step inside the dining room you have a panoramic view of all of the really neat wall decor. This place is old school. Most of the wall hangings are pretty great. The furniture inside has a good touch of patina and their Steel Tip Dart Board setup is phenomenal. Anytime a Pub provides steel tip darts they instantly get a tip of my hat from me. Especially being that we were in Pittsburgh to throw in a steel tip darts tournament.

Once we plopped our potatoes on a couple of barstools, we got the chance to see the Pub for what it really is. It's just not that good. It feels old and dirty. I'll explain.

The shelving inside the big cabinet behind the bar has empty shelves with dust. The chairs throughout the dining room look like they were donated from the local Knights of Columbus Banquet center. I don't know what's going on with the purple curtains hanging from the ceilings (looks like their sound barriers), but they're outdated and should probably be in the nursing home down the street. The bathrooms are a long walk down the stairs and they make you feel like you're taking a pee in a Wal-Mart. I almost never talk about food throughout my Pub visits, but the chicken wings here are rubbery, small, and will smell up your car like a dirty diaper.

The place does have a few charming assets to it, though. They pour a stunning looking Guinness and the people that sit at the bar seem to be very nice. The older gentleman sitting beside us performed a magic trick where he turned two 1-dollar bills into a two-dollar bill. The bartender wasn't the most engaging dude on the planet.

Something tells me that I'd bump up the score a smidgen if I came back four or five more times, but first impressions mean a lot to me, and I know that I'll never step foot in here again. I can typically tell when a Pub is having an off day or a bad shift, but I really don't think that was the case here. For how long this place has been around, it's a pretty big disappointment. If you're in the area, then you have to choose the Cork Harbour Pub over this one. Hands down.

Ben Roethlisberger was never very good. Who Dey!