Mount Washington is known as a great place to view the city of Pittsburgh. Hard to believe, but USA Today actually chose it as the second best view in the entire country. The view makes the perfect setting for a number of glass walled, up-scale restaurants that sit on the edge of Grandview Avenue.
Those restaurants are great for tourists and special occasions, but it's always been a struggle to get an informal, moderate priced meal up here. Within the past couple of years, Redbeards Tavern and the Shiloh Inn have changed hands and both are greatly improved in both food and atmosphere. Now the Bigham Tavern (formally Kaibs) has done the same. I always liked Kaibs, but the food was just OK, the draft beer was slightly warm, and the TV's while large, were all placed in the corners of the room, making them hard to see. In addition, the place always had a big, irritating echo when the crowd was a bit noisy.
The new owners have really cleaned the place up and really improved the menu. While still pub-fare, the grub is a pleasant surprise. The burgers are great, and they offer some inventive toppings such as bologna, pepperoni, and capicola. And the curly fries are tremendous! Kaibs had great wings, and The Bigham smartly kept Wednesday as wing night, and I'm told they are using the same proven recipe. A bunch of new HD TV's makes it enjoyable to watch a Pens/Steeler game.
The Bigham Tavern is a great addition for Mount Washington. The crowd is friendly, the food is good and the TV's can be seen by the patrons, not just the bartenders. I only wish they would add some cloth wall hangings, and get rid of that damm echo!
If you would like to visit, take McArdle Roadway to the top, turn right on Grandview and make a left at the first stop sign.
2 comments:
Most of my friends from CMU were from out of town, and when I took them to Kaibs, they were sold on the wings as the best anywhere. We had a Pittsburgh reunion a year ago, and one of those friends had eaten wings at the Anchor Bar (Buffalo, NY - birthplace of the Buffalo wing). His verdict? Kaibs wins, hands down.
I haven't been back to the tavern since they changed hands, so I'm hoping the wings are still the same.
Ugly Bag, I've been back to Kaib's several times since they changed hands, and I'm glad to report that the wings are still tremendous!
Post a Comment