Dee’s Cafe

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Field Note

Carson Street on Pittsburgh’s South Side is sometimes referred to as one of the longest stretches of consecutive bars in the world and should that be true, Dee’s Cafe sits at the heart of that string. Opened in 1959, Dee’s Cafe stretches across two floors behind a wall of opaque glass blocks that fit every notion of what a dive bar should be.

Pittsburgh’s dive bar inventory is well distributed throughout the city, but the South Side neighborhood is probably home to the densest concentration of divey drinking options. Most notable is the striking exterior appearance of some of these options, including the multicolor Jack’s Bar facade and of course the blazing neon atop Dee’s Cafe spelling out the name of the bar in dramatic fashion. It is no wonder given its location and longevity that Dee’s Cafe was once named by Esquire as one of the best bars in America.

The bar’s national reputation is well-earned by the Dee’s Cafe interior, two floors of vintage drinking vibes referred to by the Pittsburgh dive bar as an “adult playground.” Seven pool tables combine across both Dee’s Cafe floors to create what is probably the best pool scene in the city, the game taken seriously, especially within the second floor room nicknamed “The Attic.” Be warned that The Attic is only open Thursday through Saturday and only during evening hours.

In the Dee’s Cafe “Attic,” four pool tables, strict time limits, a prohibition against gambling and a fairly seasoned group of players means that the atmosphere is more professional and focused on the gameplay itself rather than the usual, more casual dive bar scene. The bar’s ping pong tables can also be found in this upstairs area. Downstairs, a second room just off of the bar’s main space houses three additional pool tables, a small portal cut out of the intervening wall to provide access to the central bar.

For those less inclined to play a game of pool, the Attic is still a worthwhile stop thanks to the long murals that line each side of the space. Additional murals can be found in the secondary pool room on the main floor, including a montage of faces belonging to past regulars and locals watching the proceedings. This same use of old school artwork can be found near the Dee’s Cafe main entrance where an aged, glass mosaic depicting the bar can be found.

Of course, drinking can be done here with no pool table interaction, the main room just inside the Dee’s Cafe front door a classic shotgun-style setup. A long bar on one side of the room is flanked by a row of plush booths along the opposite wall. Stained glass-style lamps reminiscent of vintage Pizza Hut fixtures hang over these booths and black tiles within a drop ceiling dim the environment.

As with most Pittsburgh dive bars, Dee’s Cafe allows smoking. Strong ventilation prevents an over abundance of secondhand smoke, a good thing given the weekly karaoke nights hosted by Dee’s Cafe each Thursday. PBR is almost perpetually on special here, Dee’s Cafe ranking among one of the top sellers of PBR worldwide thanks to its commitment to affordable PBR access.