When I recently found myself at The Parlour twice in one evening, I decided it was high time to write a review of my favorite hang-out. The Parlour is the best bar you're not going to. I feel safe in making this broad claim because, in my experience, most Pittsburgh area residents do not make it a point to hang out in Sharpsburg unless I give them occasion to do so. The majority of bars in Sharpsburg are neighborhood places with cheap beer—certainly nothing to complain about there—but The Parlour is really something special.

The Parlour

I've been a semi-regular at The Parlour for four years now. Last year, the bar changed hands assuming new ownership. The Parlour's new management deserves worlds of credit on two fronts—they retained everything that was great under the old regime and introduced a variety of new ideas into Parlour operations. The Parlour is, perhaps, most famous for its billiard tables. Billiards at The Parlour is serious business. We're not talking quarter pool tables. The Parlour is the sort of place where people who own their own cues come to play pool. The new ownership has removed one of the four pool tables in order to make space for more seating and, on the weekends, for live music. But the billiard tables are well-kept and always well-attended by a number of aficionados and billiard leagues.

Inside The Parlour

The new management has also retained much of the old menu—that includes food and beer. One of the very best things about The Parlour, one of the things that keeps me coming back time and again, is their culinary offerings. Always a cut above ordinary bar food, The Parlour offers a variety of semi-gourmet sandwiches, burgers, appetizers, salads and many flavors of chicken wings. My favorite item on the Parlour menu is their tuna steak sandwich. For $10 you get a tuna steak on bread (though, I usually take the bread off, treating it like a tuna steak plus dinner roll) with wasabi mayo, toppings of your choice and the option of either soup or fries. The soups are varied and often quite yummy. The tuna steaks are sometimes not as rare as I'd like them, but on the upside, sometimes they are! And where else can I get a tuna steak for $10? The Parlour is also known for its extensive beer list. They have a vast stock of bottled beers including domestics, imports and microbrews. One of my favorite bottled beers at The Parlour is Leffe Blonde, but I must confess that I usually ignore the bottled beer selection and opt for a draft. The Parlour has always had a rotating tap, featuring different beers, especially microbrews, every week or so. Under the new management, they have been keeping a few standards on tap; for instance, there is always a mainstream light beer, and a fondness among patrons for Old Speckled Hen keeps it on tap regularly. But the remaining taps provide a fun and fascinating selection of new beers. I usually try a new draft beer every time I go to the Parlour.

Happy Hour Specials

Some of the new innovations introduced by the current owners are happy hour and weekday food specials. Happy hour is 4:30 to 6:30 every day, but other specials run all day. I went to The Parlour this past Tuesday with my friend Sabrina because it was wing night, but we also happened to be there during happy hour. On Tuesdays, any flavor of chicken wings (they have over ten to choose from) are half off. This works out to $0.30 a wing, but the minimum order per flavor is ten, so that quarter and nickel in your back pocket aren't going to fly. I'm not a fan of chicken wings myself, but Sabrina is. She had a tough time settling on one flavor, but in the end opted for the "spicy crab" wings, which earn their name from Old Bay seasoning. As I understand it, she was impressed, but you'll have to read her blog for further details. I ordered the meatball hoagie with the cheeseburger soup—a coincidence I assure you, I usually don't seek out ground beef in such quantities. But I certainly did not regret my selection. The soup was cheddar cheesy and slightly spicy, and the meatballs came in a good quantity smothered in marinara sauce and provolone. The meat in the meatballs was finely ground with a dash of herbs and onion. We also took advantage of the happy hour drink special—dollar fifty domestic bottles. I got Yuengling and Sabrina went with I.C. Light. Additionally, we found that we could not turn down their offering of dollar chips and salsa. At most bars, you'd be happy to get Tostitos and Ortega for a dollar, but at The Parlour, both the corn chips and the salsa are homemade fresh, crispy and tasty.

The Parlour is a "best of both worlds" bar. Budget-friendly specials make it an excellent hang-out for students and locals, while the billiards, food and beer list make it a perfect choice for the more discerning bar patron.