Mr. Smalls Theatre — Attraction in Millvale

This might be my favorite venue in the Pittsburgh area. It is located in Millvale, so it is just a quick drive over from the city. Under $10 Uber from Polish Hill which is wonderful because they have a full bar and sometimes parking is tough around there.

I've seen a great variety of shows here, from folky Punch Brothers to indie Jenny Lewis to Gwar. Every time I check their schedule I find a show that I want to attend. It is general admission/standing room and there really isn't a bad spot in the place, even if you want to stand in the back by the bar away from the crowd a little bit. I prefer to get right up front, which is usually pretty easy here depending on the show!

Another thing I love about this place is that you can get reasonably priced drinks. I guess I should clarify and say "reasonably priced drinks for a music venue"! If you need craft beer, they have a great selection. I've also gotten wine (they usually have a white and red from Black Box, which I really like) and they give you a generous pour! If you're trying to keep it cheap, go for a PBR pounder which is probably one of the best deals. They also have some snack food like pretzels or pita and hummus.

GOOD ADVICE: Either get there early (also for parking reasons) or AVOID WILL CALL. If you are someone who likes to buy your tix online and then show up right when the music is starting, expect to stand in line for a bit. I like to buy my tickets at Soundcat Records in Bloomfield to avoid the box office line. At the last show I attended, there were at least 50 people waiting in line to pick up their tickets as the band was starting. We had our tickets and got to skip the line and...

If you’re looking for a unique spot to have your wedding, then congrats! Cause you just found it. Mr. Smalls was seriously such a cool place to have our wedding reception. Sarah, Shaunden and their crew were the easiest people to work with and let us have ultimate creative freedom with our wedding, which was #1 most important when selecting our reception venue.

First of all, even if you’ve been to Mr. Smalls for a concert, having your wedding here is just different. The venue itself is way bigger than you think, with two stages, like 6 fully stocked bars, an outdoor grotto, huge rooms in the back to get ready, etc. It also has the advantage of full stage lighting and sound systems which transforms your favorite punk rock club into this magical versatile space that you can really make into whatever you want.

When you rent Mr. Smalls, it also comes with some top-notch venue coordinators. I mostly worked with Sarah Troy. There were weeks that I emailed her every day with wedding details and she was always very responsive and usually emailed me back that day. Sarah and her crew setup the entire venue with all the decorations I provided and it looked SO good. My bridal party and family didn’t have to do anything and it was perfect.

Even though weddings are not their primary business, Mr. Smalls knocked it out of the park. So many of my guests said it was the best wedding they have ever attended, and I think a large part of that was due to the space that Mr. Smalls provides, as well as their service and the creativity that they allow you to have.

Thank you Sarah, Shaunden, and everyone else at Mr. Smalls that made my wedding so memorable -...

I usually love Mr. Smalls. I've been to countless shows here and always manage to have a great time. The sound is always really solid and if you're down on the floor it's hard to find a bad place to stand. However, the last show I attended was unlike anything I've ever experienced here. I had balcony seats for the MUNA concert and will probably never purchase the balcony upgrade again. My section was only visited two or three times by a waiter and when I placed a food order at 8:30 I never received it - that's with the concert going until 10:15 and no wait staff coming back for the last hour and 45 minutes. I can understand staffing issues, but if you're going to charge a minimum of $35 for this upgrade and can't give your customers the opportunity to recoup the amount applied to their tab if they're not drinking alcohol, then close down the balcony for the show and refund (or, perish the thought, apply the credit to a future show) the upgrade. Upon calling to complain, they suggested running after wait staff and refused a refund. So buyer beware - you need to chase down wait staff, I assume find the kitchen yourself, and get your own drinks instead of seeing the concert you paid for. Which I did have to do once or twice considering how absolutely sweltering it...