Federal Galley — Restaurant in Pittsburgh

Had a terrible experience here. We came in at 9:40 and were told politely that the kitchen closes at 10. So we hurried up and ordered from a stall that sells Asian cuisine (Ramen, poke bowls, etc.) They looked really annoyed that we were ordering so close to closing time, and I told them we would take the order to go so we would be out of their hair sooner. Food came out quickly, but I guess she didn't hear me say we would take it to go, so we sat down with our plates and started eating. I got the pork belly Ramen and they had burned the pork belly horribly. One side was charred black and all me and my sister could taste was the burned flavor. She got the pulled pork tacos and the pork was really dry, as if it was old. She decided to eat hers anyway, but I asked for a refund for mine. The workers looked really mad, and while she was not outright rude, the girl who helped process my refund certainly made her annoyance known. My sister also said that the other workers were rolling their eyes behind my back and they all shot me dirty looks. I wish I had taken a picture of all the pork belly because I am not exaggerating when I say every piece was blackened. The only good thing was the friendliness of a worker (might very been a manager, he had a Federal Galley t shirt on). He asked if everything was OK and I told him my food was burnt but it had been refunded. I told him that they had probably cooked it in a hurry since they were about to close, and he responded "Open until 10 means we are open until 10" and I hope he passed that on to the rude employees who were working that stall. He was the only nice person...

The open space was clean, welcoming and not crowded which was nice. The QR code table method for ordering was quick, easy and brilliant.

We got food from Provision PGH, more specifically; -The pork belly sandwich; amazing flavor and perfectly grilled pork belly. This sandwich did not disappoint, every bite was packed with amazing flavor and they do not skimp on the pork belly! -Sloppy Joe Fries; Sloppy Joe meat had great flavor and the pickled peppers added a great flavor to the dish as well. The Fries themselves could have been more crispy, while they consider this dish a "poutine" the cheese curds felt lost in the ingredients, and there were a lot more fries than toppings on this dish.

We also got food from Driven Detroit style Pizza, more specifically; -Burrata, pesto and tomato jam appetizer; Everything about this was delicious. You get a whole ball of burrata with this sweet and acidic tomato jam with some pesto and grilled crostini. The crostini was delicious by itself so you can only imagine how delicious adding those other components were. The burrata was fresh and soft and everything was paired well together. -Vodka Pizza; I've never had Detroit style pizza before but I was absolutely blown away. First off, the piped warm ricotta was a game changer. Secondly the pizza itself is like a thick Sicilian square style pizza and I was so pleasantly surprised to see that instead of a normal dough crust it was a crust of cheese instead. Hands down the best pizza I've ever had. I'm low key sad that I don't live around here so I can't get...

Big fan of Federal Galley. If your primary objective is a good place to meet some friends and grab some drinks and food in a relaxed, open / outdoor area, it's one of the best in Pittsburgh.

Pros: It's just easy. First come first serve seating with big tables in outdoor patio areas and some indoor seating too. Everyone can go their own way when it comes to food. It's a restaurant incubator, so there are multiple places to order food from depending on what they are in the mood for (check the website for current restaurants). Lots of great beers on tap, and a small selection of some consistently delicious mixed drinks too. Parking is always easy (we street park, it's free after 6pm).

Cons: I think it's a little on the pricey side. Not fancy restaurant pricing, but beers are a couple dollars more expensive than I would expect and depending on where you order your food from, there's a bit of a premium. Sometimes the bar can be slow depending on how much staff is working and how many patrons are there. The food can be inconsistent depending on where you get it from. I've had fantastic meals, and meals that I was really disappointed in for the price I paid.

Overall: Worth the gamble on food (again, check website and reviews for individual food places) and the slight premium on the cost of everything. Significantly better than Smallman Galley. If the weather is nice and we have a larger group of people, Federal Galley is often at the top of our list of options...