Hidden Harbor — Restaurant in Pittsburgh

I recently visited Hidden Harbor in Pittsburgh with a group of friends, and I can honestly say it was one of the most disappointing and upsetting bar experiences I’ve ever had. From the moment we arrived, the staff was shockingly rude and made it clear they didn’t want our business. We started as a party of 5, with another 5 friends planning to join later. When we explained this, they flat-out refused to accommodate a group of 10, even though we suggested a practical solution: securing a table for 5 initially and having the others sit separately at the bar, a corner area, or even a second table if available. They dismissed us without a second thought.As Indian-origin customers, the hostility felt personal—like they were judging us based on our background. The vibe was so off that I half-expected a racial slur to slip out, though thankfully it didn’t come to that. When our other friends arrived, the staff begrudgingly allowed them to use a corner table but only provided three chairs for five people. We ended up ordering 8 cocktails—spending well over $200—hoping things might improve, but they didn’t. When the final two friends showed up, we asked for two more chairs for the corner table, where there was plenty of space. The answer? A flat “no.” Instead, they were forced to stand, even though the bar had space for 7 people and was practically empty. The staff insisted they couldn’t sit there either—no explanation, just more refusals.By this point, we were fed up. The place felt hostile, almost like a sundown bar where brown people aren’t welcome after a certain point. We were ready to leave, and then they had the audacity to tell us they couldn’t accommodate us—as if that wasn’t already painfully obvious. I have 9 eyewitnesses from that night who can back up every detail of this appalling treatment. I’m deeply hurt by how we were treated, and my conscience is heavy after this experience. It’s clear to me that this wasn’t just poor service—it was discrimination, a direct violation of Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits businesses like this from refusing service or accommodations based on race or national origin. I’m taking this seriously and will be consulting my lawyer to file a case against Hidden Harbor. If the owner sees this, please take a hard look at your staff. They were not just unprofessional—they were outright disrespectful and, frankly, awful people. I won’t be back, and I’d warn anyone else to steer clear unless serious...

Beautiful presentation and decor... but terribly rude service to the point where we left unfortunately. We were seated at a table without a reservation sign, given menus, and five minutes later the hostess returned to tell us the table actually was reserved and she was taking it from us. She was curt, unapologetic, said it was just a mistake and we should go back outside to wait without giving us a waiting time. We asked if we could just sit at the bar, as there were two open seats (there were three of us), and asked if we could pull up a stool from another table which she said we could. As soon as we tried to move a seat over, the bartender promptly leaned over and told us to put it back, someone has to stand if we have three and we can't move any of the seats.

Well, getting shooed around from one place to another within the establishments makes customers feel unwelcomed. Giving us so many contradictory statements makes it feel very unorganized with poor communication among the staff. We will not be coming back and will tell people not to come! Too bad because we were really excited to come!

I am updating my review from 1 star to 4 stars. After our poor experience the first time, the owner personally reached out to us to apologize and make amends. I appreciated that he took ownership and responsibility for what occurred so that hopefully other potential customers do not experience what we did! We were invited back for a second (and much better) dinner + drinks, and the owner was there to greet us. The drinks were delicious and unique, and the food was quite good. We are happy to have been warmly invited back and the personal attention the owner went out of his way to give us, it was very much...

We went to grab drinks after lunch and were sat on their back patio, despite the fake vines and plants, the place was nicely decorated and has a cool vibe. We ordered some drinks, but then when the server was bringing them over, she spilled the drinks all over me. It's ok! As someone who was a bartender and server I understand that mistakes happen, I took it in stride with a smile as the server seemed very sorry and upset. This however, is where our experience took a turn. A different server came over and gave me a rag, which I used to start to wipe the drinks off of me. A bit later, a different server (maybe a manager?) apologized for the wait (not the fact that I am soaked and sticky from sugary drinks) and that our drinks are going to be remade. After a bit of a wait our drinks were served and we enjoyed them, they were actually pretty good. With that said, nobody came over to check on us to see if our drinks were good, if we wanted any appetizers, if we needed anything while sitting in puddles of spilled drinks. We waited an additional 20 minutes after finishing our drinks, and had to ask someone for our check. Moments later our server came back with a check, and it was full price. We politely asked for a discount because of what had happened. The server obliged and gave us a 15% discount, but then added a 20% gratuity for a party of 4?? We effectively paid 5% more than the base price. Apparently this business doesn't care if they cause discomfort or create a mess for their customers. The least they could have done was give us a free appetizer, a coupon, or comp my drink-but nothing. Extremely disappointed with the service of this...