Spirit — Restaurant in Pittsburgh

We used Spirit to cater our wedding! When we started to plan, Spirit was high on our list for possible food places. They already had become a staple of ours during the pandemic for great pizza, salads, and more. The fact that they had a mobile pizza oven was all the more intriguing. So, how’d it go?

The food was as tasty as expected. All the spirit quality delivered remotely. So delicious. The pizza truck was fun, and succeeded in providing true brick-oven pizza even on a rainy Pittsburgh day in early March. One caveat is that during the event, there was a time where the pizza was coming out far slower than people’s interest in pizza :) I guess that’s to be expected, but worth knowing about if you’re planning for this event. We had 56 people, and there was about 15 mins where several people were waiting for the pizza table to refresh. We did have other trays of food, so that helped, but the pizza is so good, so that’s what people wanted. We got many compliments on how great the food was after the wedding.

The servers were very helpful and did their part to make the night a success. They were responsive to requests, and made a point to get the special dinners we had for people with dietary restrictions to them. Also, during the planning, Leigh (Spirit’s Operations Manager) was great about making sure that anyone with dietary needs got a good meal. Very helpful.

As for communication, it was always professional and friendly. But at times during the planning, communication was slower. I imagine part of this is because catering (especially offsite) isn’t Spirit’s main focus. Also we were planning several months in advance.

All told, we’d definitely want Spirit food at a future event. We’d recommend actually having the event at Spirit since their pizza making capacity on site will be much greater, but for a fun alternative to traditional event food, you can’t beat the...

I think I was ethnically profiled at Spirit, mistaken for someone else and accused of something I didn't do. I was there seeing a friend of mine djing. I was standing at the bar downstairs for an hour with my girlfriend and her friend and then we walked to the dance floor. When we got out there someone from Spirit asked to speak with me in the lobby. And then another worker sternly told me to go now. I was told that I was giving another customer "unwanted attention" despite being with my girlfriend and her friend all night. While this was going on, some metal wannabe tough guy was standing and staring at me. He didn't work there. He kept giving me this hand sign right in my face as he walked up to me 🤘. The people at Spirit wouldn't explain anything else to me and by making the excuse of "wanting to make everyone feel safe", they ironically made me feel very unsafe. I was almost certainly mistaken for someone else, just another token Middle Eastern guy I suppose. The three of us left right afterwards and I don't think I'll be going back anytime soon. I'd give this place 0 stars if I could.

EDIT: I keep getting Google updates about this review so I thought I should clarify what happened. About a week or 10 days after contacting Spirit by email to tell them about my experience, I heard back from the owner or a manager, who told me what actually happened. Apparently another person in the bar told one of the bartenders that they thought I was putting something in someone's drink - seemingly the drinks that I was watching over. Obviously I did not. Instead of a Spirit employee confronting me about this, they lied to me and made me and my friends feel incredibly uncomfortable - for doing nothing. For a place that boasts about its inclusivity, I was made to feel incredibly unwelcome. I have not been back to Spirit since and I will not...

Google Review of Spirit Lounge - Afro-Caribbean Party

Date of visit: Saturday, June 15, 2024

Rating: ★★★☆☆

My guest and I attended the Afro-Caribbean party at Spirit Lounge in the Lawrenceville section of Pittsburgh. This was our first visit to this venue. Despite having paid $25.00 in advance, the doors opened 30 minutes late without explanation, which was disappointing (Rating: ★★★☆☆).

Access to the venue involves navigating a long flight of stairs to the basement, which could pose significant challenges for individuals with mobility issues (Rating: ★☆☆☆☆).

The interior, however, was impressive. The space opened up to a large bar with additional restaurant seating in the back and a spacious dance floor (Rating: ★★★★☆). The atmosphere was vibrant, filled with young adults enjoying the lively Caribbean music, and the dance floor was consistently packed, spilling over into the seating areas. The DJ excelled in maintaining a dynamic and enjoyable atmosphere (Rating: ★★★★★).

On the downside, the restaurant limited its offerings to pizza despite a more extensive menu being advertised, which was a letdown since I had hoped for salad and wings (Rating: ★☆☆☆☆).

Another significant concern was the indoor smoking of marijuana, cigars, and cigarettes, creating a discomforting environment health-wise and detracting from my overall experience.

Overall, while the party theme and music were enjoyable, and I might consider returning before the summer ends, improvements in menu variety and adherence to smoking regulations could enhance the experience significantly.

This review incorporates my detailed feedback on various aspects of the visit, offering a balanced view of my personal experience at...