The Goldmark — Restaurant in Pittsburgh

I've been partying here off and on for few months already, but I wanted to wait till I had visited on a resident night to write a review.

From that, you can probably guess I'm a fan of quite a few of Goldmarks' amenities already. For starters, they offer quite a selection of (affordably priced) craft beers and mixed drinks, and a nice bar to sample them in, to say nothing of their status as one of only a hand full of dedicated DJ bars in town.

While I'm on the topic of the facilities and libations, I should add there's a couple of working arcade machines in the back as well (mortal combat three and street fighter two, specifically), which bumps the cool factor on the place up at least another two notches to be sure. The sound system could stand to have a tiny bit more on the low end, but it's already very good for a venue of this size. My only real beef with it is the location of the bar and sitting area relative to the dance floor. I find myself fighting to get too and from the libations at more crowded hours. A small issue I stress, but it does make itself known when the club fills up.

On to the talent, I've gotten quite an appreciation for a few of collectives and DJs that make resident here. Most specifically Longturn, and I ain't been to this one yet, but they have an actual night devoted to the history of house music, and another one for classic vinyl. I know, I thought that was pretty dope too. School's in session.

Bassburgh also comes 'round once a month also, and for the less four on the floor inclined among you, peak nights are dedicated to hits and hiphop. I took an opportunity to nose in personally on the latter a few weeks back. I think the resident was named nugget, and there was a guest of some sort also. Nugget held his own ok, but the guest, who spun hits, didn't seem as interested in choosing tracks based on energy or dance worthiness. They even turned off the neon pink "No F*ing Requests" sign over the DJ booth, which is amongst my favorite features in the bar. I was a little let down because I'd become accustom to the wider variety and more decisive selection available on the weeknights.

That said, there's typically no cover charge on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, and better drink specials, which makes Goldmark one of my favorite weeknight bars. Great place to hit...

The Friday night doorman set a good tone. He was super courteous and happy to be there. I went there in particular to hear a DJ. This DJ was hard-working, and did not disappoint. His name was DJ Midas. He paid attention to his audience. It was not too busy when I got there because it was January and before midnight. He kept somebody on the floor at all times. This was a drinking crowd, not a dancing crowd, and whenever he played the Billie Eilish song that won Grammys just five days prior --what should have been immensely popular and a good move on his part--he quickly exited this mega-hit because the people just somehow didn't respond. He saved the floor with something that they enjoyed. Go figure Pittsburghers. The staff was courteous in general and even the man in the back in charge of the bathroom (Peaches)told me a little bit about the place and how great the owners were. I literally only popped in to check the place out and couldn't stay long, but I would go back. By the time I left close to midnight the place...

I planned my company's holiday party at the Goldmark and did the open bar with DJ option. Nicole made the process super easy. I was especially glad that we could bring in whatever food we wanted, without worrying about any extra or hidden fees. Drinks were great and our staff of 30 was able to stretch out to enjoy the space, since it was a private event. The music was awesome, they did a great job at curating the right vibe for us. The staff cleaned up all of the food and decorations for us to prepare to open to the public, which was super convenient for me as the planner, especially after several drinks. I would definitely recommend this space for your private event! You can beat the price for...