Twelve Whiskey Barbecue — Restaurant in Pittsburgh

I used to love Twelve. I frequented there every spring/summer for years. They always had a great mix when it came to the population, good music, and good food. I had always heard of the bouncer being “choosy” on who he lets in due to their dress code but I have never witnessed it personally. However, on Sunday April 7th, I was unfortunate enough to witness the racial disparities of East Carson Street. The bouncer would not let me in. His exact words were “you can’t get in with that thing on your head”. When attempting to plead my case, he was dismissive and rude.

In the midst of me standing there, I witnessed him let multiple males inside carrying liquor from another establishment (a clear safety hazard). I also witnessed him “pat down” some males for weapons and not others (another clear safety hazard). You would think that Twelve would do better because most of their patrons are African American. Sometimes, the things that we wear aren’t understood or respected by other races, which is why I attempted to plead my case but at that point, I was talking to a brick wall.

I’m sure that this review will be met with a dismissive response about how their “VIP’s” get different treatment and how the dress code doesn’t apply to the VIP’s. However, I just want to let it be known to travelers and newer people in the Pittsburgh area that you have to look a certain way when going to Twelve on Carson.

Below are pictures of my full outfit...

IMPRESSED.

We came into Twelve Whiskey with a party of 12 which grew to 16 as some of our friends were in the area and wanted to join. The wait staff did an excellent job taking all our orders and answering questions we had with the menu. Beers and cocktails were good and fairly priced. We were already happy with things and then the food came out…

Everything was correct - no mistakes on very complicated orders and the food was amazing! Very reasonably priced and the ribs, brisket, and pulled pork was incredible. Their sauces were also excellent and offered lots of variety. One of our diners was a self professed southern BBQ snob and ordered Carolina BBQ sauce with the intention of highlighting the issues but was amazed how authentic and tasty it was. And on top of all of that, the waitress was able to split the bill 16 ways with everyone paying for their own order. If you’re looking for great BBQ a stones throw from Acrisure, PNG Park, or the convention center, this is your stop.

The only thing to keep in mind is that the dining area is mostly a bar that just happens to have incredible food so the dining area is a little limited and probably isn’t great for families. The music is also loud but very much of what you’d expect in a bar setting. For the 16 of us, it was perfect but I can see sone people feeling out of place.

But honestly with how great the food and service really was I really wish I could give more...

I will never step foot in Twelve after the disrespect me and my girlfriend received. Extremely poor hospitality. and the owner is an awful, arrogant person who DOESN'T CARE ABOUT CUSTOMERS.

It's fine to have a dress code, but abide by the dress code CLEARLY. The security guard denied my girfriend for having on KAHKI pants, saying they were sweatpants. There is a HUGE difference between sweat pants and kahki/casual dress pants. THEY DON'T EVEN LOOK THE SAME. He was extremely rude to us. Later on, we went back to speak with the owner about dress code, etc. We explained the reason for coming was also to get dinner. The owner was very rude and never gave a valid answer about her pants. When she mentioned that we gave our business to other bars that night, the owner said "I don't care, I am a millionaire." I never such disrespect in my life from somebody that is suppose to be a professional.

Word of advice to the owner: this is Pittsburgh's Southside, you are one of 15+ bars that offer the same services as you, especially nightlife. You are in competition, it's all about CUSTOMER SERVICE AND HOSPITALITY. If it wasn't for your customers, you wouldn't have a business. You are not better than anybody and if you were a corporate chain, you would of lost your job telling a customer that "you are a millionaire and you don't care". Maybe you should take all of your money and educate yourself on how to be a proper...