Frick Park Tavern — Restaurant in Swissvale

Yeah whoa. After hearing positive reviews about this place, I expected a better-than-average burger and fries and thats about it. Frick Park Tavern definitely exceeded expectations on about every level.

The space - spacious, clean, with charming decor (love the wallpaper and dark paint). Feels extremely cozy/tucked away and doesn't at all feel like a crowded, noisy space you would expect from a self-proclaimed tavern. There's a full bar to sit at as well as plenty of tables.

The appetizers - Warm bread with butter plus potato salad deviled eggs (they have a rotating deviled egg special which is more than I could have dreamed of asking for). The butter was amazing, slightly sweet and herby, and the deviled eggs were some of the best I've ever had. The bread was warm, as advertised.

The main course - Gourmet grilled cheese and tomato soup. This was also amazing, especially the soup which tasted fresh and absolutely homeade and was served in a mug so I could enjoy every last drop. I wish I har a gallon of this stuff in my fridge for the winter. The sandwich itself was melty and perfect, with plenty of onions and tomatoes which added a lot to the flavor.

The dessert - Salted caramel panna cotta. No words, other than this dessert is immaculate and also huge (definitely enough for 2-3 people to share). One of my favorite desserts I've ever had in Pittsburgh and I highly recommend. They do serve coffee with dessert if you are a post-dinner coffee drinker like me.

Long story short, expected something adjacent to Urban Tap. Got something more Fig and Ash vibes but with lower prices, a more rustic menu and a casual ambiance. There's no doubt I will be back to try the rest...

Three stars because my wife and I have been going here for awhile. Almost once a week because we enjoying going to have a nice drink. We also appreciate they added the Tofu sandwich - we’re vegan.

Though, we had one terrible night there that has made us feel terrible and questioning if we should go back. We took our moms there the night before Mother’s Day. They were busy but we had reservations. The hostess told us immediately that we had only 1.5 hours until the next reservation. This has something we never experienced before and made us feel uneasy immediately. After 1hr and 20min the hostess reminded us that we needed to leave in 10min. Again this made us feel rushed, especially when the server just gave us fresh drinks and the desert menu. The manager came over later to tell us they were able to sit the next reservation at another table and also mentioned “we will have to hold you to the time limit next time.” We tried to reason with her and explain our position - we understood they were busy. They usually are on the weekends. The reality is , we were finishing our meal as fast as food and drinks were being served. Though the manager was adamant about the time limit and was explicitly passing the blame to us for their full reservation list. We all felt terrible after this interaction. Her tone made it sound like we did something criminal. After looking at Frick Park Tavern’s website, it does mention a time limit, but that time limit is 2 hours which is how long we stayed. Two hours is...

I love the concept of a neighborhood restaurant that I can bring friends or family to on any day. I think Ease was a great one at that and didn't need renovation, but here we are with FPT. So far it's been great. Below are my thoughts on the menu items.

Restaurants with huge menu are an automatic fail IMO. FPT does it right in that regard.

Pan-Roasted Salmon: cooked and seasoned to perfection.

Crispy Calamari: The squid pieces are small, so you taste more of the batter than squid. A little bland overall, and not really crispy. I do like the occasional fried pickle they mix in there that added some flavor.

FPT Salad: too much vinaigrette. I was a huge fan of their salad back when FPT was Ease. It was served in a big stainless steel bowl, well mixed with perfect amount of dressing. But the FPT salad was a letdown. Way too sour. I couldn't even finish it. Served on a plate so it's hard to toss the salad without accidentally dropping bits on the table.

FPT Burger: Burger's top-notch. Even more impressive was the fries. Among the best fries I have ever had - thick and crunchy. Rosemary sea salt was a great touch.

Buttermilk Fried Chicken Salad: Great pairing. Chicken was tender and juicy; good salad. Portion was small for an entrée but big for an appetizer, so I'd consider adding another protein option...