Hemlock House — Restaurant in Swissvale

Ahhhh, ya got me. I did misspell Uni in my review. Thanks so much for the catch.

Now for the FACTS: You correctly point out in your response that I misspelled "Uni" in my review but you conveniently neglect the obvious: I published my review AFTER I left your restaurant. In other words, my misspelling had NOTHING to do with my understanding of what I was ordering (before the review, get it?). Our waiter certainly didn't quiz me on the spelling of what I had ordered. I've ordered Uni many times, usually as a sushi dish and was fully aware of what I wanted. In fact, I asked our waiter if your Uni was fresh or frozen and he said, "Great question, I don't know".

You obviously knew that my review was done AFTER leaving your restaurant. This was apparently a weak attempt at trying to deflect your responsibility and owning up to your mistake. Instead, you chose to attack and mock a patron for an honest review. Your response and actions are what's "too absurd to ignore" and they clearly demonstrate a lack of leadership. What a poor example you've set for your employees. You could have personally come to our table and addressed my concerns. But you didn't. This could have been a great opportunity to turn a negative experience into a positive one. But it wasn't

And regarding your prices. I agree that they would be inline with other restaurants on the same block - if your food was of the same quality. It's definitely not.

As mentioned, our waiter visited our table three times: once to seat us, once to bring my "meal" and once to collect for the check. He did tell us that the liquor and food would be two separate bills and he also told us that I couldn't get a receipt because your printer was out of paper. He did not tell us that you were short staffed. It sounds like your business problems are much more serious than one bad meal review.

I stand by my review. Horrible food, horrible service and now I'll add horrible ownership.

I'll leave you with one piece of advice: "The customer is always...". Never mind, I won't finish that thought. You wouldn't understand it.

A pleasant dining experience at a minimum consists of two things: good/ decent food and good/ decent service. This restaurant offers neither. At best, it's subpar bar food with Mt Washington wanna-be prices.

The restaurant is relatively new. I ordered the Uno ($32) and it was horrible. This entree needs to be removed from their menu. I'm adventurous when it comes to trying new things but this $32 dish tasted like mac-n-cheese. I took a few bites but I wasn't that adventurous to try any more. When asked if they could remove it from my bill, I was told no.

The smelt appetizer was more fried batter than smelt. Another swing and a miss.

Our waiter visited our table three times: once to seat us, once to bring my "meal" and once to collect for the check. I couldn't really complain about the service because there was none.

If you're tempted to try this new restaurant don't. Opt instead to go to Mc Donalds. You'll save a ton of money, get better service and definitely have...

If it was possible to give a place 20/10 stars, I would. Go here. Just do it.

TLDR: Absolutely delicious and adventurous food, super cozy and fun ambiance, impeccable service at an incredibly accessible price.

The interior is super charming - it definitely appeals to David Lynch fans but anyone who likes a dim, quiet and cozy place to eat will easily feel at home here. The theming is evident without being overbearing, and moreover just screams "sit down, relax and enjoy".

Service? Perfect. Seriously.

Our server Karma knew everything on the menu, provided recommendations, and was incredibly accommodating when my partner asked for mocktails. It was immediately clear that she cared about the food and drink, and going so far to double check on a slightly boozy cherry being placed on top of an NA drink. There was no pretension in the service - it very much felt like talking to a friend at the pub who knew what was good, and was stoked to tell you about their favorites.

As well, the food was perfectly timed. We ordered a huge smattering of snacks, small plates, handhelds, drinks and deserts, and they all came out promptly and in an order that made sense for a long meal.

Food: Impossibly good. I won't write a novel here, but I really, really appreciate their dedication to high end ingredients made accessible. You can try things here that would cost you a limb at other establishments, and they are done so, so well.

Seriously, where else in Pittsburgh can you get Uni, Foie Gras or Tartare for under $30?

For the sake of it, we ordered:

-Smelts (fish fries)

-Artichokes (do not sleep on these)

-Foie Nigiri (treat yourself, please. They are also just outside the city limits so the recent law does not apply, get your goose liver on)

-Hush puppies (crazy good take on Takoyaki, but Jiffy/Crab/Bacon/stupid good sauce)

-Beef Tartare (Incredibly approachable for those who have never had it, and a really great twist for those who have)

-Pumpkin Gnudi (Will put this up against DiAnoias gnocchi for the pillowiest pasta ever)

-Dantes Beak (Sarcastically large Nashville hot chicken sandwich. Seriously, it's stupid big and stupid good.)

-Drinks (Really all incredible and reasonably priced, get some coffee, it's a damn fine cup)

-Gingerbread dessert (what the hell how is it this good)

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Yeah, just go to Hemlock House. It is probably the most interesting restaurant in PGH right now, and insanely affordable for what it offers.

If the owners read this, give Karma a bonus and tell the Chef to keep it up.

This place is a gem in a city that desperately needed...

Update 2/18: Came for brunch today and it was an actual disaster. Understaffed so I understand why we had to wait 20ish minutes for someone to come over but then out of nowhere, an employee finally comes to help seat people and he’s holding a beer in one hand and a cigarette in the other (can’t make this up). He seats these people, then goes outside to smoke the cigarette. Meanwhile, tables haven’t been bussed, bar is dirty, etc. and another guy waited over 10 minutes to be seated. To be fair, the woman with the pink hair was doing it all and it was unfortunate she had little to no help.

I really loved their local bar program too to return and see they don’t have ANYTHING local anymore. Local businesses kept their bar program afloat for so many months and now they just carry the basic stuff.

Today was APPALLING. The food is just always so good but everything today was awful (besides the food) I mean even our silverware was gross :/ (updated picture added)

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I’ve been to Hemlock House three times and was waiting to write a review.

The first time I went was their Grand Opening. We got the fried artichokes, steak tartare, kale salad and uni bucatini. I adored everything but the uni bucatini.

Since my first time, I’ve returned and tried the fried smelts, the French onion soup and I’ve been for brunch.

Everything has been divine! The cocktails are great, service is excellent and food is even better. If you’re looking for a hidden gem restaurant in Pittsburgh, Hemlock House is a great place to visit.

Quick add: I’m a bit of a French toast snob… and their French toast is INCREDIBLE. It was light and fluffy and the raspberry compote balanced the sweetness perfectly (wow typing this review has my mouth watering)

Their sausage gravy and biscuits are super tasty too! Next time, I plan on trying their...