Take A Break Bar

Good beer, nice darts, easy to talk with a small group of friends, ample street parking.

$ 4 huuuge blue moon drafts. Everyone is way too serious about their pool game. Doesn’t take cards. Smoker friendly. Definitely a dive bar. They put tape over the outlets so you can’t charge your phones. Don’t give out your number or take someone home from here.

Great local hangout spot! Two pool tables, cheap drinks, but usually pretty smokey. Saturdays are 3 $ 23oz yuenglings all night, I mean really, how can you go wrong with that? Three different sitting areas so there’s always a spot. Plus who doesn’t love taking breaks?

I love this bar! Cheap drinks and the pool area is great. Good atmosphere and although you can smoke inside, it doesn’t really get filled with smoke like other bars. Definitely a bar to frequent.

I was totally floored and impressed with the layout here but keep in mind I was there at 2pm amongst 3 other patrons so I can envision it being a different feel if congested and busy. Its almost set up like you are stepping into the trunk of a giant pine tree with what i would call 1.5 floors/​levels since each isn’t actually much different height than the other but there is a small difference. The bottom one is a few vending machines along with small tables. The middle level was the main bar although small gives a person an interesting viewpoint of the other 2 levels. And at the top level were the dart boards and pool tables. I didn’t use the restroom facilities.
I liked how they offer Molson on tap as I rarely see this brew in Pittsburgh anymore and prices for a tall one were reasonable the best yet the mug was iced :)

I’ve passed Take a Break everyday on my commute, and I’m glad I finally took a walk over to it last night in the unseasonably warm weather. I have to say, I was surprised with what I found. Take a Break has great character with a fair share of pros and cons.
The pros: This place has massive mugs for beers on draft. I ordered a Blue Moon, and went with the large which is LARGE MUG. It was comically big and I’m glad I walked over. Did I mention it was under $ 5?
When the weather is nice, the doors are kept open and there as a great breeze going through the bar. The space is surprisingly large, I had no problem sitting and watching a few games of pool. The place is decked out in Steelers curtains and was in full Halloween mode with cobwebs (assuming they were fake). I’m told the place can get a bit crowded on the weekend, but like I said, it’s pretty big in there.
The cons: Like most of the best dives in Pittsburgh, you can still smoke inside. I imagine this can get painful on a smokey night for an asthmatic like me. You will come out of here reeking of cigarette smoke. Also, they don’t have much variety on tap – but that’s coming from a self-​proclaimed beer snob.
In terms of the dives around Pittsburgh, I find this one pretty approachable. I’m sure I’ll be back again.

This is a great dive right in Lawrenceville with a bunch of character. Yes, the pros are as everyone else has already mentioned: usually a great neighborhood blue collar crowd, cheap mug drinks, and a laid back vibe. It was actually really surprising to me how large the bar is inside the first time I walked in. The people usually vary, and Fridays and Saturdays can be pretty busy with long lines for the pool table. Overall though, I usually have a good time.

Take a Break (or TAB, as I’ve started campaigning for it to be called) is one of the few sketchy-​as-​all-​hell bars in Lawrenceville that I don’t enjoy. Let’s start with how freaking hot it is in there.
The place is kept at a sub-​tropical level that’s uncomfortable for anyone under the age of 78 (coincidentally, the temperature I believe the thermostat to be set at) AND they allow smoking inside. Now, smoking indoors is one thing, and keeping your bar hot as blazes is another, but doing them together?! Oof.
When the inconvenient truth that is global climate change catches up with us, the entire world is going to feel like the inside of TAB: a smoky, humid nightmare.
TAB boasts a truly bizarre mix of people, even for a Pittsburgh dive, and on any given night you’ll see local hipsters, elderly drunks, businessmen that look like they’re in the mafia and a sprinkling of yuppies kicking back $ 3 whiskey and cokes and $ 1 PBRs.
The bartenders are slow, slow, slow, even when the bar is dead, dead, dead; however, they do have sweet pool tables and darts.

TAB has awesome drink specials, awesome bartenders, great pool table, good internet juke box and the bathroom smells like cinnimon apples. It’s clean, it’s divey, it’s dark, and they have a projection TV. Gotta love this place. It’s got a quirky name, the old men regulars are nice, and the young kids are a little rowdy at times, but definately fun!
The juke box here is internet and you can find ANYTHING on it, I mean. ANYTHING. I love that.

Definitely the kind of bar that I enjoy. No pretension, cheap drinks, pool for a dollar, kitschy decorations. I’m in! I had a great time here the other night when my friend and I stopped in PGH on our way back to Chicago. Great times were had. Photos were taken.

Take A Break is my favorite dive in Pittsburgh. I am lucky enough to live within walking distance to this gem and it never lets me down. They have huge mug beers at a great price and it draws a nice mixed crowd. Also a great bonus is that they lady’s room is really nice. Always a plus for any establishment.

A welcome respite from several Lawrenceville scene bars, Take A Break has great drink prices and tasty large cheese filled pretzels. Skip the Pizza. There’s also two decent pool tables, and free darts – if you don’t mind throwing between the perilous gap in a row of gamblaholics and their electronic slot machines (for entertainment only, of course).
While perhaps not enjoying iconic Pittsburgh dive status, the relatively unknown Take A Break has recently gained more and more notoriety in the last few years among the neighborhood, and in our hearts, as a mix of locals and 20somethings alike attempt to comply with this oddly named bar’s imperative.