11 best mocktail spots in Pittsburgh to enjoy in Dry January
These 11 spots are raising the bar on mocktails in Pittsburgh.
Mocktails used to be, well, mocked. But as more people question the role alcohol plays in our lives, that’s no longer the case. Now, many folks, especially younger generations, are looking to nonalcoholic beverages to elevate their evenings, whether they’re concerned about the health effects of alcohol, recovering from addiction, or simply not into booze.
Bars and restaurants throughout the U.S. have taken note. In Pittsburgh, many bar menus now feature carefully crafted nonalcoholic drinks that deliver the complexity and flavor of traditional cocktails, minus the alcohol. Far from being afterthoughts on a menu, these beverages are balanced creations made with botanical ingredients, house-made syrups, and sometimes specialty nonalcoholic spirits like Ritual Zero-proof, Seedlip, or even house-made versions.
It may not be surprising that some of the city’s best cocktail bars also shine when it comes to mocktails. At many of these spots, attention to craftsmanship spills over into nonalcoholic concoctions, so ordering an alcohol-free drink doesn’t mean settling for tonic with a lemon wedge.
We’ve put together a list of 11 of our favorite places for mocktails in Pittsburgh, perfect for Dry January or any time you want a break from drinking. And don’t stop with our picks—ask your bartender if they can create a nonalcoholic version of a signature drink, and you may be rewarded with an option that’s healthier, more affordable, and just as delicious.
1. The Open Road – Garfield
The Open Road, an entirely nonalcoholic bottle shop in Pittsburgh’s Garfield neighborhood, is a natural starting point for exploring the city’s NA scene. After all, it’s the country’s oldest nonalcoholic specialty retailer, having opened in January 2020. The store stocks hundreds of bottles and cans of nonalcoholic beer, wine, cocktails, zero-proof spirits, and more.
In addition to the retail shop, The Open Road also serves as a hub for alcohol-free drinking in the city, regularly hosting pop-up experiences at local restaurants and bars; in July, it hosted Pittsburgh’s inaugural Non-Alcoholic Cocktail Week, which featured about 20 participating bars and restaurants. Those events offer a preview of what’s to come when The Open Road eventually opens its own bar inside the Garfield space.
2. Space Bar – Downtown
Space Bar, a bar in downtown Pittsburgh’s Market Square, serves drinks with a fun, intergalactic theme, and its mocktail menu receives the same level of care as its traditional one. The nonalcoholic “Tatooine sour” features unique ingredients like soursop and makrut lime, while the “phony Negroni” delivers exactly what it suggests—a nonalcoholic take on the classic cocktail. Many of Space Bar’s mocktail offerings made with specialty nonalcoholic spirits are still notably affordable.
3. Jackworth Ginger Beer – Larimer
Jackworth Ginger Beer, which opened in 2024, isn’t just Pittsburgh’s only ginger beer brewery, but the only such brewery in Pennsylvania. As ginger beer is naturally nonalcoholic, you can easily order beverages without booze at Jackworth just by getting some of the different, crisp ginger beers offered on tap. But the spot is also home to an impressive bar menu that includes nonalcoholic options made with NA spirits—like nonalcoholic gin and zero-proof tequila—making Jackworth an especially great destination for those missing cocktails made with ginger beer.
4. Recon Brewing – Bridgeville, Butler, and Cranberry
For those in the ‘burbs, Recon Brewing has you covered. The brewery, with locations in Bridgeville, Butler, and Cranberry, offers several creative cocktail options, but includes an important note on its menu: Any of its cocktails can be made nonalcoholic. If you’re used to choosing from just a couple of mocktail options, how will you possibly pick your drink when the entire cocktail menu is accessible without alcohol? (Hey, even if you try them all, you won’t wake up with a hangover.)
And to give you even more choices, the menu also features special seasonal mocktails, like winter’s “Santa’s day off,” which has pineapple juice, butterscotch syrup, and ginger beer. You can also order NA beer and a variety of dirty sodas.
5. Mixtape – Garfield
Mixtape, a bar in the Garfield neighborhood, offers a spirit-free cocktail menu that’s nearly as long as its classic cocktail list. Both menus change seasonally, and each clearly reflects thoughtful effort and creativity. For example, the nonalcoholic “golden hour” features white verjus—a sophisticated, tart grape juice—as well as orange blossom. Other mocktails incorporate ingredients like nonalcoholic sparkling wine, nonalcoholic vermouth, and house-made syrups.
6. Two Frays Brewery – Garfield
Though Two Frays Brewery specializes in crafting its own beer, it also makes room for guests who don’t want to drink at all, creating its first NA brew in 2022. And once a month, Two Frays turns the taproom over to teetotalism (the practice of abstaining from alcohol): The first Monday of the month is Mod Monday, when the menu goes entirely nonalcoholic, and you can order NA beer as well as fun mocktails. According to the brewery, Mod Monday is “[j]ust one of the ways we aim to create an inclusive space with options for everyone.”
7. Esquina Cantina – Lawrenceville
Esquina Cantina, also known as Round Corner Cantina, is a popular Mexican restaurant in Lawrenceville. The spot has an extensive bar menu, “designed to remind you that vacation is simply a mindset,” per the cantina’s website. The drink list includes a long list of nonalcoholic beverages, like the “daisy,” a play on a margarita that uses agave, and the “lupe,” a version of sangria. Plus, unlike most bars and restaurants, some zero-proof cocktails are included on the restaurant’s happy hour menu, allowing you to snag $4 mocktails during the cantina’s daily happy hour window.
8. The Forge – Lawrenceville
The Forge, a 21-and-over lounge in Lawrenceville, feels like one of Pittsburgh’s best-kept secrets. Its incredible wood-fired pizza, strong bar program, and warm and attentive service are the stuff of restaurants booked out for weeks. One standout feature of the cocktail menu is the “bartender’s choice,” which allows guests to skip the agony of making a decision and instead share preferred flavors and spirits with the bartender, leaving the rest to a professional. And this option is also available for mocktails! You can just name your favorite flavor combination (say, “herbal and fruity” or “spicy and citrus-forward”) and the bartender will make you a custom drink that may just become a new favorite.
9. Butterjoint – Oakland
Butterjoint, an Oakland restaurant known for its New American fare, also has a celebrated drink menu that includes an innovative nonalcoholic section. But the mocktail menu doesn’t just include fun ingredients (mascarpone whip!)—many of the nonalcoholic spirits are made in-house! Try the “mock-tai,” which includes house-made “rum” and “Curacao,” lime, pepita orgeat, and mint. You can also order house-made sodas as well as nonalcoholic beer and wine.
10. Bar Botanico – Lawrenceville
Upscale Bar Botanico is a cocktail bar in Central Lawrenceville that’s known for creative drinks, including a strong lineup of mocktails. Many of the spot’s alcohol-free drinks are crafted with specialty nonalcoholic spirits—making it possible to enjoy a nonalcoholic espresso martini at Bar Botanico, among other quality options.
11. Tina’s – Bloomfield
Bloomfield’s Tina’s is well known as one of the best places for serious cocktail lovers in Pittsburgh. With a focus on classic drinks, Tina’s offers a menu of more than 50 cocktails created with quality ingredients and a respect for the craft. But though Tina’s is known for its alcohol, it also has a strong nonalcoholic drink program, especially for people interested in recreating old favorites. On Tina’s drinks menu, any item with an asterisk is also available nonalcoholic, meaning NA versions of classics like the bee’s knees, Negroni, or Penicillin cocktail are well within reach.
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