Pittsburgh is well-loved for many things: our sports teams, skyline, bridges, food and friendliness. What’s not often praised, though? The city’s nightlife scene. In decades past, there wasn’t much to do after 9 p.m. except maybe visit a 24-hour diner or bowling alley, especially for those not looking to spend a fortune on a night out. These days, there’s plenty happening if you know where to look.
Know of a great place that deserves more hype? Email editor Cristina Holtzer at crissy@nextpittsburgh.com.
Time travel into the past at Elvis Bingo Night at Bottlerocket
Bottlerocket Social Hall, 1226 Arlington Ave., Allentown
THIS DAY IN HISTORY: July 16, 1955, Elvis Presley performs “I’m Left, You’re Right, She’s Gone” at the Louisiana Hayride in Shreveport. … July 16, 2026, Elvis Presley tribute artist Jamie Harris hosts “Elvis Bingo: Aloha from Hawaii” at Bottlerocket Social Hall in Pittsburgh.
At Bottlerocket, history may not always repeat, but it certainly does rock-a-hula, baby. The retro wood-panel, drop-ceiling interior décor is proudly Stuck in the Seventies, festooned with a panoply of posters, pennants and photos evoking sports and lifestyle nostalgia from Pittsburgh’s beloved City of Champions Era.
It’s an ideal setting for the bar’s eclectic entertainment mix of music, comedy, theater, film, dance parties, game nights and gleeful bingo galas featuring live avatars of Austin Powers, Dolly Parton, Elvira Mistress of the Dark and tonight’s headliner, Elvis Presley in his Late Vegas prime.
With showtime nearing, Hawaiian-flavored house music soothes the pent-up passions of the 80+ bingo enthusiasts wedged among three long rows of formica tables and metal folding chairs, a buoyant Zoomer-to-Boomer mélange eager to score cash and prizes while crooning along with the King of Rock’n’Roll.
Chatter subsides at the first brassy blast of Elvis’ “Also Sprach Zarathustra” entry fanfare; when the driving R&B drum licks of “See See Rider” kick in a minute later, a fully reincarnated Bingo Elvis bursts through the front door and strides to the stage grabbing hands, slapping backs and executing deft karate moves as the crowd cheers and belts out the chorus, “You made me love you, and now your man is gone!”
Monongahela’s Jamie Harris has been performing his Shadows Of The King Elvis Tribute Show for a quarter century; his vocal stylings are right on the mark as he interacts with the crowd, channeling Presley’s trademark banter and sharing choice Elvis lore during the next two hours of number calling and song sharing. If the Man from Graceland were still gigging today at age 91, Bottlerocket might be precisely where he’d feel most at home.
Audience anticipation runs high for the “Elvis Bingo: Aloha from Hawaii” night at Bottlerocket Social Hall. Photo by L.E. McCullough.
Beyond the droll nostalgia for Pittsburgh Past, Bottlerocket has committed to nourishing the creative roots of Pittsburgh Future, sponsoring the first Upright Citizens Brigade training center outside New York and Los Angeles offering a full menu of improv and standup classes. In the week after Elvis Bingo, the venue featured shows by national rockers The Sloppy Boys, Felicity and Downtown Boys along with a 2000s Minion Rave, Bario Kart Game Night, Trivia with Hot Dog Man Logan and an evening with comic New York City tour guide LizaBanks Campagna.
Within the mystical pathways of Pittsburgh after dark, Bottlerocket Social Hall is where you’re most likely to find something you never knew existed. And then happily return for more of never-the-same.
Play over 60 vintage and new pinball machines at Pittsburgh Pinball Dojo
Pittsburgh Pinball Dojo, 2 N. Balph Ave., Bellevue
This 1979 Incredible Hulk Gottlieb pinball machine is one of over 60 games at Pittsburgh Pinball Dojo in Bellevue. Drop-in play is Thursday-Saturday from 6 to 11 p.m. Photo by Ethan Woodfill.
One way to spend a stormy Thursday night in Pittsburgh is to try your skill at the 1979 Incredible Hulk Gottlieb pinball machine at Pittsburgh Pinball Dojo in Bellevue.
You likely will not beat Jon Replogle — who sits on the board of the Pittsburgh Pinball League and holds the world record on The Walking Dead Limited Edition pinball machine — but you might catch a case of ’80s nostalgia, or, if you are Gen Z like me, get a glimpse of the good old days.
Three people own the more than 60 machines in the space — which used to be a karate dojo and then a bowling alley — with the oldest machines dating back to 1959 and the early ’60s.
“The old ones, instead of metal rails, they’re made out of wood,” says Replogle. “Some of them even had a cigarette holder.”
Replogle and other pinball enthusiasts see the upkeep of the machines as a hobby, one that took blood, sweat and tears to bring to fruition. Each Wednesday, a tech group works on the machines.
“These things are constantly breaking,” Replogle adds. “It’s rewarding to work on the machines. Everything runs on electromagnets and computers: pre-circuit-board computers. You create an electromagnetic field, which makes metal go where you want.”
Pittsburgh Pinball Dojo in Bellevue offers a collection of over 60 machines, including electromechanical and modern release machines. Photo by Ethan Woodfill.
Replogle says pinball is a lot like poker. It’s not purely luck, and it is not just skill.
“You experience variance — swings you’ll have on reaching the average level,” he says. “Pinball’s the same way, but variance is higher. Chess does not have variance. Better players will generally win. In pinball, you’re not learning one rule set, you’re learning 20,000 games and rule sets. I can do things with the ball you could not believe, like dead stop the ball.”
Pittsburgh Pinball League used to have a clubhouse in the South Side but moved to the second floor of North Balph and Lincoln Avenue in 2018.
The machines include electromechanical and modern release machines. Some notable games are Barracora (1981), Attack from Mars (1995), Stranger Things (2019) and Wizard of Oz (2013). The space also offers a pool table, ping-pong and a foosball table.
“People are missing this type of chill,” Replogle says. There are some snacks available for purchase, but Pittsburgh Pinball Dojo is BYOB and BYOF. It is also open to birthday parties and corporate events.
Pittsburgh Pinball Dojo is $15 for open free play Thursday through Saturday from 6 to 11 p.m. There are Saturday tournaments: Pittsburgh Pinball League just started its season Sept. 10. All skill levels are welcome, from amateurs to world-caliber players.
Nightshade Lounge: a cozy, queer and quiet third space in Dormont
Nightshade Lounge, 3019 W. Liberty Ave., Dormont
Nightshade Lounge in Dormont offers a cozy, quiet space for visitors to read, relax or chat quietly with new friends. Photo by Ethan Woodfill.
Calling all bookworms, silent film enthusiasts and those who prefer a chill, low-stimulation late-night vibe. There is now a free, cozy third space in Pittsburgh’s South Hills that’s open late.
Located at 3019 W. Liberty Ave. in Dormont, Nightshade Lounge offers an alcohol-free, queer and accessible option with community resources after dark. The space opened in mid-July.
Founder Blake Nagel says this has been a project in the works for years.
“My partner Jamie and I have been hoping something would pop up. A new queer space would pop up here or there, we would get super excited about it, but it wouldn’t be exactly what we were looking for.”
A local resource guide for LGBTQIA+ friendly businesses features more than 100 entries, but only five are in the South Hills. None are a location where people can gather and build community without spending money. There also is no sober meeting place or resource hub in Pittsburgh, queer-friendly or not, that is open after 10 pm.
“We would need to go across the river to the East End for anything queer,” Nagel says. “We wanted something in our own neighborhood. The South Hills needed it.”
Nagel, who has previously worked with other nonprofits, left their full-time job in April and launched the space with a lot of decor from their house, including a centrally placed vintage mineral oil rain lamp that adds to the Victorian library ambience of the space.
“I got an insanely good deal on the lamp because it was broken,” Nagel adds.
Nightshade Lounge is a 501c3 nonprofit community center where everything is free — the library, craft supplies, tea, snacks, board games, clothing, food, supplies, and health and hygiene products.
The space is also an Auto(nomous) Body Official Pit Stop. The Auto(nomous) Body Shop is a Pittsburgh-based mobile mutual aid resource supporting bodily autonomy and community care. The organization provides free information and supplies to support reproductive health, abortion care and harm reduction. Products available include birth control, emergency contraceptives, condoms, pregnancy tests, Narcan, diapers and other supplies. Post-op care bags include medical essentials needed for most gender-affirming surgeries. There is also a comfort bag that includes a coloring book, fidget toys and tea.
The lounge hosts weekly theme nights for artists, bookworms and those with other interests, including Silent Sunday for unwinding.
One special event is the gender-affirming dress-up night.
Nightshade Lounge has a free library stocked with books, art supplies and more. Photo by Ethan Woodfill.
The lounge is transformed into a boutique, and people can take whatever clothing and accessories they want. There are three private changing areas in the back.
“We’ve only been open a few weeks, but there have only been two nights where there wasn’t at least one person hanging until close,” Nagel says.
There are silent film nights on Wednesday, with films shown on a 4:3 ratio screen. Movies include slapstick comedies like Buster Keaton films and sci-fi like “Metropolis.”
Nightshade Lounge is open daily except Tuesdays from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. The space is fully Americans With Disabilities Act-accessible with a ramp outside. Although Nightshade is queer-friendly, it is open to all.