Pittsburgh: Revel (September 2016)

My spouse and I and four friends visited Revel for drinks and snacks on a Saturday afternoon in early September 2016. Revel is open daily for lunch (or Sunday brunch) and dinner, whereas Roost is open daily for breakfast and dinner. You can reserve a table by telephone or by using the online Open Table system, but walk-in customers are also accepted.

Revel restaurant, part of the Hilton Garden Inn, is located in the Tower Two-Sixty building on Forbes Avenue near Market Square. Revel + Roost is a two-story restaurant, with Revel occupying the ground/street level, and Roost settled on the second floor. The Revel space is chic and contemporary, and the large bar and open kitchen compete for guests attention with tables, chairs, and a few leather U-shaped booths. Several large-screen TVs are visible from anywhere in the Revel space. In favorable weather, you can occupy one of the small tables with Lucite chairs outside on the sidewalk.

The Revel menu includes casual American cuisine available in both small and communal portions, including appetizers, pizzas, sandwiches, and burgers, whereas the dinner menu at Roost feature upscale, traditional single-serving plates like steaks and seafood.

Our service at Revel was spotty; although our server was friendly and pleasant, he comped two rounds of drinks because our two rounds of food orders arrived incorrectly. Hopefully Revel’s attention to detail improves as time passes. We might give it another try in a few months.