My night at the Omni William Penn speakeasy was an absolute nightmare. The service was beyond rude and staff acted as if helping guests was an inconvenience. The worst part? My coat was stolen right from the property, and the hotel showed zero concern or responsibility. There was no sense of urgency, no apology, and absolutely no accountability.
For a hotel that prides itself on its “historic charm,” I found nothing but a lack of respect and a shocking disregard for guest security. I no longer felt safe or valued, and the dismissive attitude of the staff made the entire experience even worse.
I expected so much more from the hotel’s speakeasy that holds such a reputation, but sadly, this was one of the most disappointing and frustrating experiences I’ve ever had. I would never recommend the Omni William Penn or the speakeasy to anyone looking for a professional, secure, or respectful place to stay.
Service: 1
Tommy Phillips
Nestled deep in the bowels of the Omni hotel this joint is worth seeking out. There will be a doorman at the entrance to greet and seat you. Give your eyes a minute to adjust to the darkness while you take in the scent and sounds of someplace special. We chose seats at the bar. Do not let the young age of the bartenders fool you, these are some extremely talented mixologists creating some exceptional cocktails. If you’re seeking an exclusive and swanky vibe, this is the place.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Amil Delic
Cool spot for a good conversation.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Christian H
The place is located in the basement of the Omni Hotel. It has a cool, moody atmosphere that you look for with speakeasy-type bars. Service was good, didn't try any of the food. Cocktails were tasty with some pretty unique drinks to choose from. Nothing crazy unique about the place compared to some other hidden speakeasys around, but definitely a fun spot to try out.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Joe Higgs (JM)
The staff's poor attitudes actually made me uncomfortable. Short staffing is understandable today but being rude and selective is not. They should understand that their conversations can be heard by patrons paying over 20 per drink. This is especially true for a upscale hotel bar. The liqueurs present are of decent variety but the menu is meh. I would expect more prohibition era classics. I gave it a couple tries but this place just cant get it right which is terrible since they have basics needed. I wont go back until an all new staff is hired. There are other speakeasys in Pittsburgh and much nicer bars.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 1
Emily carroll
This was a great experience bar and the drinks were amazing! Stacey is so sweet!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jess Abrego
We stopped in today to celebrate my birthday. Although the bar was busy, the service was fantastic. Stacey answered all questions, was attentive, and made delicious drinks. Handling a busy bar while being understaffed is not easy, but this crew handled it effortlessly.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kaitlyn Mackay
Stacey was PHENOMENAL- amazingly crafted drinks with incredibly thorough descriptions & suggestions! Coming back so soon! Stacey was beyond stellar!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
P S
Arrived after dinner at DelFrisco for a nightcap with friends as they had 4 rooms at the Wm Penn upstairs. Scott at the door said we could come in but if any more friends came they'd have to drink at the bar upstairs. We asked why they couldn't just wait until people left to come in (capacity) and were just told NO. We took our money elsewhere. Sad; this used to be a real gem in the city with exceptional service.
Service: 1
Jeffrey Bender
Stopped after the Phils-Pirates game today. It was busy and the host quickly found us two seats at the bar. The two bartenders for the evening were either overworked or just didn't like their job because it came across that way in lack of customer service. We talked with others around us and they felt the same way. I'll take the extra time and go to the distilleries in The Strip on future trips.
A few of us came in after an event to have a cocktail to end our night. I’ve been here before and enjoyed it. This night it was very crowded so we actually had to wait about a half hour to get a table. The atmosphere there is great and typically the drinks are very well made and delicious. The Moscow mule my girlfriend had was one of the best she’s ever tried.
Unfortunately, the night ended with a couple pretty nasty things that ruined it for us. Our friends left and my girlfriend and I decided to order a second drink. She had the Moscow mule again and I had a dirty martini. In a few minutes the waiter brought her drink over. He set it down and walked away. Never bringing my drink or saying a word. I waited about 10 minutes and finally asked our waiter where my dirty martini was. At this point, he finally informed me that he didn’t bring it over because the bartender needed to get more olive juice. Which was fine. (But it would have been nice to tell me that when he brought her drink over). Then he walked over to the bar where my drink had just been finished and set down. Actually, very close to us since we were sitting at a lounge table right next to the bar.
This is where it got nasty. As I watched our waiter go get my drink, I see him reach over with his bare hand into a glass of olives. There were only a few olives left at the bottom. He reached his entire dirty hand in there and pulled the last few olives out and put them on a toothpick and into my drink. It was discusting and I couldn’t believe he actually just did that. Especially since I had just watched him clearing off dirty tables, touching menus, touching the computer to put orders in, etc. just seconds earlier with those same hands.
He brought the drink over to me and I should have called him out on the disgusting behavior I just saw from him. Instead, I just took the olives out of my drink and set them on the table. At this point, as I’m picking up the glass, I notice multiple lipstick and lip marks all around the rim of the glass. It didn’t even look like it was even remotely clean. I called the waiter back over to show him and he apologized and took the drink back to the bar to put into a clean glass. This is also when I noticed the bartender struggling to find a clean martini glass on the shelf. So she just picked one off the shelf and had to rewash it right there before pouring my drink into it.
At this point both my girlfriend and I were pretty disgusted. We settled our tab and left. The Speakeasy is a very cool place to hang out and they do make great tasting cocktails. But given some of the behavior by the staff and unsanitary conditions, we won’t be coming back anytime soon.
John Richter
Only been to one speakeasy in my life and i'll keep coming back. Some friends brought me here while we were in Pittsburgh for a convention and i'm to this day, 11 years later not sure if i was being complimented by the wait staff or insulted as they did not check my ID until I begged them to (I had just turned 21 recently so either they knew i was of recent drinking age or I look OLD) Every time I get the chance to go the environment is amazing, drinks are good and staff is ALWAYS polite, we never feel snubbed and the wait staff is always willing to tell you about certain drinks, offer recommendations and even make substitutions in your drink upon request. I enjoy going here and will gladly keep going back
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Sandi Aubrey Lemus
Scott was fantastic and shared so much history about the hotel!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Maggie Sexton
It was a nice spot, you can’t go wrong at the William Penn
Atmosphere: 4
Service: 4
Sheri Rice
We stopped in to see this speakeasy on St Paddy’s Day weekend . Meh. They were pretty rude to us. We weren’t “approved” To sit at the bar 😂 we wer dressed up. We just weren’t 22 . We asked for a menu. Didn’t recieve it but we were good after 1/2 a drink. Lol. Drinks 👎🏼 sadly poorly made. No secrets about it either . No special entrance , Password ect.. Too bad they cud have made it really fun. Don’t bother urself
My night at the Omni William Penn speakeasy was an absolute nightmare. The service was beyond rude and staff acted as if helping guests was an inconvenience. The worst part? My coat was stolen right from the property, and the hotel showed zero concern or responsibility. There was no sense of urgency, no apology, and absolutely no accountability.
For a hotel that prides itself on its “historic charm,” I found nothing but a lack of respect and a shocking disregard for guest security. I no longer felt safe or valued, and the dismissive attitude of the staff made the entire experience even worse.
I expected so much more from the hotel’s speakeasy that holds such a reputation, but sadly, this was one of the most disappointing and frustrating experiences I’ve ever had. I would never recommend the Omni William Penn or the speakeasy to anyone looking for a professional, secure, or respectful place to stay.
Service: 1
Nestled deep in the bowels of the Omni hotel this joint is worth seeking out. There will be a doorman at the entrance to greet and seat you. Give your eyes a minute to adjust to the darkness while you take in the scent and sounds of someplace special. We chose seats at the bar. Do not let the young age of the bartenders fool you, these are some extremely talented mixologists creating some exceptional cocktails. If you’re seeking an exclusive and swanky vibe, this is the place.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Cool spot for a good conversation.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
The place is located in the basement of the Omni Hotel. It has a cool, moody atmosphere that you look for with speakeasy-type bars. Service was good, didn't try any of the food. Cocktails were tasty with some pretty unique drinks to choose from. Nothing crazy unique about the place compared to some other hidden speakeasys around, but definitely a fun spot to try out.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
The staff's poor attitudes actually made me uncomfortable. Short staffing is understandable today but being rude and selective is not. They should understand that their conversations can be heard by patrons paying over 20 per drink. This is especially true for a upscale hotel bar. The liqueurs present are of decent variety but the menu is meh. I would expect more prohibition era classics. I gave it a couple tries but this place just cant get it right which is terrible since they have basics needed. I wont go back until an all new staff is hired. There are other speakeasys in Pittsburgh and much nicer bars.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 1
This was a great experience bar and the drinks were amazing! Stacey is so sweet!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We stopped in today to celebrate my birthday. Although the bar was busy, the service was fantastic. Stacey answered all questions, was attentive, and made delicious drinks. Handling a busy bar while being understaffed is not easy, but this crew handled it effortlessly.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Stacey was PHENOMENAL- amazingly crafted drinks with incredibly thorough descriptions & suggestions! Coming back so soon! Stacey was beyond stellar!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Arrived after dinner at DelFrisco for a nightcap with friends as they had 4 rooms at the Wm Penn upstairs. Scott at the door said we could come in but if any more friends came they'd have to drink at the bar upstairs. We asked why they couldn't just wait until people left to come in (capacity) and were just told NO. We took our money elsewhere. Sad; this used to be a real gem in the city with exceptional service.
Service: 1
Stopped after the Phils-Pirates game today. It was busy and the host quickly found us two seats at the bar. The two bartenders for the evening were either overworked or just didn't like their job because it came across that way in lack of customer service. We talked with others around us and they felt the same way. I'll take the extra time and go to the distilleries in The Strip on future trips.
Atmosphere: 3
Service: 2
Restaurantji Recommends
A few of us came in after an event to have a cocktail to end our night. I’ve been here before and enjoyed it. This night it was very crowded so we actually had to wait about a half hour to get a table. The atmosphere there is great and typically the drinks are very well made and delicious. The Moscow mule my girlfriend had was one of the best she’s ever tried.
Unfortunately, the night ended with a couple pretty nasty things that ruined it for us. Our friends left and my girlfriend and I decided to order a second drink. She had the Moscow mule again and I had a dirty martini. In a few minutes the waiter brought her drink over. He set it down and walked away. Never bringing my drink or saying a word. I waited about 10 minutes and finally asked our waiter where my dirty martini was. At this point, he finally informed me that he didn’t bring it over because the bartender needed to get more olive juice. Which was fine. (But it would have been nice to tell me that when he brought her drink over). Then he walked over to the bar where my drink had just been finished and set down. Actually, very close to us since we were sitting at a lounge table right next to the bar.
This is where it got nasty. As I watched our waiter go get my drink, I see him reach over with his bare hand into a glass of olives. There were only a few olives left at the bottom. He reached his entire dirty hand in there and pulled the last few olives out and put them on a toothpick and into my drink. It was discusting and I couldn’t believe he actually just did that. Especially since I had just watched him clearing off dirty tables, touching menus, touching the computer to put orders in, etc. just seconds earlier with those same hands.
He brought the drink over to me and I should have called him out on the disgusting behavior I just saw from him. Instead, I just took the olives out of my drink and set them on the table. At this point, as I’m picking up the glass, I notice multiple lipstick and lip marks all around the rim of the glass. It didn’t even look like it was even remotely clean. I called the waiter back over to show him and he apologized and took the drink back to the bar to put into a clean glass. This is also when I noticed the bartender struggling to find a clean martini glass on the shelf. So she just picked one off the shelf and had to rewash it right there before pouring my drink into it.
At this point both my girlfriend and I were pretty disgusted. We settled our tab and left. The Speakeasy is a very cool place to hang out and they do make great tasting cocktails. But given some of the behavior by the staff and unsanitary conditions, we won’t be coming back anytime soon.
Only been to one speakeasy in my life and i'll keep coming back. Some friends brought me here while we were in Pittsburgh for a convention and i'm to this day, 11 years later not sure if i was being complimented by the wait staff or insulted as they did not check my ID until I begged them to (I had just turned 21 recently so either they knew i was of recent drinking age or I look OLD) Every time I get the chance to go the environment is amazing, drinks are good and staff is ALWAYS polite, we never feel snubbed and the wait staff is always willing to tell you about certain drinks, offer recommendations and even make substitutions in your drink upon request. I enjoy going here and will gladly keep going back
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Scott was fantastic and shared so much history about the hotel!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
It was a nice spot, you can’t go wrong at the William Penn
Atmosphere: 4
Service: 4
We stopped in to see this speakeasy on St Paddy’s Day weekend . Meh. They were pretty rude to us. We weren’t “approved”
To sit at the bar 😂 we wer dressed up. We just weren’t 22 . We asked for a menu. Didn’t recieve it but we were good after 1/2 a drink. Lol. Drinks 👎🏼 sadly poorly made. No secrets about it either . No special entrance , Password ect.. Too bad they cud have made it really fun. Don’t bother urself
Loading...