Wanted to get something tasty for lunch this afternoon for my daughter and me. Didn’t feel like breaking the bank, but the generic blandness that is most fast food wasn’t going to do the trick either.
So, I did a little Googling to find something new for us to try and found the perfect little spot in the south end of Shadyside, aptly named the South End Bar & Grill.
Located at 7060 Wegee Pike, basically a stone’s throw from Ohio 7, and you’ll find South End.
Billed as a great place to relax, get a good meal, and spend quality time with family and friends, per its Facebook page, South End certainly lived up to its billing on this slightly sunny Saturday afternoon.
The entrance puts you smack in the middle of the facility, with the bar portion off to the right, while the dining area is off to the left. Both table and booth seating are available with elevated two-person tables situated along the front wall.
There were a few fellow patrons enjoying their lunch, and we were warmly greeted by Denise, who took our order.
The first thing you’ll notice about the South End menu, aside from an excellent variety of items, is the prices—more than reasonable, even more so we later found out after tasting quality of the food.
The wing prices weren’t listed, and given the difficulty every restaurant is seemingly having purchasing their normal supply of wings, it’s probably easier to ask about the price than constantly have to update it. But other than that, every menu item was below $10.
The Food
My daughter, to no one’s surprise and certainly not mine, ordered the chicken strip basket. It came with five strips, plus fries which, for $1 more, could be upgraded to seasoned fries. Upon learning said seasoned fries were Coleman’s Fish Market seasoned fries, her eyes instantly shot my way for the signal of approval. Granted.
I opted to try one of the paninis as I’d heard more than a couple people mention their quality. Scanning the options, I came across the Spicy Steak Italian Melt, featuring shaved steak, roasted garlic aioli, and melted hot pepper cheese. A wee bit of spicy kick with my sandwich? Sign me up.
For $3 I could add fries and slaw, but seeing as I’m not a slaw fan, I opted to add an order of tater tots covered in gravy to my meal.
Finally, we opted for an appetizer to kick off our meal and selected the pretzels and cheese. Drinks were soda for her—South End has both Pepsi, Coke, and Dr. Pepper products—and I grabbed a Foundry Porter beer.
The pretzel twists were quality. I believe the cheese was a subtle nacho cheese as opposed to the beer cheese.
My daughter, a fairly picky eater not easy to please, raved about the strips. While her favorite chicken items still are the nuggets at Salsa Joe’s in Belmont, she noted South End’s strips now are number two on her list. High praise indeed.
My sammich was incredibly tasty, to say the least. Upon biting the panini, the glorious combination of hot pepper cheese and shaved steak was evident, but then the subtle secondary blast of the garlic aioli gave it just that little kick to put the finishing touches on each bite.
The tater tots covered with gravy were tasty and were given just the proper amount of drizzle and weren’t drowned. The gravy was available on the side for dunking if I had chosen so.
My beer was tasty, and what you’re expect out of a porter.
The Verdict
We will most definitely be making a return trip to South End. The chicken fingers were a major hit, so she’s covered, and I noticed a few other paninis I’d like to try, along with a couple of the wing flavors that sound appetizing.
The bill, despite all we ordered, came to less than $30. The food was excellent, as was the service, so naturally, we tipped in kind.
We both highly recommend making the trek to the south end of town to visit South End. It offers daily food and drink specials. The grille portion is open until 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 5 p.m. on Sunday. It opens at 11 a.m. each day, save for Sunday at noon.
