Ideas for Pittsburgh rehearsal dinner for large group (45-50 people)?

[chels5]

We're getting married in Pittsburgh this summer, but live out of state. I've only visited Pittsburgh a few times and would love some suggestions for rehearsal dinner locations that can accommodate large groups. There may be as many as 50 people, and most of the out-of-towners will be staying downtown.

At this point, we're considering any kind of cuisine. The wedding reception is going to have a very formal dinner, so I've thought it might be fun to do something less formal for the rehearsal, both to control costs and provide a contrast between the events.

If anyone knows of places with good food and adequate banquet space (or places that can be rented for private parties), I'd love some leads. Thanks in advance!

[lunchbox33]

heinz field has terrific catering...the menu is pretty broad and accomidates most taste....something different

[yammers]

six penn, heinz and piccolo forno are all great ideas. you could also look into PNC park.

for something quite different, but fun:

http://www.churchbrew.com/ - it's a church that has been turned into a restaurant. they brew the beer on the altar. I love their pierogie pizza.

Tamari has an upstairs area that I bet could be reserved for private parties. food is excellent:

http://www.tamaripgh.com/

Bossanova lounge has private rooms

Lidias also has private rooms
http://www.lidias-pittsburgh.com/#

[grapevine]

I hadn't thought about PNC Park before but the Lexus Club there is pretty nice.

[BCF]

I have been to two rehersals at Lidia'a and enjoyed both very much. The room is upstairs and offers a nice view of the restaurant while keeping your party private. Lidia's is located in the strip and is a very manageable distance from the downtown hotels.

Also, The Firehouse Lounge is a fun location for events. It is also located in the strip district. There are several rooms available for private parties, but since you are getting married in the summer, you may want to consider the outdoor deck for your rehearsal. I was at a rehearsal dinner there last summer that was so much fun - drinks and appetizers on the deck to start, and a movie shown outdoors after. It was a really memorable party.
Good luck, and enjoy the planning as best you can. The wedding will be here before you know it!

[chinacat1969]

I would agree the Firehouse Lounge would be cool.
I also recommend checking out the Matress Factory on the Northside for something totally different and cool.
Legends of the North Shore - by AGH - may have a private room to rent as well.

[CrazyOne]

Six Penn has a room upstairs that works for 40 seated. This is right downtown. http://www.sixpennkitchen.com/ Since it's the summer maybe you could use the rooftop, that could be interesting.

If the group will tolerate fairly adventurous food, it would be fascinating to see if you could buy out Yo Rita, for example. You would take up the whole place with that party, I think. http://www.yoritasouthside.com/ Normally off the menu it's quite inexpensive for the amazing food, but as buying the whole place, probably not, if they would even do it. ;-)

Trying to think what else downtown has a private room. Lidia's which is rather close to downtown in the Strip has a space.

[meatmaster]

We held our rehearsal dinner at Six Penn. It was terrific. They gave us the entire second level. They would not give us the rooftop but for an additional fee which we did not choose to spend.

If you want something very traditional, and have access to a member, the Duquesne Club would make a great choice.

[Rick]

We had a birthday party for my dad at Piccolo Forno in Lawrenceville a few years back with about 50 people. The owner sat down with us himself and worked out a menu. He's pretty flexible and I think we ended up doing family style appetizers with each person picking their entree. They made a bunch of pizzas and passed those around, i think some grilled veggies, maybe one more thing. What was really nice they seemed to just make as much as we needed, not your package includes 10 pizzas, two platters veggies etc. They ended up doing a lot of pizzas for us. The price was under $20pp and we felt it was a fantastic value. The staff was very friendly and the restaurant was closed for our function. I think we had it on a Sunday. Lawrenceville is a 10 min. drive at most from downtown, so it would also be convenient.

I haven't been back in a few years, but provided the quality is still the same, I bet you'd have a great time. It's also a very nice space to have a party in, lots of natural light, nice brick interior walls.

http://www.piccolo-forno.com/

[chels5]

Thanks for the information, Rick! I appreciate it.