Why You’ll Want to Keep Coming Back to Brehm’s Return

PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER

Georgia natives Jeff and Melanie Fletcher, world travelers with backgrounds in business and aerospace, wanted to put down roots in a down-to-earth town.

Even after driving on the Parkway East during rush hour traffic, they knew Pittsburgh was the place to call home. That’s love, y’all.

The Fletchers moved here in 2017 and, on Oct. 31, 2023, purchased a landmark dive bar in Troy Hill and immediately made it their own.

“It’s 1970s-post-apocalyptic-Southern-hippy-grandma,” Melanie says of the decor. “It’s a little spooky, but not bougie.”

Brehm’s Return also has one hell of a view, serves deviled eggs, is open until midnight seven days a week and is haunted. Happy Halloween!

The Troy Hill building, erected by Henry and Mary Brehm in the late-1800s on a scenic overlook once known as Return Street, has been a watering hole for more than seven decades. Generations of beer drinkers have bellied up to the bar at Janczak’s, Bummer’s, Orgal’s, Boulpen and, most recently, Tammy’s Place.

The Fletchers, who live in the neighborhood, consider themselves stewards of 1354 Goettman St. They’d rather see it live on as a community hub than a condominium. Many of the Tammy’s Place veteran employees have stuck around through the transformation, helping the Georgia peaches get a taste of yinzer culture.

PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER

Although there’s a retro cigarette vending machine on site, smoking is prohibited. The food, however, is still lit. Lunch and dinner crowds can grab everything from a burger and fries to chicken wings and jalapeno cheddar hushpuppies that’ll make you sit, stay and beg for more.

Options for the Most Important Meal of the Day include scratch-made egg platters, pancakes, French toast and omelets. Spice up your morning with one of the best Bloody Marys in the ‘Burgh. The beverage arrives with a caddy full of hot sauces so you can personalize the heat level. If an espresso martini is more your style, Brehm’s is made with a house blend by Commonplace Coffee.

There’s also local beer and cider on tap, a curated selection of bottled wine to go and signature cocktails, such as In Cold Blood, a mix of Old Overholt rye, Cynar and sweet vermouth. It’s like a Negroni that made a Pittsburgh left.

PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER

I’ve returned to Brehm’s quite a bit over the last year, thanks to the unique offerings, atmosphere, attentive bartenders and steady stream of regulars who are quick to strike up a conversation. To my horror-loving delight, I even met a few folks who starred in Director George Romero’s “Dawn of the Dead.”

If chowing down with the zombies doesn’t sound appetizing, you could always challenge them to a friendly game of chess. Melanie constructed several high-top tables with boards built into them (just ask kindly for the game pieces). There’s a billiards room in the back, which is free to use and boasts a cool atmosphere of its own. The bar also hosts trivia nights and Formula 1 watch-parties.

The Fletchers lead the Pittsburgh Chapter of the University of Georgia Alumni Association and invite fellow Bulldogs to cheer on the football and basketball teams.

Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor stopped by Brehm’s during his January walking tour of Troy Hill to give updates on a plan to redevelop the Cowley-Goettman Recreation Center. The Fletchers pass by the shuttered building on their daily dog walk and have heard countless stories from longtime residents about its glory days.

For now, Brehm’s is filling in as a neighborhood hub.

There’s an eclectic mix of vintage furniture in the front seating area. The walls and ceilings have different textures, but are dotted with familiar dive bar ephemera such as neon beer signs and taxidermied deer heads; it has Beehive coffeehouse vibes for sure. Fellow Troy Hill eateries Scratch & Co. on Lowrie Street and De Fer Coffee & Tea on the flat end of Rialto exude the same kind of kitschy, Grunge-era chic.

As a Gen Xer, I feel at home in all of these hilltop haunts.

PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER

Longtime patrons of the place will appreciate the Brehm’s sign made from Tammy’s plastic drink tokens. The long table in front of the sign came from Jeff’s childhood home. Mark my words: 1970s-post-apocalyptic-Southern-hippy-grandma is the next interior design craze.

My favorite feature of Brehm’s Return — other than the people, ghosts and weird name — is a wall that’s a patchwork of old, wooden doors. On it hangs an ornate frame with a black-and-white photograph of the Brehms, who are both beaming as if they’re happy with the changes.