Best Bartender: Dana Hiyajneh at Bottlerocket Social Hall
Best Bouncer: Brandi Breisch at Bottlerocket Social Hall
1226 Arlington Ave., Allentown. bottlerocketpgh.com
Working at a place like Bottlerocket Social Hall has its perks. For bartender Dana Hiyajneh, it’s being able to meet performers who come through the Allentown venue that, since opening in 2022, has gained a reputation for hosting big indie comedians and bands. Hiyajneh recalls serving actors Nicholas Hoult and John C. Reilly when they stopped in to see Pete Davidson perform (the three men were in Pittsburgh shooting a movie).
“He’s even taller than I thought,” Hiyajneh says of Hoult, who clocks in at over six feet.
Hiyajneh has made an impression on the crowds flocking to Bottlerocket for the latest up-and-coming funny person or musical act, as demonstrated by her Best of PGH win. And she’s not the only one — Pittsburgh City Paper readers also chose fellow Bottlerocket employee Brandi Breisch as the city’s Best Bouncer, a rare two-fer for any local bar or performance venue.
It was after seeing comedian and writer Joe Mande perform at Bottlerocket three years ago that Hiyajneh, an Allentown resident who also works as a hair stylist, decided to apply for a bartending position. Despite a lack of experience slinging alcoholic beverages, she was driven by a love of comedy, music, and people.
“I said, ‘Who do I need to bother to get a job here?’” she tells City Paper, adding that she was working from home at the time and wanted a position where she could “talk to people again.”
“I love the people,” she says, “and quite frankly, I have a front-row seat to the best show in town any night of the week.”
Breisch, who also resides in Allentown, tells CP, “The way someone’s face lights up when they walk in for the first time never gets old. And I work with the best staff in Pittsburgh. Everyone works together as a team, no matter how insane a task is thrown at us.”
Hiyajneh views her customers and coworkers as family, referring to her team members as a close-knit “bunch of cousins” and even inviting some of her regulars to a barbecue she hosted. Breisch expands on the familial atmosphere, recalling how owner Chris Copen “tricked the staff into thinking we had to work a mandatory event on a Sunday and instead surprised us all by taking us to a Steelers game.”
That family will most likely grow as Bottlerocket embarks on its new role as an Upright Citizens Brigade training center, where aspiring improv performers and writers will come for workshops, and comedy fans will see some of the country’s best and brightest voices in the scene.
When asked about her Best of PGH win, Hiyajneh, a self-described former theater kid, references the Sally Field Oscar acceptance speech, in which the actress famously said, “You like me! You really like me!”
“It’s just sweet that people think of me,” she says, pointing out how Bottlerocket also won the title of Best Place to Drink Alone this year. “That means you’re probably sitting and talking to us. Those are my favorite things.”
