A night at Row House Cinema

I just wanted to rave and recommend the local Pittsburgh theater

Pittsburgh has great movie theaters. Sure we have your Cinemarks and big game movie theaters like Monroeville, Fox Chapel, Robinson, and the Loews Waterfront to name a few. Big concession stands and some of those theaters have reclining chairs with cup holders and a pull down tray to put your food. The experience is great, especially if you up the experience and watch a film in Imax.

But I want to shout out a smaller theater. A theater more my speed. It’s the Row House Cinema in Lawrenceville. There’s also Harris Theater in the cultural district and The Manor Theater (My personal favorite) in Squirrel Hill. Each of those theaters will get their own article in some point, but I wanted to shout out my experience at Row House on June 6th, 2025.

It was a Sunday night and I was out and about in the city. I’ve been meaning to check out more films at Row House since I rarely go. The 2017 film Call Me By Your Name was playing at 6:25pm. I saw that movie when It came out and I was unsure if I wanted to watch it again. But then I just thought that I want to go to the theater more and just go check it out again. I came on an interesting night. After you go purchase your ticket and snacks they were serving peaches which you could take one and have while watching. I did not take one since peaches do nothing for me. A peach plays an interesting part in one of the scenes in the film. I would say just look it up. But no one in the theater did to the peach what Timothy Chalamet did to in the film. Which is a good thing. Again, look it up and if you’re curious do it in the safety of your own home.

I usually don’t drink alcohol at the movies which I think is a cool option. But I did splurge and get myself a blueberry wheat beer (didn’t get a photo) from Bierport, a tap room connected to the theater. They have a pretty good size selection of beer, wine, and non alcoholic drinks. There’s even a small bar area downstairs to hang out before and after a film. Which is great because I believe people should hang out after a film and discuss/dissect it no matter their feelings. The small bar area looks so cool and their staff is very welcoming. As is the staff at Row House

I have a go to theater snack. It’s my ride or die treat for all theater experiences. It is Diet Soda (preferably Diet Coke) and peanut M&Ms. They have never let me down in the deliciousness and we are a match made in heaven. Down below is two sloppy phone pictures of said snacks. I went with a large Diet Coke (YOLO) with the sweet peanut M&Ms.

I got there early and seating was limited. Anytime I hear that in a movie theater it makes me so happy. I want theaters to be filled most of the time. I like having a theater to myself don’t get me wrong. But a full theater is one of my favorite experiences. So I was in technically the first row of theater seating. At the very front are two couches or sofas people can buy tickets for. I chose a middle seat. Why did I not choose the end of the row next to the wall and just be the guy in the corner? The aisle seat (my favorite seat as easy bathroom access) so I compromised with myself.

There’s only one theater in Row House which I really like. There’s an intimacy to it. Manor Theater is small too with multiple theaters. I took a picture before the movie started to give you a thought of what it looks like. But trust me, the movie was very well attended.

The one gripe I have is the seating can be tight, which is why I always go for the aisle seat. But the front row only had me and one guy in it distant from each other. Also the seats never take away from the enjoyment of a film there for me.

The film (Call Me By Your Name 2017) was better than I remember. One of the stars Armie Hammer is I guess you can say cancelled but has popped back up in interviews last year I believe. I was able to separate that though from the film. The two leads Armie Hammer (Oliver) and Timothee Chalamet (Elio) were great together in my opinion. There was this certain relaxation to the film. Like it wanted you to see these characters live with each other and how Elio was with his family and how his parents lived. But this is not a film review. I would recommend though that you watch it and especially the scene near the end where Michael Stuhlbarg gives this monologue that is one of my favorite scenes ever.

Sitting there with everyone I was reminded how funny this film was. Laughing in that tight space felt great. Seeing these characters go thru all these things made the movie experience better in my opinion. The movie has beautiful music too. Hearing that in the theater sound system added to the experience as well.

After the film was over and everyone got up I even overheard people dissecting and I was so happy. Film was doing what it was supposed to do!

The Row House is a special place in the city and that night reminded me of the fact. With a different theme of films for each week which brings in so many different types of film fans. There’s even a cat video fest coming in August (August 1st - August 7th). I highly recommend you go to the theater if you are living in Pittsburgh or visiting. It’s always a great time!

To see what’s playing and everything Row House Cinema has to offer check out their website for yourself: Row House Cinema website