Having opened its doors to the public on November 11, 2025, Pre Amp Coffee Studio on Forbes Avenue in Squirrel Hill is preparing for its one-year anniversary.
Pre Amp Coffee Studio Celebrates One Year in Pittsburgh
Owner Danny Ryan, who lived in NYC for a decade before relocating to Pittsburgh, has been working to turn Pre Amp into a reality since before the pandemic. Now fully realized and set in motion, Pre Amp seeks to elevate the coffee experience through music, smoothies, and a rotating menu — and to challenge our understanding of coffee’s natural benefits.
Born in Michigan, Danny Ryan has lived almost everywhere in the country — Texas, California, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York City. “My dad worked for Pepsi growing up, so I moved all over. I just thought that was normal,” Ryan explains. Having unearthed his love for coffee while working as an actor in New York City, his passion shifted from the stage to the coffee studio. “The coffee scene is so rich, I just fell in love with the creativity.”
Ryan planned to relocate to Pittsburgh and establish his own coffee shop … in 2020. The pandemic made realtors skittish; “We put some bids on some places, but no one bit,” he explains. In the interim, he worked as the coffee director at both Coop De Ville and Sally Ann’s, venues that are part of the Richard DeShantz Restaurant Group.
When the stars finally aligned, they did so at 5840 Forbes Avenue.
Caffeinating Squirrel Hill
Formerly Coffee Tree Roasters, which closed its doors in 2022, Ryan spent 2023 and 2024 readying the Squirrel Hill venue. “I don’t want to say we gutted it, but it’s got new floors and new ceilings … and we built out from the walls. The biggest update is the hood in the kitchen area. There’s also new electric and plumbing.”
Of all the places in the country to establish a bohemian coffee parlor, and all the places he’s lived, why Pittsburgh? “Coming here, anything could happen. It was such a huge, great opportunity. I found a lot of great spaces — and lost them during the pandemic. We needed to wait until 2025 to open a space like this.
“To be a coffee director and owner of a cafe … there’s so much flexibility and trust. That’s not something you can go out and get. That’s not a role you typically see.”
More Than Just Coffee
In fact, Pre Amp is full of things that aren’t usually seen in a coffee shop — including a rotating menu. “We have our own chefs. … We also reach out to pop-ups with food trucks; it’s a whole other audience. On weekends, we share our kitchen with different vendors.”
There’s also a notable quirk to the cafe’s sound system: romantically, Ryan insists on vinyl only. “It affects the passage of time. You feel it differently because every thirty minutes you have to flip the records. There’s no [disjointed qualities as there are with] radio. Just full albums.” His go-to: John Mellencamp’s American Fool, with the indelible single Jack and Diane. “But our younger staff like Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo.”
His go-to beverage recommendation: Kyoto cold drip cold brew, which takes twenty hours to brew and is so spectacular Ryan recommends taking it plain. “You won’t see it in other cafes in Pittsburgh. Low acidity, super smooth. Once we run out, we run out. It’s really special. It’s super clean. We are not trying to over-sugar-fy things. And we make all our drinks in-house.”
Pre Amp Coffee Studio is open seven days a week, from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Be sure to keep an eye on social media for anniversary announcements and promos.
Story by Will Acer
Photo Courtesy of Pre Amp Coffee Studio