My first restaurant since moving to Pittsburgh! We went on a Friday night and the restaurant was…read morepacked. We waited about an hour for our food which was kind of frustrating but they were absolutely slammed. Our server even brought us a second plate of bread and oil to make up for it (which we appreciated)! The food was worth the wait! Loved heirloom pasta and gnocchi w/ meatballs were delicious as well!! We also got tiramisu for dessert (not pictured) yeah, no. The mascarpone was dense and I believe they used cake instead of the ladyfingers. It genuinely pretty bad and I wouldn't get it again which sucked because tiramisu is my go to dessert (also pretty pricey for the portion we got). At that said, I will be back to try other dishes!

For some reason, I had a feeling that something was amiss regarding this dining experience. I made…read morethe reservation on RESY and we were set. We got to the restaurant, approached the podium, I expressed the reservation and was told that they did not have one for me. We were asked to sit in the penalty box until they were able to find a table. We were fortunate and were seated. Our server was great. Very personable, helpful with the menu, made recommendations, etc. We ordered cocktails, which were very good. We then placed our order for dinner. My spouse had the beans and greens which were found to be quite good. I had the house salad which was also very good. For an entree, Bo ordered CACIO E PEPE and I ordered, BUCATINI all'AMATRICIANA. This is where we started to descend into food limbo. The cacio e pepe was flavorless with as little pepper as possible. So few, in fact that you could accurately count them. The pasta was overcooked and mushy. My entree was another disappointment. In the description, it states: "Bucatini Pasta, Guanciale, San Marzano Tomatoes, Pecorino Romano" Now, can any of you, off the top of your heads, tell me what Guanciale is? Guanciale just happens to be, an Italian cured meat made from pork jowl or cheek. Its name comes from guancia, the Italian word for cheek. It is rubbed with salt, black pepper, and spices, then aged for several weeks, creating a rich meat with a high fat content that is prized for flavoring classic pasta sauces. In my entree they were small cubes, meat-like, and one side of each cube was burnt to a crips, solid black and real crunchy. It gave the whole dish a burnt taste. Not the best. For dessert, Bo ordered the Banana Sundae Cheesecake. I bet you thought it tasted like bananas. Nope. It tasted like cheesecake. I passed on dessert. My choice was determined by the quality of my entry. Atmosphere. There are some restaurants, these days, where you have to raise your voice to talk to one another. Here we had to literally scream but still not be able to hear one another. It's all too common now to forego a suspended tile ceiling and carpet on the floor, which absorbs the sound. This was absolutely the loudest dining establishment I was ever in. Looking around, it seemed that most people have bought into the notion that this is as good as it gets when it comes to dining ambiance. Look, I'm old school and this just didn't cut it for us. There certainly are a lot who love the restaurant and grade it accordingly. I'm just not one of them. Bon appetit!

So this location was only about a 10 minute walk from our hotel and we are so glad that we checked…read moreit out. It is a very cozy Italian restaurant that's serving homemade Italian food like your Nonna would make for you. We showed up on a Tuesday night and it was packed. It was around six or 6:30 in the evening and when we first got there, we were told it would be about a 20 minute wait before a two top was available. But the host came back and asked if we didn't mind sitting by the kitchen they could see us right away. We chose to sit by the kitchen, which honestly was probably the best option because it was actually a little bit quieter because there was a very large party that was celebrating a birthday and they had live music going on so it was hard to hear when you were in the main dining space but back by the kitchen it's a little bit quieter and we could actually hear ourselves talk. My husband got the penne with meatballs and the penny was nicely cooked with a beautiful tomato Bass sauce and the meatballs or some of the best Italian meatball he's ever had. His only complaint was that there were only two in the order and he wished there would've been three. I got the spinach and ricotta, stuffed ravioli, and by far one of the best raviolis I've ever had. The ravioli are large so there's only about five in a dish but they're packed fully and the flavoring and seasoning is absolutely spectacular. It's got a beautiful sauce like accompanies it and the chew you can definitely tell it is handmade pasta/ravioli. Our server, Emma was absolutely spectacular and was so kind. We truly enjoyed our experience here and would highly recommend anybody to check it out if you're in the area. But we also do recommend make your reservations ahead of time. This place gets packed quickly.

Very, very good Italian spot near Walnut Street, very close by all the top shops. The ambiance is…read morevery nice, both inside and outside. Pretty tight space though. The waitresses are friendly and have great recommendations. I got to try their linguine rustica (essentially the clam pasta dish), a cappuccino, some cherry soda, and soup of the day, as well as complimentary bread. They got that bread out very quickly! Very soft, and served with quite high quality olive oil. The bottle has both olive oil and balsamic! The soup of the day was quite good as well. It was some sort of beef broth, I think may a beef and bean soup. Chickpeas in there as well. Next time, I might try the salad. The salad they have as a side is so good, an amazing portion and seems so fresh and tasty. The mains were excellent. Very good pasta with clam sauce. Lots of clam meat and a flavorful oil based sauce. My friend had some red penne with chicken and enjoyed that as well. Great portions, pretty fair prices. Finally, great drinks as well. Very memorable cherry cola that I believe the company is owned by the owner's son. Real cane sugar, very good. The cappuccino was great as well. Definitely come here!

Every year my girlfriend and I find a cooking or baking class that is local in Pittsburgh to do…read moretogether. This year we decided to down our robes and become disciples of Saint Ravioli. Getting a spot in a class is very hard since they are limited to 6-8 people, but if you get the chance I absolutely recommend it. The classes are 2 hours long each and are extremely intimate. Bryan and Justin will meet you at the door and will introduce you to their workshop. There is a spread of antipasto to snack on which was curated very well. Each person gets to make 4 (four!!) dozen raviolis each. The class is extremely informative and fun. I personally haven't ordered any of their ravioli drops before, but from eating the batch I personally made, I know I will in the future. Highly recommend ordering their raviolis online or taking the class if it's available.

Although it takes some planning to order ahead, then pickup your order, the Ravioli is amazing…read more When you pick up your order, it's frozen. To prepare it, simply drop into boiling water, then after it floats to the top, wait a few minutes. I also ordered the Marinara sauce which was delicious. The owner friendly and helpful. He noticed that this was my first order, so he took some time to explain a few things and answer questions. Parking is on the street, and I had no problems finding a spot. It's a fun experience and I will definitely do it again.

We visited Garbarinos as part of restaurant week ... and glad we did!…read more Our meal started with an appetizer (beans and greens) then pasta and finished up with a cannoli! Street parking (free after six) but make sure to make a reservation.. this place gets BUSY! The Brussels - to die for! The beans and greens have sauce in them too - also very good! Both appeared to be full size apps too! I was stuffed when my pasta came but it was so good! The cannoli was def a 'I will take that to go' item. Def a must got back kinda place!

I had high expectations for this place given the other reviews, but it unfortunately just didn't…read morequite live up to them. No issues with service and the appetizers were fine (Brussels were fantastic, others were decent). But for my main course I ordered the special, which was gnocchi. The portion was generous which was great, but the gnocchi just wasn't cooked right. Each bite would stick inside my mouth and I had a tough time scraping the dough residue out of the inside of my mouth at times. I've ordered gnocchi many times and never once had this experience at a restaurant. I DID have a similar experience when I tried making it at home, hence why I like to instead order it out and expect it to be cooked correctly. The "house made marinara" was okay, but a little bland and watery so it wasn't enough to save the dish for me. Perhaps it was just an off night or off dish, so given the other high ratings I wouldn't necessarily write this place off, but I was certainly expecting more for a place like this. Maybe skip the gnocchi if you go here.

The food here is really good! I have just two of the dishes shown here. The frutti di mare was…read moreabsolutely amazing. I love the different seafoods mixed in with the vodka sauce...just so good! The restaurant is a bit small, at least in the area we got sat. I did ask to move because of how narrow the walkway was between our table and another party plus the chair behind me was directly up against my head so if somebody sat right behind us it would have been awkward. The only other thing I've noticed was that they were very slow to greet us and get our order...took around 15 minutes for that. No other complaints besides that! I'm only given it 4 stars just because of the slow service and the seating arrangement being very awkward but they were nice to accommodate and move us somewhere else!

My boyfriend and I came here for our anniversary and loved it. Amber took great care of us! They…read morehave a varied wine selection at different price points. The caprese pasta was delicious and my boyfriend liked his chicken Alfredo too. We sat outside on their patio and it was comfortable despite a windy day.

First off. Thank you April for taking good care of us - you were awesome!…read more My sis and I stopped in tonight .. it's been a minute since we have been to Piada and we both were very happy with our experience tonight Two grilled avocado Piada .. a pepperoni stick and those spinach artichoke pockets you have here ( not at our Piada - closer to home) was really delicious! Def going to come back and thankful for the entire staff here ... they work hard at this location! Ohh and keep it very clean too!

I've been back a few times for lunch (it's right near my work, so that's a win!). The bowls are…read morestill very noodle heavy. They have a nice array of healthier toppings to choose from, but I wish they would more clearly label which ones incur an upcharge. Last time, I got charged nearly $2 for a scoop of corn but nothing for broccoli, spinach, or tomato. Not the end of the world but a bit confusing. Piada recently added small 'pockets' to their menu, which I've enjoyed. The pockets are about the size of my palm and come in a few varieties (meatball, sausage/pepper, spinach/artichoke, and pepperoni). At $3-5 each they are a good sidecar to lunch or just a savory snack. The closest analogy I can think of is a single slice of pizza, but these pockets are more dense. One final tip: Don't show up between 12-12:30 on weekdays during the school year or else you will wait in a very long line of students.

Piccolo Forno is a relaxing and tasty neighborhood Italian place with a very…read morefriendly and helpful staff.  The dishes were flavorful and satisfying with generous portions.  We enjoyed the Carrots and Brussels Sprouts and the Stuffed Banana Peppers as appetizers.  Both were delicious and the peppers really maintained their pepper flavor.   In the mood for pasta, we opted for the wheat flour ricotta cavatelli and the tortellini.  We would order both again and were happy to share them around the table.  Dessert was the tiramisu which also had a lot of flavor and was a nice sized portion.  The restaurant is pretty hopping.  We were glad to sit in the back area which was a little quieter.  Piccolo Forno, with its warm staff and even warmer pizza oven makes for a fun place to catch up with friends or sit down and enjoy a meal with family.

Piccolo Forno was an excellent dining experience from start to finish. We began with the housemade…read morebread and herb butter, which was absolutely delicious. The burrata with asparagus purée, arugula, peas, and golden raisins was heavenly....fresh, creamy, and beautifully balanced. We also shared the Calabrese pizza from the wood fired oven, and the combination of spice and sweet hot honey was perfection. To finish, the meat tortelli was rich, comforting, and outstanding. Service was incredible, and Max took wonderful care of us all evening. Great food, warm atmosphere, and impeccable hospitality. Highly recommend if you're in Pittsburgh!

This is our second time visiting this restaurant and we loved it just as much…read more We started our meal with the smoked provolone. It was very over the top and indulgent. I went with the casa salad, it had so many toppings including a lot of blue cheese. I feel it would have been enough for my meal. For my pasta, we did the cacio e Pepe, which what they are famous for. They don't do it table side for GF pasta since it would be cross contaminated. For our main my husband and I shared the margarita veal medallions and the sea bass. Both were very good and large servings. For dessert, they gave us a complimentary champagne glasses and a little dessert. We also got the crème brûlée. It had cherries on top and a chocolate ganache at the bottom. Once again, very indulgent. I had a lemon drop martini that was very good during my meal and a glass of wine. They have a very good wine list but not very affordable. Overall, it's a great place for special occasions. They have very good waitstaff and it makes the experience even better.

Outstanding service always! Caitlin & Hunter were super attentive and friendly…read more The veal Milanese never disappoints! Also ordered the walleye special- delish!! Took home the strawberry rhubarb cheesecake for later!

I wanted to treat myself today and decided to visit Alta Via. I sat at the bar, Brook was a…read morewonderful bartender. She gave me the best recommendations for both food and wine. I was then visited by a manger named Marc during my time there. He gave me a good dessert drink recommendation, cherry chocolate martini. It was delicious. This is not my first visit at Alta Via, but I am never disappointed when I go to this location. I absolutely will return for another visit.

I've been here several times, and it never disappoints! The fresh ingredients, flavorful dishes,…read moreand careful preparation make every visit a great experience. The food is consistently delicious and clearly made with quality in mind. Located in Market Square, it's a great spot with a wonderful atmosphere and both indoor and outdoor seating. The staff are always welcoming, friendly, and attentive. Whether you're looking for a casual meal or a nice place to enjoy dinner in the heart of Pittsburgh, this Italian restaurant is definitely worth a visit!

Big Jim's is a Pittsburgh institution. It's been 20 years or so since my last visit to Big Jim's…read more My family was headed towards town around dinner time and decided to take advantage of the opportunity and stop by. We arrived around 4:30 on a Friday. We were able to get a parking spot around the back. We were quickly seated and beat the dinner rush by a few minutes. First off, our waitress couldn't have been sweeter. Super friendly and attentive. Very kind, especially to my youngest son. My wife had a small fish sandwich, my oldest son had the baked ziti, my youngest son had chicken parm, and I had gnocchi with meat sauce. Portions were large and tasty. Three of us had cups of wedding soup. Everyone was stuffed and enjoyed their meal. I would highly recommend and will not have a 20 year gap in visits to Big Jim's (in the run).

A friend told us how good Big Jim's was and we are so glad we decided to go try it…read more We were warmly greeted when we entered. The waitress was also very nice and accommodating the entire time. A man was also very helpful and brought us things we may need. I really enjoyed the super meaty and delicious meatballs on my meatball hoagie. The Marinara was really good. My husband's Italian and absolutely loved the veal cutlet sandwich. It was huge, crunchy and tasty. It made him nostalgic for the veal cutlets his grandmother used to make. The Fresh-cut Fries were good but weren't seasoned well enough. I also wish they were crunchier. We saw a man order the Stromboli and it was ginormous but looked delicious. He was a big guy and only ate about 25% of it. Got my mom a corned beef sandwich and she said it one of the best she had ever had. We're Irish and she loves them. There are lots of great things on the menu and will be back to try other things.