We went here tonight and totally enjoyed the cigar bar, went to the restaurant and had a reservation which was handled wonderfully. We were a table of 8, the amount of time just to get drinks was unbelievable. I was drinking beer so I was served in a responsible amount of time. We ordered a bottle of wine and it took almost 30 minutes to bring to the table and pour. Those that ordered mixed drinks took the same amount of time. The food was good but the service is so slow. We had reservations at 7:30 and did not get finished until 10:00pm. This was not due to a stretched out service but to the lack of attention. With all of the other choices in town I will not go here again, too pricey for bad service. Since we were a party of 8 tip was added in automatically and looked like we were charged twice which totally ruined the evening. read more

I recently hosted My sons Pre Wedding Dinner At this restaurant. What a wonderful experience we all had. The flexibility that the dining establishment showed us was amazing. I originally planned on a dinner for 6 to 8 persons. A day or two before the reservation the calls were coming in and we ended up with 17 guests. Calling Cioppino"s They were exceedingly accommodating. Dinner went on without a hitch, steaks, pork, and fish and it was all was fantastic. After dinner we all went to the in house cigar bar for after dinner drinks and cigars. Very comfortable over stuffed chairs and couches. We will be back. read more

Cioppino, opened three weeks ago by executive chef Greg Alauzen (formerly of Eleven fame), was perfectly adequate, but failed to strike a high note. We weren't disappointed, per se, but wouldn't rush to return. The food felt like it was carefully calculated not to offend the sometimes-conservative Pittsburgh pallette. One drawback to this location was that odors from the cigar bar occasionally drifted through the restaurant section. For appetizers, the beef carpacio was good, but the taste of the meat was dominated by too much roasted red pepper. The rock shrimp scampi was tasty - the shrimp themselves were excellent and extremely fresh - but the dish missed out on the rich butter and garlic flavor that could have made it superb. The frisee with smoked bacon was quite good. The wine selection was good, with a nice mix of napa, washington/oregon, and european reds and whites. Our main dish of bass, skin-on and crispy, served atop a scattering of gnocchi was fine, but not memorable. The fish itself was fresh and presumably a delicious start to the dish, but the end result was merely good. Perhaps the best dish was a stolen bite of gnocchi with heirloom tomatoes from our dining companions, and, in fairness, we did not try the restaurant's signature cioppino, having just cooked a batch of our own the week before. In keeping with what seemed to be the trend, the desserts were fine, but unexciting. The black forest brownie was humdrum, though the turtle rum truffle cheesecake was quite nice. The service was attentive, but felt rushed; this seems a reflection of a common pattern in American restaurants to assume that diners are in a rush to get out the door. Our waiter was polite and helpful, though his recommendations didn't point to anything spectacular or surprising. Perhaps Cioppino needs a bit of exposure to the air before it will open up and achieve its full flavor, but until it does, we'll seek other sources of culinary inspiration. read more

Excellent food, service, and prices were appropriate for meal. We had a private room for a party of 20, which was very nice. Our waiter was exceptional by recommending their special dishes, very attentive service, and kept everyone's wine and meal in order. Scallops and steak are highly recommended. Oh yes, the men enjoyed the large cigar bar while the women listened to jazz music in the upscale bar. read more

Oh I loved this place. Great vibes, live music, good food and drinks. I'd go back in a heart beat.

This place was better than I thought it would be, although it is a bit pricey. But, as I've learned since moving to Pittsburgh, any restaurant you go to that is under $30 a plate is someplace crowded and noisy. If it's under $30 a plate and it's not crowded and noisy, it probably ain't that good. Places like Cioppino are really the only places you can go to enjoy a nice, quiet meal. It's a calming atmosphere inside, and all of the food as well as drinks we ordered were really good. I'd like to eat there regularly, but I'm not that rich. read more

I can't say enough. Steaks venison pastas - never a bad meal. A little pricey. The cigar bar is amazing if you are a cigar fan. I like the bar here also. A good place for a cocktail. read more

Dinner last night was great! Our first time to Cioppino and we will be back. Very good atmosphere and attention to detail by the wait staff. We had read previous reviews and decided to start our meal with the lobster risotto and a Caesar salad. My wife loves the risotto as did I but I could have used a pinch of salt to make the lobster pop. The Caesar was excellent and was dressed perfectly. My wife had the pork chop with Brussels sprouts and I had the lamb for our entrees and once again we both came away impressed. The pork chop was seasoned and cooked perfectly and was very juicy, the lamb was excellent as well and I would order it again. I enjoyed the presentation but didn't feel the lentils added to the dish, and would have preferred a more traditional starch. Pumpkin cheesecake was good but the star of the dish for me was the cranberry compote, great contrast to the sweet of the cheesecake. Updates cocktail menu was perfect for the season and my wife highly suggests the jack-o-tini read more

Nice looking restaurant, average selection of cigars. The food was ok and it came out warm. Waitress was plain and not sociable at all. Ordered an 18yr old Scotch and paid for a 25yr old, unbelievable mark up on the scotch. Ventilation system is bad, smoke swirls and lingers in the air your clothes will be full of smoke. Great jazz trio other than that this place is below the line. I will look for another establishment when I am in the Burgh. read more

This could have been a great experience if they cared more about the customer then how they appear. The hostess was great, very friendly. We were seated in the bar area, not what I was expecting but ok. We order an appetizer and it was delivered to the wrong table. The waiter then tried to take it off the wrong table and put it on ours. We asked for a new appetizer. He apologized and said that they had to rent tables for the weekend. Our dinners were amazing however. I had the short ribs and my partner had the mahi mahi. Great portion sizes and the flavors were amazing. After we were almost done with dinner they brought us bread with another apology that they forgot. So I had to pay the same amount as someone lucky enough to sit in the actual dining room and got second rate service. I got a glance at the dining room and that is what I thought I was reserving a table for. After dinner we headed to the cigar bar. Great selection of whiskey. My partner is a cigar aficionado and a bourbon connoisseur so he really enjoyed the cigar bar. Will we go back, no to the restaurant and possibly for the cigar bar. read more

If you want to avoid a minimum for a private dining room for 10 or more this is the place to go. My sisters husband told me if you just complain Leisa she will waive the $1000 minimum. I talked to her and I honestly didn't have to ask! I had 3 other places in mind for my celebration and I would have rather ate there, but $1000 is a $1000. Thanks for waiving the fee again Leisa!!!! read more

Cioppino gave me one of the best dining experiences ever. Parking was free and easy to find. The ambience was very classy and the live music in the bar was off the hook. Once again a older crowd but its fine dining and great food. I had the butternut squash soup which as delicious. The waiter was awesome, he was very friendly & helpful and recommended other spots in the area afterwards for drinks. For main, I had the linguini and my friend had the cioppino, it was fresh, hot and flavourable. Finally dessert, I had the gluten free option, brownie with cinnamon ice cream.... Mmm delicious!! Afterwards, I hit up the bar for martinis and watched a live band. Excellent food & Excellent place. read more

Only visited the cigar bar. It is very nice and classy. Great ventilation compared to other places. Brought my own cigar, so I cant rate the selection. Probably only two around as nice. Beer priced well too. read more

We came with a large group which I think is always difficult for the kitchen, there were 11 of us. As a result, I'm going to say service was slow. This could be due to the kitchen or our server, but I felt there was too long a delay for food, too long a delay for asking if we wanted extra drinks, I think a general lack of concern over our table. This is odd given the restaurant was not full, I'm not sure why this was the case, and it may have been a one off. The food was excellent, but then this is Pittsburgh and I'm going to be honest, there is a lot of competition now between good restaurants. Could you get a better dining experience in Pittsburgh? Yes. Is this restaurant horrible? Not at all, in fact the food was excellent. But it lacked something, not sure how to put my finger on it, but something. read more

Great food, great environment, wish the location was closer to downtown. Prices are on the higher end for Pittsburgh, but the food is the real deal--worth every penny. Highly recommend if you're looking for a great meal, awesome drink, or a laid back place to smoke a cigar and catch up with a friend or two. read more

It was ok. Monk fish saw better days .. Good wine selection .. Food lacked flavor ...

For the ambiance and price point, I expected better in terms of service and food quality. We were celebrating an anniversary and the host called me earlier in the day to see what we were celebrating so they could plan accordingly. When we arrived, we were seated at an extremely small table. The service was fine. Our server could've been more friendly and outgoing but he did a fine job. The food was just not up to par. We ordered the grilled squid, oysters, and a half of the ciopinno to start. The squid was overpowerly charred so you could not taste the squid itself. The ciopinno was completely off. It could not be called ciopinno, rather, seafood cooked in broth. The only positive to the ciopinno was that the seafood was cooked well. My husband ordered the ribeye and for $55 it was very disappointing. It was fatty, not marbled plus tough to chew. No one ever brought up our special occasion and we left disappointed with the experience. read more

My parents came in from Philadelphia for the weekend to celebrate my recent engagement, so I wanted to choose somewhere special to celebrate. I read many great reviews about Cioppino and it did not disappoint. To start we shared the scallop crudo with chive and blood orange (the hands down favorite), beef carpaccio, antipasti platter,1/2 dozen oysters, and fried calamari. All were fresh and the accoutrements for each dish were well paired. Before our entrees arrived my dad and I were perusing the wine list when the sommelier arrived and offered suggestions that perfectly complemented our respective entrees. For our entrees my mom and I shared the scallops on lobster risotto, my dad have the tuna, and my fiance had the duck. All dishes were quickly devoured. We all ordered a different dessert from the menu: Key lime pie, linzer cheesecake, creme brulee, and chocolate molasses cake. When the desserts arrived they also brought the chef's sampler selection, and comped both my and my fiance's dessert. While all the food was outstanding, I was really blown away by the service. The hostess calling day of the confirm the reservation, and then apologizing for the two minutes we stood at the host stand while she sat a table. Our waitress (i forget her name) was very attentive, constantly refilling water, replacing silverware, and bringing additional plates and drinks. The sommelier seeing us looking at the wine menu popped over and offered excellent recommendations. The manager checking our table as we enjoyed dinner. We were even lucky enough to have both the chef and pastry chef stop by to say hello and congratulations. Very high end dining experience. I am so excited that I chose Cioppino to celebrate this special night with my parents and fiance. Did I mention they also offer complimentary valet service! read more

We had the cioppino And salmon along with a recommended cabernet savingnn. Absolutely delicious, great atmosphere for a classy night out and pleasant wait staff. I feel the service usually is what makes a great night and it was absolutely superb. Looking forward to our next visit. read more

Me and my husband celebrate our 1st wedding anniversary! The food was amazing and so were there drinks! This hopefully will be a tradition. read more

This was our first time in Pittsburgh so I gave my girl some choices of places to eat and she picked Cioppino's. It was an excellent choice! She had the swordfish I had the filet. Both were excellent. I also had their lobster bisque also excellent! Wine list was very good. For desert we split Meghans sampler and it was a great choice for two people to split. Staff was very knowledgeable and attentive. We highly recommend this restaurant. read more

Wonderful experience...from the wait staff, food, ambience...And the food!!!!!! Roasted beet salad with arugula and pears, yum. Duck confit with homemade pasta was so flavorful. Hubby had smoked pork shank. Serving size was huge but was so good , we did our best to finish. Highly recommend read more

One of my favorite places to go for a fantastic evening. Cioppino isn't huge, it's not too trendy, and while a bit pricey, it is worth it. The wine list is substantial, and the appetizers all look delicious, but don't skip the bread because of the basil olive oil dipping sauce. I could drink it, it's that amazing. Jazz in the bar on some evenings and a pretty back room for larger groups. read more

My husband and I LOVE this place. The food is phenomenal, the drinks are delicious and well made, the jazz is great, but most importantly, the staff is the best. They are friendly, helpful, but laid back. They make you feel welcome and relaxed at the same time. The cigar bar is pretty awesome too. If you haven't been there, you definitely need to try it. read more

My husband and I went here on Saturday night. Overall, we were not happy with our experience, especially considering the price of the food. The service was very poor in the lounge, restaurant and the cigar bar. Here are a few example from the night: -We had reservations for 8, we got there a few minutes early and they advised us our table was not ready yet to wait in the lounge, however there was about 6-7 open tables in the restaurant. -There was one and only one bartender in the bar who was running the bar for the lounge (with a jazz band) and the whole restaurant. She was completely overwhelmed and it took forever to get our tab in the lounge and get a drink while in the restaurant. -Our waiter, put appetizer plates on our table for us to share the appetizers that we ordered, but we didn't order appetizers. It turns out the table next to us did, so after those plates sat on our table for 20 minutes, he picked up the plates from our table and gave those same plates to the table next to us to use to eat their appetizers. -The waiter brought us our salads and said someone will be out with some bread. We ate the salads an no one came with bread. He picked up salad plates and again said someone will be out with bread. Someone finally came out with bread, it was a quarter piece of bread each, completely laughable, why even bother? -The table rocked in both the restaurant and cigar lounge, so badly that you had to be careful not to spill your drink. The chairs were also very uncomfortable in the cigar bar. -The best thing is the taste of the food, but when you consider the amount of money we spent at the lounge, restaurant, and cigar bar it is not worth it! read more

I held my wedding rehearsal dinner (60+ guests) at Cioppino 3 weeks ago. It was perfect - really top notch. I will always recommend this place to friends and family. Food: I had eaten at Cioppino twice before the rehearsal dinner: once on a date and once for the menu tasting. In sum, I've had 4 apps, 3 entrees, 3 desserts, and various drinks and I loved them all. The night of the rehearsal dinner 4 guests told me that it was the best rehearsal dinner food they had ever had. I ordered the halibut and it literally was the best fish dish I've tasted. The filet was thick with amazing flavor. Overall food presentation is professional, creative, and not over the top. Service: The private events manager responded to every email and returned every phone call during the planning process. They set up the place (table arrangement, name cards, flowers, pictures, etc.) without a flaw. Free valet parking. The servers knew the menu forwards and backwards and were actually upbeat and fun. Everything came out hot and on time. They even prepared several cheaper custom orders for kids. By the end of the night, well past closing, it was pouring rain and most guests with cars had left. Unbeknownst to me, the cab service in Pitt is terrible, so 20 of our guests were stranded. Two servers and the HEAD CHEF HIMSELF pulled their cars around and made two trips each to make sure our guests made it back to their hotels. Impressive. Ambiance: We had the entire dining room to ourselves, which provided privacy. The red walls, wood tables, lighting, and overall decor is warm and inviting (save the minimalist/simple floor). Not too overdone or snobby. The live music on a Friday night was great. And what celebrating groom-to-be can complain about the cigar room with leather couches and big-screen TVs? Some reviews on yelp say Cioppino is expensive, but I found it appropriately priced for the experience. The food, service, and ambiance are well worth it if you're looking for a great date/anniversary/graduation spot, or something other than Friday's or Primanti Bros. read more

Went here for a wedding rehearsal dinner, so I understand the dynamic of serving a large party so there are a few things I can excuse about the service. Some things however, like a lack of salt and pepper shakers to attempt to flavor their shamefully bland excuse for food was inexcusable. Let me get this out there as well, I love a good cigar. However, the stale cigar stench that permeates this restaurant made many lose their appetites. Bread finally came out after asking a few times; every couple at the table got a slice. Literallty one slice per couple. It was the parties fault for not serving appetizers to a drinking crowd, but being able unable to get a full slice of bread for myself was awful. Got a ny strip for an entree which was actually cooked appropriately. However, there was no taste to the meat and was so heavily dressed in butter that it was not very appetizing. In fact the amount of butter used to mask the lousy cut made multiple people sick in attendance. I instantly regretted not sitting at the kids table with the sliders and chicken fingers. The side dish, mushroom risotto was inedible. It was the most disgusting gruel ever served. Oliver Twist wouldn't have touched it. I'm pretty sure everyone at the party exchanged it for something else. I couldn't however since I was at the last serving table and by the time I realized that the mush on my plate made want to vomit, desert was being served to the head table and it was too late. Dessert was a bit of a refresher as the creme brûlée was actually pretty good, however my expectations at this point weren't exactly high. Even my wife, who enjoys everyhing, was thoroughly disappointed by this meal. I will never return. I'll never go back, even for a free meal. read more

We tried this restaurant on my the recommendation of my Boss, and all we can say is 'WOW'! A really pretty dining room, tremendous menu, and definitely the best service we've ever had in Pittsburgh. Food first. There were 6 of us, so we had a chance to try a lot of different things. Tuna Tartar, Beef Carpeccio, Spinach salad, Lamb Chops, Cioppino and ESPECIALLY the Scallops were all beyond excellent. Can't wait to go back to try the other half of the menu! Even better (if possible) was our waiter, Ron. Efficient, funny and incredibly knowledgeable. My wife is the customer with 1000 questions and gets annoyed if the server doesn't know all the answers. This guy was obviously a veteran, professional waiter who answered every question thrown at him and provided an interesting history of the Cork Factory across the street as a bonus. Do have to semi-agree about the wine list prices. Some things seemed to be pricier than necessary, but to anyone with good wine knowledge there are also lots of good values and interesting' obscure choices as well. All in all this is definitely one of Pittsburgh's best restaurants. read more

Went to Cioppinno, Railroad St and Cork Factory over the weekend. As my husband and I do not have large appetites we decided to dine on small plates (appetizers). Great idea! 1st course: Crudo Hawaiian tuna it was a special and was delicious. Silky smooth to the mouth with delicate flavor. Husband had tuna tartar that was also delish. 2nd course: Perfectly cooked calamari with garlic aioli and a wonderful antipasti platter with salami, cheeses, olives and pickled veggies. YUM! 3rd course: Beet salad and jumbo lump crabmeat with champagne vinaigrette. This was superb! Ron, our server was great. He was very knowledgeable and his suggestions were right on. He paced the meal well and service with clean plates and silverware was excellent. Only strange thing was the price of the drinks: Manhattan - $10.28 Beefeaters on the rocks - $8.54 I have no idea of how they arrived at these prices. All in all a great meal. We'll be back to try all the small plates we missed. read more

I went early in the evening with my less-than-easy-to-please great aunt and grandmother and they absolutely loved their food. They had the mahi mahi and the crab cakes and I just mixed some side dishes and a salad which were all very good. The service was excellent..the manager and even the chef came out to check how everything was. I was very impressed. It was a great place to get a little dressed up and have a fantastic meal! I would say the menu is a little more meat-centered version of Italian food- delicious! read more

We recently celebrated our anniversary at Cioppino and had a great time at this restaurant. Terrific service really matters and can really make or break an experience and Brielle really delivered superior 5 star service from the time we walked in the door. I might have been inclined to rate the food a bit higher had I not just eaten at Top Chef Master Takashi's restaurant in Chicago literally the Saturday before. Dinner at Cioppino wasn't quite the same but Brielle's service provided just as much fun and she deserves kudos for that! Our calamari appetizer was tender and flavorful and is definitely something I'd order again although the romaine salad from the specials menu arrived pre-dressed and was a little heavy for my liking. I ordered the crab cakes and mac & cheese for my entree thinking I could do no wrong there. Unfortunately, the mac & cheese was almost dry and not chef worthy. The sauce under the crab cakes was very heavy and fatty tasting which didn't enhance the dish. The crab cakes themselves were very tasty with minimal filler and worthy of 4.5 stars. My husband ordered the Alaskan Halibut and he seemed pretty happy with his choice although he also couldn't help comparing our dinner here to Takashi either. The best part of our evening was topped off by Brielle yet again by providing a special anniversary dessert of their banana French toast with chocolate bacon on the side -very fun & innovative! The cigar bar attached to the restaurant is a nice area to stop off for an after dinner drink and a cigar served on a silver platter is a fun touch. read more

First time here. The service was good very attentive to dietary needs. Great selection of 1/2 off bottles of wine. Soup and salad were perfect. All dishes salmon, cioppino, and veal loin were all perfectly cooked and delicious. Will definitely return. read more

Great ribeye and scallops. Good portions and Imani, our server, was fantastic. The pork belly appetizer, free with yelp, was amazing. The kimchi was top notch and paired with the pork belly well. read more

Very good steak and salmon. Whipped cauliflower delicious. Have recommended to family and friends. We will be back.

I was here last night and was relatively impressed with the beautiful space. I didn't get a chance to sit in the dining room, but the bar area itself was pretty nice with plenty of seating and a better than average tequila selection. They also had plenty of draft beer options . The area itself has high ceilings,nice lighting, beautiful ceiling fans, really dark wood, a couple of plasmas and plenty of leather. The wine selection is decent and has plenty of options by the glass. We ordered a few of the "small plates" while we sat at the bar. However, you have the option to order off of the full menu, small plates menu, and bar menu. I think it's a bit silly to have three different menus for your options while you sit at the bar. It seems that if you can order anything off of any menu then their is no need for three different menus. Anyways, we started with the beef carpaccio, which was a bit above average served with parmigiano-reggiano, olive oil and roasted peppers. The flavors melded pretty well together and the roasted peppers were nice albeit a bit oversoaked in olive oil. The tuna tartare was okay. I guess the tuna was of decent quality, but it was served a bit above room temperature which is a mistake. I think tartare should be served room temperature or a bit below. I really liked the cured meats selection, which was served with a nice selection of olives and three different meats. The prosciutto (sp?) was delicious and served room temperature which is correct. We also had a few slices of a delicious salami and sopressata. This is a good option for under $7. In fact overall I found the prices to be quite reasonable. Finally, we ended with a trio of delicious lamb burgers. This was my favorite from last night. It was three perfectly cooked medium flavorful lamb burgers served with perfectly caramalized onions on warm, buttery soft bread with a sheeps milk blue cheese. I really appreciated this cheese because it was a milder blue cheese and did not overpower the meat. We stopped in the cigar bar after dinner and I was quite pleased with the space. We sat on the comfy large leather couches and were served our martinis quickly. Overall this is a good place and I'm glad to see we have a decent cigar bar in Pittsburgh. I'll sample the full dinner menu the next time I visit. read more

Located hard by the Monongahela river, this Strip District staple had somehow not been on our "must go list". Overall, the atmosphere was fun, with a jazz band spicing up the front bar area and some solid cocktail choices to be had. The main dining area is in the rear of the establishment and has widely spaced tables and a private back room. The service was somewhat spotty but friendly, but did seem to improve as the night went on. As for the food, the bread basket and garlicky dipping oil were quite tasty, preparing us for our app choices. We had the Tuna Tartare (good but slightly bland), Beef Carpaccio (well presented and solid), and Lamb Sausage with Greens 'n' Beans (excellent). Being cliche', each couple split the Cioppino entree. It was nicely seasoned with fennel and garlic and had appropriate portions of seafood and fish. Overall, we had a fine evening and would recommend this location for both it's bar/music scene as well as the restaurant. read more

The service and the food were both excellent. I made a reservation for my wife and I for our fifth wedding anniversary. I added a note on the reservation letting them know of the occasion, and simply asking for a table by the window, if possible. They printed out menus for us that read "Happy Anniversary" and our names at the top. That was a very nice touch that I did not expect. We had the Antipasti Platter and the Lobster Risotto as appetizers, the NY Strip and Crab Cakes as entrees, and the Neopolitan Mascarpone Cheescake as dessert. All of the food was excellent, with empahsis on the risotto and cheesecake. read more

Went here for dinner with family. Excellent food, wonderful service. Very good wine list. Will definitely go here when in the area again .

Great neighborhood bar....nice atmosphere and great music Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Disappointed that they recently changed the menu. Seems like the menu is geared to keep people in the dining room instead of the bar. Bring back the great bar food, particularly the steak salad and the crowds will be back. If you want to be an upscale restaurant, you need to address the cigar smell. If you want to be a great neighborhood bar......you need to cater to what the neighborhood . read more

went for a glass of wine and ended up having 3 along with some calamari. now, i've had a decent share of calamari. this was in my top 2. it's tender and just delicious. they serve it with lemon zest. the dipping sauce was just different with a lemon garlic flavor. my other top calamari pick is actually at a chain in manchester, ct- john harvards. it's little rings and spicey. so, 2 very differently prepared types of calamari both good. cioppino is also in a great location -the strip. it's a beautiful restaurant. bartender was nice too. read more