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My family has been going to the Strip and shopping at Prestogeorge for years. When I moved to the DC area I couldn't find any coffee as good as Prestogeorge's. Luckily, you can order online and have it shipped to your house. Every time I order it comes to my door the next day. This is such a plus for me since I always wait until the last minute to order coffee when I'm running low. You can order whole beans or have them ground to your specific coffee pot/french press. My favorite flavor of coffee is coconut cream. My only complaint is that they don't send you a receipt via email or shipping confirmation. But really, who needs an email when it comes the next day with a printed receipt in the box? Please give this place a try if you're looking for the best and freshest coffee around! | 12
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They have an extensive assortment of coffee beans and a friendly, quick staff. I wound up getting their Sumatra beans and loved them. | 12
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This is, by far, one of my favorite places in the Strip District! My favorite tea is the China Rose tea, which not only has a beautiful look to it, but has a wonderful taste! The Apple Caramel Almond is also very good, complete with halved almonds! The milk oolong tea is a little more pricey, but tastes almost like buttery popcorn! It is so unique and exquisite. There are so many coffees and teas to choose from that you could get lost all day just smelling the coffees and choosing which ones you want to take home! You can buy tea pots and infusers here to accompany your new loose leaf teas if you need something new or want to try different ways to drink tea. The prices are absolutely phenomenal. Depending on the tea, for about 2 oz of loose leaf teas or coffee, you are looking at a minimum of $1 and some change! The space is small, so it can be overwhelming when it's busy, but once the crowd dies down, you can really take your time and enjoy the coffees and teas without feeling rushed. Definitely check out this place, you won't be disappointed! | 12
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Since recently taking a more serious interest in brewing my own coffee, I am willing to go in search of a better bean. Prestogeorge is top of my list. \n\nI always marvel at their selection of coffees, the different types of beans and roasts. The wall off coffee can be intimidating, but the staff is knowledgeable and helpful without being pretentious. I started off with the JP Hearty Blend and was not disappointed. I've since purchased other blends including the Italian espresso (which I used to make some delicious chocolate covered espresso beans) and the Vienna Roast (which I use for cold brewing). Loose leaf tea is also available as well as brewing supplies. If flavored coffee is more your thing, it is definitely not in short supply here. Prestogeorge also serves beverages and some food items but I have never tried anything prepared there. \n\nThe cost of their coffee and supplies is more than reasonable when compared to national brands available in local grocery stores. And for coffee roasted on site where you can watch the process, you can't beat it. | 12
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The atmosphere and service from this restaurant were a welcome change from much of what we received the rest of our stay in Pittsburgh. The staff seemed genuinely friendly and attentive. \n\nThe food was good- not outstanding but definitely one of the best meals I had in the city. I ordered salmon, which was cooked perfectly. My friends had the pasta tasting, which for it's price seemed very reasonable. Pasta dishes never impress me the way other dishes do, but teh three offered this night were on the lighter side and a nice variety.\n\nOh why lie, they each had three servings and I was eating off their plates. That food was gooood! | 12
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I really want to give this place a good review, the decor is beautiful, the wine list is great (about ten $28 bottles, red and white, the pino grigio we had was phenom!), the service was fine, but the food was totally forgettable.\n\nThe service.... You know how when you get a jokey waiter when you're not \""that kind\"" of table, you expect the waiter to get the hint and be more professional? Well I had the exact opposite experience. My very small office was saying goodbye to one of our coworkers, so we went to Lidia's for a boozy lunch. We were in high spirits and having a great time. The waiter was perfectly courteous and professional, but I thought he should have gotten that we were a more personable table. Anyway, I didn't knock off a star for this, it doesn't seem important enough. But it did taint my visit. I remember the waiters attitude more then some of the food.\n\nOh, and don't bother with the tiramisu, it's all cream, almost no cake.\n\nBut the atmosphere is great, they really went all out with the interior design. The menu isn't particularly veg friendly, but it's not too bad. Lidia's does high-end traditional Italian without being too pretentious or too predictable. But I have no desire to eat what I ordered (the daily special pasta trio) again nor do I have any interest in trying anything else on the menu. Months later I decided to lower my stars from four to two. I really wanted to like this place, but I really didn't.\n\nAnd I gotta talk about that wine list again, it's Lidia's only shining star. Of course, they have a pricey reserve list, but they have a whole bunch of really cheap, good bottles, and a bunch of wines by the glass too. | 01
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I really enjoyed my experience at Lidia's. My friend and I were seated promptly, and we shared an order of the crab fricos, which were quite good. For my main course, I had a calamari dish with large beans. I can't remember the name of it, and it's not on the menu online, so ... but all I can say is that my mouth started salivating as I was writing this, so you know it was good.\n\nFor dessert, we shared the chocolate cake, which was incredibly rich. I don't think we finished it, but it was good.\n\nAll in all, a very pleasant experience. Would love to go again. | 12
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Somehow I thought the place was going to be fancier. The way the concierge at the hotel spoke of it, it sounded like it was going to be expensive and busy.\n\nBut I was pleasantly surprised to see entrees that weren't too expensive and a very comfortable atmosphere! It was a welcome warm spot on a cold November night!\n\nI had the Pasta 3-course meal and was thrilled! - cesaer salad, all-u-can-eat 3 types of pastas and any dessert off of the dessert menu! I thoroughly enjoyed 2 of the 3 pastas and particularly liked the meat raviolis. Very tasty! While it was an all-u-can-eat offer, we really didn't have much more than small amounts of each, as all the portions were hearty and filling.\n\nThe wine list had a selection of $28 bottles that were not fantastic, but tasty for the price. And the ambiance was enjoyable. Our group of 8 had pretty good service, and definitely enjoyed our experience there.\n\nSide note: Not an Italian dish, but the night we were there one of their specials was Hungarian Goolash, that was raved about by the 1 person at our table who ordered it! | 12
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First time at Lidia's, although I've wanted to go there every time I'm in Pittsburgh.\n\nI got the prix fixe Lidia's Trio del Giorno. Started off with a great Caesar's salad (Insalata \""Cesare\"" alla Lidia), followed by three pasta dishes, and ended with an interesting choice for dessert. \n\nThe pastas were right out of the kitchen - the farfalle with fennel, caramelized onions, sausage, and some tomatoes, was fantastic. The gnocchi were great, and the linguine with basil pasta and shrimp was good but not on par with the other two pastas. \n\nThe dessert was an olive oil and basil torte with lemon ice cream (my description doesn't adequately describe it) - I should've written down the description from the menu, although I did upload a photo of the dessert.\n\nThe wait staff was outstanding - attentive without being intrusive. The decor is awesome - especially the backlit wall with wine bottles. \n\nI hope to be in Pittsburgh again very soon and will definitely go back to Lidia's. | 12
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If you like the Olive Garden, you'll LOVE Lidia's! \n\nWe were a party of two on a Sunday night -- the restaurant was moderately busy. Our server was a bit of a space cadet. We had to stop another waiter to ask for more water...I was never offered a refill on my diet coke (which sat empty for over 30 minutes).\n\nThe salmon was very good, but drenched in so much olive oil and garlic that an oil slick was left on the plate at the end of the meal. The pasta tasting was....kind of weird. One of the selections tasted like feet, the other tasted like something I could make at home with a bottle of Prego. The best was a mushroom ravioli in olive oil -- but there was so much oil (see a theme?) I had to scrape it off before eating.\n\nLong story short, we passed on dessert. The food was adequate, the service was sub-par, and it was just kind of a \""meh\"" experience.\n\nI won't go back. | 01
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Lidia's is an upscale Olive Garden with slightly better wine list.\n\nThe biggest problem? Everything is bland. They have a salt problem. They must not have it in their kitchen. Everything needed it.\n\nThe salads were the only fairly good items we had. The arugula salad with pear walnuts and Gorgonzola was well dressed, but the beets were not cooked to their sweet level. \n\nThe lamb chops were awful. Lamb tasted like the grill and not at all like lamb. I sent it back. They replaced it with pork tenderloin served on a tomato sauce (needed salt) and with cheese melted over the top with asparagus and a slice of Roma tomato. It was a sad sad dish. The tomato was hard as rock. The tenderloin was over cooked. Just bad.\n\nI had the chicken piccata upon the recommendation of the server. It had lemon, capers and green olives. The vinegar fought with the lemon in the most vile way. The chicken had that flour coated slime feel in the mouth. Served on a bed of spinach. That was the only decent taste on the plate if it didn't have any of the sauce on it. \n\nBread is awful. They have a foccacia and skinny bread sticks that tasted stale to me. Served with an olive spread and a garlic white bean spread. They were fine on their own - in fact rather tasty.\n\nThe menu is really odd. Just in the way it is laid out and with the choices. Two west coast fish selections. Halibut and salmon. Coming from the west coast, I just overlooked them by a matter of principle. \n\nBut the worse is the pasta trio. The concept is just so olive garden. All you can eat of three different pastas served table side. They cart a saut\u00e9 pan to your table. What is that all about? Our neighbors ordered it and I over heard them talking to their server about their disappointment.\n\nBut like all things Pittsburgh the people were so nice. They were gracious about the lamb and took it and the pork replacement off the bill. \n\nI just have to wonder why Lidia would create a menu like this. It just doesn't match her books or shows at all. It does nothing to support the brand of Lidia. Unless she is really trying to take over the Olive Garden market. | 01
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My dearest Lidia,\n\nHello! How are you? How's Manhattan? Is PBS treating you well? Is your wallet getting fatter by the second? I hope so. \n\nI finally dropped by your restaurant in Pittsburgh's Strip District this evening. I know you've been begging me to check it out for years, but quite frankly, I just haven't been in the mood for pasta. You know how I am... carbs and all. \n\nYou know, I must give you props for the restaurant's layout. The fancy wall art, the color of the paint... I must say Rockwell did a very good job, and watching the sun set over the Allegheny River while dining on our meal was simply delightful. \n\nAt the behest of our server, each of my dining companions and I ordered the prix fixe pasta and a few antipasti. The antipasti were lovely - the lightly seasoned calamari was divine and the fresh mozzarella and olive platter was splendid. A terrific way to start the meal.\n\nNow Lidia, I know you'll never indulge me, but what on earth is in the dressing on your Caesar salad? It's smashing! There's definitely a hint of pear in it, but other than that, I'm flummoxed. Oh, and the imported cheese really bolstered the salad, sending a usually ho-hum affair into the stratosphere. You've really outdone yourself, my dear. \n\nAnd then came the prix fixe pasta trio. Lidia, darling, you know I'm a fan, but it really wasn't your best effort. The imported eggplant was overpowered by the tomato sauce, and the broccoli and sausage rabe was good but not great. Only the goat cheese-stuffed ravioli was better than average, but just marginally. Our server informed us that the ravioli was infused with thyme, but spank my bottom if I didn't taste a thing! Over all, not your best showing. \n\nDessert was quite sterling - the strawberry panna cotta was perfectly prepared, although a bit much with the cookies. Really, who has room for all that. I know you chide me constantly with your incessant \""mangia, Joe, mangia!\"", but I had really eaten far too much and the champagne had gone to my head as well. \n\nSo there you have it: my visit to your restaurant in Pittsburgh. Not quite five stars, but certainly not 3 stars. I'll give you a four this time, if only for the blandness of the prix fixe. Do give my love to Joseph and don't be a stranger. We haven't chatted on Skype in ages!\n\nKisses,\nJoe | 12
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When the bookends of your meal are the only strong points then you aren't going to score strongly in my book. The salad was very good as were the breadsticks and bread with sea salt on the top. \n\nAs for the main entrees that my girlfriend and I had...let's just say they left a little to be desired. The pasta trio sounded good until I heard that almost everyone had mushrooms in it. Lidia's is definitely that italian restaurant that is trying too hard to be cutting edge. Why not go with some standard italian dishes? Their menu doesn't include really any. My girlfriend tried to play it safe with the lasagna bolognese and they should have just called that a mountain of over-salted meat. There couldn't have been more than two sheets of pasta and two tablespoons of sauce in that dish. There is nothing worse than dry lasagna and if my girlfriend wanted to eat just meat she would have ordered just meat. Lasagna does in fact call for pasta. \n\nI ordered the halibut with polenta. I'll start with the polenta. Basically I should have just eaten my napkin because that had more flavor than the polenta. The dish came with San Marzano Tomatoes, Olives, and Capers over top of it and water passed off as sauce. Nothing annoys me more than when someone tries to go crazy with a fish dish. Let the fish do the talking. There were so many onions and capers on it that I needed to really dig for the fish. The halibut was good but it's a shame that the piece was incredibly small because the rest of the dish was subpar.\n\nThe desserts were very good however. We went with the Tiramisu and \nSemifreddo di Cioccolato e Caramello (Milk Chocolate and carmel ice creams, chocolate cake, toasted meringue, crushed toffee). \n\nThe decor was definitely cool inside too. Maybe those light fixtures would have tasted better than the lasagna?\n\nLidia's, the trying too hard, portion controlled spot in Pittsburgh. | 01
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During a recent roadtrip to Pittsburgh our party of three found ourselves tired and ready for something delicious for dinner with the caveat that it had to be walking distance from our hotel. We consulted Yelp and decided to try out Lidia's for dinner. \n\nThe place is located on the fringes of the Strip and has nice clean feel to it. That's about as good as things got for me personally. The service was not very good. We were seated and ignored for about 15 minutes although the dining room was almost empty. A bread basket was placed on the table, but the bread was not very good. Once our waiter did come, (he looked like a Mafia Don) it took another 10 minutes to get our drinks. \nI ordered the grilled octopus on a bed of potatoes and an heirloom tomato salad, both appetizers, as my meal. The tomatoes were not ripe and unfortunately did not have enough acid of any kind on them so that flavor was quite bland. There was no salt or pepper on the table, and no pepper was offered either. The octopus was bland but quite tender and fresh.\n\nMy husband ordered the salmon which he thought was good but a bit overcooked overall -- nothing to write home about. \n\nThe third person in our party ordered the pork porter house which was very tasty.\n\nBased on fellow Yelpers we ordered the strawberry pannacotta for desert but unfortunately they had none at 7:30! We settled for cookies and a tiramisu. We left overall feeling disappointed in the service and the quality of the food. | 01
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We went to treat A's parents for their anniversary - his mom has been obsessed with this lady forever. I had an amazing lobster risotto, A had the osso bucco, and his mom tried the pasta trio, which was divine. His dad had something spicy and in marinara sauce...looked godd. Neat atmosphere, and knowledgeable waitstaff... | 12
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I'm not a big Italian fan, but since we are up north where the best Italian is, I wanted to try it. Breads were served with strawberry, apricot, and crunchy sugar butter. That was great. We were in for brunch on Sunday. I had the Filet and was not super impressed with the meat, but the potato wedges were quite tasty. Then dessert, I loved most, but the almond/hazelnut cristota was to die for. Hubby had Pasta Trio and was satisfied. Would go back. | 12
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Good food and beautiful space. My family and I were here the other night. We had gnocchi with duck; lamb chops; the fish of the day; grilled salmon and the pasta trio.\nThe gnocchi with the duck was outstanding. The other entrees were very good. The pasta trio last night was slightly disappointing. Ravioli, Papardelle and Penne a la Vodka-lacked something. Overall, a nice meal. I would go back. | 12
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Let's see....an Italian restaurant in Pittsburgh in the heart of the strip named after a woman with her own Italian cooking show? Should be great, right? Not so much.\n\nWent here recently and ordered the pasta trio, since this is apparently what one gets at Lidias. Perhaps I went on the wrong day, but I thought that the three pastas (bolognese sauce, pesto sauce, and gnocchi with sage butter) were underwhelming. At the very least, there are Italian restaurants in Pittsburgh that offer much better food for a similar price.\n\nThe one positive to Lidia's was the dessert - which was fantastic. I had a bite of a chocolate torte, and was very impressed. The coffee with grappa was also quite nice.\n\nAll things told, though, I would spend my money elsewhere. | 01
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If you're new to the steel city, and want consistently superb modern Italian, this is your place. The menu has standards you grew up loving, as well as modern dishes and new twists on classic gems! The staff is attentive and informative without being overbearing; the wine list is extensive, and the well drinks are stiff... | 12
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I went here on a crowded saturday night with a large party (8 people at our table.) I ordered the spicy calamari. It was not spicy. It was overcooked, like rubber, and served on plain white beans. Yuck. I won't go back. My boyfriend had the seafood dish. Most of his seafood was also overcooked and tasteless. | 01
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My coworker had been recommending Lidia's to me for a while, and I'm glad I listened to her and brought my family here for dinner last week. We had a wonderful Italian meal, and one of the better dining experiences in Pittsburgh so far.\n\nWe had a reservation on Saturday night around 6 pm, and used their valet service ($5? $6? I forget). We were seated right away, and we all admired the gorgeous dining room space. It seems to have been built in an old warehouse - the ceiling is massively high, and there's gorgeous Mondrian-esque glass over the bar. Very stylish! \n\nI should also say right off the bat that our server was outstanding. Friendly, funny, and knowledgeable, he was one of the best parts of the whole experience. He helped us choose a wine which we all enjoyed, and he poured it skillfully. He was also helpful to us at various points throughout the meal - for example, four of us began with the Insalata di Rucola (split two salads between four people, and they came on separate plates). The salad sounded amazing, with arugula, pear, walnuts, and gorgonzola (get in mah belleh) but we all noticed that there was quite a lack of...well, pear. We all had maybe one measly little wedge, and it definitely kept the salad from being as yummy as it should have been. So we told our server about it, and he immediately brought out a plate full of pear slices. Redeemed! And the salad became delicious.\n\nMy entree was the Ravioli di Cinghale (ravioli filled with wild boar, in a rosemary sauce) and it was pretty delicious. Three big raviolis, filled with succulent meat (think pulled pork, but Italian and well-spiced). The sauce was very very light, but still flavorful. My dad got the Pasta Trio, and it was hilariously awesome to watch three different guys come by with big bowls, delivering their delicious wares to his plate. He had a lot of fun with that. My mom loved her sea bass as well. \n\nDad's pasta trio came with a dessert, so he got the Crostata di Pere, a sugary pear maple dessert which I think was good, but I don't have really strong memories of it so clearly it didn't bowl me over.\n\nAll in all, it was a very good meal with some truly excellent service. We felt cared for and comfortable, and our bellies were full. What more could we ask for? | 12
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I was very disappointed with my meal here. I expected way more from Lidia's. As a regular viewer of the show I was expecting fresh / rustic Italian meals. What I ended up with was stuffed pasta that I'm 95% sure was reheated in a microwave, bland mains, and slow and inattentive service. The only highlight of the meal was the bread which was the only fresh ingredient used in the entire meal. | 01
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WAAAAY over priced and although their appetizers were good, I'm not sure if it's bc we went in August and the kitchen was hot and the cooks were sweating their butts off back there but they salted their pastas WAAAAY too much. One of the pastas in their trio had sun dried tomatoes and capers in it. You'd think they'd tone down the saltiness of the pasta to let the saltiness of the sundries tomatoes and capers pull it together but no. I felt like I was eating strands of salt. The ambiance is great and their wine menu is extensive. Maybe it was a bad day but I think I can find better Italian restaurants in Pittsburgh with it's strong Italian roots. | 01
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I was really looking forward to Lidia's. And was really disappointed. \n\nBread was good. The cocktails were good. The service was attentive and friendly (just don't get between a server dishing out the unlimited pasta and a hungry customer who clearly hadn't reached their limit with the unlimited servings). \n\nToo bad the food wasn't good. The beet salad was underwhelming. I had the calamari which was rubbery and swimming in a tasteless chicken broth and white beans. I felt even more sad for my dining companion who had such fond memories of the calamari. I suspect such positive memories are no longer :(\n\nMy other dining companion had the osso bucco which was dry and stringy. Another disappointment. \n\nAnd thus my rating of Meh. Which is a huge shame. But life goes on... | 01
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Very good. Great atmosphere for a date or special occasion. The Pasta trio is always great. On Sunday they offer family style for $25(Salad, Entree, Dessert). \n\nGrilled Octopus, Lasagna, salads are very good. Will be going back soon. | 12
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Overall experience was rather good. This is an impressive review for me to give a restaurant as I consider myself an avid foodie. It is rare for me to give an Italian restaurant a rave review, since I grew up eating Italian-American homemade meals. \n\nThe ambiance was nice, the buzz was slightly nosier than I would have liked but it was also not so much so to be considered bothersome. Their staff were attentive, friendly, and knowledgeable. I will say, it was a little strange to not receive a menu until after we were served water and bread sticks. I can actually say I've never been seated at a restaurant where it took 15 minutes to receive one. However, after munching on the delightful breadbasket (The star of which is definitely the Focaccia bread) left me excited for what was yet to come. \n\nI enjoyed the affordable wine selection. We order an Italian table wine style Pinot Noir. It was delightful and we would order it again.\n\nFor an appetizer we shared the Capesante: grilled sea scallops, shaved fennel, red onion, orange and basil. My husband and I rarely go out to eat without ordering some sort of scallop dish. I can proudly say, their scallops had a lovely sear and were cooked perfectly inside. \n\nFor my entree, I ordered the Lidia's Pasta Trio which is their signature dish. Unlimited daily pasta selection served table-side. I must confess, I found the serving via table-side a little odd. If they served only my portion from the pan it would not have been as off. But thinking that others may have or will be served from that same dish that is inches away from the diner was a bit off. I had the linguine w/ walnut pesto which was average nothing too spectacular but good all around. The chicken, pork ravioli was interesting. Tastier that I expected. In fact, had I not tried my husband's entree I would have been more impressed with my ravioli. Lastly, it was served w/ eggplant penne in a red sauce. I was probably least underwhelmed by this last dish. But nevertheless, all three pastas far supersede the majority of Pittsburgh Italian restaurants. \n\nI order this with the Caesar salad and choice of dessert. The salad was okay. Admittedly, I'm a hard sell with Caesar as I prefer to make it myself. Unless of course I am eating it from Emeril's (Las Vegas) which was the best Caesar I've ever eaten. Bygones.\n\nFor dessert, I ordered the Torta d'Ananas- ricotta and butter cake, caramelized pineapple, Amarena cherries, and coconut ice cream. If I had to guess, the cherries were present in syrup form perhaps on the top of the cake. As I did not see any cherries (or taste for that matter) their presence within the dish. Perhaps the syrup was used sparingly. Nevertheless, the dish was yummy. The coconut ice cream with the caramelized pineapple was the star. However, I do not think it was spectacular enough to order again.\n\nMy husband had the Ravioli di Cinghale: ravioli filled with braised wild boar in a rosemary infused sauce. This dish was amazing. I could not believe how delicious every single aspect of this dish was. The ravioli looked so fresh, it appear made to order. Significantly, far exceeded the quality present in the Trio I ordered. The rosemary infused sauce was one of the most incredible sauces I have EVER eaten. The wild boar itself, was absolutely to die for. My husband and I swore we would be back, simply for us both to eat this dish again. It is a MUST HAVE. Enjoy! | 12
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Went here for brunch yesterday. \n\nWhat we sampled: \nMimosa (I don't like mimosas, but this was delicious with fresh squeezed orange juice)\nBread basket (sea salt foccacia (delicious) cranberry and almond scones (delicious, but very crumbly which the fiance found out the hard way) strawberry butter, sugar butter, and honey butter)\nAntipasta table (overall good selection, but a little bland, the only memorable thing on the table for us was the Cesar salad, which was delicious, but a tad overdressed) \nEntree (we both ordered the pasta trio. The three choices were penne with onions, sausage, and tomato ragu (the least favorite), Homemae fettucine aglio e olio with tomatoes and butternut squash (delicious and very fresh tasting for the fall), and homemade mushroom ravioli in a thyme butter sauce (the best selection by far and completely delicious)\nDessert table (good selections with standouts being the tiramisu and the chocolate torte)\n\nOverall this was a great brunch experience for the price as well as the selections. We would definitely return. | 12
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This place had horrible service. I waited (sitting at the bar non-the-less) for about 10 minutes before the loser bartender got me a drink and a menu. The food was weak, I got a Caesar salad and the wild bore stuffed ravioli. I was horrible. It was like they took some pulled pork and just stuffed a spoonful in a ravioli. I will not return, too many other better restaurants are in town to waste your time on this one. | 01
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We were at Lidia's for an early dinner before seeing a show. They have a great wine list and our server made some excellent suggestions. The food was wonderful. Several of us had the Pasta Trio. This is a sampler dish with three different pastas prepared and served at your table. Afterwards, you can get additional servings of your favorite from the Trio. Of course, none of us even had room for an additional serving. If you get the Trio, I'd recommend getting the option that includes the salad and dessert. It's a great deal and you know you'll want it anyway! | 12
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I had a great lunch here!\n\nThe service, TBH, was average, but they pre-bused the hell out of my table so I was incredibly delighted!\n(Lack of pre-bus is a HUUUUUGE pet peeve of mine!)\n\nThere were several items on the menu that I really wanted to try and I was truly torn on what to get.\nThere was a Wild Boar dish, a Salmon that sounded amazing, and a Duck dish that sounded awesome, too!\n\nI'll walk you through the meal...\n\n1.) They bring you some delicious breads (a Rosemary and Sea Salt bread, and another plainer Italian bread) to dip into a plate that had 2 perfectly rounded scoops of spreads in a pool of olive oil.\nThe scoops? I think that one was an avocado-based spread and the other, I think, was a black bean spread--neither of them were overly flavorful, but both were relatively light and fresh.\n**My Faves Here: Sea Salt & Rosemary Bread with the [Black Bean] Spread\n\n2.) Next was salad: You can choose a Caesar salad or a pickier/plane salad (but the plane salad will take extra time to make because the servers prep the salads themselves--so it was explained to us, anyhow).\nThe Caesar was good! The anchovies are diced into the dressing, but you can barely recognize them if you're not a fan of anchovies and are worried about that.\nI honestly wouldn't have even known they were in there, had I not asked!\n**My Faves Here: Go for the Ceasar; it was great!\n\n3.) For an appetizer (this is a weird choice, but I'm happy we did it), we got the \""Chef's Vegetarian Sampler\"". This included a delicious, and lightly spicy, Barley Risotto, some Sauteed Spinach, and some type of [fried] Potato dish. It was very good!\n**My Faves Here: The Potatoes were pretty addicting!\n**Least Faves Here: The sauteed spinach--very garlicy!\n\n4.) I ended up choosing \""Lidia's Pasta Tasting Trio\""--and I would recommend that to others who find themselves torn between several things.\nHere's how this works...\nThere are 3 pastas \""of the day\"".\nThe servers bring around large bowls of all three types of pasta and places all three types on your plate for you to try.\nOne you've sampled all three, its \""all you can eat\"" of your faves.\nThey'll ask you what types you'd like more of and give you more.\nNot a bad deal!\n\nThe day that I went, all three were pretty good.\nOne had a spicy, red sauce and wide noodles.\nAnother had an olive oil based sauce and had Orecchiette pasta.\nThe last one was the one that I could have eaten allllllll day!\nIt was simple, but amazing!\nGoat Cheese filled Ravioli with a Butter and Thyme sauce! Ugh... to die for!\n\nLet me tell you about this ravioli!\nThey were not \""doughey\"" at all; they were perfect!\nVery thin pasta, but none were broken!\nDelicate and perfectly filled with the most amazing cheese.\nThe butter/thyme sauce wasn't the least bit overwhelming!\nIt was the perfect compliment to this dish!\n...just thinking about it makes me want to go back to Lidia's NOW!\n**My Faves Here: OBVIOUSLY the Goat Cheese Ravioli!\n**My Least Fave: The Orcchiette dish. It wasn't \""bad\"", it was just \""meh\"".\n\n5.) Oh, yes... there WAS dessert, too! ;)\n(don't judge me! lots of folks have dessert at lunch-time!) ;)\nI enjoyed the Tiramisu!\nNow, some people like it when the lady fingers in Tiramisu are very Rummy tasting, but I am not a fan of too much of that!\nThis was perfect and delicious!\nI would def recommend it!\n\nAll in all... Lidia's = WIN!\n\n\nPROS: \nDelicious;\nPre-bus galore!\n\nCONS:\nParking (but you can park in the \""dust bowl\"" across the street.\nLocated in the strip\nPretty busy on the weekends! | 12
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I didn't really know what to expect from Lidia's, but in all it was the perfect meal for us travelers. \n\nThe experience started off a little rocky, but at every progression of the meal, the experience got better and better. \n\n. The Strip was a ghost town on a Saturday night (during the Kenny Chesney concert). Upon opening the doors to Lidia's, the interior was bustling... with old people! While the decor seemed modern and edgy, the clientele was decked out in rinestone-encrusted tshirts and argyle. Yikes!\n\nWe kept changing our reservation number throughout the day, and by the time we arrived, our party was officially a party of four instead of six. I'm not unsympathetic to needing to do some table switching to accommodate us, but it appeared as if the hostess meant to solve the problem and then forgot about us once another problem arose. After a fairly long wait off to the side, one of our party went to the podium to ask about our table. Apparently, they had forgotten about us, but we were seated quickly after the mistake was realized. (Sidenote: the hostess' outfit was really unintentionally inappropriate. Part of her top was sheer, and would have been tastefully so if she didn't have her bra and underwear sticking out in awkward places, unbeknownst to her.)\n\nAnyway! I guess I can see how people think Lidia's is too much like an Olive Garden, but once you look at the ingredients and the preparation methods, it really isn't at all. I guess people see \""unlimited pasta\"" and their minds go somewhere a little less sophisticated. Don't fall into this trap! Everything was expertly prepared with balanced flavors and appropriate portioning. \n\nI had the pasta trio (like everyone else, amirite!?) and indeed, the beginning portions of the pasta were small. The point is to sample, and then get more of what you prefer, even if it's all of them. I wouldn't want huge globs of pasta on my plate (getting cold, cheese and sauces congealing), so I appreciated this approach. Your followup portions come by with waiters carrying large metal pans of small-batch prepped pasta. All of the pasta tasted freshly made (not dried) and with exceptionally light and balanced sauces. Perfect.\n\nI feel like you have to get the pasta trio at least once. The other entrees looked amazing as well. If I lived in the neighborhood, I would focus my ordering on the rotating seasonal entrees. \n\nMy Cesar salad was a little overdressed for my tastes, but still very flavorful and fresh. The bread basket was above-average, with at least three different warm options and two spreads (an olive and pesto spread). \n\nDessert was inventive, a lemon cake with a basil layer and poppyseed ice cream. The other elements escape me, but it was nice that my table mate gave me a bite. \n\nService was great, if a little slow towards the end. I enjoyed their wine selections, though one of the reds was much better alone (not with food), and probably shouldn't have been on the menu. Though the wine list is quite extensive, there's a smaller, curated list of bottles for $28. It kept our choices (and bill) a little more manageable. So glad I got to try Lidia's! | 12
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as a big fan of Lidia's, i was anxious to eat at her restaurant, and it was totally awesome. would highly recommend. Food was excellent. wait staff was attentive. we arrived early for our reservation and they were able to seat us. it was a lot of fun and the decor was awesome too. | 12
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I went to Lidia's this past week for dinner with a group of 6 friends. The service was one of the worst I have ever had. The waitress was rude to us from the minute we didn't order alcohol to the second we signed our bills. We politely asked at the time of placing our orders if it would be possible to have separate checks. It's a group of people having dinner together, who carries cash anymore? Waitstaff should expect to be asked for separate checks. I understand it makes for a bit more work to run a few more cards at the end of the meal, but when the waitress disdainfully states \""I can do that, but you will just have to be patient with me at the end of your meal as separate checks cannot disrupt the service of my other tables.\"" it is a big indication of how the rest of the evening would go. If she gave as much inattention to her other tables as she did to ours, no one would have even noticed she was taking a few extra minutes running separate checks. We rarely saw our waitress except when she needed to sell us food. Thank goodness for the other staff that were available to refill our drinks, our bread and our pasta. Otherwise I think we would still be sitting there 4 days later with empty glasses and stomachs!\n\nSpeaking of empty stomachs-I wish I hadn't filled my stomach and emptied my wallet with the food we were served. I ordered the pasta trio. The salad was good and unfortunately the best part of my meal. I was excited to try the 3 pastas when they came out. But that excitement quickly disappeared as I took a few bites. Seriously?! A revered Italian restaurant serving overdone pasta?! It was the most bland arrabiatta sauce I have ever had. The jarred stuff I have in my cabinet at home has a 100 times more flavor than this and I don't even serve that over such limp noodles as what this place did. The pesto sauce on the gnocchi was good, but again the pasta was well past it's doneness. The best pasta was the gemmeli with the sausage/broccoli rabe sauce, but it was extremely oversalted and left my mouth feeling like it does after I've eaten too much ham on Easter. \n\nI had high hopes that dessert would salvage this meal! Unfortunately, those hopes were dashed when we ordered the nutella custard that was to come with caramel bananas. The waitress said that they didn't have bananas for it because their shipment they had received that day were too green. The restaurant is in The Strip District!! Go down a few blocks to Stan's Market and buy ripe bananas to serve with your dessert! She was going to serve a custard with nothing else until my friend suggested that they use strawberries that were listed on another dessert as a substitute. The dessert was good, but I would have definitely preferred bananas over the strawberries we ended up with. \n\nLidia's had been on my list of restaurants to try ever since it opened years ago. I can now mark it off my list and never return. Between the waitress's attitude towards us all night to the quality of our meals, it was one of the worst restaurant experiences I have ever had. So disappointed! | 01
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The NY restaurant is much better. We were eating here often, but it got boring quickly. The staff are great and the location is good for people who drive into Pittsburgh. I'd like to see some the dishes that make the NY restaurant great. | 01
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Overall this was good Italian food if you're ready to venture into something more asventerous than Olive Garden. I had the pasta trio and thought the ravioli was amazing. Everything else was pretty good, but a butternut squash ravioli made the meal. Be prepared to spend about $30 a person for the full experience and I'll remember this meal for a while. | 12
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soooo disappointing! i watch lidia on tv and have a lot of her recipes. also, having lived for some time in NYC, i am familiar with and a fan of Bastianich restaurants. one of the best meals i've ever had in my life (there aren't many) was at Del Posto. the Bastianich name to me stands for integrity and love / appreciation / sharing of high quality italian food. then, i ate here. are these the same people running this restaurant?! it was completely mediocre and subpar, as if no one cared about the quality or experience.\n\ni came here for brunch and did the pasta trio and antipasti table. it was clear the ingredients were not quality and the dishes were mass produced without much flavor or thought. it was only $25 a person, but can you make an effort? don't you care about your reputation and good name? guess not.\n\nthis restaurant seems to be a sellout - a place to make money off the name in a place where the food standard frankly isn't that demanding or high (like in NYC). also, the service was not that good. too bad. | 01
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After walking around the Strip District, this certainly hit the spot. We did the buffet, and I got the pasta trio. I was not disappointed. Endless amounts of great pasta, plus everything else that came with the buffet table. It's a classy place, but people from all walks of life were eating there, from people dressed in Steelers gear to older, well-dressed couples. I'd definitely come back or go to her other restaurant. | 12
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My family had been planning to go to Lidia's for a while, and finally made a reservation for my dad's birthday. I was not really impressed with the whole experience overall. We got there for our reservation and it took a while for anyone to come greet us at the front of the place, even though it wasn't very busy. They seated us outside, but the outdoor seating is right next to the street and it wasn't very pleasant. They were nice enough to move us inside without complaint. We ordered drinks, which took a long time to get there. I had the pasta trio special, I really liked the idea of getting to sample three different fresh recipes. I only really liked one (I know it changes up though) and only got a refill of that one. My sister got the seafood alfredo, which she said was good. I don't even remember what my parents ordered because it wasn't very memorable. Although the service was decent and the food was okay, I was just generally unimpressed and felt like we paid a lot for just a \""meh\"" experience and food. | 01
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One word; gross. This is not Italian food - it's Pittsburgh italian food. The ravioli is not fresh - how difficult is it for a restaurant to make fresh ravioli? The decor is tacky. The wine list is lacking. I could rip this place apart after only one disappointing meal, but I'm not going to waste my time. In short, avoid this place! You can do much better in your own kitchen! | 01
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Each experience I've had at Lidia's was positive. I've visited the restaurant several times, but mostly for lunch or brunch. The food is delicious and well prepared, though it can be a bit pricey.\n\nI've visited Lidia's most frequently for brunch, and find the value to be top-notch. For $25, you have a large antipasti table selection, your choice of entree, a generous dessert table selection, and complimentary mimosa or Bloody Mary. Other restaurants of this caliber would charge separately for all this food, putting the total bill far higher. The foods are fresh and reflect a wide variety of Italian foods, not necessarily the same foods you would find at your corner Italian restaurant featuring spaghetti and lasagna. \n\nThe food is good, but perhaps doesn't quite meet the high expectations people have before their first visit. Letting go of the unnatural expectation that every bite of food you eat from a celebrity chef restaurant will be life-changing, you will have a pleasant and positive experience at Lidia's. \n\nWhen we excitedly told the wait staff we were celebrating my birthday with them, they brought me a complimentary flour-less chocolate cake which was absolutely incredible. The service at Lidia's is incomparable, always making you feel like the king or queen of the room. \n\nI would recommend Lidia's to anyone looking for a quality Italian lunch or dinner with an upscale atmosphere. This restaurant would be great for dates and special occasions. | 12
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I am reading through these reviews and wonder if we went to a different Lidia's Pittsburgh, because on our romantic Valentine's Day the Olive Garden would have been more fresh and authentic (p.s. it's neither of those things). My husband and I loved her cooking show and figured that her restaurant would be something we would like to try, boy were we way off. Maybe it was our fault for choosing a holiday but it was their fault for cutting corners, in the worst way possible, FLASH FROZEN FOODS! They had a fixed menu with some options, but we already knew we were going to be charged $48 per person, which was pretty pricey, but maybe it was worth it, well it wasn't. First course was a fried ball that apparently had lobster in it, all you could taste is how much work the fryer had put in for the day, and it was a lot. Second course, couldn't wait, Caesar salad and a dish with shrimp and spaghetti squash, salad was ok, the shrimp you couldn't taste because they were the little frozen ones that are cute when breaded but when they aren't they just look sad, as if they had never been in the sea (which I am banking these hadn't). Then finally main entr\u00e9e, we held out hope thinking we there could still be a chance, again the price was $48 PER PERSON! My husband had gotten the tuna, JOKE, this made me maddest of all, it was pescado without the pescado part. We could have dealt with a small piece of FRESH tuna, but seeing as how this was an average piece of flash frozen crap with the grill marks already on it, thank goodness those poor chefs didn't have to actually grill a piece of fish. My pasta trio dish was ok, nothing about it screamed high and or fresh quality foods. The worst part was that the service was excellent other than he could see on our faces we wanted nothing to do with the food, so he never asked how it was, but he was fantastic. So after the frozen crappy desert or finger food, that was horrid, we got our bill all said and done with a glass of wine, cappuccino, tax and tip, we paid $150.00! So save your money and go to spaghetti warehouse at least you know what you're getting. Lidia, YOU OWE US MONEY! | 01
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This was my first experience at Lidia's and it was amazing. It was a rare evening out for my wife and I and we enjoyed our meal immensely. \n\nThe food was very good...3 to 4 stars at least. We ordered the pasta Trio and the creativity behind the dishes was very impressive. The only thing taking away from it was the execution on the pasta itself. The fettuccine was cooked well past al dente and bordered on soggy. The ravioli however were perfect And the flavor profiles on all the dishes were spot on\n\nThe reason I gave a five star review on 3 to 4 star food was the service. Everyone without exception was very attentive, friendly, helpful, and generally awesome. This team could've served hot dogs and it still would've seem like an amazing experience. | 12
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I've eaten plenty of less-than-delicious Italian food, but fortunately more of the delicious kind, whether in the motherland or here at home in the states. While I had high expectations for Lidia's, it gets lumped into the former category. I really hate to say this, but Olive Garden's dishes have more flavor than those we ordered at Lidia's (and I don't even like OG...). I ordered the pasta trio and all three were oh so bland, as was my mother's lasagna bolognese. My S.O. ordered the boar raviolis (I know they weren't called that, but I know nothing of porcines as far as food goes) and thought they were just 'meh' and too salty. The menu was pretty limited, and it was especially underwhelming considering the prices of the dishes. I wouldn't return here, there are a couple of other restaurants in Pgh that I would rather visit next time i'm in the mood for Italian. Service was good and the atmosphere was pleasant though. | 01
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It's been a while since I've written about Lidia. Well, Lidia's, not Lidia the person. After a couple hit and miss visits with the various pasta trio tastings I had, I'd say I was back in Lidia's good graces with their massive brunch spread.\n\nI will give you ample warning, DO NOT EAT A SINGLE THING BEFORE YOU COME HERE FOR BRUNCH. For realsies. It's a crap ton of food! And the best part? It's a bargain! For $28 you get the brunch buffet, your choice of main course AND a mimosa or Bloody Mary. Isn't that a bloody good time? Why, yes, yes it is. You just have to roll me out afterwards!\n\nThe buffet is awesome, with tons of traditional anti pasta's, meat trays, soups and salads. I actually went two weeks in a row (I know... that's a lot!) and got to see that they actually change out the buffet items quite a bit. The first week I went I had a delicious bean salad and artichoke salad. The second week I came they had fried risotto balls, which I promptly had about a million of... and tasty mussels. \n\nFor your main course there's about 12 different options to choose from, including the pasta trio of the day! The first week I went with the Salmon over beans and potatoes. I asked for it rare, and rare it came out! It was very flavorful and I liked the charred pieces. I could have used a few more veggies underneath, but the salmon was so large (about 8oz I swear) that it just took over the entire plate! The second week I had stuffed cabbage and mash potatoes. Odd for a polish meal to be on the menu, but it was delicious. I'd have to say even better than the salmon. I loved stuffed cabbage and the mash potatoes were certainly home made and not instant (could you imagine the horror if they were instant?). \n\nWith all that food it's hard to believe I had room for dessert. But how could you NOT indulge when it's also on the buffet just staring at you waiting for it's chance to be eaten! The first week I took the traditional tiramisu, which was fantastic! I like tiramisu that's not too espresso tasting and this was perfection. Very light and tasty. The second week they had a lemon tiramisu and it was a little slice of lemon heaven. Even better than the regular. I shoved so much in my mouth I thought I was going to throw up. But it would have been all worth it, I swear!\n\nSo heed my warning, friends! You will thank me as you're rolling yourself outta there! | 12
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Not a place I'd return to for regular fare, overpriced for quality. But the brunch is a divine value. | 12
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My husband watches Lidia every Saturday on Create. We make a weekend trip to Pa, and were both excited to visit this restaurant. Per other reviews, we chose to go to Sunday brunch. This was an excellent choice.\nYou're offered complimentary mimosa or Bloody Mary. You then have an antipasti buffet which has a staff member who stands there making sure everything is kept fresh, and to answer any questions. He also took our soup to our table to allow us to continue getting items from the buffet. You have about 16 choices on the buffet, not including soup, meats.\nWe both chose to have the pasta trio - where you are initially given 3 small portions of the daily special pasta, with ordering more as needed.\nThe desserts are phenomenal. You have cookies, fruit, tiramisu, cakes.\nIf my husband wasn't as full as he was, I would have had him roll me out the door ;-) | 12
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Our boss treated some co-workers and myself to lunch here last week (one of my colleagues was leaving) and had a terrific time. The decor is amazing and so is the food. I had the Porchetta panino (pulled pork Shoulder with horseradish apple salsa) which came with these parsely-seasoned home fries. All of it was amazing. Like Darren (I was so jealous he got to go there back in February and I didn't), I had the Torta di Cioccolatta, and it was godly. The service was on-target too. I love this place and that it's so close to where I now work. Seriously gourmet. | 12
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I visited Pittsburgh for the weekend and was excited to try Lidia's since I have been to her son's outstanding restaurants up in New York.\n\nLidia's was a major disappointment for me. Decor and service were just fine, no issues there. \n\nBut the food was something I would expect from a chain restaurant like Carrabba's or Olive Garden. The quality seemed poor: bread was soggy, greens and salad dressings way over salted, greasy, sloppy pasta sauces, and huge portions just slapped onto dirty plates with greasy fingerprints all over the edges. Plus, I spent the entire meal swatting flies away from our table.\n\nI was really puzzled by this experience. When you dine at Joe's restaurants, you get the sense that every single ingredient is hand selected for the highest quality and the presentation of the food shows care went into it. I expected a similar standard at Lidia's. I wondered if Lidia visits this restaurant often and whether she knows about the quality of the food. Celebrity chefs often seem to suffer from this issue: they get involved in so many business ventures and if they are not at the restaurants regularly, the quality suffers.\n\nSorry to say it, but I definitely won't be back to Lidia's. | 01
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Lidia's is a good restaurant for Italy food. Though there is little bit loud, food here are really awesome. \n$6 is needed for valet. | 12
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I'm not sure why people like this place so much. The wait was long, the food came out cold, and the pastas were overcooked, gluey, greasy messes. The service was friendly but the food was very poor. Will never go back. | 01
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I've had some excellent meals here when there were 3 or 4 of us. I've had two group functions that were way less than wonderful. I would not entertain having an event for any more than 4 people. Even 10 people taxed the staff! | 01
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Went here for an early Valentine's Dinner last night. The service was great. We both ordered the pasta trio and the waiters' were very attentive at filling up our plates as soon as they neared empty. We also got the Polito appetizer to start and it was delicious- mix of octopus, potatoes, capers, onions and olives. Also, their wine bottles for $29 are a great deal. Just took off one star for the decor- a little outdated. Still a great night though- definitely recommend. | 12
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Great food and service, very pleased with my Valentine's day dinner here. Planning to come back to try more of their fare, since their Valentine's day menu was limited. | 12
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I visited a few years back and had quite a pleasurable experience. The Sunday brunch for $25 included your choice of a mimosa or bloody mary, unlimited access to the soup/antipasti/salad buffet, entr\u00e9e of choice and unlimited trips to the dessert table. This is quite a value, plus everything was delicious. The fresh pasta trio is amazing. My only complaint involved the background music. The house system was playing classic rock, which is totally inappropriate and out of place for such a nice establishment. | 12
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What an embarrassment. Rotten/black salad greens. A server with a black eye. Pedestrian \""signature\"" pasta. Plates and glasses left uncleared. Greasy, scratchy plates at buffet. All yours for $28 per person! | 01
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Another great (WEEKEND) brunch at Lidia's. $28.00 Prix fixe. Today I had the Yellow Fin Tuna special. Seared Yellow Fin with Broccoli Rabe and mango salsa verde. I did not expect the portion to be so big. I actually had to get it wrapped to take home. Their Antipasto table is always delicious with seasonal additions. Today, among the regular fare, (like their marinated/seasoned olives) there were mussels, a broccoli salad and caramelized onions atop crunchy bread. All Yummy !! \nMy Yellow tail special was cooked perfectly and delicious; I was really surprised at the large piece of tuna. (posted pic) I did have reservations (recommended) so I was seated immediately and the service here is always stellar. For $28.00 you can not get a better meal (and a drink) You will be full by the time you leave, and the food is so creative and scrumptious. The staff never rushes you out !! Take your time, eat and eat more and enjoy !! Just some FYI. The $28. brunch is only on Sat & Sun. There is LOT parking right across the street, on Smallman St., with tons of spaces. Today it was $6.00 for all day parking; I have never seen it above $10.00. Worth it because it is right at Lidia's front door and if you planning on visiting the Strip Shops afterwards, it is an all day price. Much better than looking for street parking and walking for blocks. \nYelp asks if this place is good for kids ?? This is kind of hard to answer. It is a casual place but \""upscale\"" casual if that makes sense. Children are never an issue for me if they are well behaved and entertained. Speaking only of their \""brunch\"" I would say OK for kids but the cuisine is not really geared towards a child. If you bring a child under the age of 12 well, I think you may have to feed them from the dessert bar. I just don't think that they would find the antipasto table or creative menu options appealing. When I was 12, I did not even know what Antipasto meant. Hey, thats just me. :) | 12
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Had dinner with my son last night and it was fabulous. He went for the ribeye and I had roasted chicken. We started with the grilled calamari which was decent, could have used more calamari and less chick peas. The main courses were cooked perfectly and delish! Definitely will go back when returning to Pittsburgh. | 12
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We finally made it to Lydia's and unfortunately it was disappointing! \nThe olive spreads that come with the bread basket were gritty and tasteless. \nThe lasagne I ordered was flavorless as well. The pasta in the lasagna was a nice texture. \nMy husband ordered the $42 steak, he ordered it mid rare and it was a bit over cooked but the issue with the steak was the flavor if a dirty grill. \nThe Tiramisu was very good also the calamari appetizer was terrific. \nThe service was good but she hovered too much for me personally. \nWe also had several drinks....\nSo, in the end $180 left a bad taste in my mouth.......... | 01
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Went yesterday after my daughter's college graduation. When the grad ceremony ran longer than expected, I called the hostess to let her know we had been delayed but were departing and hoped to be there soon. As we were sitting in traffic, I received a call from a man who identified himself as the general manager and rudely asked if I still intended to be dining there. After I explained our delay and that I had just spoke with the hostess, he (again very rudely) wanted to know how much longer I thought it would take for me to get to the restaurant. \n\nWe arrived at Lydia's about 30 minutes late for a mid-afternoon reservation. There were several large parties but quite a number of open tables. Upon presenting at the hostess table, neither the hostess or the general manager acknowledged us for several minutes while they continued some discussion between the two of them. We were seated at a small round table tucked in a corner - very small for a party of five.\n\nOur server arrived and explained the menu, which was the buffet brunch at the time. He spoke so quickly and mumbled so much that we had trouble understanding him. We ordered our drinks and he indicated he would take our order when he returned with the drinks. He later returned without our drinks and told us that they needed to break down the buffet to prep for upcoming dinner service so we could not have the antipasto or dessert portions of the brunch. Instead they would charge us ala carte but we would be limited to the entrees on the brunch menu and they could provide a Caesar salad or cup of soup. He the left and returned later to take our order - still no drinks. \n\nWe eventually received Caesar salad (not fresh, limp and overdressed) and drinks. We were seated within view of the antipasto buffet and were able to observe that we were on to the service of our entrees well before the antipasto buffet was broken down. Clearly there was no reason that our menu needed to be so restricted. \n\nFood was ok. Chicken was salty and overpowered by capers. Individuals who ordered pasta trio indicated two of three were good. Unfortunately, the table set up required the server to hold the pasta skillet over my lap in order to serve those seated on the other side of the table. No mishaps but a few close calls. Amounts provided in first serving were small and it was nearly impossible to get an additional serving. Two individuals never did receive the second serving of one of the pastas that they requested. We were able to order from dessert menu. Desserts were unremarkable and very small. \n\nService was horrible. Our server did not return. Took great effort to flag him down for additional drinks. House wine and mimosa were overpriced at $12 and $13 respectively given size and quality.\n\nGentleman bussing our table was the only positive of our experience. He was friendly and accommodating.\n\nI will not return again and would discourage others as well. | 01
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Not impressed by this restaurant. Ordered the pasta trio, which was recommended by the waitress and was labeled on the menu as \""all you can eat\"". The staff service gave small portions of each and hardly returned for further portions. If I wanted \""all you can eat\"" I would have been at the restaurant all night waiting to be served. The pasta was cold when served. The frozen pasta from my son's school fundraiser was better. I would not recommend nor would I ever return. | 01
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My family and I came here for Sunday brunch to celebrate my father's birthday. We were seated around noon and I was starving. As other people have said, don't you dare eat a single thing before you come here or you will have to be rolled out like Violet Beauregarde.\n\nThey start you off with a complimentary blood mary or mimosa. Um, hai. I like your style. And you pick your entree (of course, the famous pasta trio is an option).\n\nThen you get to take your fill of their antipasto spread. A dozen different salad options, mussels, cheese, olives, frittata... I had to try a bit of everything and yes, I was that person walking back to my table with two plates.\n\nMy entree was duck gnocchi. I felt a little guilty because I adore duckies but damn was it tasty. The gnocchi were like little pillows they were so light and fluffy. Lidia, WHAT IS YOUR SECRET!? Best gnocchi I have ever had (and I don't even really like it that much; something about it just called to me).\n\nAnd then they wrap you up with a dessert table. I was about read to pop and we had homemade ice cream and cake at home but I couldn't stop myself. The little cookies were crisp and perfectly satisfying to wrap up a meal. But I didn't stop there. You're at Lidia's, you eat the tiramisu. Creamy, sweet but not too sweet, and perfect with a cup of coffee. That coffee was so good, I didn't even need cream and sugar.\n\nSlight downfalls: the waiter didn't know who was the birthday person (discreetly ask if you don't know, just don't plunk it down in front of someone) and the wait staff cleared away all serviceware before I was done. I still had bread on my plate and I also needed a knife to cut through the baguette French-toast-like dessert - would have liked to enjoy it but I couldn't.\n\nAll in all, a great brunch. Definitely the place to go for a special occasion. | 12
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Only average at best and when you figure in the slow service, cold food and high price i cant even give it an average rating. You can get better Italian food at any hole in the wall in Philadelphia, New York or Boston any time. i wanted to love it so much after watching Lidia on TV but the restaurant doesn't bring her own magic to the table it seems. | 01
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Classy Wonderful establishment. Visited for my mother's 60th birthday. She was astonished. For that very reason, I love this place. The food was great the servicew was excellent. Kudos to Waiter Cheno!!! Well definitely visit again. | 12
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Having basic cable for a few years now, I guess I missed who Lidia is. But her restaurant is sure nice. Wonderful and attentive service, nice atmosphere, and large portions of tasty food. I had the gnocchi, which comes with duck ragu - fantastic! I'm a huge fan of duck, and this was a new approach for me. The duck played really well with the thick ragu sauce. Not the best potato dumplings in a gnocchi, but still quite good. My friends dishes were also great, especially the lasagna which was massive.\n\nA nice comfort Italian joint with some unique twists and lovely service. Strikes me as a good spot that can please many different tastes. | 12
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I've been here for a brunch which I really enjoyed. You just helped yourself to a buffet. It was of course scrumptious! Don't remember exactly what I had but remember it was good! | 12
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A restaurant that has gone steeply downhill...\n\nIt's been roughly 2-3 years since I have been to lidias, an experience in which I remember having decent food and service... Tonight was far different.\n\nOverall, let me say that the restaurant is becoming dated. Colors and decor seem boring and out of style. I didn't get that warm feeling I should in a place where there are white clothes, $12 average glasses of wine (like come on - I looked up the crappy bottle it came from) and waiters everywhere.\n\nThe service was horrible. From hostess crew to the bar to the waitress, it was bad. The hostess forgot about us, then when I reminded him we were waiting (40 minutes - despite a reservation), to which he said \""oh yes, I was just going to get you\""... But he wasn't because we stood there a few minutes while he set the table. Rude.\n\nDid I mention the service was bad? Well, while we were waiting we had a glass of wine each (a steep $13.50 glass each - definitely didn't live up to my expectations). The bar staff wasn't concerned with us and weren't friendly at all. They were chatting to themselves and basically ignoring us. When we got to the table, it took 10 mins to meet our waitress. Then it took another 15 to order. Then 50 mins to get our food!!! I had the pasta trio (remember this meal takes no time to cook - as this is ready made and constantly being served) and my wife had the porkchop. Honestly, we typically enjoy our restaurant food (just read my Casbah review) but our food was really just so-so. My wife's pork chop was fatty and over-cooked (despite the waitress specifically making note of how the chef prefers to cook it medium). My pasta was decent, which I ate, and requested seconds (which is allowed for the trio because they give you very small portions).... However, seconds never came. Waitress didn't even know until I told her politely. Then she blamed new staff working the pasta routes... No good enough reason for me - sorry. \n\nThen the bill. I ordered the pasta trio for $23 and the waitress asked me if I wanted to upgrade my Salad for $2, to which I approved. However she charged the $36 pasta trio (which comes with desert). I told her this was a mistake and she agreed and ran back with a new check. Now I had a $10 salad and $23 pasta trio. I was expecting $23 +$2 salad upgrade. Nope. So I explained to her politely that I ordered the $23 trio to which she (must have) mistakenly offered me an upgrade. I accepted. However I was told I was wrong and she didn't offer to make this right. Ugh. Seriously you want to fight me on it? Especially when I know I was being appropriately (not like I was trying to score a free meal). Isn't the rule \""customer is always right\""?\n\nFinally, we felt like the whole restaurant clientele has declined. How many people did we see in tie-dye shirt or wearing hats (literally wearing hats at 8:30pm in a fine dining restaurant)? We saw enough to know that this isn't the lidias we expected.\n\nWe won't ever go back or recommend the place. As far as we are concerned - there is a very good reason that you don't have a problem getting a reservation here (because IT STINKS!). \n\nAvoid! | 01
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What a disappointment. When the water glass cracked in my hand as the server poured and soaked us, we should have known it would be that kind of evening. Worst part of the meal was the pasta trio--the limpest, pastiest, most tasteless mass of lukewarm pasta I have ever been served. One waiter saved the day by insisting I reorder, while everyone else in the joint was content to let us stew. Every aspect of the experience was substandard although when I reordered, the beet salad was very good. Overall, Lidia should be ashamed to have her name on a place like that. | 01
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We were so looking forward to the food but our experience was awful. The restaurant is too large with modern decor with hideous red plastic/leatherette chairs but at lunchtime it had no character. There was no background music. The waiter was young and inexperienced. It seems that now that Lidia is famous she is no longer involved in the cooking so the food is like any larger chain or worse without the quality control. Table cloth was dirty, the staff was not friendly and the decor and furniture were unkept. The best part were the breadsticks and dips with olive oil. Would not recommend it. | 01
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We have been to Lidia's twice now, and have received delicious food and excellent service both times. We have only been on weeknights, and with reservations, however, so I'm not at all discrediting the reviews that discussed poor service on weekend nights and/or without reservations.\n\nThe pasta trio special was good when I had it, but my favorite dish is the gnocchi with duck ragu. I also loved my husband's wild boar ravioli. Skip the overpriced wine and order one of the house sodas instead. The ginger cranberry is fabulous! We also love love love the frico and burrata appetizers. The frico is large and rich enough that it's really enough for two people, but the appetizers are yummy, so everyone might as well get their own and bring home whatever they can't finish. \n\nNote to parents of babies, this restaurant is very family friendly, in our experience. We loved bringing our infant daughter here and were pleased that the restaurant offers slings for carseats for the smaller babies as well as highchairs for babies who are of sitting up age (many places don't have the slings). The lady's room and its changing station were very clean. The staff often stopped to smile back at the baby when she was smiling at them, and our waiter asked if we needed anything for her. Not necessary, but very nice, and appreciated.\n\nThey have valet parking, but we just park about a block away and walk, since we sometimes enjoy walking further down the strip district, anyway. | 12
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Have always had superior meals here. Wine selection is good. Service is always top-notch. | 12
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Lidia, you should be ashamed! This spot wouldn't have lasted a year in NYC. Citizens of Pittsburgh, don't be fooled. Lidia's is average at best. I ate here when it opened,a and again 4 years later. Nothing has changed. We did have some great bar nibbles, quality cocktails, and a good bottle of wine off of a pretty good list, but the food and service lacked. For starters we were served ice cold meatballs and limp soggy salads. The took away everything and only brought back fresh salads (mind you, we were one of about 10 tables being served that evening!). The entrees were dull and lacked seasoning. The servers were confused (how many times does it take to ask fro fresh pepper?) and our waiter seemed to hand off our table to another server. It's tough to find anything good here. Just another 'poser'. | 01
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SETTING:\nNice environment that was able to cater to groups of all sizes, from small parties to even an ugly sweater party (this really happened!). Kind of dresses itself up to be a nice sit-down place, but unfortunately, the food was not on the same level.\n\nFOOD:\nFor appetizers, I shared the Calamari with my friend and for the main entree, I got the recommended Pasta Trio. \n\nFirst off, I love calamari. A lot. I've definitely had better at similar quality establishments. The calamari was very bland and did not taste fresh. The batter was not crisp and crunchy. The sauce tasted watered down. The recommended \""Pasta Trio\"" (3 types of pastas and \""all you can eat\"") was a bit below average. For a recommendation, I expected more. Overall, the food was underwhelming. \n\nMy friend always cleans her plate. So clean, that it looks like she was served only the plate. This was the first time that she did not finish her dish (Chicken Cacciatore). She is not super picky, so this really meant she did not like it.\n\nThe type of food here is comparable to Olive Garden in terms of American-Italian fare, but I would rather eat at Olive Garden anyday. OG just tastes better and is way cheaper.\n\nSERVICE:\nMediocre at best. The waters were not kept filled. Not a huge deal for me since I drink slowly, but some of my friends kept looking for the water and it clearly distracted them from their dining experience. The Pasta Trio is \""all you can eat\"" and they come back to refill your plate. A few of us were waiting on the third round...and we never got it. Even though the food was not the tastiest, we were hungry and still needed to be fed. The wait staff didn't even ask if we wanted a third serving, and just took our plates quickly without giving us a chance. A few of us were still left a little bit hungry...it was a grumpy ride home :( \n\nIMPRESSIONS:\nRelative to the pricing of the food, I expected better quality. Even if the pricing was on par with comparable establishments, the quality of the food was lacking. I hate to say this, but we had a disappointing experience overall, from the food to the service. | 01
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I'll start with the exceptional service. The servers really act as a team. They each know the menu really well. I have a gluten allergy, which makes this very important. The timing of the meal was perfect. Never waited too long for any part of the meal, but didn't feel rushed either. \n\nThe atmosphere of the restaurant is mixed. Casual, but nice. It can get loud, and doesn't lend itself to a romantic evening. That said, I find it very inviting. Table are a little close, but nothing too bad.\n\nThe food was very good, but not great. Prices are a little high for Pittsburgh. The servers have always suggested the Pasta Trio, which my wife had. Each of the three smelled fabulous. She enjoyed each, having a second helping of only one of the three, because they give you enough on the first go around. With celiac disease, I was very happy to see they've added gluten free pasta to their menu. I had their house made corn pasta ravioli filled with pumpkin & cheese in a brown butter sauce. It was very good, but the texture was a little off. Prices for gluten free were reasonable. \n\nI'd still return here, although at these price levels, just not as often. | 12
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Service was excellent. The menu offerings were spotty.\n\nA group 16 of us attended the Saints-Steelers game in November. We attend most of the away games and have an opportunity to eat at some very good restaurants. \n\nLidia's was a place I was looking forward to because I am aware of her by reputation. We had several appetizers including the bruschetta, which was really only to my liking. The balsamic was excellent - syrupy and sweet - and clearly a nicely aged one. But it was incongruous with the rest of the dish, and so not many enjoyed it. \n\nThe bread served at the table was really very good and we devoured baskets of it. \n\nComments from some of the other diners:\n\n- Baked shrimp appetizer was pretty good, the calamari was very good. \n- Rucola salad was (in my opinion) excellent\n- Beet salad was interesting and overall very good\n- Butternut squash soup was enjoyed by several of us\n- Scampi alla Felidia was ordered by several guests with mixed opinions\n- Lasagna bolognese? so so at best\n\nGnocchi and duck ragu was what I ordered. I was very disappointed. The duck was shredded and cooked into a sort of red congealed, thick mass with little texture. The gnocchi were so underdone as to be a sort of glutinous paste sitting under the duck. The texture was completely unappealing but I do have to say that the flavor of the duck ragu (ragout?) was pretty good. \n\nStill, the gnocchi - one of my favorite things and something I make myself probably once a month - were a disappointment. I didn't send it back because it didn't seem appropriate in the setting of a very large group to monopolize the wait staff. \n\nI'd still give it a try again when I'm there in June, but it seems that some of their efforts are focused more on being creative, which is good, but falling somewhat short.\n\nBy the way, if you like a more traditional Italian and happen to be in St. Louis, Charlie Gitto's on the Hill is a great place. Similar in ambiance and quality to Lidia's, the service there can't be beat and the food is quite good as well. | 01
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I had really high expectations for this place but the food was overpriced & bland my lasagna tasted like it was made by Stouffers. The service was excellent the food nothing great. | 01
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This place is pretty poor and really needs to get it's act together because it's a disgraceful place to watch football, especially given the accessibility of technology these days. First off, it is desperately in need of some updates. There are old crappy projector screens and a few big rear projection TVs, but not an HDTV in sight. There are TVs aplenty, but they just feel dinghy and outdated and the reception on every TV is snowy.\n\nThe biggest issue, however, is that apparently they're only able to show 6 games at any 1 time throughout the huge bar area. There are several main bar islands, booths, and pub tables all over with individual TV screens at each booth. Sounds good, but what good are all these seats if you can only show 6 games? That is absurd when you consider how huge Sports Rock is, especially during college football. I went to watch a game that was on regular old ESPN, and they weren't showing the game. You mean I could go to my hotel to watch the game but am unable to watch it at a \""sports bar\""?? Give me a break.\n\nFood is also generally terrible. Nachos are no better than what you can get at 7-11 and sandwiches have no flavor. And service is piss poor and understaffed. I'm not sure if they recently changed ownership or what, but something was very very off here and they were obviously unprepared for the start of the football season.\n\nI feel bad because the people were very nice and apologetic, but that does not take away from the fact that even if they were showing my game, I think I'd still rather watch it in my hotel room. | 01
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I think that typically sports bars are really not expected to have good food. They just need to have four things\n1. ESPN\n2. Nachos pilled high with all kinds of stuff\n3. beer specials\n4. big screen TVs.\n\nWell Sports Rock failed on all accounts. I was encouraged when we walked in and saw individual TVs on each table. Of course we picked the one that didn't work! Then we realized while there were many out of market games, the Virginia Tech one was nowhere to be seen. So we politely ask for ESPN. Not ESPN U or 360 or anything fancy. Plain old regular ESPN. Then we get some story about how they only have six recievers. Thats fine. But why am i watching the Maine/Iowa game. SERIOUSLY. I was also annoyed that when the cute girl walked up to the bar, he had the Georgia game on within minutes. \n\nThe nachos were absolutely disgusting and my wrap just leaked oil and disgustingness. The fries were even terrible, but i found if you dipped them in the gross nacho cheese, they weren' that bad. \n\nPlus, beer was 4.75! Multiply that by a 3 hour game and you're paying a lot. Service was awful and i think i would get better reception on a tv with rabbit ears. Overall this place sucked, although i will give them credit as we were finally getting up to leave and go to an Irish Bar that was able to show ESPN, i noticed the hokie game all the way back in the corner. Took them long enough.\n\nIf you're ever in Pittsburgh in need of watching ESPN heres my idea. Grab a permanti brothers sandwich and a six pack of beer and watch it in your hotel room rather than waste your money to sit and watch Maine vs Iowa on a crappy little tv with no reception. | 01
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This place's food is great--I would suggest delivery though. They specialize in Turkish Pizzas (Pide) and wow they are good. \n\nWhen you walk into a place it looks like some cafeteria/game room that survived a tornado. The walls are cracking, the only two florescent lights on the ceiling are flickering, there are display coolers that are turned off, and there are only vending machines to get drinks. You can see into an expansive kitchen (I really think the place is a converted cafeteria) and it looked horridly disorganized and in shambles. That's fine though, I had heard good things about it\n\nI got their Mediterranean Pizza (Tomatoes, Black Olives, Artichokes) and wow did it impress me. They either did one of two things: used a garlic glaze for the dough, which I am suspicious of because the crust didn't taste oily, or they have some kind of garlic butter in their dough. Either way, its fantastic. The whole thing was thick and fluffy with a perfect balance of fresh tomato sauce and cheese. I loved it. \n\nThe reason it gets four stars instead of five is that it just seemed to lack that \""holy shit\"" factor that pushes things over the top. I think if their upped their quality of ingredients it would push it to five stars, but their clientele base seems fairly small, so hipsters, get in on the bottom floor of this fad. \n\nDefinitely order delivery from them because the mezzanine level place is hard to get to and you have to get buzzed into the building. | 12
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I only gave this place 2 stars because of the environment that it is in. A \""hard to find place\"" is an understatement if it's dark outside and you have never been here. I have to agree, the crust of the pizza is amazingly flakey and delicious. I'm a crusty guy, so I like good crust and though it's up there with a soft boboli it's still easy to eat and won't rough up your mouth. I ordered the Ephesus Pizza with lamb skewers ($16.00 large). It is a white pizza with minimal ingredients except for the lamb skewers. They packed on 8-9 small skewers of lamb and I have to admit, the lamb was very tasty and tender. The problem I have with this place is the filthy, trash laden environment it sits in. It's on the mezzanine level (2nd floor) of a some financial building and when I got there, the exterior doors to the building were locked and luckily a group of people showed up and punched in the code to get one of the side doors opened...it was strange. However, when you walk in that side door, I was faced with the stairwell with trash cans spewed about. when I entered the pizza/sandwich joint, it was in disarray, bread was in crates on the floor and trash cans were overflowing. The bathroom was in a construction zone and filthy. All of this added up to being afraid to eat anything because you were unsure as to how fresh the food was and how well kept the kitchen may or may not have been. I'm not a fluffy guy, but I need some fluff in my establishments...look clean, feel clean, feel safe and I can live with whatever you dish out, but when first impressions are nasty and dirty, it hits homeplate way before the food hits my mouth. I still like the pizza and I will only send my pot smoking, beer drinking partying friends to this place, because I would be afraid of what others may think of it and consequently, think of me and my tastes. | 01
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Traditional pizza is awesome. Delivery is very fast as well. They always tell me 40 minutes and then arrive in 15-20. | 12
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Pretty okay pizza. Standard so-so Pittsburgh pizza. However , the fact that the delivery driver expected me to run from my second floor apartment out to the middle of the street to get it was not okay. He was rude when I asked him to come up, talking about how he has other deliveries to make and he couldn't park (meanwhile, there were multiple open parking spaces directly in front of the apartment; as well as an entire parking lot right next door). \n\nAfter arguing with me for a few minutes, he finally decided to park and come up. I really don't want to have to argue with someone to get them to do their job when I order delivery. And I certainly don't want to have to leave my house, to go out in the cold, for what is supposed to be delivery. Is it so strange to expect food delivery to make it to my actual doorstep? This seems to be a recent trend, pizza delivery people expecting the customer to run out into the street to get their pizza. It stopped me from ordering from another place, and it will stop me from ordering from Ephesus again. | 01
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The Moroccan Spiced Chicken and Dry Plum pizza is an exotic treat! I also liked their cinnamon sticks to death! Very good. I can't believe they delivered to us all the way from downtown in such short time. Awesome pizza joint. | 12
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90 minutes for two cold pizzas.....sorry at this point even a two star review is generous.\n\nWhile in town with friends, we wanted an easy meal after running the half marathon earlier in the day. Consulting Yelp, I saw that this place had good reviews, they delivered and since we were less than a mile from them, we figured we'd have the food fairly fast (there were two hungry toddlers and five hungry adults, and we needed food, stat!)\n\nUpon calling, we first asked if they delivered to hotels just to be sure. If they didn't, that would be fine we'd call someplace else. So we ordered our two pizzas and gave them the name and address of the hotel. It is a newish hotel, so I told my buddy to tell them \""It's right by the Consol Energy Center, where the Penguins play\"". I figured that even if they didn't know the hotel or the address, most people in Pittsburgh would know where the Penguins play. We were concerned when we had to say the name of the hotel four times and as it turned out, we were right to be concerned.\n\nAfter an hour with no pizzas, we call and they guy says \""Oh, the delivery guy is on your street right now. Should be 2 minutes\"". 20 minutes later the delivery guy calls and says he's on his way. We ask if he knows where he's going and he says yes. 10 minutes later he calls again and asks where we are. When we finally got the pizza, it was not hot. The cheese had congealed everywhere and it looked like it had been cut by a toddler. There were so big slices, some little slices...just not the usual uniform slices.\n\nI felt bad for the guy because he said his GPS had been stolen that morning, but we tried everything to make sure that the place new we were at the hotel right beside the arena and it still failed. \n\nBetter luck next time. | 01
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Ephesus is special. Fast friendly service. Surprisingly comfy and stylish seating and lighting for a primarily take out shop. A broad, customizable menu with a solid mix of Italian and Greek deliciousness. Low prices, massive portions, and better prepared, home made, flavorful food than they have any right to offer at the prices they charge. \n\nEphesus is not a 5 star culinary experience, but for the casual fare and reasonable rates they offer, I can't imagine a better choice. Well done Ephesus, you set the bar for all other local delivery spots to try to live up to! | 12
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When you are there order the Ephesus Pizza. It is their signature pizza, cant go wrong. Has many recipes on it; vegetables, chicken or pork shish kabobs(yes,heard me right, shish kabobs on a pizza), honestly one of the best pizzas I have ever eaten. | 12
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This is the best pizza I have found in Pittsburgh so far. It makes me sad that it has taken me four years of tasting quite mediocre pizza before finding this gem. So far my favorite is the steak pizza, however, it is all delicious. | 12
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Too oily , i felt like im eating pure fat , even the bread is covered with oil ! I suggest they make it healthier with more whole wheat option, grape leaves are very dry and tasteless. Oh and their fries are terrible | 01
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Came here on a Sunday, it was slow and we got our food in good time.\n\nOrdered two personal size pizzas, spicy fries, fried zucchini & onion rings. \n\nThe pizzas were actually really good but the other sides weren't worth it. Tastes plain & over cooked. \n\nOk so the reason why I'm giving this place 1 star is because I saw soooo many health code violations! \n\n* A RedBull can on the pizza dressing table.\n\n* The woman who charged me was working on a pizza and didn't even wash her hands after she charged me! She just went right back to working on making the pizza! \n\n* The same woman who charged me -NOT kidding ...her nails were long & yellow, mind you she wasn't wearing any gloves while putting that pizza together. YUCK!! \n\n* Same chick went out for a cigarette break (in the front of the place) and when she was coming back in she brought AND blew the smoke inside the restaurant. \n\nPrice range in Yelp language is $$\n\nI definitely won't go back because if that's what I was able to witness in the front of the place, I don't want to imagine what's going on in the back!!! I don't think I'm being harsh. That was one too many violations in my opinion. | 01
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This place is fanfreakingtastic. \n\nThusly, I have had their Chicken Ranchero Pizza and their Greek Pizza, and their cheesy breadsticks, and good. gravy. I can't even put into words how good the pies were. The toppings were all super fresh, the meat expertly seasoned, the sauces to die for. Their list of gourmet pies is mindblowing; their variety and inventiveness is spectacular. I was skeptical about feta and fontina on my pizza. Mea culpa. I don't know if I'll ever go back to just run of the mill plain pies ever again.\n\nI've had my orders delivered all three times I've ordered from the place since moving there, and while they're a bit slow, it's worth the wait. | 12
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Okay, so I've heard a lot of good things about this place. And I wanted to like it!\n\nBut it was seriously bad. I very rarely eat somewhere and don't finish my food simply because I don't like it. But I couldn't eat it. I got the Shadyside and it was super greasy, and the flavor just wasn't there. My roommate got the Portabella and she wasn't feelin' it either.\n\nThe guy who served us was cool beans though. | 01
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This is a regular stop of mine because I work on the strip in Pittsburgh. I want to share that I have probably eaten here 40+ times so I have tried about 10 hoagies on the menu. I went with the regular Steak and cheese hoagie- grilled onions, lettuce, tomato, mayo...add some hot sauce at the table, order of fresh cut fries and a drink. I get a work discount of 10% so anywhere you can eat lunch under $8 is awesome in any city.\n\nMy only complaint is that occasionally the meat to bread ratio isn't too great. Don't get me wrong I'm not expecting 12 ounces of meat but it can be disappointing. I recommend one of the more creative sandwiches then. Though the breads here are so fresh and enjoyable. | 12
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Great place for a party! I had a party here last night and the banquet facilities are top notch. We had several hors d'oevres the lamb lollipops were awesome and a must have when you have an event here. The lobster rolls were not memorable and I'd suggest you skip these when choosing your items. The crabmeat stuffed mushrooms were delicious. I was very impressed with our entrees we had a filet and crabcake dinner. I'm always a little scared with mass produced filets, but they were all cooked perfectly. The crabcakes had almost no filler and were jumbo lump crabmeat. Dante is the banquet manager and very accomodating. I definitely suggest you select the symphony a and b room for your event. That's on the second floor with a great view of the north shore and pnc park. They are not flexible on the food and beverage minimums, but if your party is big enough (I had about 50) they will throw in a complimentary room and may even waive the fee for the coat check girl. Drinks are reasonable priced and if you request certain types of liquor they will provide them for you. The hotel itself is beautiful. The rooms have very comfortable beds and are spacious. Make sure you request a room with a river view. I also suggest not valeting. It's $25 which is way too much for Pittsburgh. | 12
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Very nice hotel in a great, convenient location. | 12
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Priceline, 69 bucks. Pick 4-star and downtown Pittsburgh and you'll get either this or the Omni. Walking distance from all sporting events. Use the self-park across the street and you'll save $$ over the valet (which also uses the same parking garage). Rooms are small-ish, but the location is totally worth it. Bar in the hotel has great service and good drinks. Con- no longer affiliated w/ the Bally's next door (it went out of business), but they will give you a day pass to the Gold's a few blocks away. | 12
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I never write reviews, but I have to recommend the Renaissance! The staff was ABSOLUTELY wonderful! I was traveling for business so I hardly had any down-time at the hotel... but I had a lovely, clean room with a nice bathroom. The parking garage across the street was very convenient and reasonably priced.\n\nWhen I checked out, I accidentally left my cell phone charger plugged into the wall and my raincoat in the closet (clearly I was in a hurry in the morning and not very careful!) I called the hotel that night and they were very nice and said someone from Housekeeping would get back to me the next day. Someone from housekeeping called me the next morning and she was so sweet. They mailed me both items for no charge (I offered to give them a credit card, but they said no.) I receive the package within 3 days of returning from my stay. They truly went above and beyond! I'd definitely recommend staying there. | 12
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Beautiful old building, five minute walk to PNC park. Our visit was to see the Phillies and get a taste of Pittsburgh. Great view of PNC Park from our room. I felt the hotel and service were first class, yet the place was not stuffy at all. We will definitely be back! | 12
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HeeBee G.'s Axiom #1: If you use one of those discount hotel reservation sites, be prepared to be handed the keys to the \""pound puppy\"" room. \nAxiom #2: if you prize aesthetics over value, see Axiom #1\n\nFrankly, I do not spend much time in my room when I travel. I love the idea of staying in an overpriced hotel at a discount rather than emptying my wallet for the privilege of hanging out in the penthouse suite.\nUpon arrival at the Renaissance, I was greeted by one of the front desk staff...let's call him \""Mr. R.\"" I asked him for a nice room with a view. He chimed, \""no problem.\"" That was, until he called up my reservation which indicated that I had booked from another vendor. Suddenly, the hotel was \""overbooked\"" and a smirk spread across his face as if to tell me that I was lucky to have a room, even if it was the maintenance closet.\nI took my key and jumped on the elevator filled with the naivet\u00e9 that this time, just this one time, I could avoid the dreaded pound puppy curse.\nThe elevator doors opened and I was overwhelmed by a toxic odor. My floor was being renovated and a crew was in the lobby pasting up wall paper. I held my breath and darted for my room.\nI opened the door with both fear and anticipation. To my surprise, the room was completely updated; modern, sparkling clean, with a giant poofy bed and comforter. Off to a good start!\nI threw open the drapes to window #1 to reveal - TA DA - the most spectacular view of the tired, drab-blue parking garage across the street. \nNo prob I thought, let's see what's behind curtain #2: not only the drab-blue garage, but an enormous flag pole with Old Glory wafting in the wind. \nIn all fairness to Mr. R.; if I smashed my face against the window and looked to the right out of my one opened eye, I could see a view of the Allegheny River and PNC Park. Now, I was livin' large!\nAll kidding aside, the staff was friendly, professional, and attentive. I had forgotten some of my toiletries at home. They had them up to my room in no time at all.\nThe lobby is grand but a little confused in style. It is a combination of old time tile and marble with seventies disco-bordello, dark, red lighting. \nThe last night we were there we watched a stunning fireworks display from our room after the B-ball game at PNC. It really capped off a nice weekend in Pittsburgh.\nSo, Mr. R. came through for us after all and I have to admit that it was a 100 times better than the hotel room in New York City where I had a lovely view of the air shaft! | 12
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First time I have ever been to Pittsburgh. I'm not kidding, i had no idea what to expect. Here's what I found, specifically at this place.\n\nLocation- WOWzers. If you are going to a Pirates game, this is the primo location. Not kidding, right across from the Clemente bridge, you can go and get slizzed up before, during, after the game and walk right back\n\nParking- 5 bones for an all day pass at the self-parking garage across the street. May seem a little sketchy inside, but you are fine. Come on, $5, really?! It's $35 for a 3 hour baseball game at Yankee stadium..... I digress\n\nAmenities- Very clean, very cozy, very charming. Seems like this hotel has been there for quite some time, but has steadily been maintained and updated. Great overall feel to it. Free Wi-Fi too, tough.\n\nFood- The Braddock (probably not spelling it right) restaurant downstairs is a little pricey. You can walk around the area and find a really good food place for alot less. I'd say this may be the only con.\n\nLBD Scale- 9, very impressed with the place. If the food wasn't so expensive, I'd be back tomorrow. Still going to go back regardless, just need to figure out when. | 12
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This is my default hotel when I'm staying in Pittsburgh. The rooms were remodeled a few years ago, which was really needed. This is a quiet hotel right in the heart of the business district. Rooms are mixed - some are very small and have interior veiws, others are huge and have views of the river. There is a very nice gym in the basement - cardio and strength equipment (if that isn't good enough, you can get a free pass to Golds a few blocks away).\n\nOne caution - this place does tend to fill up / usually the first hotel downtown to sell out. | 12
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Great location - make sure you ask for a view of the river. Worth the money. | 12
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