Lidia's
Pittsburgh, PA 15222-4306
Phone: (412) 552-0150
- Price:
- $$$
- Hours:
- Mon-Thu 5pm-9:30pm, Fri-Sat 4pm-10:30pm, Sun 11am-2pm, 4pm-9pm
Editorial Review for Lidia's – by Ernessa Carter
The Scene
Posher than the average Italian eatery and bearing earth tones and intimate wraparound booths, this restaurant may seem perfect for a romantic evening, but lovers beware: Lidia's is hot, hot, hot right now. Its popularity and warehouse acoustics make for a noisy dining experience. Still, it is ideal for a night of seeing and being seen. Expect to wait more than an hour for a table on weekends, despite a recently opened second level of seating.
The Food
Call it New Italian--the only traditional thing about Lidia's is the Italian folk music playing overhead. The menu is as trendy as the patrons, and even the butter is a strange-but-yummy olivetta mix with ground garbanzo beans. Especially recommended is the pasta tasting trio, an all-you-can-eat sampler of the night's three featured pastas. Choices range from veal-filled ravioli to penne in arrabatta ("angry") sauce. Don't miss Lidia's extensive wine list.
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Insider Tips
FYILidia's, named after the owner's mother, also has popular branches in New York and Kansas City.
User Reviews for Lidia's
07/16/2008 Posted by jordica13
This was my second time visiting Lidia's for dinner, and my second disappointment. The first time, which was over a year ago, I ordered a vegetable lasagna, which was made with eggplant other grilled veggies. It was very disappointing, but I suspected that I had just ordered the wrong thing. I just went back two weeks ago and ordered the trio, Lidia's specialty. I was so excited because all 3 pastas sounded great. But I was shocked to find that none of the three impressed me. One was a sage butter spinach ravioli, which were OK. The next choice was an overcooked, mushy, lukewarm linguine in a buttery sauce with grilled asparagus and squash. This had to have been the most flavorless meal I have ever eaten. Lastly, there was a penne with chicken and a red sauce of some sort. The chicken was extremely tender, but I only received 3 little pieces with my first serving and 0 pieces in my second serving. The chicken dish was definitely the best of the three options, but all were extremely oily and lacking flavor. Our waiter was attentive, the hostess was very nice and the wine list was extensive. But overall, the qualit y of my meal was certainly sub-par.
Pros: Service, Parking (inexpensive valet), Ambience
Cons: Food quality
03/22/2008 Posted by realdon99
I would reccomend Lidia's only to people who have a passion for Fine Food and Wine. The diner who is used to an olive garden or italian oven might be suprised at the difference between northern italian or Tuscan as too a red sauce "joint". My wife and I where taken back by the fresh beet and goat cheese starter as well as the well prepared, homemade pasta, especially the gnocci. The waiter was a little unprofesional and inexperienced. The food runner was very knowledgable in red wine and had a long chat with us about some of the pinots and chiantis on the list. A very pleasurable experience overall due to the atmosphere and food quality. The prices very reasonable as well.
Pros: food quality, ambience
Cons: server experience
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