Nine On Nine

Recommends

C Templeton

Joined 2 years ago

Two Different Dining Experiences, Both Good. We have gone to "Nine On Nine" on slow nights and we have gone on special event nights. Both times the food has been flavorful, the atmosphere has been good, the staff has been friendly and generally we have been impressed.

In particular, the Lobster Mac n' Cheese is delicious and well priced considering the tedious work that must go into making it. I have had Lobster Ravioli in New York City at an outlandish price and Nine on Nine's version is a steal.

If time is a concern, just tell the staff. There is a fine line between people enjoying their meal and getting annoyed because nobody is hovering nearby. We have always been asked if we were going to an event/show so they are aware of time constraints.

On the other hand, some people like a cosy, romantic evening out and there is an old saying, "three's a crowd" so wait staff have to make a judgement call on every table. Without pounding the table like the inmates in a "correctional facility", you can politely lay some ground rules about you you would like your service without being overbearing. Tip and praise those who do a good job; nobody needs prodding to complain about something.

All in all, we like the place and will add it to our list of Pittsburgh dining favorites.

Recommends

USCMom

Joined 2 years ago

Mixed Experience. Everyone in our party of 4 enjoyed all the food - unusual menu selections and all was fabulous.

The service was ridiculously slow (the restaurant wasn't super busy).

The overall atmosphere is bad - the interior lighting was weird because of the street lights outside - part of our faces were dark and part were in total light! Also, for the price and level of food, the fake candles on the tables are awful, table was overcrowded with oversize soup bowls - they barely fit, and in general nothing special or memorable about the atmosphere - which is ok in an inexpensive restaurant, but should be better here.

Recommends

OksanaHerbert

Joined 3 years ago

Lobster mac and cheese!. The lobster mac and cheese I had at Nine on Nine was the most delicious lunch I've had in some time. How can mac and cheese be so elegant? Thank you so much for a wonderful dining experience.

Doesn't Recommend

andrew59211

Joined 4 years ago

food is ok

Doesn't Recommend

bhmpitt

Joined 4 years ago

Overpriced for the experience. First to the reviewer below who criticises other reviews: You can say what you want but it should not take 40 minutes to get your dish only to not have it cooked the right way, it's that simple! And no I will not accept that wait and assume that it's my fault for not allowing a 40 minute wait and therefore go to McDonald's as you suggest, although at McDonald's they may be more polite than the host both times that I have been to Nine on Nine...

I don't have a problem with paying high prices for food, but when you pay this kind of price you expect it served the right way, you expect the host to sit you down when there are tables open and not make you wait 15 minutes without offering to go to the bar and with a bad attitude, and you definitely do not expect "we don't have that left twice" when you mention the order.

I have been there twice, and the second time the food was good, it just does not outweigh the minuses.

Recommends

mcarnice

Joined 4 years ago

Best restaurant in Pittsburgh. I've dined at Nine on Nine multiple times and each time have been thoroughly pleased. The food is always top-notch, especially the risotto and the river crabs (seasonal).

I would like to respond to some of the comments below regarding the service. If you're going to a show and need to be out of a restaurant at a certain time, you should either make an early reservation or go to McDonald's. To say that this restaurant is poor because you do not know how to budget time is ridiculous. In fact, they used to offer a great prix fixe menu but ceased offering it because too many theater-goers were complaining that the multiple courses were making them late. Again, go get a happy meal if you only allow yourself 20 minutes for dinner.

Otherwise, visit Nine On Nine when you have enough time to fully enjoy the experience.

Doesn't Recommend

newtopgh

Joined 5 years ago

Great Place to Ruin a Great Night. The only thing unique about my experience was that grabbing a slice of pizza across the street and a bottle of champagne to take home was more enjoyable than being forced to endure another rude encounter with the manager of this restaurant. I have been forced to endure Nine on Nine on several occasions, but my experience on Saturday night will not go forgotten. My best friend's 10th wedding anniversary could have been ruined had we all not taken a deep breath and laughed about it. The quality of service is terrible, is it really that difficult to seat a group of 4 with a reservation when half of your tables are empty?

Doesn't Recommend

TresChez

Joined 5 years ago

Over rated. The food is OK, it really isn't special, its decent food, prepared well, but it really is nothing special and certainly nothing original. I swear I've seen some of these dishes, or at least renditions of them, in cookbooks, I have a lot of cookbooks, but quail cornmeal and blackberries has been done, along with a lot of items. At least there isn't a crab cake on the menu. I don't know, there are a lot better places, and the manager is an a_s.

Doesn't Recommend

pdelpres

Joined 5 years ago

A good thing gone bad. We have been to nine on nine five or six times. The last two were not memorable and we will not go back. The food is good - it always has been. Prices are now absurd and the service has deteriorated. On our last trip there, we told the waiter we needed to leave at 7:50 as we were going to the play that evening. Despite several requests to speed things up, our main course arrived at 7:45 and we arrived late for the show. The excuse from the staff was that they were breaking in a new menu. They just don't get it.

Recommends

whodat2

Joined 5 years ago

Prix Fixe Menu. An enjoyable, different meal. I've only been to one other restaurant with a prix fixe menu so it was fun to do something different. We did the three course dinner. Not a lot of food per serving but you left not feeling stuffed which is actually a good thing. The food was very good. I especially enjoyed the Chilean Sea Bass.