Il Valletto Cafe (Reported Closed)

Recommends

brucewmcc

Joined 9 years ago

A great Italian restaurant. We tried both specials (terrific calamari fra diavlo appetizer and the lamb chops entree--three generous chops) and regular menu items (good caesar salad, excellent 4-cheese ravioli in pomodoro sauce, and very good salmon with a dried-tomato pesto sauce). For dessert we had fig gelato and pumpkin cheesecake--we were so full afterward we shouldn't have ordered both, but still can't decide which one we would have given up. Everything we ate was good-to-great.

A reservation is a must and is not hard to get. The restaurant is small but was not noisy. I was surprised by the $2/person corkage charge at a BYOB, but the food prices were very reasonable so it did not seem like gouging. We had three appetizers, three entrees, and two desserts for $100, plus tax and tip.

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diamondglow

Joined 6 years ago

Always excellent. The wonderful dinner experience we had on Saturday night at Il Valletto inspired us to submit a 5-star review. Everyone at our table ordered a different entree: chicken cacciatore, Mediterranean shrimp pasta, and capellini San Remo. After tasting each, we agreed that the quality, preparation and delectable flavors offered at such reasonable prices will bring us back many times more. Adding to the pleasure of the evening was the welcoming, efficient staff. Bravo, Il Valletto!

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gr8_food

Joined 6 years ago

GREAT FOOD!!!. I have been an IL Valletto goer since 2000, the restaurants menu has been very similar over the recent years with dinner specials staying in the same realm until recently. My last visit to Il Valletto has been the best expierence that I had ever had there food wise. The dinner specials are much different then they used to be (in a good way!!), and the menu now offers most of the meat and fish dishes with a starch and a veg of the day as opposed to the old choice of pasta or veg (which was always broccoli) which makes it much more appealing! Our waiter was a young man named Antonio and he was very professional and attentive. The lack of parking is alittle undesirable but the dining expierence is one to remember it is certainly NO Olive Garden!!! Although it can be busy at times and a little loud the ambience is one to expierence.

Doesn't Recommend

mmmmmfood

Joined 7 years ago

Staff are unfriendly and rude. I recently had a birthday dinner for a friend of mine at Il Valletto... we brought our own cake and just asked the waitress to bring it out for us. She did, but when we got the bill they charged us $20 JUST TO BRING OUT THE CAKE! If I would have known this beforehand I would just have brought it out myself! Then, on top of this, they added a 20% gratuity automatically to our bill, including a 20% gratuity ON TOP OF THE CAKE CHARGE! The food is just average, certainly no better than Olive Garden, and the staff weren't very friendly. There is no parking nearby and the place is very small inside. I will be going to Olive Garden next time I feel like Italian, as I always have a great time there with their friendly staff.

Recommends

diniceb

Joined 8 years ago

Best Date Ever. My husband and I had our first date at Il Valletto Cafe. That was 2 years ago. Since then, we have moved back to Michigan. This past November, we celebrated our first wedding anniversary by taking a trip to Pittsburgh just to recreate that magical evening and eat at this fabulous restaurant. The BYOB policy is actually fun...you get to drink exactly what you enjoy! Il Valletto has everything necessary for a perfect date...great food, charming ambiance, delightful and attentive service. You bring the company!

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Contributor

Joined 10 years ago

The noise outside or the close quarters inside don't matter.. The Scene
A small handful of tables with umbrellas are spread out front for perfect summertime dining. Inside, tables are close, which only adds to the restaurant's charming ambience.

What to Order
At lunch, there's an inexpensive pasta and salad offering, along with good-sized Italian sandwiches and salads. For dinner, choose from chicken, meat and fish served with salad and pasta (skip the vegetable-of-the-day option) for a good value.

In Addition
Il Valletto also excels in fish, which is prepared one of three ways--we recommend Romano style. Desserts are homemade, and not to be missed.

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b_e_b_e

Joined 10 years ago

orgasmic. many Pittsburgh natives STRONGLY suggested that I eat at Il Valletto while I was there. It didn't look great from the outside, but ohmigod, this was delicately made food...a woman on a date in the same restaurant was oohing and ahhing all the time. this was food to ooh and aah about. i greatly overtipped the waiter and would have given ANYONE a lapdance after that dinner - I was so happy.

make a reservation. a few people bring their own wine.