Cafe Sam
Pittsburgh, PA 15224-2304
Phone: (412) 621-2000
- Price:
- $
- Best of Citysearch:
- Romantic Bar 2006
- Hours:
- Mon-Fri 11:30am-11pm
Editorial Review for Cafe Sam – by Sam Edelmann
The Scene
There is an attractive bar area near the entrance, with two good-sized dining rooms beyond. The rooms are light and airy, with sufficient room between tables to maintain a civilized conversation. In addition, there is a large and very comfortable patio.
Starters Or Finishers
The soups and appetizers here will often make a meal. French onion soup, the homemade gravlax, and grilled vegetable quesadilla are all excellent. The spinach salad is also good.
The Food
The pasta dishes are very popular. Served in small sizes, you can have two different kinds for less than most places charge for one. Styles range from traditional to more creative dishes like angel hair pasta with cinzano poached escargot or penne with slow roasted barbecue beef brisket, which is not to be missed. The duck, however, is tough and overcooked.
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User Reviews for Cafe Sam
05/25/2008 Posted by nelson1457
We've been going to Cafe Sam for over a decade at least six times a year, and highly recommend it. We've never had a bad meal there, and the vast majority have been fantastic. I'm surprised that no one has yet mentioned the outside dining or the pasta. At the top of the restaurant there is a deck you can eat on a beautiful evening, one of the best outdoor dining experiences in Allegheny county. The menu has a series of pasta dishes that are appetizer size, and you can order two of them for an entree. And no one mentioned the cookies!!!!!! Eat there, you'll be happy!
Pros: Outside deck, inventive menu, pasta combinations
Cons: The inside can be just a bit noisy
05/15/2008 Posted by mandelsteve
C'mon! We just had dinner at Cafe Sam, and it is stll by far Pittsburgh's best restaurant. It's the place the competition loves to hate because the quality of the food, service, and atmosphere can't be touched. And that's why it's full every night. Cafe Sam is unpretentous, you don't need to be the king of cool to go there. And that's probably why there are so many cool people there! Because it's so affordable, the restaurant sports an unusually diverse crowd - artists, students, doctors, politicians, and plain neighborhood folks. No snots! We find it a place to go and relax, come as you are, and get greeted as you are in the friendly atmosphere of a locally owned spot. How they are able to produce homemade food for the price is the mystery. Last night's four course dinner included a greek salad, vidalia onion soup, a fresh chopped lamb steak, and almond cream cake for sixteen bucks. My wife ate calamari sushi, hand breaded fried mushrooms with horseradish sauce, and a grilled radichio salad - no entree. All superb. Add to that a choice from the extensive list of micro brews (I had a Dogfish Indain Pale Ale) and your good to go! This restaurant isn't formatted for the wannabees . It's always been the place that gets the job done for great food and drink, simple as that. Five stars - it's a no brainer. All the regulars at this place (and there is a ton of them) know the score.
Pros: You don't get robbed paying to be seen.
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