Reviews & Ratings for Palazzo Ristorante

12/13/11

Do yourself a favor: Eat Elsewhere

by RoseS630 at Citysearch

I'm a 70 year old female who worked in town for many of those years, had season tickets to the theater for many years, and ate in many Pittsburgh restaurants throughout those years. Bottom line: I have a basis for comparison.

This past weekend, I was invited to dinner at Palazzo's prior to going to the theater. My entrée choice from the ala carte menu was the lump crab. I inquired about how several of the side dishes were prepared and based on the answers I got from the waitress (i.e. the potatoes are just potatoes, the spinach is just spinach), I decided to settle for a side of risotto. To my surprise, everything I inquired about came with the dinner, including both the risotto and the potatoes. Of course, these were all added to my escort’s bill.

By merely looking at my plate, I could see the food was cold because it had begun to dry out. The crab was tasteless, the potatoes were burned, and the risotto was mush! There was no lemon or sauce of any sort served with the crab, which wouldn’t have helped anyway. Oh, the tea was good, but not good enough to make it worth $50.00 for the meal.

Yes, I later complained to the management who offered a free drink “the next time.” With a meal that bad, I can assure you, there will be no “next time.”

Do yourself a favor … find another restaurant!

11/23/05

Complete your trip to Pittsburgh

by msncook at Citysearch

We enjoy stopping at Palazzo before Heinz Hall or a walk to the stadia. Great standard like the pastina soup, delicious lite calamari, and tasty seafood selections. The family recipe for pan-fried gnocchi is a killer and you have to do it! Good wine selection. Great personal service by owner John and his lovely family.

• Pros: location, service, food
• Cons: parking, busy

08/18/03

An intimate Northern Italian bistro across from Heinz Hall.

by Contributor at Citysearch

The Scene
There is a large bar area in the front, with about twenty tables in the rear dining room. As the name implies, Italian opera is the theme here, with posters on the walls and arias in the air. Service is fast and competent, with a practiced pre-theater drill to get everyone to his/her performances on time.

The Food
Meals here are Northern Italian, with an accent on seafood and veal. For lunch, expect to find a number of different salads, including an exceptional Caesar with chicken. Numerous pastas are offered, with "pick-and-choose" noodles and sauces, as well as a few sandwiches. A light chicken pastina soup is available daily, as well as a soup du jour. Naturally, fried zucchini is offered as an appetizer along with delicious marinated mushrooms with roasted red peppers. Main courses both at lunch and dinner revolve around fish and veal. Veal dishes include scaloppine, piccata, and parmigiano, the traditional favorites, plus there are always one or two specials offered at dinner.

• Pros: fast service