Il Pizzaiolo

We ordered 2 pizzas and both were less than fair. The Funghi had 4 uncut reconstituted shitakie that were like leather and two slices of button. The 2 tablespoons of sauce was really off putting in flavor and the dough was raw. The Marggherita had a lot of watery sauce no visible cheese and 1piece of basil with more raw dough. All this for over 40.00… Our first and last experience with this restaurant.

A little overrated if you ask me. The drinks were tasty and the food was good… but there was really nothing special to validate the high prices. Our service was a little slow, and I was delivered the wrong drink– so it took about 30 minutes before I got the cocktail that I ordered. For a $ 12 cocktail, that isn’t really acceptable. I was also surprised that you cannot reserve patio tables.
Again, no problems with the place, but it is pricey for what you get.

Everything was pretty average to be honest. Service was good, server was attentive and knowledgeable. But the food did not live up to my expectations, especially the pizza. Given this place is known for its pizza, I was a bit let down, average italian pizza at best. The homemade pasta was nothing to write home about either. Ordered the tortelloni and capelletti. Pasta was too doughy for a fresh made nor the fillings were very flavorful. Everything was also a bit too pricey for what you are getting.
3 stars for food
4 stars for service

The atmosphere and food are GREAT! The arranchini appetizer is a must try. The wine bar is the best seat in the house. The blue grata martini is my favorite. The back patio is really nice too. I like this location much better than downtown.

My wife and I stopped here on a recent visit to Pgh. Whenever we are in town I always look for a local, non-​chain, Italian restaurant. We were not disappointed. The atmosphere was local neighborhood family restaurant. But the menu made me look around to see if we had been transported to Chicgo. The wine list was outstanding with a great variety of Italian vintages by the glass and bottle. We were pressed for time so ordered pizza while reluctantly passing on the longer to prepare Lasagna or Eggplant. All of their foods are prepared from ingredients imported from Italy. The Mahrgarita (sp) pizza with pepperoni and mushrooms was wonderful! As was the Super Tuscan wine.
We will be back when we have more time to further explore the menu.

Came here for dinner when we first moved to Pittsburgh and we loved it. The food was super tasty and the atmosphere of the restaurant was nice. I loved the huge stone pizza oven

I came here with quite a large group for a birthday. Half of us were there early and the others staggled in (which is so inappropriate, but what can ya do?), and this meant no free bread for like 45 minutes. Yes, I’m very much into the bread basket.
So let’s talk about that! The bread was fresh and soft, and the olive oil was perfect with it. Yeah, we inhaled it.
We ordered the quattro formagio. It was so wonderful with great flavor and melty goodness. I asked for mushrooms on my part of the pizza and they kindly obliged with a ton of deliciously cooked mushrooms. They have to be the best I’ve ever had.
While I do suck at remembering what wine was ordered, it was a yummy white! I can’t drink much, but I’ll take little sips for special situations.
Our server was also phenomenal. He kept 16 people happy and handled various diet needs and requests like a champ.
I guess my main issues with this place that resulted in 4 stars versus 5 are:
Service was slow even for tables without 16. They should have brought the bread sooner. The bathroom had no toilet paper at one point.
I would eat here again if the opportunity presented itself! I’m glad I got to enjoy a great meal with friends at a new place!

The original Mt. Lebanon establishment is still doing what it has done consistently well since 1996. That is, to offer food and pizza similar to what you will find in the city of Naples. While I was happy that Mr. Molinaro opened a place in the city at Market Square, I refuse to return to that restaurant for the reasons that follow. First and foremost, Mr. Molinaro is no longer involved in the Market Square operation. It is well known now that he went back to Mt. Lebo full time due to pressure from his partners who decided to cut back on the quality that has made Mr. Molinaro one of the most respected restaurateurs in Pittsburgh. Perhaps a lot of folks will not notice the difference, but when you start fooling with the pizza by switching from Italian flour to a domestic knock off, then I have a problem with that and it undermines the entire idea of the restaurant. More specifically, prices are not reduced commensurate with the cheaper ingredients. So, at Market Square, they can employ this culinary sleight of hand to an unassuming public but I will not give them a penny more of my money.
Therefore, I have been back to the Mt. Lebo original for a while now and it is still excellent. Everything from the espresso to the Pizza is infinitely better than downtown because Ron Molinaro has not deviated from his idea of offering food that is true to Naples. His steadfast refusal to reduce quality for the sake of profit is what I respect about him. He maintains friendly and knowledgeable staff who know the food and the wine list. You cannot go wrong here and I will continue to support this place and any other that Mr. Molinaro opens.

Great place, relaxed ambience at the wine bar. Exceptional service and the same for the meals.

What a strange experience — I travel for business and walked in and asked to see the menu. The hostess wasn’t very friendly & I tried to make light conversation about the weather… I’m in sales it always works. I thought she must not of heard me as she didn’t respond? I then asked to be seated — the manager or owner no smile & without a word pointed to a table. I read through the menu, decided what I wanted, checked my email, then checked Facebook… when the waitress no smile, no greeting came over and asked if I wanted something to drink and seemed disappointed when I just asked for water. Terrible… I eat out almost every night of the week. The food may be good… It may even be great, but I can’t get passed the not friendly part.

Two of us came here several weeks ago for a little celebration after a successful morning of wedding shopping. I had dined at the Market Square Il Pizzaiolo (now Pizzaiolo Primo?) several times when I worked in the city but had never been to the Mt. Lebanon location. Though the Market Square location is less traditional and more glamorous, I thought the food here was better!
Our waiter recommended white wine, which I thought was really tasty, and we split the Bandiera pizza and Ravioli Caprese. The ravioli was a classic and simple dish, elevated by the fact that the pasta is made in house. The pizza was very tasty, and I loved that somehow the pizza was simultaneously wood-​fired and doughy. We were both a little disappointed by the fact that the Bandiera pizza’s ingredients were in three segmented rows (think Cobb salad) vs. all together. Though it was a pretty pizza, we wanted to have all of the ingredients in each bite.
We spotted the table next to us eating dessert and couldn’t resist ordering the Delizia al Limone, which was a delectable cake paired with lemon cream, limoncello, and whipped cream. Soooo wonderful…

Definitely a top 5 dining experience that I’ve had in Pittsburgh. Food was incredible, ambiance is on point and the service is second to none. I highly recommend skipping the main dining area, and going behind the restaurant to where they have hidden away, a delightful bar bungalow, complete with fireplace and casual seating. Such an amazing dining experience, and Sarah, the bartender was the star of the entire evening. If I was opening a new restaurant, I would write her a blank check in hopes that she would bring her talents to my establishment.

I have been wanting to check out Il Pizzaiolo for a while now and glad we got the chance to on a random Monday night. The place is small inside and we lucked out just walking in but I would recommend trying to get reservations for a Friday or Saturday. Our server was great and knew a ton about the entrées and patiently explained each one to us. They have a small draft selection so if you like wine this is the place to go. Being a beer drinker I went with a Hoegaarden. While we waited for our entrees we were served 2 large pieces of cooked pizza dough that had salt and olive oil on them. I think they ran out of bread but this almost homemade breadstick was fantastic! Our entrees arrived promptly and I went with the rigatoni which came with 3 meatballs. The sauce was a great combo of sweet/​savory and the meatballs were delicious. My family member ordered one of the pizzas which came with arugula and prosciutto-​it was enough for 2 meals and great to take home. The prices are reasonable for a finer Italian restaurant. Great place for date night.

I have mixed feelings about the food here. On the one hand, they use very fresh ingredients, and they bring some obvious skill to the kitchen. The salads are excellent, and the toppings for the pizzas are of very good quality. These pies leave something to be desired, however, and I think it’s that they’re not cooking the tops of the pizzas enough. The bottom of the pies have the requisite dark char and uneven black spots that we’ve come to expect from a wood fired hearth oven, but the tops of the pies aren’t cooked enough. I know at some places they lift the pies to the top heat source of the oven before pulling them out, and this gives them that final bubbly cheesy goodness that we all love. They don’t do that here, and the pizzas lack a certain unctuous and gooey quality that I like. The dough is also a bit thick and not crispy enough.
As I mentioned, the salads are great. I especially like their Caesar, which has just the rich acid/​oil balance, super fresh romaine, a bit of garlic, anchovies that aren’t too fishy, and good quality cheese to top it off. I was unaware until my most recent visit that they have a patio and wine bar in the back. The patio is a courtyard, so no street traffic to bum you out on nice warm days, and the wine bar has table seating and a more adult, relaxed atmosphere than the seating in the front. It’s also dark and cozy, so perfect for a cold winter night. The pizza doesn’t quite hit the mark for me, and I wish it did, as I really like this spot.

I went to Il Pizzaiolo for lunch with two friends while in town visiting. We arrived right when they opened so we easily got a table near the window (great for people watching, walking up and down the Mt. Lebo strip).
We had the Polpettine (meatball) appetizer, the Margherita pizza and the Diavola pizza. The Diavola had spicy salami and chili peppers on it, and YES, it was spicy! Both pies were quite delicious, though rather flimsy. I had to hold each piece with two hands so the toppings didn’t slide right off, or eat it with a fork and knife.
Our server was attentive and kept out waters full. By the time we left the place was packed, so I suspect this is one of the better places to dine in Lebo.

Solid 4.5 Italian restaurant– came here on a Friday night with a good friend of mine to hang out! The front of the restaurant seemed like a fancy restaurant packed to the brim with people and having a classy/​clean atmosphere. But the back part of the restaurant had a completely different feel to it! Dimmed lights — light up bar — in a very tight space– but it was cozy and quant as well with a fireplace.
The waitress was super attentive and helping us decipher the menu and getting us what we wanted. One objection I have with Italian restaurants are that their menus are Italian which puts me into translation mode because I’m far from Italian– just a joke.
The food was very fresh in authentic– exactly what lasagna should taste like. Pasta was made fresh and cooked to perfection– sauce was on point– and oooohhh the cheese. I ate it all in 5 mins– may have not even used my silverware and just stuffed my face into it! I went there after working out and was starving– probably could set a world record for eating– the fact the food was soo good definitely helps.
Great place for a date night. Get a reservation– we were lucky we got a seat !

My FAVORITE ITALIAN RESTAURANT IN PITTSBURGH! It’s the sauce, people. The sauce! So good.
Order the mussels with marinara.
Then order whatever else you want because it’s going to be amazing.

Awesome Place!
The pizza is pretty good — I like mine a little more well done (must pass the stand test). They use fresh ingredients.
I think what made the place for me is the wine bar. Awesome bartender /​awesome crowd. I liked the fireplace in the wine bar (especially on a negative degree night).
Recommendations:
— Pizza
— Meatball Appetizers
I have heard good things about the pasta — I will be back.

I love Il Pizzaiolo and will definitely be back! Italian food is one of my favorites and I am always looking for places that do it authentically and that do it right! Il Pizzaiolo totally nailed it in my opinion!
While the dining area is on the small side and it did get pretty loud (keep this in mind because it could be an issue), the food was delicious. From my wedding soup and veggie antipasti to my pasta pomodoro and cannoli, I was completely satisfied and enjoyed every bite. Only improvement could be that the wedding soup was slightly under salted. The pomodoro was perfectly seasoned and I could eat that cannoli every day! It actually had ricotta filling as it should!
Service was fast and friendly although our waiter did struggle a bit to remember our order. Very neat and clean. Regardless, it was a fantastic experience and I will absolutely be back for another delicious meal. Totally worth the price in my opinion!

We live close by and wanted to check this place out. Nothing was overly amazing but the food was decent. Décor is your typical Tuscan style and the wood fire oven is interesting to watch.
I had one of the veal dishes which reminded me a lot of Chicken Marsala and cost $ 28. There were no sides, salad and even bread to go with the meal but the size of my portion was ok. The only issue I had, besides the high cost, was that my meal had no surprises. It was a very simple dish and for $ 28 I would expect something more complex. The sauce was everywhere, overpowering the cheese, prosciutto and mushrooms and there was nothing to counter it. A vegetable or anything would have improved the meal and helped me get through the overwhelming taste of the sauce.
My husband had the lasagna which was very good but cost $ 19 and I know it did not fill him up. Again it was simple in design and we were expecting something more coming from an Italian background. Maybe my family is full of over-​achievers, so my opinion may be harsh but for the type of food they are creating the price is outrageous.
If prices were lower my review would be higher and I say this with years of dining experience in Mt. Lebanon. For the same amount you would be better of going next door to Bistro 19, one of the upscale restaurants in the area. In my opinion, they have a far better menu, it is creative, hearty and the atmosphere is trendy. We went there this summer and I loved everything about the place. Even though it’s on the expensive side, Bistro 19 is definitely worth it.