Cioppino

My husband and I had a wonderful dinner at Cioppino recently. We both eat a vegan diet and their very talented chef made us items at his discretion that were inventive, flavorful and beautifully displayed. Great job!

Nice looking restaurant, average selection of cigars. The food was ok and it came out warm. Waitress was plain and not sociable at all. Ordered an 18yr old Scotch and paid for a 25yr old, unbelievable mark up on the scotch. Ventilation system is bad, smoke swirls and lingers in the air your clothes will be full of smoke. Great jazz trio other than that this place is below the line. I will look for another establishment when I am in the Burgh.

Went to Cioppino recently with my Family. I noticed on the web site prior to my visit that Greg Alauzen wasn’t mentioned. This raised some concern because I’ve always been a fan. I confirmed at the restaurant that Greg was no longer involved. I was a little reticent but the menu looked good and the service was terrific. Well, not to worry. If anything, the food was a little better than before, which was already top notch. Christian (was Sommelier/​Beverage Mgr) is now the General Manager and stopped by the table. He is as knowledgeable as ever. A fantastic experience and highly recommended.

I have eaten here several times, both with family and business and it has been great every time. The location is nice because its off Smallman so its out of the hustle and bustle and the Cigar Bar is probably the nicest in the city. The only possible downside is pricing is slightly high for the food level but not a reason to stay away. Great date or special dinner location.

If you are looking for a nice place to have dinner — this is it! We dined in the bar area and had great food! My sea scallops were delicious! So well cooked my fork cut through then like they were melted butter! The lobster pieces were a little chewy but the flavor was there! I wasn’t overly impressed with the risotto under the scallops as after a few bites, it just started to feel like paste.
My friends each got steak — one got the prime rib which was perfectly cooked and the other got the New York strip which was also perfectly cooked. The honey glazed carrots were rich and tender and the bartender was attentive to our needs the entire time we were there.
The cigar lounge next door is amazing! Very upscale but great ventilation as there was no smoke really hanging in the room. Good selection of cigars overall as well.
The only negative thing I have for this place is that on the first weekend over every month they have a local jazz combo in the bar area — they are so loud that you are having to tell over people just to talk to the person next to you. The venue is just to small for the band.

The BF and I love coming to Cioppino for cocktails and cigars — their cigar bar is awesome all around and I could spend hours here! On my most recent visit this past weekend, we were trying to pass some time between a wedding ceremony and reception in the Strip. The complimentary valet was especially appreciated on this rainy day! Upon arriving, we grabbed two large, comfy chairs next to the bar and waited for the bartender to take our orders: an Acid Blondie and glass of Sauvignon Blanc for me, and a Kuba Kuba cigar for Lee. They present the cigars to you on a metal tray, complete with a cutter and butane lighter. The bartender asked if we would be ordering any food, and since our stomachs were grumbling at the thought of having to wait through the typical wedding reception festivities before we were served dinner, we decided to nosh on half a dozen oysters. They arrived quickly, perfectly chilled and served with two yummy sauces. One of them was more of a mayonnaise-​type sauce, and the other was more of an oil that had a serious but welcome kick to it. 6 oysters disappeared in about 60 seconds and I was starting to wish we had ordered more! They were delicious! I keep batting around the idea of coming here for an actual dinner, perhaps on a Tuesday when they have dollar oysters!
I will say though, that when we received our check I was pleasantly surprised: the 6 oysters only ran us $ 12 — $ 2 a pop! The flavor and quality for that price completely blew my mind. I will absolutely be back again for more and am hoping that they continue to impress… I’ll be sure to update with a 5 star review when they do!
One last tip: if you are visiting the cigar bar, the high top tables just inside the entrance (along the windows) are some of my least favorite. The way the venitaliton system is set up and depending on which seat you are sitting in, the smoke will keep blowing right in your companion’s face. Just a little tip that we now use to determine where we will (or won’t) sit when we go here :)

One of my favorite places to go in the entire Pittsburgh area. This places is well deserving of their high Unilocal ranking. The food is absolutely amazing. I always get the pork chop and I’m never disappointed. I challenge you to find a better chop in the area. It just doesn’t exist. The service is 5 star every single time.

This place is absolutely phenomenal. I had to New York strip steak and my wife had seafood Ciopinno. They both were phenomenal. The portions were huge which I enjoyed. The service was phenomenal and the wine was delicious. It is a little bit pricey. But I think it’s worth every dime you spend. I also have a cigar bar and lounge. Which makes this place very different and unique. I will definitely be back and look forward to another great evening.

One of the best restaurants around. Service is first class, time and time again. The food is to die for, cooked to perfection and not overly complicated. If you haven’t checked it out, what are you waiting for?

First time here staff were excellent we celebrated our 2year anniversary here food was amazing perfect size portions I was a little disappointed in the pea Parmesan risotto hut everything else was so good we had our 14 month old son with us it was a fancy atmosphere with a laid back casual feel we will be back again.

My boyfriend and I met 6 other people for dnner. Someone else at the table brought 2 bottles of wine. When the waitress split the bill in four she charged us ¼ of the uncorking fee. And in additional to our $ 15 portion of the wine we didn’t bring she also charged us $ 3.75 for another quarter of an uncorking fee. I did have one glass of wine out of their bottle but $ 18.75 for one glass of wine seemed outrageous to us. We both ordered dinners, my boyfriend had 3 drinks and I ordered desert. I find this HUGE up change for the wine to be unfair.
The dessert was awesome the martinis were great. The scallops were very good but small. The linguini with seafood was disappointing.
I would never pay $ 30 to uncork what I am assuming was a $ 10 bottle of wine.

My husband and I went to Cioppino for our 6^th anniversary, and it was one of the best meals I’ve ever had. We got the oysters and yellowtail for appetizers, both extremely fresh, tender and succulent. We both got the NY strip and Scallops for our entrees, almost like a surf and turf dinner, but it was a special order that was not on the menu. The wait staff and chef were more than happy to oblige, and served the best cooked strip I’ve ever tasted — it was juicy, tender and extremely flavorful. The scallops were perfectly grilled and colossal in size. Finally, we got the sampler dessert, that featured a wonderful custard, banana French toast-​like dessert and the best of them all — chocolate covered bacon!
The waiter was extremely friendly and willing to accommodate our requests, and even took dessert off our final bill because it was our anniversary — completely unexpected and much appreciated! We paired dinner with a bottle (or two!) of the Oberon Cab, it was wonderful with the Strip. We cannot wait to go back!

After reading such high reviews, my husband and I came here for date night. The service seemed ok. We weren’t attended to like the tables next to us. The table who sat down 20 min AFTER us got their appetizer and entrée before us. It took the waiter 30 min to reach our table to get the drink order. I got the chef special halibut and my husband got the cioppino. We also started with the live scallop appetizer. The food was fresh. The halibut was really tender, but not really flavorful and the creamy white sauce was way too buttery in taste to me. The mussel in the cioppino I tried was sandy, which I’m not a big fan of.
If I could just rate the scallop and halibut, I would give it 4 stars. I wouldn’t say I was impressed with the service and drinks.

We just finished having dinner and dessert here. First of all the service was fantastic, our waiter was Jonathan. Second, was the food. We all loved our dinners (make sure you save room for dessert!) That was my favorite part. Lastly, the location and atmosphere were great. We found a close parking spot with free parking after 6. It is a very classy restaurant but you will feel comfortable even if you are wearing jeans. Enjoy!

I love $ 1 oyster night!!! Steaks here are delicious, I’ve had most of the menu was never let down.
Very classy little place with fairly cheap drinks! Cigar lounge is back is very nice too. I dong smoke but enjoy going back there. 99% of the staff is super friendly!
Complimentary valet is nice or park in the garage and turn in your slip to get parking validated.

I have been here a few times and the service is always outstanding, the drinks are made perfectly, and the food is done so well.
I go mainly for the Tuesday oyster night — oh my goodness… I’m a seafood snob from the Gulf Coast and I could eat 2 dozen oysters myself on a Tuesday!
Clean, free parking, very classy atmosphere, great prices for the quality of your experience.
This is one of the best places in the Strip and all of Pittsburgh!

Incredibly overrated!
I had heard a lot of good about this restaurant, but I found my experience to be lacking. Lacking in flavor.
My meal was markedly missing a key ingredient which was tossed onto my chicken dish by the manager who thought he was doing the right thing… The Gnocchi had zero flavor. The octopus was just okay. The dessert was so-​so. The cocktail (satan’s whiskers) was good. My coffee was comped… But that’s not what I was looking for. I was looking for a romantic evening with flavorful, memorable food.
I am providing two stars because not everything was bad. The server was attentive and polite. The manager was kind but seemed a bit awkward at handling the scenario of a missing key ingredient.
Sadly, I will not return to Cioppino. I would rather spend $ 90 for two people at a restaurant that I already know that I will have a meal full of flavor.

I have mixed feelings on Cioppino. On one hand, the space in all three parts (dining room, bar, and cigar room) is really nice and pretty welcoming. The crowd is a bit more dressy at times, but overall, the vibe is more relaxed that one would expect. I’ve also had some pretty delicious menu items in our handful of visits (the tomato-​based crab bisque on our last visit being one of them), but I’ve also had plenty of average food, as well (the gnocchi, which was made in-​house, but served with a bland mixture of ingredients and overwhelmed by the use of excessive broccoli rabe, for example).
They have a solid selection of wines and whisky, but the prices are a few dollars more than most places ($ 14 for a Balvenie Doublewood, for example, that’s typically $ 11−12/pour), and as I mentioned in a tip left here: Watch out when you order a whisky. If you order a scotch, expect a double automatically. Also, expect to pay for that unwarranted double when your bill arrives. Did you order your whisky «neat?» Expect a $ 2 upcharge. None of this will be explained to you when ordering, so just be prepared to pay 133% of what’s listed on the menu, plus $ 2 if ordered neat. Very strange approach, if you ask me, and I can’t imagine many patrons being as forgiving as us.
We’ve typically sat in the bar area, which was okay. The music can be a bit loud for casual conversation on Fridays. The jazz band is a decent trio/quartet…but not great. We’ve also done the cigar room experience, as well as the dining room experience. Both got the job done, but neither left us with any overly-​positive impressions.
So, you can see a theme here. Cioppino is a place that tries to do a lot of things right, and certainly has the potential, but ultimately slips in nearly every area. For the price, there’s no excuse for falling short. Entrée prices are high enough that a better experience can be had at numerous restaurants within a mile or so of Cioppino, if you’re looking in the $ 25 – 45 range. Want to experience overpriced whisky? There are places with better selections and experiences close by. I feel less guilty paying $ 36 for a single ounce of harder-​to-​find bourbon at, say, Butcher and the Rye, than $ 23 for a double (that I didn’t ask for) of run-​of-​the-​mill scotch at Cioppino.
We have no plans on returning, but the fact that we kept giving the place a chance should say that we recognize the potential (not to mention our desire to have another good place near home), but we’ve left underwhelmed too many times. If they worked harder at improving the experience (and making sure their staff acts with some professionalism near the bar when they don’t think anyone is looking) instead of finding ways to inflate the check, we’d be able to recommend the place. As it is, save your money and time and explore some of the other excellent establishments Pittsburgh has at the moment.

For me — I dig this place. Cigar Room.
Funny thing is I went by here for at least a year or 2 before it was open when I came by. Maybe 2 years ago I kept going by but it was always closed. Well I finally hit it last year with an old buddy, PHiL Q while in town. Mind you this is for the Cigar bar — Loved it. There are so many cities that don’t have something like this anywhere. And this is done well — great cocktails, good smokes, and we shared some apps.
I don’t think anyone is walking in here thinking it’s going to be cheap. It’s not and it’s also not that dive bar that patted me down for a gun! a few blocks away when I stopped in for a beer! I don’t mind and come prepared to have some nice drinks and good conversation.
I hope Pittsburgh never loses this gem.

What do you do in Pittsburg overnight and need a place. Unilocal,of course.
We we a bit apprehensive driving through the industrial district to arrive at this place. The live music and cigar bar were a pleasant surprise. The dining area was not smoky from the cigars. The olive oil was blended with some green substance and was so, so good. That could be the high light of the meal.
The lamb sausage appetizer was good. The polenta was superb and the sausage part was over-​shadowed.
The medium rare steak come medium, a big no-​no. But it was well seasoned, flavorful, and still very tender. So I gave it a pass.
The Oregonian Pinot (Iris) was excellent.
Thank you, Unilocal,for helping out the traveler one more time.