The Commoner

5 star service. 4 star dessert. 3 star dinner.
Arriving downtown around 9:30, there weren’t many options for dinner in walking distance outside of hotel restaurants. I decided to go with The Commoner at Hotel Monaco. It’s got its own entrance on the corner, but you have to walk the whole way through the place to reach the hostess, which is a little awkward. Other than that, I loved the design.
I was seated at a stool across from the kitchen area where I was given a carafe of water and a menu. Based on reviews, I knew I needed the sticky toffee pudding. I asked my waiter if I could order that to eat in and a lamb burger to go. He seemed both surprised and impressed at this request. The clientele were mostly well dressed, so perhaps this is a more play by the rules type of eatery.
My pudding came out fairly quickly and did not disappoint. The best part was the caramelization around the edges – especially the bits that had a crunch to them. I found the $ 10 price tag reasonable for its size and quality when not even a handful of entrees come in at under $ 20.
I had to wait a bit for my burger to arrive, but that was fine as the man working the area of the kitchen across from me was great for conversation. I have really learned to appreciate a restaurant that doesn’t make you feel uncomfortable/​judged for solo dining.
Unfortunately by the time I got settled in to my own hotel, my food was just warm, so I can’t be the best judge. The burger was cooked well (medium) and was plenty juicy. My one complaint would be that the greens used had stringy stems. As they weren’t the easiest to bite cleanly through, the full leaf often came out with the bite. Fries were good but not memorable.
Overall I would return if I needed to dine downtown late at night.

I want to love this place. I really do. The things I do love about it are its energy and its atmosphere. Wait staff does a nice job, and I think the cocktails are above average. The bartenders seem to take pride in their pours.
But the food isn’t what it should be for a place like this. It’s good, don’t get me wrong, but it’s definitely not much better than good.
And somethings aren’t good, for example I had some oysters on the half shell that I wouldn’t recommend.
The brussels sprouts are good, but it seems like everyone has good brussels sprouts these days. Pork belly mac & cheese was OK but not great. The luxury pie was a bright spot. And one genuinely great dessert is their sticky toffee pudding.
I will keep returning here, because I love the energy and the atmosphere and because the food is good enough. But it could be better.

Where do we begin… the waiter helped us every step of the way. Drinks, appetisers, entrees… he was there to make our experience exceptional. The food stood up to the challenge! Cheese board starter, lobster bisque; delicious. If I had to skip an item, it would be the salad, and only because everything else was over the top. The wine choices are well thought out; small but mighty list. The service, by all, was exceptional! If you start to think of who you can bring here next time, you know it’s good!
The Shepard pie is always on the menu; can’t go wrong. Rack of lamb was a special; and a special indeed! An amazing foodie experience.
Dessert…I can’t say. Looked good, but had no room for it. Ask for John… you won’t be disappointed.

Step through the spinning carousel glass and back in time as you descend the Kimpton lobby stairs and find yourself in Western Pennsylvanian opulence.
Steel beams hang heavily in this large space, a dark reminder of the rough-​necked workers that built this city from the smelting blast furnaces of then to the glimmering metropolis you are ordering breakfast in today. Exposed bulbs hang precariously above the dining area, threatening to fall into your pork belly hash and ignite the entire section.
Service, rendered by beautiful paragons, is efficient and friendly — we’re all on the same group chat now! There is a Bloody Mary bar for the discerning and creative types who wish to mix their own disgusting V8 concoction. I prefer an orange juice with apple cider vinegar.
Every detail of this hotel restaurant is addressed with intentionality and a sense of duty to represent the brand identity but also, and more importantly, the city. If you want to compare blouse ruffles with the West Penn bourgeoisie, go somewhere else. If you want to dine well with the proletariat, run — DON’T WALK — to The Commoner.

I stopped by the Commoner after running in the Pittsburgh Marathon Relay. Needless to say I had worked up a hefty appetite that needed satiated. I started with a mimosa that was good, but wow was it overpriced. Maybe I just expect more for $ 10, like some fresh fruit garnish or maybe house made flavored OJ? The bar tender was heavy handed with the champagne pour, however… so it must be some swank bubbly.
My friend decided to imbibe at the Bloody Mary bar. This was $ 16 (a little pricier because she went top shelf). Her tip is to load up on the garnishes first and THEN add the juice. Wink. Thank her later.
I chose the «yinz want some breakfast» off the brunch menu with sausage, potatoes and house made English muffins. Eggs were standard, potatoes were standard, sausages were delicious, English muffins would have been perfect if they weren’t so naked. No butter, no jam, no jelly… what gives? I would have asked for some if the bartender hadn’t made me feel like such a newb for inquiring about ketchup.
Maybe this is more of a dinner and drinks place, or maybe just drinks. I’d be willing to try again at a different time of day to see.

(7:00pm) Im writing this as we sit waiting for our food we ordered an hour ago. Am i taking crazy pills? Hangry… so hangry.
(11:00pm) Update: Oh god. What happened with this place? Our first time here, everything was on point. It was a great experience. This time… I don’t even know. No, it wasn’t the server’s fault — he couldn’t have been friendlier and eager to serve. If only the kitchen gave him something TO serve. Same for the bar.
Nope, it wasn’t crowded for Friday night at 6pm (surprising). Yet still a 20 minute wait for a drink… and a 1+ hour wait for a steak? NO food was coming out of that kitchen.
3 hours later… we were outta there. For good.

I had very high hopes for their brunch and Bloody Mary bar but I have mixed feelings about it. While I loved my entrée, I wasn’t super thrilled with the Bloody Mary bar. I absolutely love the fact they offer bottle service for the bloody Mary’s. This is one thing that does make the commoner brunch stand out from the rest. At $ 15 a piece for one Bloody Mary why not spend $ 58 on a bottle of grey goose and enjoy multiple. My friend and I made a total of 5 and had enough vodka leftover to make at least 1 if not 2 more.
As for the Bloody Mary bar itself, I didn’t like it as much as some others I’ve tried. It’s definitely nice that they have multiple tomato juice options such as original, smoked, and verde. However, I was not impressed with any of the 3 I tried. The toppings were definitely unique and they had a wide variety of hot sauces and spices to mix in.
The best part of my brunch was by far the entrée. I got the pierogies and eggs. The day I went they were serving chorizo stuffed pierogies topped with poached eggs and verde sauce with a side of potatoes. Everything about this entrée was spot on. The chorizo was no too spicy like some other chorizos that I don’t like. The pierogies had more of a deep fried texture to them then a regular pierogi. The poached eggs were cooked perfectly and the verde sauce actually had flavor! Most places can’t manage to make a good verde sauce but they did it.
This is one of those reviews where I wish we could give half star ratings. While I think a 3 sells the brunch a little short, I think a 4 is a little too generous. Combining both my dinner experience (see former review) and my brunch experience I unfortunately have to give it only a 3 star.

I purposefully didn’t read the reviews beforehand so my experience could be completely unbiased. There is quite a buzz about this place among friends and colleagues but once I went — and then read through the reviews — ugh, I have to side with the majority of the reviews.
Ambience 5
Drinks 5
Service 3.5
Price 2
Food N/​A
My gf and I met for drinks after work on a Thursday. No happy hour specials. Bummer.
Three bartenders with ¾ of the bar full and it took entirely too long for someone to approach us. Throughout our time there, two of the bartenders seemed aloof and not very personable. The female was the nicest and most attentive. She accidentally squirted beer all over me when a tap went out. Instead of getting me a napkin right away she sat there and cleaned off a glass and chatted with another worker. We had to ask a second time. But she did end up rectifying it later on at the end of evening so that’s why service got the extra ½ point.
I was hungry but after reviewing the menu and the prices I opted to wait until I got home to eat. Not many options that appealed to me for one. And I realize we are in a nice hotel downtown but $ 17 bucks for a plate of cheese? The average price for a «nibble» was $ 17.
The drinks were the best part of the night for me. Although they forgot the garnishments on my friends’ drink and we couldn’t get their attention for so long she just said forget it. I got the Fortunato cocktail and it was absolutely delicious.
Milargro Blanco Tequila, Lime, Cherry heering, Lustau Amontillado Sherry, Cream Soda $ 13
I also got the Green Flash Passion Fruit Kicker (wheat ale)… fruity, refreshing, so flavorful I need to find out where I can get a case of this.
All in all, there are so many other establishments with good cocktails that have happy hour specials that I probably won’t be going back here.

Mediocre at best.
There are so many great restaurants downtown that even for the ones I love, I have a hard time returning to because there are so many to try and so many to love!
The Commoner is not on my return list. I like the décor and ambiance, and I generally like the Hotel Monaco — for instance, I loveeee Biergarten, and it is my favorite summer bar. Like Biergarten above, their drinks are quite nice. I had a cocktail and it was boozy and delicious.
The food was where it went wrong. I had the steak and ale pie per some suggestions, and it was thoroughly disappointing. The insides, including the steak, were overcooked, the outside was too thick and perhaps undercooked, and the whole thing was incredibly salty to the point of almost inedible. Based on other reviews, it seems like this dish has been good for some people — maybe the Commoner suffers from inconsistency.
Whatever the case may be, Pittsburgh is bristling with great restaurants that are popping up everywhere, so onto the next one!

Fabulous food & excellent service make this restaurant a real gem. The menu is creative & varied so there are choices for everyone. A MUST TRY when in the beautiful, re-​gentrified city of Pittsburgh

This review is really only for the sticky toffee pudding, but it’s worth its own review!
My friends had dinner here and I met them afterward for dessert. I ordered the sticky toffee pudding and it was divine. The pudding was a dense, rich, moist, sweet cup of heaven topped with vanilla ice cream. There were bits with some crunch and chew intermixed with bits of smooth cakey toffee goodness.
I really liked the chill, dim atmosphere of this restaurant and would be happy to come back (even if just for that pudding).

The Commoner is a must-​visit when looking for a place to eat downtown! First of all, the service was excellent and very polite, even the manager was going around to each table greeting the customers. In addition, the restaurant itself is gorgeous and has almost a rustic and edgy feel to it.
The food and drinks were great. They have a massive drink list plus several good drafts that you might not normally find at a regular restaurant. I had the Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA which is not as commonly served as the 60 Minute per se. I ordered the Chicken Liver Ravioli which, while a little on the dry side, was light and very flavorful. For dessert, I split the Chocolate Soufflé with another person and I’m glad I did! The soufflé was very rich and decadent.
I had a wonderful experience at the Commoner and I recommend making a visit if you’re downtown!

Fantastic brunch spot in the city
I’ve been here a few times for Sunday brunch and always have a good experience. The menu is very good: creative but not crazy, varied without being overwhelming. Good drinks too.
Plus mussels. Who doesn’t like mussels?

I am actually surprised that I am being forced to give The Commoner such an awful review, but I first want to say that it is completely warranted.
Upon staying at the Hotel Monaco for the weekend, we decided that it was so convenient, this would be a great place to meet my mom and stepdad for lunch. Bad idea number one. Despite having a reservation, we still waited a bit. Service was also awful. Apparently, we expected too much by wanting our server to actually have a personality and not act put out by having to wait on us. The food was underwhelming (I had the lenten Fish and Chip special). Tiny portion of fish even. Just not a good experience and for 98.00 for lunch– not really worth it.
I assumed this couldn’t be the norm here given how much people in Pgh seem to love it… So we went back late night Friday. No hostess — and when I asked the bartender if I could still get a table, I was greeted with a rude laugh. Apparently the hostess was gone and didn’t tell anyone? Another big strike but we were meeting friends so we figured this was easiest. Service was mediocre at best. Drinks were okay, and I ended up going back to wine because it was more consistent. The mussels were good and the pretzel. We can call these the high points.
I can go on more but I figure I have spent enough time rehashing a bad experience or two…
Like I said… Just not impressed. We were captive because we didn’t have a car and ended up here more than we would have liked because of it.
That said, even though I will likely return to the Hotel Monaco, I will not be returning here to this place. There are other better places downtown to explore… So go do so.

There’s very little to rave about with The Commoner.
Sure, the drinks are good and the space and menu are on-​trend, but the service and quality fall well short of anything deserving the hype that we’d been served before going.
The two things that I did enjoy were the «Devils on Horseback» (bacon-​wrapped dates stuff with blue cheese) and the giant bavarian pretzel that comes with a beer cheese dipping sauce reminiscent of welsh rarebit cheese sauce. The pretzel was huge, buttery, and worthy of sharing amongst 4, but likely a bit overwhelming for only 2 people. Oh, and their hushpuppies were pretty good!
My main disappointment was the service. For lunch, our waiter had an attitude that made us feel like he had better things to do to accompany his unwelcoming dry personality. Not what you want to be greeted with on a first visit. In the evening, the hostess was absent (according to another employee who we had to hunt down to get a seat, she left work without anyone realizing). For a nightcap beverage, we were faced with impatient bartenders, taps that were down two nights in a row, and crowds of severely inebriated patrons. There’s an arrogance amongst the staff that can quickly rub you the wrong way… at least it did for us on all 3 visits.
The food, overall, is average at best. The lamb burger, while ordered medium, was almost as dry as the bun it was served on. When reading the ingredients on the menu, I expected a bit more interest, but ultimately the only flavors I got were dry bun, lamb/​beef burger, and goat cheese. The spicy broccoli I had for my side was so watery that any hesitation in reaching for the burger would’ve ended up with soggy broccoli bun. Disaster avoided. Our table ordered fish & chips and salads that didn’t impress, either. The reaction of, «it’s okay,» is definitely not a positive one. Factor in the inflated prices for being downtown and in the Hotel Monaco, and the tolerance for underwhelming food drops significantly.
Perhaps The Commoner was great when it first opened, but whatever luster it may have had is surely dulled now.

This review is strictly for the desserts. My husband and I stopped in here after a dinner in Lawrenceville. A few friends of ours have recommended the Sticky Toffee Pudding, being that it is one of their all-​time favorite desserts. This was was a perfect opportunity for us to stop in since we were craving something sweet.
It was a little later in the evening on a Sunday night and there was surprisingly a decent crowd, although not what you would call packed. My husband ordered the Sticky Toffee Pudding and I ordered the Pistachio Honey Crisp. The desserts here are ultra rich and extremely sweet, which is good but they get old after a while. I would say the desserts are really great for sharing and not for yourself. That’s the mistake my husband and I made as our eyes were bigger than our stomachs. Plus we wanted to try more than one.
The Sticky Toffee Pudding was incredibly moist and paired well with the vanilla ice cream. As I mentioned earlier, super sweet. The Pistachio Honey Crisp was interestingly presented. The pistachio cream and chocolate mousse were piped onto the plate and the two pieces of honey tuile were stacked onto each other diagonally like the roof of a house. The tuile seemed to be like a candied slab of phyllo dough. There also was some type of white chocolate bark with pistachios atop the cream and mousse. I loved this dessert but definitely better for sharing. After a while, it got to be too sweet and I just couldn’t bring myself to finish it.
I would like to try the dinner menu, but I’m not sure how soon I’d come back considering the mixed reviews. The desserts were great and best when shared. Not bad!

Simply wonderful! I’m a loyal Kimpton member and as such have visited The Commoner many times… Kimpton Hotels never miss on their restaurants and The Commoner is no different.
I love the look, feel, and energy of the restaurant. The service and friendliness of the staff is always wonderful. I have tried a fee things on the menu… Steak Frites, Shepherds Pie, and Ribeye. All were wonderful, but I’m very partial to a great Steak Frites and The Commoners version didn’t disappoint. This must be a crowd favorite because the bartenders told me that they would never take it off the menu… please don’t…
They also have a very smart draft beer selection and change it through it the year. The cocktails are amazing and the bartenders are true mixologists. If you give them an idea of what you like. they will whip something up. I’m a big Manhattan fan and these are amongst the best.
Commoner…see you on my next visit to Pittsburgh…

This is like an upscale medieval tavern. I understood the name of the restaurant when we were seated at a long pub table where strangers can sit next to you. But luckily it was early, so we were able to just have our party together.
Since I was here on New Years Eve, this review is clearly stating that this is a good place to get drunk food. We had started celebrating when we checked into the hotel and the heartiness of the food helped our imbibed bodies. The meat and cheese platters overflowed. My short ribs were falling off the plate and off the bone. They were very decadent and delicious. My husband was raving about the wagyu steak all the way home. There were other pastas and meats on the menu, all seeming like heft portions as well. The environment compares to Meat and Potatoes which is nearby, but that restaurant has more exciting flavors. Here I think they just depend on the fact that the restaurant is located right in the hotel.
Lastly our waiter was ok. But for some reason I love overly perky cheerleader type waitstaff.

I made a reservation for 5:45 on a Tuesday night. It was packed but we got seated right away. Like other reviewers have said, it’s quite noisy inside. Also, a lot of the tables are uncomfortably close to one another– we could hear the conversations of the couples on either side of us. Not the best place if you’re looking for a romantic/​intimate date spot. Thankfully, my husband and I were just looking for good food, so it didn’t bug us too much.
I ordered a champagne cocktail to start and it was quite tasty. My husband’s old fashioned was made well.
For appetizers we got Devils on Horseback and a Scotch Egg. The Devils on Horseback were delicious, but let’s be honest, how can dates stuffed with blue cheese and wrapped in bacon NOT be awesome? I do prefer my bacon a little crispier than what was offered, but that’s just a personal preference. The scotch egg was good. This was my first scotch egg experience so I have nothing to compare it to, but I’d order it again.
I ordered the Commoner Burger and my husband got the crispy chicken thighs. My burger was cooked to perfection and topped with a sunny side up egg that was also cooked perfectly: just a little bit of yolk. You better believe this burger came with bacon too. Crispy bacon. Be still my heart. The fries that accompanied the burger were ok, but definitely paled in comparison. My husband’s crispy chicken thighs were not crispy at all but the meat was fall off the bone tender. The chicken and the Concord grape gastrique were a delightful pairing. I love a good sweet meat!
Unfortunately we didn’t have time to try dessert as we had a show to attend at 7:30. Our server was very nice but service is a bit on the slower side: I’d suggest giving yourself two hours if you expect to get though 3 courses plus drinks here. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
We’ll be back for dessert soon!

Last week we chose The Commoner to celebrate our 2^nd wedding anniversary, and the experience we had was one that can’t be topped. We made our reservations 2 days in advance, and they were for a little later in the evening, around 8:30. The night of, we ended up having to push our reservation back twice, because well, life happens and you can’t control the world around you, and it was just one unforeseen circumstance after another. which was slowly making our night stressful and pretty miserable. But both times I shamefully called to change our dinner time, they were so overly nice and accommodating, and that alone made my night better, and took away some of the tension that we were experiencing trying to get there.
When we FINALLY arrived, we were greeted by warm, smiling faces and a personalized welcome that was much appreciated. We were taken right away to our table, and to our surprise, there was a framed picture of my husband and I from our wedding day, and written on the picture said «Happy Anniversary From Hotel Monaco Pittsburgh», along with a personalize card, a bottle of champagne and desert for both of us. are you kidding me? We were so blown away by the time and effort that was taken to help us celebrate our anniversary. it was unbelievable.
We were greeted by our server who promptly wished us a Happy Anniversary and poured our champagne, and from there, the service we were given was outstanding. From our server, to the food and drinks, to the staff helping to run food and clear tables, everyone was absolutely incredible. Even without all of the personalized touches, we would have been very happy and impressed with our experience at The Commoner, but when you go so above and beyond to make your guests feel important and welcome, that’s an amazing business.
I work for another luxury hotel downtown, and we do these kinds of things for people all of the time, so it was so nice to be on the receiving end and remember just how important these kinds of gestures are. This was our first time even stepping inside of the Hotel Monaco, but I can assure you that we absolutely will be back, whether its for dinner or for a short stay.
Thank you to the staff for making our 2^nd anniversary so memorable!