Vallozzi's Greensburg — Restaurant in Hempfield Township

I've been to valozzi's many times and generally have nothing bad to say about it. I usually really like it. Last new years we had a great time here and I rated it five stars, however this year it was quite bad.

We got a reservation for the lounge, which I've never been in before and I didn't have quite the same expectations as the main dining room, but it was really bad. The tables really were not all that close to each other, but every waitress and waiter were in a super rush and I'm not kidding when I say between me and my girlfriend our chairs were bumped by staff at least a dozen times. It was absurd. The room was also extremely loud, which I guess is fine for a lounge, but personally it was just too loud for us.

We had a weird ID incident where my 38 year old girlfriend was asked for her ID when ordering her drink. The waitress hard winked at me as if to suggest she was just trying to give a compliment, but my girlfriend really had forgotten her ID. The waitress said she couldn't serve her. My girlfriend remembered she had a picture of her ID on her phone and told the waitress she would look it up and the waitress confirmed that she would get my drink, and she would be back to view the picture of the ID in a moment. When she returned she asked if we found the picture, which we had, and when my girlfriend pulled it up to show her, she said she couldn't use a picture. Ok, that's fine, but why did you just play along in having us look it up? Whatever, I asked for the manager, who my girlfriend literally could have been his mother, and he said that he would allow it this time, but essentially lectured us on needing an ID for a bar. I mean sure, but don't lecture your customers repeating the same thing multiple times. As we realized we would need the ID later in the night, we had it dropped off at the restaurant by a friend and when we offered the waitress to review it, she said she didn't need to look at it. Ok, it was a huge deal 15 minutes ago, but after you disrupted our vibe you don't care? Cool.

The waitress was also very late on our bread and asked if we wanted bread before bringing it... Who has ever said no to bread in this kind of restaurant? Is bread in short supply? I'm sorry, but bread should just be there asap, no questions. She was also slow to fill our water glasses, but she was good at getting us more champagne when we were low. She disappeared for over five minutes when we were done with our entree sitting there waiting. I mean maybe she had something to do, fine, but find another waitress, don't just abandon your table.

The menu was not exciting. The year before they had a prime rib, it was excellent, it was missing this year. The menu was just really basic and didn't feel like there was anything special for new years on it. We got shrimp cocktail, it was exactly what you would get literally anywhere. We got a crab salad in a martini glass, it was fine. We got the turtle soup, not sure what to expect there, it felt adventurous, it was tasty, +1 here I think, but I have no basis of comparison to know if it was any good. We both got the lamb... It wasn't as good as many places in the area, although the portion was absolutely ridiculously large, like 6 big pieces. Given that it was ~$50 apparently the two pieces I ate could have been had for a meer $18 or so which would have been cool. It's just way too much food for an entree. We were super full so got the chocolate set for dessert, which I think is something good that they have kept on.

Overall it just felt weak. Staff was really poor. Menu...

My guests and I traveled from the Johnstown area to dine at Vallozzi's and celebrate a birthday. The Artichokes Romano and Fried Zucchini appetizers were excellent with several other authentic Italian choices available that are not often seen in an average Italian restaurant. We skipped the tempting Soup/Salad, Pizza and Pasta courses (Really, how much can you eat and enjoy in one sitting? We had to save room for dessert!) and we decided on two seafood entrees and one beef.

Our waiter highly recommended the crab cakes (2 large) served with asparagus. He was right on. Some of the best I have ever eaten, even in Maryland. The rich mixture (I think lots of butter and cream.) was broiled, came out crispy and had a delicate seasoning mix that held together what definitely appeared to be and tasted like large chunks of domestic backfin crabmeat. The $39 price was certainly justified.

One of my guests ordered the Branzino, which was perfectly prepared with the skin crispy and delicious with the lemon and caper sauce and vegetables. The other ordered the Tenderloin Braciole. The preparation of the braciole was a pleasant surprise and very different from the Sicilian method I am used to preparing with a stuffing of green olives, hard-boiled egg, genoa salami and Italian breadcrumbs (with Romano cheese) braised in tomato sauce. Using beef tenderloin is over the top vs. tenderized sirloin or round steak for the wrapped delicacies. It was delicious served with a mirepoix and light tomato sauce. The bok choy that accompanied the dish was a bit of a surprise, but it worked well with the dish.

For dessert we ordered the Nutella cheesecake, a chocolate creme brulee and a serving of spumoni. The cheesecake was good but didn't seem to have any discernible hazelnut flavor. The spumoni was a bit "frostbitten" and needed some rum flavoring, but the chocolate creme brulee was superb. It almost made up for the others.

All in all, this was a very good dinner. The decor is inviting and the service was good. We arrived very early on a weekend. The wine by the glass list was pretty generic with no brand names listed, but the choices we made were good. Definitely one of the best Italian restaurants in the region. Highly...

My family and I chose Vallozzi’s to cater our 200 person wedding this November. We began the process of working with them over a year ago. Chef Josiah and Ernie both personally took the time to sit down and help us create a plan for the rehearsal dinner at Vallozzi’s, cocktail hour at the venue, and sit-down dinner for all the guests. We could not be more impressed with their dedication, professionalism, attention to detail, and genuine care they placed in to our event. They were flexible with our desires and helped to create a unique wedding experience for everyone. We have received many, many compliments from our friends and family saying that this was the best wedding food that they have ever had. The evening began with a 12-foot long grazing table of hand-selected meats, cheeses, vegetables, etc. It was amazing and exceeded my expectations! We had a seated three course meal of butternut squash bisque, rigatoni pasta, and an entrée. The plated meal options were beef braised short rib, salmon, chicken cutlet, and mushroom ratatouille. After dinner, they coordinated for us to have an espresso cart open up - which was a huge hit (the line was very long, and the guests needed a warm espresso before dancing!) They were able to make our dream a reality - to serve a delicious meal and gather our closest relatives and friends around the table. My husband and I could not be more pleased with their service and have not stopped talking about how wonderful the whole team at Vallozzi’s is! We cannot wait to dine there again with our family - Vallozzi’s will always have a special place...