Il Pizzaiolo Warrendale — Restaurant in Marshall Township

My husband surprised me with a very special lunch at Il Pizzaiolo in Warrendale to celebrate my recent retirement. He called ahead and the manager was very nice to honor his request to place us in a room that was not being used at that time, and to tie some balloons to one of the chairs. She assigned one of her friendly servers to take our orders and serve our food. Laura was terrific! She took care of everything expertly, with great kindness, and in a timely manner.

We started with salads, one side Insalata Misticanza and one entrée sized Insalata Cesare. They each had ample homemade dressing but the Cesare dressing had too strong of an anchovy taste for me. The balsamic dressing on my salad was great. Next came the pizzas. I had the Margherita, the most basic of the pizzas, with tomato sauce, cheese, and basil. My husband had the Quattro Formaggi (4 cheese). Both were excellent and had very thin crusts. The thick part of the crust around the outside was nice and chewy and had a good flavor. Here and there, the very hot oven left a small scorch mark which was really tasty. They were cooked in an authentic wood-fired oven from Italy. It is heated to a ridiculously high temperature so the pizza cooks in about 90 seconds. Most restaurants that boast this type of oven say theirs tastes just like the ones in Italy. This pizza is the only one I have had in Pittsburgh (and I’ve had plenty) that can make that claim and back it up.

I was informed that dessert had been pre-ordered by my husband and was on the way. Mamma mia!! We were served Tiramisu, which was delicious and very authentic. The manager substituted Delizia al Limone, a lemon sponge cake with fresh pastry cream, Limoncello, whipped cream, and fresh strands of lemon zest, for the flourless chocolate cake that my husband had pre-ordered, but was not ready. In fact, she was so sorry about the cake, that she also brought a serving of chocolate gelato - on the house! (We were promised that all calories had been removed). All were so decadent, then all were gone! I was told that all of the desserts are made in-house except for the gelato, which comes from Mercurio’s in Shadyside. Even if you never order dessert out, don’t miss the opportunity to have dessert here. I wish I could recommend one of them, but they were all great. And whatever you do, don’t forget the coffee, also imported. We had the best cappucino and café latte I have had since my last trip to Italy. I could have had 3 more cups!

This was a special occasion and Il Pizzaiolo did not disappoint. We will be...

I will start by saying that the food was wonderful. Two friends and I try to celebrate almost 45 years of friendship with a dinner out and gift exchange. We try to choose a new place each December. This year, based on a recommendation, we chose this restaurant. We had reservations and requested a booth. When we arrived, gifts in hand, we were told we couldn't have a booth. We were seated at a 4 seat table and ordered our food. Our waitress was very pleasant and on top of things and we truly enjoyed the food.

As we were finishing dinner, a group came in and the tables that ran alongside ours were pushed together to form one large table. From that point on, it became very apparent that our table was needed for those people. Our enjoyable meal became one of multiple people coming to check on us and whisk dishes away before we were completely finished. We all felt very uncomfortable. The hostess kept peaking at us, our waitress watched us from across the room, and the people who were waiting at the bar for the large table kept looking over the partition to see if we were finished. It was awkward at best.

We were aware of the 2 hour time limit and were well under that amount. When we arrived, there were many options where we could have been seated as there weren't many people there if the large group had reservations.

We proceeded with our gift exchange as planned and were still completely finished and out the door in under 2 hours. There were people at other tables who had been there when we arrived and were still sitting enjoying their meals. We really felt rushed and like we weren't as welcome as the large group waiting for our table. We went on a Monday in early December. We all agree that we won't return even though the...

I drove 6 hours from NJ and was hungry. With that said I have a very small appetite. and always leave food on my plate. I came in, sat at the bar and was greeted by a very nice and personable bar tender. I noticed they did not have fettucine alfredo on the menu and asked him about it. He told me they could make it. So I ordered it. It came out in a very small bowl, like a side dish. I ate it and (this never ever happens) I was still hungry. I asked how much I was charged for it and was told $31. I almost fell of my stool. I never mind paying for good food, but that was ridiculous for a child size portion or a side dish size. I said that out loud and was told by the other bartender he could bring me a child size portion for $20 but it would have to be spaghetti or penne for $20. I said ok and ordered the spaghetti. When it came out, it was a bigger portion, way more sauce on it and tasted so much better than my $31 dish. He also only charged me $10 and gave my my sorbet for free. The service is impeccable here. Their prices...and I realize everything is expensive now, but $31 for a side dish size of noodles, cream, cheese and butter...are ridiculous. I am a foodie who travels for work often and eat at fine restaurants all of the time. $62 before a tip for a 1/4 of a glass of wine and a side dish of pasta is off the charts. I am grateful to bartender #2 for making helping me leave with a satisfied stomach! But, if he didn't I would have absolutely have felt ripped off. I see there is a higher end clientele that frequents here, maybe they do not care. I do. If I ever decide to eat here again when I am in the area on business, I know to ask questions about whatever I am ordering. Thank you...