City Winery Pittsburgh — Restaurant in Pittsburgh

This is by far the worst restaurant experience I’ve ever had. My fiancé and I attended the Willie Barcena show, and this review has nothing to do with him. His performance was perfect.

I’ve been to City Winery for a few shows here in Pittsburgh, and my fiancé and I were making it a regular weekly occurrence. I’ve been wondering why the shows aren’t as full as you’d think.. well now I know why! The service is absolutely horrible.. the first time this happened, I gave them the benefit of the doubt and decided it was just a bad day.

But this time was absolutely horrible and the worst service I have ever had. After being seated, we waited nearly a half hour just to get our drink order in. Meanwhile there was 3-4 waitresses running around waiting on tables, and only about 4 or 5 tables to wait on (at the time but a few more came later)… Then we wait at least another 15 minutes until our drinks arrived.. Then before we can place our food orders the waitress runs off without saying a word. About 20 minutes later she finally comes around and takes our order. We ended up waiting 20 more minutes for our food. When it arrives the fries are cold and hard and the rest is room temperature. We were missing an item and waited over 20 minutes before it finally came out… when it came out it was cold and hard just like the fries… totally unacceptable and just gross.. but we were starving at this point.. I tried to eat what I could but had to stop because I couldn’t take anymore. I was going to take it home for my dog, but my fiancé ended up eating it for some reason…

I could have gotten over ALL of this if it weren’t for what happens later..

We order one more drink, the waitress checks out our tab and tells us our total. Which was clearly wrong… $40???? We try to say something but she was snappy .. I ask to pay on my phone and she leaves and comes back.. she tells me what to do and when the tip part comes up, she hovers her head over my shoulder. I became very uncomfortable, and tried to scoot away but she didn’t budge or take a hint. She was literally breathing on my neck and was rushing me. She was rude and snappy, telling me hurry and check out on the recommended tip amount. I ended up tipping more than I felt like she deserved. I don’t think customers deserve to be pressured and monitored when they tip. Especially when the service is so poor. The whole thing was so bizarre… I felt so uncomfortable after. I mean.. I never EVER had someone literally breathe down my neck and watch and rush me as I tipped them. I was about to leave and walk out early, but ended up staying to support Willie. I now realize that these wonderful performers don’t get the support they deserve because of the horrible staff and experiences they scar people with. I mean every time I come here, it is completely chaotic. The servers all act like they have no idea what they are supposed to do or where they are supposed to go. They have no idea what food or drinks go to what people.. and some of the staff just goof off half the time. Like come on.. I could get better service at Dennys!! You’d think for 10x the price, you’d get at least mediocre service and warm food. But, no… this isn’t the worth the time, frustration, or money. Just a...

My partner and I went to see Thorgy Thor Does Christmas just last night. The show itself was phenomenal and the food we ordered was amazing! Literally the best charcuterie I’ve ever had, and the wagyu steak burgers were delicious! The venue itself was very pretty as well, and I was super excited to try the City Winery’s wine, and we ordered a “Wine at Your Table” bottle to have “waiting at your table” for our reservation.

Instead, we had a glass of stale, room-temperature sparkling water to go along with our charcuterie - not very tasty lol - and our wine didn’t come to us until the last two numbers of the show.

The issue came up with our server. When we had gotten to the venue before the show started, it wasn’t until probably about 30-40 minutes until we finally got a server to greet us and take our order. We told her we wanted the food, a cocktail, and our bottle of wine we had reserved. We were a bit shocked that it wasn’t “waiting at your table” like the reservation purchase told us it would be, but we figured it would just come out with the food, and we’d try to just enjoy the show until our items got to our table.

Our food came out with the cocktail, but the “Wine at Your Table” never came. Instead of enjoying the delicious charcuterie with the iconic City Winery wine and watching the show, we had to eat our food with stale, room-temperature sparkling water. We were also worrying about our wine/other orders that never came during the show, scanning for servers amongst the crowd, instead of focusing on the show and enjoying it.

Luckily though, after spending $95 on tickets and the reserved wine, and some $100 on food, our server did take $10 off the wine because of its late arrival! Oh, and when the wine got to us with two wine glasses, the glasses were dirty and had to be taken back by the server. We were halfway through the second-to-last number when the wine finally arrived. But at least we saved $10!! 🫠🫠🫠

I just wanted to say that I had at least a little bit higher of expectations, and even though the food and the delayed wine was delicious, the service here was pretty horrendous, and I don’t think we’ll be returning because of it. $10 off the wine was kind of a slap in the face because that definitely didn’t ameliorate the situation. Really disappointed, and just wanted to let you all know what happened and why we left unsatisfied.

Giving 2/5 stars instead of 1 because the food was so good!

Update 1/25/2025: moved to a 1-star review because after emailing them like the restaurant told me to in a reply to my previous 2-star review, I never got a response and was again, forgotten about. Really disappointing customer...

Last night was our first visit to the venue, and overall, it was a fantastic experience for a live show. Our group came out to see two tribute bands—The B-52’s and R.E.M.—and the atmosphere was electric.

The B-52’s tribute band was absolutely phenomenal! Whoever came up with the idea for this group was either a genius or had one brilliant idea over drinks. They nailed the look, the sound, and the quirky antics of the original band. The energy was contagious—they had everyone singing, dancing, and completely engaged. Truly a feel-good performance by a great bunch of performers. If you get the chance to see them, don’t miss it!

Then came the R.E.M. tribute band, which was the headliner. Things started off strong, and the crowd was excited to hear those iconic hits. But a few songs in, the lead singer veered into political commentary. Some audience members responded with applause, but many others clearly checked out. When he doubled down, people began to walk out. It was disappointing to see the momentum shift because of an unnecessary detour. Personally, I respect everyone’s views, but I believe the stage at a tribute show isn’t the place for political soapboxing—especially when the audience is there to escape, not be divided. If a band leans in that direction, the venue should give a heads-up in the event description so guests can make an informed choice.

On the upside, the service was excellent. Our server was friendly, attentive, and offered great recommendations. The food was delicious—we highly recommend the large dip tray with a variety of flavors and a standout hummus center. The skewers were also great, with two hearty servings per order. The staff overall was fast, efficient, and clearly hustling to keep things running smoothly.

Surprisingly, the wine selection was better than expected for a music venue. We tried the Cabernet, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc—all were very enjoyable.

If you haven’t been here before and you’re thinking of catching a show, I definitely recommend it. Despite one misstep in the night, it’s a great place for live music, good food, and a...