Martorano's Prime Pittsburgh — Restaurant in Pittsburgh

I was excited they were able to take us 45 mins earlier than expected, but disappointed that even though the restaurant was near empty, they would only allow us to be seated at a 2 top near the entrance, completely disregarding my request for a waterfront view (as opposed to crosstown traffic!) If you're accustomed to having butter served with your bread, you are out of luck here, per company policy (oil only.) This turned out to be quite a burden for me, as the bread was sliced ridiculously thick & unable to be cut with a butter knife. Hungry as I was, I decided to go ahead & have a go at it, & wouldn't you know, I cut my gums! There were six things on the menu & three of them were wrong. Time for the salads, they were obviously pre-bagged & carelessly overdrenched with the dressing. When our meals came, my steak was ordered mid-well, unfortunately it came out mid-rare. Now on the other hand, my wife's veal chop, was excellent! One mark of “fine dining,” should be the ability to “not screw up the risotto.!” Our meals were served with disappointingly gummy risotto. The truffle fries were delicious! As far as our drinks for the evening, my espresso martini was perfect, again an unfortunately different story for her glass of wine, which tasted like vinegar (old), we were told the Somalia would look into it, after I was served a Heineken without a glass (at this point my wife said, “Honey we might as well have just went to Hooters!) After a few hits & many misses throughout this visit, the dessert I was looking forward to, I was never offered it! At this point, knowing I'm supposed to be at a “four star” fine dining establishment, I guess I should've just listened to my conscience upon being seated.. When, the only place they offered for my wife to put her $1,000 handbag..was on the floor! Our service was a double team of a waiter & waitress, the waitress mostly stayed out of the way, which I was actually glad, because she was rude to me. This all just makes me miss “Andrews" the restaurant that used to be located at this exact property before this mess! Next time, we'll eat at Lowe's downtown steakhouse. We were staying at the Monaco, so we should've, instead of this mess. This situation/circumstance, soured what was supposed to be a romantic, posh & elegant weekend get away for my wife and I....

So very disappointed!! We chose to have our Thanksgiving dinner here this year; our reservations were at 5:00p. At about 4:50 we headed over toward the restaurant, and noticed that the doors were open and there were other people inside, so we entered. We all stood there for several minutes, waiting to be seated, but were completely ignored by the staff,who were meandering about. All the while, more patrons we're lining up to be seated. My friend's mom needed to sit (she's in her late 80s), so we got her a chair just inside the door. A minute later, one of the staff (bartender, I believe) screeched at us "We're not open yet!! You can't be in here!!". We were all taken aback by this, and stood there a bit stunned, not knowing what to do. Then a gentleman in a suit came over and hollered at us as well, saying that they aren't open and we need to step outside of the restaurant. So we (about a dozen or more people) all backed out of the restaurant. They shut the doors on us, and we all stood there, not believing how rudely we were just treated. Then the unthinkable happened: the doors opened and they kicked my friend's mom out! More people started to arrive, and 5:00 finally arrived. We waited for the doors to open; they finally did at 5:04, and we were unceremoniously shown to our tables, as if we were an interruption to their day. Is this really happening?? Well, I'm happy to report that things got only slightly better from here. Our wait team (Jeffrey and Gregory) was awesome and took very good care of us!! But... The meal... I'll summarize: it was tepid, at best. From the soup to the pasta to the main course . You know your food is cold when the dollop of herb butter that they set atop the turkey isn't melting at all. We were the FIRST seating of the evening; the food should have been hot! I gave this review three stars because the food was good (albeit cold) and our wait team was great. But the treatment that we (and all others who had a 5:00 reservation) received was completely unexpected and off-putting, especially since we were all about to pay $70/plate. I completely understand that it sucks to have to work on a holiday, but we've all been there and have done our time. Putting a smile on your face and having a happy heart helps EVERYONE to get through it a little...

Restaurant Review: Martorano’s at Rivers Casino – A Fireworks-Worthy New York Strip on the Fourth of July

For our Fourth of July dinner, we chose Martorano’s at Rivers Casino—a lively Italian-American restaurant with a sleek atmosphere and the added bonus of outdoor seating, which we happily selected for a warm summer evening.

From the moment we arrived, the manager welcomed us with genuine hospitality, setting a positive tone for the night. One unique touch was the presentation of the specials via iPad, allowing us to see pictures of each dish before making our selections—a modern and helpful approach.

We began with a bottle of Pinot Noir and an appetizer of calamari, which was prepared in a refreshingly light style and topped with a sweet and spicy sauce that added just the right amount of flair.

Our server was friendly, professional, and attentive throughout the evening. While the service didn’t necessarily stand out as extraordinary, it was consistently pleasant and helpful—and we appreciated the effort the team made to ensure we had a good experience.

For entrées, we selected the chicken parmigiana with gnocchi and the New York strip steak with mushrooms. The chicken parm was tasty and comforting, though fairly traditional. The New York strip, however, was the undeniable highlight of the night—perfectly cooked, deeply flavorful, and paired beautifully with the mushrooms. It was easily one of the best steaks I’ve enjoyed in quite some time—worthy of a standing ovation (or at least a round of July 4th fireworks).

Dessert brought another pleasant surprise: apple pie ice cream. Creamy vanilla with chunks of apple and bits of crust—it felt both nostalgic and indulgent, a true treat to end the evening.

Overall: • Ambience: Relaxed and comfortable, with the outdoor seating adding a nice touch • Service: Warm and attentive; the staff was friendly and efficient, and the manager went above and beyond • Food Highlights: Inventive calamari, a show-stopping New York strip, and a fun, flavorful dessert • Would I return? Absolutely—especially for that steak

Martorano’s delivers a solid, satisfying experience with standout dishes and a management team that clearly cares. We’re looking forward to...