Emporio: A Meatball Joint

942 Penn Ave, Pittsburgh
(412) 281-2810

Recent Reviews

Sort by
Christina

We went for dinner on a Thursday evening so it was nice and quiet. Even though it wasn't busy, it seemed to take a while to get drinks. Food came out right away. I ordered Cacio e Pepe, which was delicious but not a large portion for the price. My husband ordered the Chicken Marsala which was also delicious and a huge portion perfectly matching the price. The staff were very pleasant and welcoming.

Tim

Salad was mediocre but the entrees were adequate. Our server was not around to take the check so we ended up waiting for what felt like half an hour just to pay our bill when we wanted to leave. The place itself is great but it was very hot when we went. Seemed like an off night for them, so I'm sure they do better on other days. Our experience was not great.

Shelley

We should have turned around and left when we realized the a/c was out of service. Unfortunately things didn't improve from there. Ordered warm burrata with fresh basil and roasted tomatoes. Received cold burrata with chopped parsley, and 3 cherry tomatoes cut in half raw. Dissatisfied with the whole appetizer experience. Then the service. Our waitress was horrible. Disappearing for long periods of time. At one point we were left sitting with no drink, water or food in a sweltering prison for 20 minutes. We she finally came. Back to the table we realized she forgot to enter our entree order. When was finally served, Luke warm, we were starving. Guess that at least made the “eh” food seem better. Couldn't wait to get out of there, if only we could find the waitress to get the check........

Katie

The food was under seasoned. Our entrees came out 1 minute after our appetizers despite placing the order for the appetizers about 10 minutes before the entrees. We got tiramisu to go that we tried as soon as we got home (about 20 minutes later). It tasted rancid and had to be thrown out. The food on the first floor is much better. Service and ambiance were both good though.

Nick

The space is absolutely beautiful and comfortable. It was cozy for a dinner for two, exactly what we wanted. The staff was very friendly and efficient. We ordered the calamari as an appetizer and it was fantastic and perfect. My wife's Spaghetti Carbonara was amazing and my Soppressata and Hot Honey Pizza was phenomenal. The restaurant gifted us Godfather Cannolis for dessert to celebrate our anniversary, which was unexpected and very kind of them. We had excellent drinks too, Prosecco and a "Heatwave." Both were perfect. Cannot say enough nice things about this place and our experience last night! I HIGHLY recommend you not miss out and that you pay them a visit soon!

Susan

The burrata and short rib pasta were excellent. We shared both and were full! Excellent service.

Macy

Food was really great....slightly warm on a hot humid day but the quality of the food was so great we loved it.

Emily Pryor

Walked in and waited - wasn’t too long. Came here for my husband’s birthday. It was very busy (Saturday evening) food was delicious - I was pleasantly surprised! We ordered several different meatballs and the buffalo appetizer was happy hour priced! Drinks were delicious, too! Great experience. Will definitely return!

Kid-friendliness: Kids menu- daughter loved the food!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 4

Recommended dishes: Crack Sauce, Meatball Panini

Jeanelle Robledo

The food taste/quality was good however the portion size for what you are paying is not at all what it should be. I’ve been to plenty of other places that gave me double the portion for the exact price I paid here (I got a pasta bowl and so did my boyfriend). Also both of our meals were cold on the top by the time they brought it to us. Overall, don’t recommend coming here if you care about getting the most bang for your buck.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 2

Service: 4

Ron Bender

The service was top notch. We didn’t like the chicken meatballs because the parm cheese was so strong. That was our opinion so others may enjoy them. Crack fries as an appetizer were very good. Great beer selection and we had a good time

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5

Fátima Guevara

After waiting over an hour for our food, I finally got the pesto chicken meatballs and pasta, but it wasn’t worth the wait and price. Meatballs were hard, cold, and dry and the pesto was tasteless. They forgot my water and when I finally got it they never refilled it. They even forgot to bring my check after I asked for it, it was like begging them to pay for a terrible experience. I do not recommend this place at all. Terrible customer service.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 1

Service: 1

John Matta

What happened? This was my favorite place in the greater Pittsburgh region. New ownership? It's been a hot minute between visits now that I'm out of state, but wow. The prices, the menu, the quality...

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 2

Service: 3

Chop Shop

Holy meat balls!!! Never did I Ever think I would find food and a drink for under $20 this close to the buss stop!!! But the happy hour specials had me full and buzzed before my trip!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Big Bucks Travel (BBT)

Proof that anything in a ball form is worth it! The traditional beef was fantastic and adding it to a bowl of mashed potatoes and some mushroom gravy! It was amazing.

Everyone in the group had something different and everyone was highly satisfied. One item was incorrect and they didn’t even hesitated to fix is and give us the incorrectly made item.

Perfectly located for some downtown activities if your in the Golden Triangle. Definitely make this an option if you want good food that isn’t your normal type restaurant.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Crack Sauce, Mashed Potatoes

Tammy

Food was delicious and a great atmosphere. We shared the short rib appetizer and it was amazing. So tender and tasty. For dinner I had gnocchi that I really enjoyed. Large portion, so I brought some home. Highly recommend!!

Loading...