cucina bella

nice local place. ate there the other day with my wife. nice atmoshpere and service was good. the menu is focused around pizza. the pizza selection is very good and interesting. you can tell the ingedients are fresh, which makes a difference. prices for the pizza are higher than the local pizza shop, but fare based on quality. salads and selection are good, but way, way, way over priced. the owner may want to consider a lower price point on the salads. i would recommend.

cucina bella. great place. great pizza. mrs. mcsmoot and i had the capricciosa pizza..fresh mozzarella, crimini mushrooms, sandaniell prosciutto and fresh basil. tremendous. the tiramisu (a ubiquitous dessert normally shunned by the mcsmoot family) was really good. do not tell anyone about this place...it is too good to share

great food! the pizza is always perfect. authentic italian food in a small setting. great prices for the quality. great place for a casual and delicious dinner or lunch.

wow. see also: yum. my first trip here and only sampled two menu items so i can't say everything is a home run but whoa - the pizza (the daily special) and the antipasto were both delicious. knowledgeable, friendly service and a nice-casual atmosphere to boot - and byob always makes me happy. i wouldn't consider this a place for romance (kind of loud and a little crowded) but if this place were near my office i would want to get lunch there pretty much every day. i can't wait to go back and try more offerings! the only suggestion i might make is that the two-top tables are really small - if i had been there with my husband, i am pretty sure he'd have wanted to try two pies, and there's no way they'd have fit on the table.

the service was okay initially, then our waitress disappeared for a while before we ordered. she told us to put our menus on top of each other when we were ready to order. which we did. we were the only people in the room at the time and we didn't see our waitress (or anyone else) for a while after that.

the food was decent. i got one of their many pizzas and dad got their meatball calzone. my pizza wasn't great, but it was good. was my pizza worth the $16 dad paid for it? not even remotely. the pizza at blaze is better, faster, and just a tad over half the price for lots more toppings. i'm not against paying more for better food and service, but if you're not getting better food or service, i see no reason to bother.

i hadn't checked out the menu before dining there and was surprised that it's a pizza place. since pizza wasn't invented by the italians, it was surprising given the name even though one of the pictures scrolling on their website is of dough. i'd never seen warm bread with dipping sauce on a menu before. that was different.

normally with byob, you are given glasses, they open the wine bottle, etc. and charge for that. the waitress did not touch either of our drinks other than to remove the bottle & can after we drank them and did not offer a frosted (or any other) glass for us to drink. however, there was a $6 charge on the bill.

the fine print of their website tells you that they're byob, though the first picture on their website when i went to it was all wine bottles, which implies that one could order wine. it's not like you're going to bring in a dozen wines to choose from if you're bringing your own. i included the picture of the wine bottles on their website (misleading) and a clip of exactly what it says about their byob policy - no fee is mentioned. we didn't see it on the menu either, but after the shocking bill, the waitress found it on the menu (after a while of looking and she works there) - it's listed in very fine print at the bottom of the menu after some info about how they add a huge tip for parties over a certain size and if you don't sign your tab (which is crazy, since a signature is only needed for those who contest the bill). the fee for byob is $5 per bottle of wine and $3 per beer can or other bottle (it only mentions beer, but clearly they charged for my drink even though it wasn't a beer).

fantastic! this was our first visit and will not be out last. there were 8 of us and we were able to sample different offerings & the service was great. i had the special joe t(just a coincidence) pizza and i can't stop thinking about it. a perfect combination of gorgonzola, mozz, figs, prosciutto, basil, and a drizzle of a balsamic reduction...delicious! can't wait to stop back.

i've heard a lot of locals complain about the value of this restaurant, but it's worth every penny. i'm honestly sad that i didn't order more options when i visited, as everything i tried was absolutely amazing. this has to be the best pizza available in pittsburgh and one of the best italian restaurants in the city.

dear mr. owner, my wife and i, who have enjoyed your fare many times, came in tonight about 7:15pm. we wanted to sit outside, as it was a beautiful evening. no, said your staff! even though many others were enjoying this beautiful night, we could not. they were toting the company line, but they were doing you no favors, mr. owner. your place was mostly empty, but they refused our business. alas! you are not the only pizzeria in town. we found another that would seat is outside, and guess what? we liked it better. sowwy.

this past saturday, we decided to go to dinner at a place we have not been to in quite a while (2+ years, i think): cucina bella in bridgeville. as sp says, it's a "fancy pizza" place. one thing that has changed: they now have valet parking. i'm not sure why; they have a decent size lot although i do remember it filling up and overflow parking being on the street. another thing: it seems they now take reservations, at least for large groups. when we arrived around 5:30 pm, we were seated right away but noticed 2 large tables set up with a reserved sign and a couple smaller tables with reserved signs.

fresh ingredients.  good salads and pizza.  byob, which is great to have a few byob restaurants.  service is predictable and friendly.  if the weather is right, great to sit outside.  unfortunately, we were forced inside due to the weather.  still a nice place but it is noisy inside.  we split a salad that had goat cheese, and some fresh peaches with a very good wine vinaigrette.  just wish it had a few more slices of peaches, was expecting a few more slices.    our pizza had fresh mozzarella, homemade meatballs that were so good, a tasty sausage, parmigiana, san marzano tomato sauce and some olive oil.  it was mouth watering tasty.

the food is good, they use fresh ingredients, it's put together well, the staff is friendly.  while those are positives, the negatives are equal in weight, so it ends up being mediocre.  the pizza crust is thin - like a cracker (not my cup of tea).  the salads are delicious, but small and expensive.  the noise is unbearable and the tables are tight.  be prepared to make friends with the table beside you.  parking is a challenging as well.  if you're looking for a quiet relaxing dinner, this ain't it.,

very disappointed. we waited to get our pizza for almost an hour, paid our bill which included a tip they added, and had to take our pizza home. we were upset with the time delay and so they deducted their "automatic tip". their explanation for the delay was due to a party. if handling a party and other quests is a challenge, then why try to do both? got home in 5 mins, and the pizza is dry! will not go back.

the pizza here is by far the best in the south hills! they are byob with very reasonable cork fees. the staff is very friendly and helpful. somehow every time i'm here i get jesse as my waitress and she is just spectacular! i'm a giant fan of the bambino and 4 formaggi, just outstanding pizzas! if you ever get a chance give this place a try, you won't be dissapointed.

fun italian cafe. we were able to snag an outside table on a beautiful friday evening. one of our fav byob spots to have a good italian meal, a good glass of wine and linger!

our meal, as usual, was great. had a salad and a pizza.

some new items on the menu.
our waiter was very talkative and nice but a little forgetful.

the owner stopped by to talk.

really enjoyed our meal and lingering!


-----22 jun, 2013-----

just like an italian cafe. some table outside with umbrellas. you walk inside and feel like you are in a small italian cafe. the food meets those expectations and satisfies. the menu has some nice pizza, panini and salad choices with many local fresh ingredients. there are 3 new salads and 3 new appetizers on the menu to go along with some new pizza choices. try an antipasto you won't be disappointed. the figs stuffed with some cheese and pecans were sweet and very good. our brutta ma buona pizza made with san marzano tomato, fresh mozzarella, ricotta, sausage, green olives and fresh basil leaves on top...a great combination of flavors. outstanding crust, very light.

oh, yeah. it is byob so bring along your favorite wine for a nice evening.


-----29 apr, 2011-----

not your normal pizza/coffee place...very good. bc is not you normal little pizza shop. carmen, the owner, said he wanted a nicer pizza restaurant that people could sit down and enjoy. he did it!

neapolitan style pizza, with nice thin crust that is tasty and a nice texture. the menu describes the ingredients that include many fresh items. had the sausage pizza that had fresh basil, really nice tomato sauce, real tasty sausage and creamy tasting mozzarella.



it is byob, $5 for wine...can also bring in been @ $3 per person.

surprise to see that it open early in the morning because it has a coffee bar. this seems to becoming more popular of the nice pizza places.

the best. what great p, fresh food and favors. the antipasto plate is a great way to start the night. the artichokes, buff mozzarella, italian meats and olives were so flavorful that you want to take an hour to enjoy this with your byob wine before ordering dinner. we had the ortelana pizza which again had great flavor with the crust perfectly done and the toppings of mushrooms, artichokes and basil very enjoyable. i read some comments about overdone crust but in my 7 or 8 visits never had anyang to complain about. the service isn't always up to par but you want to go there not in a hurry but to take time to enjoy the food and company and not worry about slower than average but friendly service. i give cucina bella a two thumbs up.