roman bistro

stopped here for lunch. we loved the draftbeerselection. i got a reuben which is my standard way of rating a new place and my friend ordered the chicken parm sandwich. i thought his sandwich looked a little dry but he said it was good. while my reuben was tasty i have to say the bottom bread was a bit soggy. top piece was toasted nicely. we enjoyed the bar and the atmosphere. i would definitely go back

excellent meal. very enjoyable dining experience, arrived early for our reservation and had a short wait for our table. greeters were friendly, drew our waiter was also friendly and attentive throughout the evening. fried zucchini had the right amount of batter coating and therefore not too heavy. my beet salad with spinach, arugula and goat cheese was divine (well presented too) my wife had the house salad and is good too... love the lemon basil dressing that accompanies each salad. my entrée a special was lemon and rosemary encrusted halibut was complimented by a wonderful tomato risotto with a pesto sauce on the side. wonderful combination of flavors and each did not overpower the taste of the others on the plate. my wife had the pappardelle pasta with a short rib bolognese sauce, the pasta was a little on the chewy side but the wonderful rich sauce more than made up for that. over the last few years we have been to brunch here, to functions and group events as well normal restaurant dining and every time and everything has been good. buon appetito!


-----08 jul, 2012-----

worthy successor to bacchus. i missed having bacchus in forest hills, so was excited when a new similar bistro styled restaurant finally emerged from the brick and mortar of the same building. dined there without reservation on an early friday evening. parking lot was quite full and restaurant was quite busy too though there were a few empty tables and we were able to be seated right away. there are 2 dining areas (not sure why the hostess station has to be situated on the far side of the room when you walk in the door!.) anyway the restaurant and bar set is very akin to bacchus. (i love both for atmosphere.) greet staff and waitress are welcoming friendly and attentive. ordered 2 small plates for starters.... the assorted hummus plate and the p.e.i. mussels... both hardly small plates as each could be a meal in themselves.... the 3 different hummus were plentiful to share and good though the flatbread/pita points appeared to be flash deep fried and would have been happy to have plain or lightly toasted pita bread instead. the ipabeerbroth the mussels came in gave them too much of a bitter taste for my liking so not convinced that combination works. i had the mufaletta, though rather pricey as sandwich, it was very good especially with the olive tappenade and the fries were good also. my wife had the tagliarini pasta entree which is home made as is the sauce, though strong with garlic, was excellent. thebeerselections were quite extensive and a lot of bottled craft beers that were reasonably priced, most between $4 and $6 a bottle.... plenty of draft selection too...the positives of our dining experience far outweigh the negatives, so will be back soon.

greatbeerspecials. you have 33 beers on tap and with thebeerspecials you have the chance to try a differentbeerevery visit

mistake on ardmore. the restaurant has potential, but the owner is rude. disorganized kitchen & poorly prepared food. inconsistency from entree to entree, our food was cold. we were offered excuses and a takeout container. if you want cigars andbeerperhaps those will dull your palate allowing you to ignore the food

great happy hour!. this is one of my favorite spots in forest hills. i especially love their happy hour. they have great food, and an awesome variety ofbeerand cocktails. its def a spot that everyone needs to give a try. you wont be disappointed.

good meal. we had the prime rib and it was very good, well seasoned and nice and tender. we will be back to try other things. they have a greatbeerselection, too.

great local restaurant. i have had lunch, takeout and drinks at roman bistro, and i have enjoyed the food each time. they have very good hummus and chips, along with a great selection of sandwiches and tasty sweet potato fries. their martini selection is extensive, as well as thebeerselection, so it should be fun working through the drinks menu. on my visits to the restaurant, the staff were all very attentive and welcoming. i am surprised to read that others had a different experience; i would encourage them give the restaurant another try. i will definitely be dining there again.

good eats, awesomebeerselection, great bartenders.

fabulous restaurant. we recently ate at the "bistro" at a table for ten in the bar area. let me just say there is not a bad seat in the house! we were able to catch the pens play and have a great night with friends. the food never disappoints....we especially enjoyed the shrimp appetizer. i'm a little particular about my wine and found a chardonnay right away that was perfect...although thebeerselection is really amazing! and lastly, the service was spot on...emily never missed a beat and our drinks were never empty! great place for amazing food and service...we love it here!

this place is awful. our meal went from bad to worse. just a terrible experience, don't recommend to anyone. we had to send our pizza back because i literally could not chew it it was like cardboard. service is slow. really nothing good to say except goodbeerselection, but don't plan on getting a refill anytime soon!

valentines dinner. my wife and i went on valentines day for dinner. the place was packed and i was sure our dinner would be mediocre considering the volume of dinners they had to serve. our dinners were super. we ate at the bar, we ordered a bottle of prosecco and had the pork oso buco and broiled seafood. it was all so good, excellently prepared and presented. roman bistro is really a jewel in the east. moderately priced, good food and a neighborhood atmosphere with some pizzaz. chris the chef is doing amazing things. i was so sorry we missed the last wine dinner, it looked amazing.


-----22 aug, 2012-----

we just keep going back.. we live in the forest hills area and have been to the roman bistro about 8 times. thebeerselection is grand, the wine bargains on tuesday are amazing. the food is consistantly good. the pork osso bucco is to die for. the staff are welcoming and knowledgeable. small plates make it reasonable for light appetites but the entres are not over priced either. we were just there last night and the grouper with risotto was great.

well executed food at good prices. i like imaginative dishes and eating at locally owned restaurants, but i don't like paying the over inflated prices of places in shadyside. roman bistro is a great option for those of us in the east end. we had delicious beans and greens that match the priciest italian restaurants in pittsburgh. our server was knowledgeable. attentive and efficient. we both ordered the specials for dinner and were very pleased. i ate lunch there with co-workers in dec, and noted that the french fries are really fresh cut and as delicious as those at the potato patch in kennywood. of course, being abeermaven, i love the selection of draft beer. i suppose that some items are near misses at times, but everything my husband, co-workers and i had was excellent. i give the owner credit for trying. i plan to return with family and friends.

perfection, once again. on yet another trip to roman bistro, i was once again blown away by the friendly, affable service and wonderful food. sat at the bar to watch the game on one of the many tvs (sound is not too loud, btw - perfect volume to both talk to your dinner companions and hear the game) and ordered the lobster ravioli special. i was shocked to see the dish arrive with a whole lobster claw as part of the dish. that was a "bonus" on the ravioli - never have i seen that before, but what a great way to make a good dish even more memorable. it was delicious, and there were no leftovers to take home.

also worth mentioning again is the servers' calm demeanors, especially when busy, and friendly attitudes. we've met some very nice people working at the bistro from our neighborhood, almost always half our age, so we enjoy a bit of banter (if they're not too busy and have a bit of time to chat, that is) about their hs alma mater, their college classes, or even their pets when we ask. they take time to engage us, and they know that we're just as engaged as well. yes, they are servers, but they aren't servants, and we treat them as such. guess that's my old serving background coming out, but the staff was always been spot-on. they know the menu, know the wine andbeerlist, and make excellent recommendations. a 30-35% tip has become our standard - the service is that good.

just one more thing to note - the bathrooms are spotless. that goes a long way for customers to turn into repeat business and then into "regulars". that's how you build a good reputation - clean restaurant, good food, and friendly staff.

probably going there for dinner there tonight - see you then !


-----23 jun, 2012-----

why the negatives ?. are we all going to the same place ? alternate universe perhaps ? we've been there twice in just the first week, and were met with friendly, informed staff, wonderful food, a welcoming atmosphere, and an inventive menu that may just transform forest hills beyond our taco bell-type reputation. (not that there's anything wrong with taco bell, mind you. i love taco bell.)

as poster travelingdiva noted, the craft beers are not that expensive, but if you wantbeeron the cheap then just buy a case of pbr and stay home. sure, some items can be pricey, and yes, roman bistro is still in its infancy, but i see genuine promise here. and i'd eat my hat if the owners and chef didn't weed out the bad eggs that perhaps others than myself have seen. our hostesses and servers have been nothing but delightful so far, and we look forward to dinner there this weekend. yep. going on saturday.

give it a chance, please. i so miss the promise that was former-tenant bacchus that just never worked out for whatever reason. roman bistro is a great space with plenty of potential, and i love having the opportunity to have a close-to-home restaurant succeed.


-----19 jun, 2012-----

wonderful experience !. so happy that roman bistro is finally open ! i had high hopes for the new forest hills venture, and glad to say we couldn't have been any more pleased. it's upscale but still casual, hence the flat-screen tvs where you can catch the score of the game and still enjoy your dinner without feeling like you're in a sports bar.

yes, it's new, as we were there on only the second day of operation, and i'm sure there will be some bugs to iron out, but the staff was so friendly, comfortable and accommodating, and were well versed on the menu, wine list, andbeerselections. the hostess that greeted us couldn't have been any lovelier (so sorry that i didn't catch her name), and our server, derek, was an absolute gem - attentive, sharp, and quick to refill a diet coke before it was asked for. it's obvious that the owners and chef have trained them well, and that they ensure that they are familiar with the items on the menu. always happy to have a server who has actually tasted the food so they can make an informed recommendation.

hubby and i ordered and shared the roasted beet/goat cheese salad, a caesar salad with to-die-for parmesan "chips", and the phenomenal pork osso bucco - you have to try that when there. served with a creamy polenta and broccoli rabe, the pork is a massive hunk of carefully tended meat that was just perfection. almost embarrassed that when we were done we sent back three *absolutely* empty plates.

we have plans to go back again this week, try something new, and see what happens to the beautiful white steinway grand piano in the entryway. plans for live dinner music are underway, from what i understand. can't wait to see what develops.

congrats, roman bistro. well done.

know thy beer!. i enjoy this restaurant. it is only 5 minutes from my house and the prices and food are decent. the only thing i suggest is the staff needs to obtain more knowledge about the beers. i asked for a leinenkugel on draft and the server tried to give me sam adams in a bottle.this is not the first time this has happened there. however, their lack of knowledge regardingbeerwon't keep me from coming back. it is just a pet peeve.

too many choices, all not so good. i have become leary of restaurants with multiple menu pages after watching restaurant impossible and shows of the like. although i previewed the menu online and was leary, we ate there last night. i should have went with my gut. although thebeerchoices were decent, the menu and its items are a mixture of bar food, italian food, and american food. on the good side, the beet salad was fresh, but it was doused in dressing. my dinner companion and i were not very hungry so we decided to split the pulled pork nachos. i reviewed the menu again before writing this review. the description of the nachos did not match what we recieved. soggy chips drowned in a gritty cheese sauce in a bowl. yuck. although the pork was tasty it was overcome by the sauce. so sad and not worth the money. there is no excuse for soggy gritty nachos. we will not return