sarafino's

the food was delicious and the service was friendly. the bread also tastes freshly baked and was delivered warm with dipping oil/sauce. amazingly delicious. we got the white clam sauce, red clam sauce, and veal parmesan - all three were delicious and we all had leftovers. i highly recommend the restaurant and will go back.

also, they have a small lot on the side of the restaurant, but we saw it as we were passing it, so we just parked on the street. plenty of street parking, too. the restaurant is very small, so getting there early is probably agoodidea. i'm not sure if they take reservations.

(my dad went to the rest room and that is upstairs and apparently pretty far away, so notgoodfor someone who can't walk too well.)

it is byob with a $5 corkage fee (even for a twist cap that requires no opener), which is a bit much especially since they don't sell alcohol, so it's not like you're trying to cheat them out of business, but their soda is insanely cheap, so if anyone isn't drinking alcohol it's a bargain. they didn't give us a bag for our leftovers, which was a problem when it was placed on the back seat and we got oil all over everything, since they just have the styrofoam containers that don't seal, so you might want to ask for a bag and/or hold your leftovers very carefully on the way home. there will be leftovers. tons of food.

first negative experience needs to be known!. i have enjoyed the food and atmosphere at this charming little place for years. we plan meals with out of town visitors, and friends catching up, and quiet week night dinners to sooth our need to be nurtured. saturday night we combined several of these reasons to visit the restaurant, and five of us went to dinner early ( 4:30 ) so those with tickets to the ncaa playoff games could arrive on time. we took our own wine and one of us arrived early to secure a table for five. our waitress was accommodating and made a suggestion for the artichoke appetizer ( wonderful) ! it did not take long to decide on three appetizers and four entrees! we were served all ingoodtime and the food was wonderful. we never felt rushed or pressed and it was looking like another epic evening at sarafino's until it was time for the checks. i don't know if it was the impending crush of business ( the place did fill up quickly ) or just a bad night...but, our waitress had a melt down. she had never ask up front if we had a check split request, and when we told her we wanted to pay for on three different checks she became very agitated. she actually 'went off' on a member of our group and said 'you shut up' several times. we were only trying to help her sort out the charges and she was down right 'ugly' in her behavior. we were all kind and paid our bills... and tipped 15%...because the meal service was good...but...it has left a memory that is not pleasant. we all murmured about her meltdown and talked about it afterward...our conclusion is she had a really bad night. we hope you feel better 'j', and we wish you well. hope you got it out of your system before anyone else ask for a check! we will return after the renovation...and look forward to moregoodexperiences...don't know if i will sit at a table in 'j's" section again! you need to know...and so does she! she will remember the event! looking forward to our return! thanks for your attention.

it is what it is!. the call ahead seating is a joke. i called two days before and 45 min. before our visit. why bother calling at all? got there at 7:30 pm, didn't get served our dinners until 9:30 pm. told the owner he should take reservations. he said" we never have" and that was the end of our conversation. yes the place is dirty, crowded, there is no place to stand while you wait, so you're automatically in the way of the wait staff. and they were frazzled. they were just too busy for their owngoodand they're shooting themselves in the foot. you just get the feeling that they just don't care to get any better. yet people will still probably keep going because the food is verygoodand it's byob. some of the early dinner patrons just stayed too long and drank their wine. they actually had to ask one table to leave. then the chef starts yelling from the kitchen, "we need tables!" in other words, "get the hell out!". the wine glasses are little jam glasses. the men's room was clean. it will be a long while before we consider returning.

poor service and tacky glasses. i have been to this restaurant many times and always enjoyed it. it is a byob restaurant and they always provided nice wine glasses. on a recent visit they are still charging a corking fee but now give you small jelly glasses for your wine (like you used to get free in the grocery store free). it kind of takes thegoodtaste out of wine. also, the waitress we had needed to be chased down twice for items. she served the food and disappeared. she also disappeared after our first up of coffee and we had to hunted down for a second cup. i was very disappointed as this used to be one of my favorite restaurants. :(

nice italian!. my wife and i were looking for a place to try. i had heardgoodthings about this place, so we drove there on a recent monday evening. small dining room, had customers, and service was quick and attentive. small menu with a few specials was just right. pasta is king, but hte pizza on the neighboring table looked great for next time. even though my wife sent her pasta dish back, because the pasta hadn't been properly drained ( a common problem at many places) the server and manager ordered a completly new dish to be prepared, even though not requested, and handled the situation professionally. this isgooditalian food, and its byob!

horrible customer care:: i don't care if you are a "regular" at this restaurant.. or if you have connections with the owner, you should not have special privileges to be seated over someone who had been waiting for over an hour. i don't mind waiting at agoodrestaurant on a busy night.. it happens.. but i do expect to be seated when a table is ready.. this did not happen. my boyfriend and i waited over an hour to have a "regular" steal the table that should have been ours. i will not be returning... the food at segneri's in coraopolis is better. i've been to italy multiple times.. you can trust my opinion..

viva italiana!!!. stop what you are doing and go to this restaurant. i have been going here for a few years and turned my friends on to it but kept my mouth shut to the general public because the restaurant is too small. my advice is to go there in off hours like my husband and i did yesterday. the sides are heaping bowls of goodness. my greens and beans and polenta with pomodoro sauce appetizers are brought to the table along with the freshly baked crusty bread and dipping oil we were already enjoying. byob always makes it better but as we had been out shopping, a bottomless glass of ice tea was a refreshing break from the hot day. i tried the recommended fare for the day which was an asiago ravioli made with red pepper dough in a delicious vodka creme sauce. i always order the meatball's on the side because with their marinara they are one of the best in the city. my husband ordered the capalini bolognaise with meatballs, their food is always well executed and delicious. large portions were also being brought to the table adjoining mine and the people were in awe proclaiming "this is a side dish" when their heaping plates arrived. obviously they had not been there before. abondanza. great service tops it all off. if your waiter or waitress is busy someone else steps in with a smile and without even thinking about it to fill your glass or bag your delicious leftovers for the trip home without so much as a look from you. during my first visit to this location i had a butternut squash lasagna which i have not been lucky enough to catch on the specials menu since but i keep returning hoping that someday i will get to once again taste that joy that i experianced my first time there. it should be a regular menu item. my true wish is that they would tear down the adjacent buildings and make a larger space so you could have parties there. be sure to call ahead if you are bringing more than a 4 top. bravo sarafino's keep up thegoodwork!

my wife and i have been regulars for years and really like it. the staff couldn't be friendlier. it is very busy on weekends, so we tend to go during the week. we stick to the pasta dishes and green and beans and enjoy the deserts. they recently changed their bread vendor and it's a big improvement. isn't it funny that when you click through to the people who write the overly negative reviews, this is the only place they've reviewed? makes you wonder. this is agoodsolid place to dine.

real italian. i have become a regular at sarafino's. actually, i am an addict. the food is soooogoodand homemade. our new york friends always ask to make a visit to sarafino's. the space is small so at times there may be a wait, although we have never had a problem waiting at a byob establishment! lol
some tips for those wanting to become regulars at sarafino's......
1. attend a few funerals at mcdermott's.
2.tell joey that his son's baby photo is the cutest you've ever seen.
3. tell joey that his baby photo is the cutest you've ever seen.
4.mention the fact that you know the circle inn used to be a funeral home.
5.discuss how you saw "the blob" in sarafino's when it used to be the crafton theatre.
6.know at least one grandma ducky story.
7. be able to identify a family member in the photos with your favorite recipe.
8.bring your appetite, the portions are big.
9 bring your personality if you have one. don't expect them to be your entertainment.
10. lastly, strap on a set, wait in line, quit your whining, and before you know it...... you will be a regular too!
bon appetit!

service. not sure about some of the reviews regarding service a sarafinos. besides being one of my favorite "go to" restaurants - i have never, ever had bad service here. have they been busy and maybe a bit quick - sure - but look at the size of the place and the crowds they get on a friday/saturday. best time to go is for lunch - either early or late. it is one of the few places in pittsburgh that i will recommend to friends and especially out-of-towners. never had a complaint.


-----25 jul, 2009-----

always dependable. great food in a family atmosphere. lunch or dinner. it has become a go to choice for our family when we wantgoodfamily style italian in a comfortable, casual environment.


-----26 may, 2009-----

always good. always dependable.

poor service. agoodfriend recommended this restaurant. the food was verygoodthank god because the service and friendliness of the waitress was absent. we were seated by the door and everytime someone came in or out of the restaurant are friend had to move or got bumped. the waitress didn't even try to move us when we first arrived and i immediately asked for another table. she said there weren't any, although all night long, people kept coming into the restaurant and continued to the back room. i must say i was embarrassed for bringing my coworkers and there parents from out of town to this restaurant. i would not recommend my friends go there, merely because the poor service made the dining experience horrible.

first time review. my wife and i tried the restaurant on the recommendation of a friend and the reviews on urbanspoon.

we weren't in the mood for pasta or pizza (having eaten both recently) so we decided to try a sandwhich. it was a cold night and a bowl of soup also seemed in order.

it wasn't very busy and the waitress was very nice and quite funny. she recommended the potato-leek soup, which i tried, my wife had the old standby wedding soup. the soups weregoodbut not great, i added cheese to mine for more flavor, my wifes wasn't hot enough.

i ordered the seared steak panini, supposedly with "filet tips". the steak was so tough you couldn't chew it. my wife and i both shared the steak because the waitress brought her a meatball sandwich, she had ordered a hot sausage so we sent the meatball back. we should have sent the steak back as well.

the hot sausage when it came (soon after) was good, we shared that and picked at the "side salad" (as stated on the menu). it was actually a side "pasta" salad, one of the reasons we ordered a sandwhich was because it came with a "side salad", never thought i would have to ask if that meant actual "salad". we even asked for the house dressing on our salad and the waitress never batted an eye or explained the salad was a pasta salad. weird!

when we paid the bill we told the waitress that the steak was too tough. to her credit she said that we should have said something, they would have gotten us something else. she was right and the next time we will.

one more thing, when we got our food this fruit fly (gnat to some) appeared and started hovering around. i saw that on a few other reviews and assumed that being the middle of winter the flys would be dead. guess not. i think the owner needs to close the place down for a few days and give it agoodcleaning.

would we go back....maybe, and try something they are known for, like pasta.

italian gem. we can't believe that we've lived a few miles from this restaurant and just discovered it in december. the restaurant is small and intimate, but worth the wait for a table! we have always found the waitstaff friendly and attentive.

the standard menu has a lot ofgoodoptions, but the specials really rock. we try something different on each visit and have never been disappointed.

the restaurant is byob.

be back for pizza!. took a party with me on sat. and the wait was worth it! hadn't been there for a couple of years and just asgoodas remembered. shannon and her waitstaff treated us to a delicious time. get the greens and beans. fantastic. hey, gnat woman:get over yourself! glad you are not going back-less wait for me!

loved it!. we had a very nice dinner here last night. the atmosphere is so relaxed. though sarafino's doesn't serve alcohol you are welcome to bring your own.

we were started off with complimentary warm, fresh bread alongside sun dried tomato infused olive oil. always a nice start.

our appetizer, greens and beans, were fresh, plentiful and heaped with onions, sausage and sun dried tomatoes. there was just a hint of heat to the seasoning which i liked.

entrees were rita's, penne pasta served in a vodka cream sauce with sauteed garlic, pancetta and parmigiano cheese. and della's spring diavola, rotini pasta with pancetta, peas, sauteed garlic and sage leaves. all dishes were well portioned and well perpared.

we all decided that returning to srafafino's is a must. i cannot wait to try the polenta.

if you want to eatgoodfood in a relaxed comfortable atmosphere with attentive service then i highly recommend sarafino's.