sarafino's

great food but too long wait. we did a 'call ahead' too and waited almost 2 hours to be seated. we too watched how some large tables were finished but just sat and drank. some people in our party of about 8 wanted to leave but there was nowhere else to go close by so we stuck it out. yes, the food was excellent but by the time we were seated we drank too much waiting and the owner sent out pizza, etc to please the crowd waiting. when our dinners finally came we didnt enjoy them becuase it was too late and we were full and drunk! so, all and all not an enjoyable experience.
we will not go back, nor will many people we know, unless they start taking real reservations on weekends which i think they should do. there are too many othergreatplaces to go to without waiting 2 hours to be seated!

sarafinos has always been a favorite in the past. since appearing on the travel channel though, it has slipped a bit. when joey (owner andgreatcook) is in the kitchen, it’s awesome. but, went last week and was quite disappointed. he wasn’t in that week. we just wanted beans n greens and a pizza. everything lacked flavor. barely any sausage and no garlic in the bean dish, which is a signature dish (got them on the travel channel); the pizza with half anchovies only had two anchovies, along with sone “powdered” sausage. love this place, and it’s local. will definitely be back, but they need to get back to what made them wonderful in the first place.

a bit of italy in crafton. those who've lived and dined in italy will appreciate the atmosphere and food at sarafino's. a favorite of pittsburgh's own rick sebak and many others, this place will make you happy.greatfood. kind staff. i have never had a bad experience. in fact, i have taken groups of people for lunch and dinner and we have always enjoyed the food and the wait staff. a nice place in crafton.

celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary...first visit to pittsburgh and happened upon this quaint family owned italian gem. amazing food, service and the best italian wedding soup i have eaten. just wish i had had room for the tiramisu. thanks for a memorable evening--agreatstart to the weekend!

good italian food. tiny, crowded place, parking on street not great, butgreatitalian food, large portions. recommended.

anothergreatmeal. had a fine meal last weekend, vodka penne my fave. daughter had the bolonaise and my son had the pizza. everything wasgreatand not a long wait for food. looking forward to the veal chop next time as it looked yummy!


-----05 oct, 2012-----

family fare. have visited sarafino's on many occasions and find it delightful. food is good, staff is friendly, place is small and sometimes the wait is abit long but well worth it. i usually opt for the vodka penne with rita sauce....bread and dipping oil goes well with the house salad....byob isgreaton the wallet......will have to try the pizza sometime..looks very good.

nice italian!. my wife and i were looking for a place to try. i had heard good things 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 lookedgreatfor 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 is good italian food, and its byob!

it's agreatfamily owned establishment. the food is always fantastic.

celebrated my brother and sister's birthday there yeaterday.we were early and the hostess was accomadating and sat us early. i had the crab cakes and the bruschetta as an appetizer. it's byob so u can splurge on the meal. the place is very small and my only complaint was the bathrooms were upstairs, outdated, and smelled.greatcrab cakes!

nothing butgreatexperiences here. if you're a greens n beans fan, this is your place. small, but worth the wait. byo with friends and enjoy.

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.greatservice 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 the good work!

won't be back. this was our second time here. the food is good, so i can't complain there. but, arriving for a 8 pm seating, and not being seated until 9:50 is totally unreasonable. we were a party of 6 and had a few bottles of our wine while we waited, but space is limited and their really isn't a place to sit and wait. had we been in the city we would have left and gone somewhere else. by the time we needed to decide leaving or not, it wasn't really worth it to go somewhere else. they kept saying they were waiting for a table to leave, but that table clearly was in no hurry, as they kept cracking open beers when they had finished eating long before! really!!!! just rude! love byob's, but with so many all over now, we'll stick to one's where ressies/call ahead are honored. lawrenceville/bloomfield havegreatones!

never again. we called a week in advance to have a birthday celebration there. they said they didn't take reservations but they did have call ahead seating. not only did we call ahead to keep us up on the status of a table, we also were there at 7pm. we waited 1.5 hours and still weren't seated. like the other reviewer said, we were told 20 minutes and then a party who was friends of the owner came in and they got our table! that is a huge no no. then another table came open and we were told that they had been waiting for 45 minutes. really, it was 8:00 and we were there since 7. if you don't know this family personally don't even bother. it is too crowded and the food isn't thatgreatif you are italian. my mom makes better sauce!!!!!

great italian restaurant. i really enjoying sarafino's and i'm thrilled that i live so close to it.greatfood every time. go check it out for yourself.

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.greatfood in a family atmosphere. lunch or dinner. it has become a go to choice for our family when we want good family style italian in a comfortable, casual environment.


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

always good. always dependable.