The best Italian restaurants in Pittsburgh

1. 1
   
   Alta Via4.9

   Downtown · $$$ · No. 8 of 157 overall

   Big Burrito's Italian flagship on Market Square, and quietly one of the most consistent kitchens Downtown. The half-pasta duo is the pro move: two favorites, one plate each, zero regret. Polished room, serious wine, and service that makes a Tuesday feel booked-for-weeks.

   Order: Half-pasta duo, order two favorites

   Full review →See on the map →
2. 2
   
   Cork & Crust4.7

   Oakland · $$$ · No. 12 of 157 overall

   A Forbes Five-Star chef came home and picked pizza as the hill to die on. Three-day dough, blistered and structurally serious - proof a hotel restaurant can be the whole reason you drive to Oakland.

   Order: The 72-hour dough pizza

   Full review →See on the map →
3. 3
   
   Dish Osteria and Bar4.7

   South Side · $$$ · No. 14 of 157 overall

   A tiny South Side room many locals call the city's best Italian. The hard part is getting in. Book well ahead.

   Order: Sicilian small plates, if you can get in

   Full review →See on the map →
4. 4
   
   DiAnoia's Eatery4.6

   Strip District · $$$ · No. 18 of 157 overall

   One of the most consistent kitchens in the Strip. The focaccia and pasta are the move; brunch is a scene, so expect a wait.

   Order: Sunday gravy rigatoni & fresh focaccia

   Full review →See on the map →
5. 5
   
   Alla Famiglia4.5

   Allentown · $$$$ · No. 23 of 157 overall

   Old-school red-sauce Italian worth the drive to Allentown. Get the veal. No pretense, big flavors, real-deal cooking.

   Order: Veal chop & homemade pasta

   Full review →See on the map →
6. 6
   
   Girasole4.4

   Shadyside · $$$ · No. 29 of 157 overall

   A cozy below-street nook with genuinely good handmade pasta. Tight space, regulars in the know.

   Order: Handmade pasta in the below-street hideaway

   Full review →See on the map →
7. 7
   
   Colangelo's Pizza3.9

   Strip District · $ · No. 46 of 157 overall

   Strip District bakery counter doing tomato pie the old way: room temperature, heavy on the sauce, no cheese to speak of. Buy more than you think you need.

   Order: A square of tomato pie

   Full review →See on the map →
8. 8
   
   Piccolo Forno3.8

   Lawrenceville · $$ · No. 65 of 157 overall

   A warm, no-frills trattoria with honest handmade pasta. Tiny and beloved. Book ahead.

   Order: Tuscan-style handmade pasta & gnocchi

   Full review →See on the map →
9. 9
   
   Capozoli's3.7

   South Side · $$ · No. 75 of 157 overall

   He cooks, she runs the room, yinz bring the wine. A tiny BYOB doing Italian-American with actual technique behind it - the rare Carson Street table where dinner is the point, not the pregame.

   Order: Handmade pasta, whatever's on that night

   Full review →See on the map →
10. 10
    
    Il Pizzaiolo3.6

    Mt. Lebanon · $$$ · No. 90 of 157 overall

    A South Hills Italian that's been doing proper Neapolitan pizza since before it was trendy. The margherita comes out of the wood oven with the right leopard-spot char and a soupy center the purists demand. Worth the trip to Washington Road.

    Order: Margherita from the wood-fired oven

    Full review →See on the map →
11. 11
    
    Talia3.3

    Downtown · $$$ · No. 127 of 157 overall

    A polished Italian room in the Union Trust building, and a bar worth sitting at alone with a plate of pasta and a glass of something red.

    Order: Handmade pasta at the bar

    Full review →See on the map →
12. 12
    
    Angelo's Pizzeria3.2

    Bloomfield · $ · No. 129 of 157 overall

    Liberty Avenue red-sauce pizzeria with no ambitions beyond feeding Bloomfield well. It has done that for years without a single Instagram post.

    Order: A pepperoni pie, well done

    Full review →See on the map →
13. 13
    
    Sienna Mercato3.2

    Downtown · $$ · No. 135 of 157 overall

    Three floors, three moods: meatballs at the bottom, a proper dining room in the middle, and a retractable-roof beer garden on top. Il Tetto is why anybody actually comes.

    Order: Meatballs downstairs, a drink on Il Tetto

    Full review →See on the map →
14. 14
    
    Vallozzi's Pittsburgh3.1

    Downtown · $$$ · No. 149 of 157 overall

    Dependable downtown Italian that has fed Pittsburgh for decades. Handmade pasta, a real wine list, nothing flashy. A grown-up dinner that does not miss.

    Order: Handmade pappardelle

    Full review →See on the map →

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