Had a pizza from Pino's (on Reynolds) last weekend, as I was house/dogsitting in the immediate vicinity and they had recommended the place. What a horrible rip off! I paid $13 plus tax and tip for a small "Pittsburgh-style Pierogi Pizza" with smoked bacon extra. Well that's a lot for a small pizza IMO but it was """gourmet""" according to the menu and so I thought, "What the hell?" I about fell on the floor when I opened the box and saw what appeared to be an over-sized Carr's Water Cracker. (And an underdone one at that! Pale as a fish's belly.) Okay, so I hadn't read every word on the entire menu so I didn't realize it was going to be Neapolitan-style, thin crust pizza. They certainly don't put that anywhere near the "Gourmet Pizza" listings - you have to look at the traditional pizza list to get that info and since I wasn't interested in that I didn't see it. I did notice, when I finally looked, that you have to pay $4 extra for a normal crust (which they coyly call "thick" crust). $4!!!!!!! You've got to be kidding. Bread dough doesn't cost *THAT* much! Anyway, back to the pizza at hand. As for the toppings, which were supposed to be mashed potato, sharp cheddar cheese, sour cream, onion, and bacon, well, there was about a one molecule- thick layer (and I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt here because I couldn't actually taste it) of mashed potato and a similar amount of cheese. Whether there was any sour cream or not I have no idea - couldn't taste or see it. The bacon was left in half-strip-sized pieces instead of being broken up into smaller pieces and being distributed more evenly across the entire disk, but at least there was a sufficient amount of it. The dough was pasty-tasting and altogether unpleasant, so I guess it's skimpiness was somewhat of a blessing. I have no idea how this place stays in business or did I just get them on a really, really, really, bad night? (No, I think you have to practice a lot to make pizza this bad.) Maybe it's just me but don;t most people expect a little more substantial amount of toppings on their pizza? So, then, as if I hadn't learned my lesson about trying new, high-priced restaurants, I went to the New Dumpling House for dim sum on Sunday. Can you say $4.25 per "sum"? Yikes!!! Most of the items on the dim sum menu were that exobitant price. Well, they weren't too bad for the most part, but the dim sum menu is pretty skimpy and doesn't have a number of things I am used to seeing on one, at least in the Pittsburgh area. I had to order shrimp toast from the regular appetizer menu. Wish I hadn't. They put *WAY* too much "filling" on it and the middle was all watery and disgusting. The Szechwan dumplings in hot sesame sauce were pretty good but the sauce wasn't "hot". I was impressed with the cha siew bao (although they don't call them that for some inexplicable reason - they call them roast pork buns so you have to ask to find out what they really are). They were the only reasonably priced item at $1 each and were very good. I was glad of that because they're one of my favorite things. I knew I should have gone to Hong Kong. Kate P.S. Yes, I know I seem to write only bad reviews. You think I'm going to tell you about all the good places and have them get all popular and trendy and the prices go up and you can't get a table because of the crowds? I don't think so. :-) Kate Connally " If I were as old as I feel, I 'd be dead already."
Pittsburgh, PA
a couple of reviews
A friend and I went to Pino's some weeks ago. The food was average. I had the Bruschetta as an appetizer/meal (had better in many other restaurants) and my friend had a big salad (which she thought was mediocre at best). The thing that really ticked me off was the service which was extremely poor. They took about 40 minutes to bring these two items to us. Also, it wasnt' like they were busy. We had to ask them twice if our meal was going to be served that evening. They weren't apologetic either. They did not return to check on us during the meal, inquire if everything was fine, to refill our drinks etc. This was enough for me to say that I will not return to Pino's for the price paid for mediocre food and bad service. Their prices are comparable to Poli's which is significantly better in quality of food and service. I would return to Poli's anyday, but never to Pino's.
Another restaurant that has gone downhill is Sweet Basil on Forbes in Sq. Hill. I was there with a group recently: rude service and mediocre food - I won't be back. Kate C. wrote: > Had a pizza from Pino's (on Reynolds) last weekend, as I was > house/dogsitting in the immediate vicinity and they had recommended > the place. What a horrible rip off! I paid $13 plus tax and tip for a > small <etc>
In defense of Pinos I wanted to say that a number of people do like it alot because it's always hopping. As far as the food, I agree it's not the greatest value for the dollar, but the atmosphere is great. They've actually spent some time and money creating a space that's pleasant to spend time in. For those not impressed with their pizza I suggest trying the flatbread appetizers. Those are good value for the money. Definitely a step up in quality, price, and atmosphere from the other pizza options on Murray ave. anne