Tillie’s Restaurant & Chantillie Lounge

One of my top 3 lifetime favorite Italian restaurants.
I’ve been coming here since 1968, the food is consistent.
My all time favorite is homemade spaghetti with plain sauce.
I highly recommend the lasagna as well, it’s better than my own (and yes, I’m Italian)
The chicken parm is awesome too… don’t recall ever being served a bad dish… love this place!

Party of 6 Thursday the 2^nd to celebrate daughters birthday. food was great initial service was good. But after spending $ 125.00 our table was never cleaned off. Not too busy but we had to sit there with dishes and other things to talk. It has to be the waitress, s fault because she would serve someone and go back to the bar to watch tv. We will return but choose our waiter or waitress.

Went here on Mothers Day, got seated within 30 min, on a very very busy day. The lasagna and manicotti was very good and homemade. Also the breaded zucchini was real good. Tia was our server, and she was wonderful, very prompt and attentive. This was a wonderful dining experience, and a true gem of an indie italian restaurant. Will definitely be back.

Excellent restaurant! I am a McKeesport native now living in another state. On my all-​too-​infrequent return visits to the area I often try to stop in to Tillie’s for lunch or dinner. I find that it has consistently offered one of the best dining experiences in the Pittsburgh area or anywhere else! It was a Christy Park institution when I was growing up, and it remains so today. The food, from pizza to more high-​end traditional (and authentic!) Italian fare, is of high quality and typically in ample portions. A wide range of selections are available from a variety of styles, each with its own merit. Service is typically very good, even when the facility is full and quite busy. The location is neat and clean and comfortable, quite appropriate for the nature of the business. The adjoining lot offers ample secure parking. For a restaurant to attain and maintain such a consistent, high quality level of service for so many years is impressive! I look forward to future dining opportunities at Tillie’s!

Veal Piccata was outstanding! Delicious homemade fettuccine and mushroom sauce — we will be back!

First time here. Generally clean looking, though not spotless. Older décor contributing. I had lunch. Calamari parm, crab florentine soup, homemade noodle spaghetti. Timing was acceptable, no rush. Impressively, the calamari was not greasy or over cooked to leather. A nice compliment of red sauce and a smattering of cheese baked on top; not drowned in sauce and cheese, thankfully. The spaghetti was nice and dry, not dripping with water pooling pink sauce in the bottom of the bowl. Sauce was very nice, not too sweet or too overwhelming and clinged nicely to the noodles. Soup was light and well supplied with crab. All in all, a surprising and enjoyable lunch. If up this way again, I’ll definitely be stopping in to try some other menu items. Price is very reasonable, service was friendly and efficient. Try it! Bill was $ 13.35 + tip.

I love Tillie’s! I’ve been going there for years with my family, and my daughter jokes that it is my favorite place — she’s right. She says I always order the same thing — again right (the spaghetti!). Just a terrific spot to eat with your friends and family. Nothing fancy, but with a homey atmosphere that always says «welcome».

Food is fresh and has real homemade taste. Friendly service and great Italian atmosphere, it’s a great place to eat.

Be prepared to spend some money here, but well worth it. Best, most authentic Italian food I have ever eaten. Excellent service. Décor was a little outdated but you will love the food so much, you won’t even notice.

Meh, good food and acceptible service. If you grew up in the area it’s probably a must have but otherwise it classified as interesting regional Italian. The service is good but local so better if you’re from the area. I’ll eat hear again.

Best Italian food I have ever had! I can’t begin to express how comforting food from Tillies is, and everything is always made and prepared fresh! I go there at least twice a month!

When you pull infront of tillies your a little suspicious of the outside of the building. But once you go in and sit down the smells change your mind. If your an olive garden lover you will not like this place. It’s real italian food. Their pasta is homemade and their sauce is also. The lasagna is a huge helping and very filling. A must eat

Tillie’s is always a delight. I am Italian and I give it two thumbs up. The food is always fresh and delicious, the staff is always friendly and timely, and the atmosphere feels like home.
What are you waiting for…
Eat at TILLIE’S now!!!

Old school homemade Italian food — very good! I’m pretty sure they put crack in the sauce because that’s all you can think about for a few days after eating it — you just want more, more, more!

My husband and I ate here alot when we live close by but move further away and kinda forgot about Tillies recently went back and it was amazing. Cheese Ravioli are fantastic

Went with friends to Tillie’s, haven’t been for almost 20 years!
WHY DID WE LAPSE??? That’s the mystery–
Everything was delicious. Portions are quite large, that we did remember.
Two of us had the *BARRAMUNDI*, marked as a chef specialty and it certainly was special — Creamy tomato basil risotto, topped with sauted spinach topped with the lightly cajun spiced fish with three nice sized cajun shrimp on the side.
Our gnocchi girl did not disappoint and she reports that the gnocchi was pretty yummy. Hubs had the spaghetti with meatball and sausage and was very happy as well.
Salads were fresh and crisp, bread was plentiful and soft. We had one minestrone with sausage soup and it also was declared very good.
Their iced tea was different, not brown, but black and naturally pretty sweet. I liked the variation very much.
Not sure why the lapse, but not going to Tillie’s is a definite lapse in choosing your Italian dinner destination!

Tillie’s has been one of our family favorites for years. We were just there again last week and it was wonderful. The lasagna was incredible, saucy, cheesy, hot, fresh and HUGE! It was just as good reheated a couple of days later. The homemade cheese ravioli was incredible. I want to try the beef short rib ravioli next time, they sound interesting. The Arancini (risotto cakes) appetizer was delicious. Service is always great. We are so lucky to have the wonderful restaurant in our area. Thanks!

We live in Pittsburgh so we don’t get to come out often. When we do we love seeing our waitress Loretta and some of the amazing ravioli. Great service and it’s a great price. More of «down home Italian» than anything else.

Until recently, Tillie’s was one of those nagging loose ends for me on Unilocal.I’d been there a number of years ago, long before I’d created an account and took Pittsburgh by storm (heh). Since that amicable visit, I’d been itching to return.
A quaint canopy, a bird bath, and potted plants decorate the exterior. Upon pulling into the gravel-​coated parking lot with my mother, I felt as if we were visiting an older relative who still lived in a declining community, defiantly refusing to move, meticulously keeping up appearances.
Upon entering, our attention was immediately trained on a portrait of the restaurant’s matriarch, Matilda «Tillie» Smith, who founded the establishment in 1962, her spirit remaining very much intact, reassuringly watching over the place while her son and daughter-​in-​law continue to keep tradition alive and running.
As my own mom and I lunched together on a Saturday afternoon spent dropping in on my sister who lives nearby, a child’s birthday party, complete with an army of guests, happily went on. For an eatery in a neighborhood many people avoid, good cheer was abundant, few booths, tables, and chairs were unoccupied. Balloons floated clumsily to the ceiling like drunks wearing Legion Flight Rings, adolescent girls whispered and giggled, wrapping paper was torn, burly men carrying packages with bows on them entered and bear-​hugged other burly men carrying toddlers, all while Frank Sinatra’s vocals permeated the room. Tillie’s was alive. She is alive.
Hell, I feel her pinchin’ my earlobe as I write this. Okay, Matilda, the food, the food, I’m gettin’ to it…
Not being able to remember what I devoured here 7 years ago, my sister recommended the incredibly edible Prime Rib Pizza. A Boursin and Mascarpone spread coats the bottom of the pita-​like crust, which is then liberally coated with chopped prime rib, caramelized onions, roasted red peppers, provolone, blue cheese, and fried arugula.
I could have folded each cut of this shareable pie and convinced myself I was eating some sort of exotic sandwich. The clash between the smooth, sweet cream of the Mascarpone/​Boursin blend, the sharpness of the Provolone, and the strength of the blue cheese was alone a gastronomic symphony. The prime rib provided savory heft and depth, while the red capsicum and onions amplified the sweetness, the arugula kicking the entire pizza further into the stratosphere with its peppery essence. Each bite was an amusement park ride, a funhouse jaunt, a carnival, a cavalcade of flavors and textures.
Before hand, the Lobster and Crab Grilled Cheese served as an entertaining opening act. Within triangles of brunch-​worthy toast, lump crab meat and chopped lobster claw crawled out of a magnificent Alouette/​Gruyère mire, the former’s brie-​ish lard melding with the latter’s nutty, earthy, somewhat briny profile, both serving the rendered seafood well like a congealed chowder or dip of sorts Garnished with arugula (Mama Smith must have loved it), a serving of Tomato Basil Bisque was an expected and welcome companion to the sandwich, its inherent zest and cream compelling dunk after dunk after dunk until only the soup remained. This upscale, gourmet take on a lunchroom classic delivered comfort, bliss, and culinary smack with every bite and sip.
Dessert was a pair of cannily crafted cannoli. Amply filled with a sugary, whipped Ricotta that was riddled with chocolate chips and pistachio shards, the twin cookie ducts were dressed with chocolate syrup and powdered sugar. Vaguely similar to ice cream waffle cones, careful chomps unveiled chilly, milky, saccharine lusciousness, contrasting textures playing a crucial part yet again. I kept fearing that a mess of confection would run down my fingers, the cannoli tricking me into thinking I was standing in front of Page’s Dairy Mart on a 90 degree day.
McKeesport may be a town that last saw its banner days 2 scores ago, but if you’ve ever dined at Tillie’s, you’d never be aware of the local steel industry’s departure and the dreams and quality of life that collapsed with it. Tillie’s doesn’t just hang on, she sits on her porch in a recliner, prospering like a daffodil sprouting from a crack in the pavement.
So, let me pose some questions to the audience: Are you frustrated? Are you pining for an old-​school, casual dining experience in which flash, pretentiousness, and trendiness are uninvited?
Eat at Tillie’s, silly.
P. S. The service was world-​class.

This was a sad, sad experience for my fiancé who grew up in this area. The restaurant is named after the old woman who used to run the joint… her picture still hangs in the front room as a reminder of days gone by.
I was told back then you could get a huge plate of pasta, and the food was amazing!!! I don’t know if grandma took the recipes with her when she passed on, but both my fiancé and I were not impressed with the quality of their food. We ordered the homemade spaghetti. Sounds simple enough, but what we got looked and tasted worse than a can of Chef Boyardee. The sauce was bland, and the noodles weren’t right. I always joke about how bad of a cook I am, but I swear I could make better than this.
I loved our waitress Tia. She was awesome. Very friendly and attentive. I just wish the food was better than it was. I think they need to reexamine what recipes to use for a restaurant that was known for their fine cuisine. And keep Tillie’s memory alive by serving nothing but the best.