Joseph Tambellini Restaurant

Came here to celebrate my girlfriends birthday. We had an excellent meal but the seating was cramped for us two on the second floor. I would certainly recommend the veal. The house pasta side was excellent as well. Service was great we didn’t feel rushed.

Visited for the 1^st time this past weekend and walked away very satisfied. The only place in Pittsburgh that can rival Piccolo Forno IMO. A bit pricey but well worth it. Loved the ravioli.

I’ve been to Joe Tambellini’s many times, have never been disappointed! From the service to the excellent food! I love the veal dishes all of them I’ve tried them all. The meatballs as an appetizers are a must. Believe me if your disappointed tell Joe when he stops by your table and he will make it right. This is my favorite restaurant in Pittsburgh and has been for a few years. Dinner is pricey but you get what you pay for. Reservations a must on weekends and sometimes during the week. But it can’t hurt. If not open leave a message and they will call back asap. I. A foodie and I’m well traveled so for me to say this is the best veal ever, bet on it.

I’ve been to Joseph Tambellini’s restaurant twice — last winter and last week. My initial experience was great. My friend and i went, had great food (although I don’t remember what I got) and the staff was great, etc.
However, this past experience — was frustrating to say the least. I went with 2 other ladies for one of their birthdays. Please note — my frustrations have NOTHING to do with the food. It was amazing — the problem was the staff who took care of us.
First problem — 1 of the ladies asked for butter for the bread brought to the table. No biggie — you would think. However it took 4 times of asking to get the butter — after our entrée’s came.
Second problem — honestly this was our big problem. Our waitress was in such a rush to get us out of there. The ladies were still drinking their coffee — she took their cups. She brought the bill, and we had it between 2 of us — away from her because 2 of us were paying together getting money situation — she reach in front of my face — as in her clothes were brushing my face — to grab it. WE WERE NOT READY. Then — the thing that frustrated me and I found disrespectful — she took the bill, and started counting our tip before we left — in front of us. We aren’t shabby tippers — but really. Have a little class. She was a disorganized mess. Honestly, I will not forget her name and will probably ask to NOT be seated at her table if I go back. Just for the record — we were not taking our time. We had reservations at 6:15p and were out by 8p, but we had gifts for the birthday gal and they would have loved to have enjoyed their coffee. The gifts went unopened and the coffee disappeared before they drank half the cup.
Third problem — I understand that this is in a house, so room is tight. I completely LOVE this set up. However, we were seated beside the bar, almost next to the main doorway near the bathrooms. We could barely move or hear each other because the wait staff was clanking bowls and trays around. One point they put a tray on a stand behind one of the other ladies so that if she backed up, she would have knocked a whole tray of entrée’s over.
The whole atmosphere at Tambellini’s is interesting — sometimes bizarre — at least what I experienced on a Friday night. However, the food was superb. My mafalda Caprese was to die for. I was so upset the next morning when I realized I didn’t put the leftovers in the fridge. Everyone truly enjoyed their food, other than feeling rushed.

We went here for a big family dinner (17 of us) and we sat in the private dining room on the third floor. It could not have been better. The service was friendly and fast and the food was fantastic. We had some kids with us too and with the tv up there and the stereo that I could plug into, we keep kept the kids entertained with the Penguins game and we had great music for the adults. Highly recommend this place!

My absolute favorite restaurant in Pittsburgh. It’s so quaint and homey. The fried zucchini is my favorite. The pasta is amazing and it’s all homeade! The bread is delicious. I loved the Caesar salad too. Their portions are quite large. Get the Bellini! Can be pricey but worth it. Highly recommended.

My husband and I went to this Italian restaurant for my birthday. We were seated at a comfortable booth. The crab ball appetizer had A LOT of crab meat in it and was a good price. The signature meatball appetizer was generously portioned, and I liked the taste although I am not much of a meatball eater. We enjoyed the toppings, such as fruits and nuts, on our house salads. My husband liked his shrimp scampi entrée. My chicken parmesan was a large size, and I liked the tender chicken with crispy breading. The chocolate lava dessert did not have a melted, fudgy center as the menu said, but I liked its ice cream topping, as well as the candle that they inserted for my birthday. I felt that the business valued me as a customer. Parking is free across the street if you get a parking pass from the business.

I’ve passed by Joseph Tambellini several times before and finally got to dine in last night. Although I made a mistake with the reservation and reserved for two instead of three people, they had no problem accommodating an extra person. We got the calamari for appetizer. I enjoyed the texture of it; it’s a little crunchier than calamari usually is. For my entrée, I ordered the handmade cheese ravioli with Alfredo sauce. It was very creamy and filling as expected, so I was only able to eat about half of it, especially since I wanted to leave room for dessert. It also came with a large meatball in the center of the dish, but I wasn’t really a fan of it. For dessert, the three of us shared the lava cake and the cushini fritti (fried sweet pastry dough with vanilla ice cream), which I wouldn’t say were unique but still a satisfying way to end the meal. Based on what we tried, portions here tend to be on the smaller side except for the desserts, so order dessert!
Service was very good. Our server was amicable and a total of three people including our server checked up on us during our meal to make sure everything was okay. They’ve done a good job of creating a warm, homey, and comfortable atmosphere that is great for a nice meal out with friends or special occasions. The food here is just good (far from amazing), but the atmosphere and service make up for it.
Taste | 3.5
Atmosphere | 4
Presentation | 3.5
Service | 4
OVERALL | 4

I went here last night with some friends and we had a fantastic experience from start to finish! The food was outstanding and the service was extremely good as well. We had a few meatballs for appetizers, which were awesome. The soup and salad was great. I got a pasta dish called mafalda Giancarlo which was awesome and my friends got veal Marsala and chicken parm… I stole of of my friends chicken parm and it was the best I have ever had… We split a tiramisu for desert and it was incredible… Also, the service was exceptional. Our waiter was very helpful and polite and went above and beyond to make us feel at home. We can’t wait to go back!

Never, ever disappoints… Definitely one of the best restaurants in Pittsburgh. Wonderful friendly staff and great new bartender named Cameron. My children would go weekly if they could and would like Mr. Tambolini to adopt them. We also had them cater a party for us this summer and it was a wonderful experience.

Food was good but not worth the price. Front porch view is of a parking lot. Inside is quite nice. Waitress was very frustrated and seemed stretched too thin to provide service. Overall if you’re looking for nice italian this isn’t a poor choice but there are certainly better places in the city.

The food is extraordinary, no matter what you order! Unbelievable owners — friendly, fun, family people who truly love and appreciate their customers.

Perfect evening… in every way!!! Dining on the patio… perfect…meatballs/greens&beans…delicious…then there’s the eggplant parmesan… my absolute favorite… but nothing can beat the service… on every level… from the time we were greeted at the door… until the time we left… felt like we were home. we were made to feel so welcome… Thanks to all for such a memorable evening… can’t wait to go back… will share this experience with all of my friends and family!!!
Joe, Missy, Rick & Rosemary… THANK YOU…

I ate here with my daughter for our last meal together before leaving her in the Pittsburgh area for her ballet summer intensive! While the food was good it was pretty overpriced for pasta. Also the service was over-​solicitous and at the end of our meal our waiter basically chased me down saying we hadn’t paid, yet his co-​worker processed my card. Rude. We won’t be making a return trip.

Although the food tasted great for the most part, the portion size was certainly not worth the money and the attitude of the waiter and manager left a very bitter taste. I ordered the lamb chop special and got 3 very small lamb chops that were 90% fat. There was only a couple bites of descent meat. To make things worse the side dishes of risotto and asparagus were also only a couple bites as well. The dish cost $ 47!!! A total ripoff for the tiny amount of food. Bringing it to the waiter and managers attention did no good at all.
After reading this review, the owner contacted me and was very helpful in attempting to correct my bad experience.

I really enjoyed the ambiance– the lighting and the interior were really decorated well. They put a lot of effort into arranging the different ornaments on the table.
In my opinion, the food was over-​priced. I ordered the Meatball Parmesan. For the expensive price, there was nothing special about the tomato sauce — I felt like I could have had the same kind of sauce at a cheaper Italian restaurant. I also thought it was too salty.
Not sure if I would go again.

This place never disappoints. I usually tend to go here for special occasions as it always has a great meal. We sat on the second floor which is not my preference because it’s a little bit tight. Every time someone got up or wait or walk by I was always bumped each time when they walk by. So if you can try to ask for the first floor or the back room on the first floor. Keep in mind there are three floors of the restaurant. As well as the outside deck which is my favorite in the summertime.
Our server was top notch and clearly it shows as he’s been here for a long time. He always just knew the right things to say and when to come over at the exact right time. He never missed a beat
Tonight I wanted to crabcakes just to get something different and they were good.
We also had the fried zucchini which was quite standard. My wife had the veal chop which is out of this world. Even though they have a lot of other Italian inspired dishes. I think their best dishes are the veal chop or their Porkchop.
The cheesecake was also top-​notch.
Overall a great restaurant.

Honestly if u really know good food u would not think this is a good restaurant. The scallops are awful. They say they are broiled but come to table like they were defrosted in microwave… so is the sesame calamari bad. Can u even tell its calamari.. Veal chop was ok. Chef has a chip on his shoulder and can’t admit his food sucks big time. Wait staff is very good but too bad they have to put up with a chef that has a big ego and can’t cook to save his life. Don’t send the bad food back … They make u pay for it anyway. There may be few choices in Pittsburg but pass on this one. Don’t let the nice ambiance fool u

The food is good but not as good as Alla famiglia. We ordered fried zucchini, mafalda chicken pasta, special lamb chop and two dessert: lava cake and crème brûlée. I was not completely impressed by the entrée or the appetizer. But the dessert, in fact, the lava cake itself is the most breathtakingly fantastic piece of thing I’ve ever had since I arrived at Pitt last year. I just had a single bite of the lava cake and it made me want to cover my face because it feels so personal and sweet…

My wife and I dined at this place on our recent return to Pittsburgh and were extremely disappointed with our experience.
Here’s what we tried:
The ‘famous’ Fried Zucchini was oily and soggy and the quantity served could feed a village. The soup that came with my entrée was salty and borderline inedible (returned it back). The Mafalda Giancarlo entrée was interesting, but nothing to rave about. The other entrée was a some sort of a trio (grilled chicken, shrimp, steak) linguine; the shrimp was overcooked and didn’t taste fresh at all.
All in all, this place didn’t offer any value for money and seems like it’s is stuck in time.
I don’t know what’s worse, spending $ 100 for a mediocre meal for two at JT or spending $ 100 on Olive garden’s never ending pasta pass.