La Casa

I just have to say how when I walked by this place the other day and saw it had closed, my first reaction was «I knew that was coming.» Service here is AWFUL. Waiter was sooo rude! I am the most patient restaurant go-​er, as I have been a waitress my entire life, but really, this place was TERRIBLE. Good riddance!

My first visit to La Casa will unfortunately probably be my last. Having lived in Pittsburgh’s east end for four years, I often drove by this quaint-​looking restaurant and finally gave it a try on a Friday night when one of my friends had a Groupon and gave it rave reviews. Upon walking in the room smelled heavily of garlic (a major plus for my dego sense of smell) and the ambiance was nice.
We started with a pitcher of the red sangria, and for $ 28 I was expecting a little bit more than a pitcher half filled with ice and half with a watered-​down wine concoction with no flavor. One would think ordering sangria at a tapas restaurant should be a safe bet, but this left me extremely disappointed. Luckily, the alcohol content was still somewhere in the mix which helped to get through the rest of the meal.
We started with the ceviche– a duo of tuna and salmon each in their own marinade. The fish was poorly butchered, still shiny in many spots from remnants of the skin. The flavor was good, but I couldn’t get past the tough texture in many of my bites. Next, we each had the goat cheese salad, which was definitely the high point of the meal. It came with a thick, garlic dressing and «croutons» baked with goat cheese on top. Lastly, we shared the stuffed mushrooms and calamari in a spicy tomato sauce. The mushrooms were okay– there was a decent amount of crab meat in the stuffing which is always a plus but something about the flavor was just not right. The calamari could have been a game-​changing meal saver– the sauce was delicious– but unfortunately the calamari itself was extremely tough and chewy and tasted like it was poured directly out of a freezer bag into a pot of the sauce.
Overall, the food was not terrible and there were definitely a couple of high points. Our total bill (without the Groupon) was $ 85. While I am someone who appreciates good food and am willing to pay the price for it, I can also make it out of most Pittsburgh restaurants for the same– if not lower– cost without all the disappointment!

We went to this restaurant on a Saturday night and came to the conclusion that it was weird.
Weird how?
–Weird because the indoor tables for two were actually very small outdoor metallic-​topped cocktail tables that could not accommodate more than two plates at a time.
–Weird because La Casa bills itself as a tapas restaurant, so you might expect the tables to be able to accommodate more than two plates at a time.
–Weird because the dishes were unusually large and heavy for tapas. A white plate is fine, but a reinforced white ramekin for tomato dip? A heavy terra cotta tagine dish for a salad?
–Weird because the dip salad and pitta were served refrigerator cold.
–Weird because the table wobbled, but at least the bartender was quick to fix it and switch it out with another table.
–Weird because the décor was closer to a bar than a restaurant.
–Weird because it took over 50 minutes to get an omelette.
–Weird because the salad was perfunctory at best, and the goat cheese was actually served piped into a seashell shape on two slices of bread (??).
–Weird because the teapot for two was not actually large enough for two… or even for one.
The bread and olive oil dip was good, however.
If you are not into weird restaurant experiences, stay away. But if you are, this may be just the place for you.

Service is horrible. Fruit flies galore.
Waited over an half and hour before our first dish was served — it was olives. Literally, they took olives from a jar and poured them into another jar and dropped it at our table.
Second dish, Manchego was literally four breaded mozzarella sticks that could have come out of a freezer. Insult to injury, 2 of the four mozzarella sticks didn’t even have the cheese inside — they were just empty breading.
After waiting for another half and hour, we had to track down a server to cancel our order. Multiple tables left without receiving any service and the place wasn’t at full capacity. We will never go back.

Every once in a while, you find a place that’s a hidden gem. It’s small, quaint, with wonderful food and amazing service. La Casa is not one of them.
I’m not even going to make it to the food, because the service is that horrible. When I read the other reviews, I’m not surprised about my experience. Let’s see: should I discuss poorly trained waitstaff, who physically push your arm out of the way to clear your table? Or perhaps the lack of decaf coffee or tea for a night cap? Or the waiter, who was as attentive as a lemming?
Ok, I’ll talk about the food — tapas were bland and the Sangria sucked. What more do you need to know? To be fair, some people in the group enjoyed the place. To be real, the foodies in the group gave a universal thumbs down. Waaay down.
I put this restaurant in the Candidate for Restaurant Impossible category. Personally, I’m shocked at how its combination of average and over-​priced food, with horrid service, allow this business to stay open.
(And for the record, the person that recommended this place for us 1) is not a Unilocaler, and 2) is not allowed to choose again.)

We went to La Casa three times, but not by choice. I had purchased a deal through Living Social to go to this restaurant and was really excited. The first time we went, we made sure to make reservations. However when we got there, the cook had gone home sick and apparently there is no backup plan because we were just told, «Sorry» with no consolation and had to find somewhere else to eat that night. The second time we went was the absolute WORST experience that I’ve ever had at a restaurant. We did not make reservations but went fairly early. We were fine sitting at the bar for a while and waiting for a seat, however a seat never came. We were seated at the bar (I would have even eaten at the bar — I don’t care). The bartender gave us some water (without ice, mind you). Then no one ever seated us (we sat there for well over a half an hour), but the worst part was that the bartender was putting glasses away in front of our faces and never asked if we wanted a drink or food! We had been looking at menus and were pretty much ready to order, but she literally never asked us if we even wanted drinks (which obviously we did). I felt insulted and we left. The third time was overall a much better experience than the first 2 times. We made reservations but still had to wait quite a while; they actually tried to make it up to us this time by giving us free potatoes (which were awesome). The food was overall pretty good — not the best tapas I’ve ever had, but we were content.
This restaurant really needs to work on its service to its guests. I was very displeased by the way we were treated by the staff here.

I really really wanted to like this place. The outdoor patio is cute, but needs better tables and definitely re-​painted. Our waiter was nice, but you could tell he was definitely rushed. The white sangria tasted like watered down lemonade. Onto the food… the calamari with spicy tomato and the shrimp in a white wine sauce were okay. Both lacked a lot of flavor and tasted just too oily overall. The main course was the chicken tagine. A huge disappointment. This dish had absolutely no flavor. If it weren’t for the groupon, I would not have tried this place and most likely will not be back.

I think this place is nice. The white sangria was definitely a tasty drink but I wish they had given me a bigger glass: p
For the appetizer, we got the potatas bravas (?)… first thing on the list. I love everything tomato-​ey so the spicy tomato sauce it was simmered in was quite tasty. And you can’t really go wrong with potaters!
We shared the paella was definitely not comparable to what I had in Puerto Rico but it was overall pretty yummy. You need a higher salt appetite to really enjoy it, as it erred on the salty side of the scale. The portion is definitely large and so it was more than enough for two people.
My rating isn’t only based on the food itself, but I liked the quaintness, the ambiance and the host was a hilarious and sweet guy. Yes, I would go again to try other tapas.

I don’t write reviews very often but beware of this place! When I called to make my reservation the woman who answered the phone had to scream at someone in the background to be quiet so she could hear me three times. This should have been my first clue.
The back patio was loveley but that’s about the only positive thing I can say. We ordered off the happy hour menu which the waitress gave us. The food was sub par but considering the nice happy hour prices I didn’t really have any complaints. Over the course of our meal I witnessed the chef screaming and using curse words at the staff in the kitchen. As I began to observe more closely I realized that this place was a very poorly run flailing business which explains the need to have so many Groupons.
Once the bill came we were overcharged by $ 35 and when the went to «fix» it the bill came out $ 65 overcharged. It was never resolved and I have $ 120 in pending transactions on my bank card. Clearly there is no communication going on here. It was a horrendous experience please do yourself a favor and choose another tapas location this place is a joke!

I usually try to summarize an experience with a concise review, but La Casa was such a mixed bag I’m just going to have to relate my experience and let readers draw conclusions on their own.
The first time I tried to go here, I called ahead to make sure they weren’t full. I was told that if I got there in the next half hour to an hour, they’d be able to seat my party no problem. 20 minutes later, we walked in and were told they only had room at the bar (the place was pretty empty, so I got the message: make a reservation and don’t trust anyone’s estimation).
The next time I went, with a confirmed reservation, the service was good. My crab-​stuffed mushroom tapas dish was visually appealing and full of great ingredients… except for the crab itself. I don’t know the cause, but it was bland and barely tasted like crab. Everything else on the plate, especially the sauce, was delicious, so it averaged out to not bad, despite my disappointment with the starring ingredient.
The paella took forever to come out, but it came out hot (meaning the kitchen was slow, not the server). Most of it was delicious. The chorizo pieces just tasted like a hot dog (a good hot dog, mind you, but more hot dog than spicy Mediterranean sausage for sure). The rice was a little undercooked. But everything else was good or better (much of it great).
I wasn’t drinking that night, but had I been, I would have been disappointed. They were out of more than a few selections, preventing the creation of entire sections of the drinks menu (example: no mojitos that night). Apparently such alcohol shortages are a common occurrence.
I’d say this place has a lot of potential, because though many things were sub-​par, they’re almost all easily fixed. Knowing what to expect, I’d definitely consider returning (though it wouldn’t usually be my first choice).

The only reason I can give La Casa 2 stars and not just 1 is because whoever our waitress was was absolutely wonderful… kind, attentive, fast, and a pleasure to deal with.
The food, not so good… you can get good wines at many places, so that was not concerning to me. Like I said the service was good. So… that being said, I have to say that the food sealed La Casa’s fate for me and the fact that I will not go back here. I can go to numerous bars and get better food that are closer to home makes this easy for me.
Do not waste your time unless you are in Shadyside and want to explore… maybe your experience will be better than mine!

La Casa teeters between 3 and 4 stars. I loved our waitress — she was sweet, sassy and funny all at the same time. White sangria — yes please! And $ 6 per glass. I’ll be back for some more and hopefully patio action.
As for food, the hits:
Tchoutchouka
warm bread w/​delicious pesto balsamic sauce
Calamaras, salsa picante
Patatas bravas
The misses:
Croquettas de Verduras — be forewarned they look nothing like traditional croquettes (fried balls)!! We were very disappointed. This looked more like flattened peppers with stuffing
Casablanca sardinas — so many bones!
Paella de Verduras — paella needs meat…
And mehs:
Gambas al ajillio — not a lot of flavor

My boyfriend and I were planning to spend Valentine’s Day ordering Thai food and snuggled up on the couch, but my Groupon for La Casa was expiring on February 15^th. The place looked reasonably casual, so we wore jeans. I lamented that I hadn’t used the Groupon in summer, as the back patio looked really fantastic.
We made a reservation for 6 pm, and found free parking on a residential street in nearby. There weren’t too many other tables of customers, though people trickled in as 7 pm passed. Servers greeted us warmly, and we were given our pick of tables. We chose one in the back room, away from the bar. It was apparent immediately that this room is «kitchen adjacent,» so we did hear some colorful language coming from the cooking staff. I really don’t care when people swear, generally, but there was something really off-​putting about hearing bawdy cooks shout at each other during our Valentine’s dinner. I’d appreciate it if La Casa would give a word to them about that.
Anyway, I ordered sangria and my boyfriend got a cocktail. The sangria was a small pour, but only $ 6, and it had nice wintery spice flavors). It was surprisingly appropriate for the season. We shared 4 tapas, as the server recommended 2 per person. We started with the queso manchego (baked manchego cheese), which was breaded and baked, so the gooey cheese was inside a crispy exterior. Like a mozzarella stick, only less greasy and more awesome. Very delicious, and you get three large pieces in a serving. We then ordered the corazones fritos de alcachofas (chef’s «special» fried artichokes). There were 5 good size artichoke hearts, with a crispy coating and a few sauce drizzles. The artichokes had been previously marinated, giving extra flavor to the dish.
Moving on, we tried the Mejillones De la Casa (mussels and chorizo in tomato sauce). This dish was enjoyable, but the mussels were a little tough, and oddly the chorizo was softer than I expected. It was soft like a kielbasa or an andouille, not hard like smoked sausages usually are, but I know that there are many varieties. It tasted good, but not unique — like a smoked sausage you could buy at a grocery store. But it was a pleasant dish, and we used some warm baguette to mop up the rest of the tomato sauce.
Our last dish, my least favorite, was a special of the day — octopus cooked with roughly chopped vegetables. The octopus was too chewy — and yes, I know it’s a rubbery food, but I really believe it was overdone. It wasn’t much fun to eat as a result, and I wasn’t too eager to grab additional spoonfuls.
The tapas came out quickly, one after the other. Some people prefer that, some don’t. We didn’t ask them to stagger it, but you could try if you’d rather not have four or more dishes on your plate at most. It got crowded on the table, but we didn’t really mind. All the servers were very friendly, with a good sense of humor, and wished us happy Valentine’s Day.
If we were still going to be there this summer, I’d return for some drinks and snacks on the back patio and give it a second chance. It was a perfectly good place to have a meal, some hits and misses, but a nice atmosphere and good service.

I will stipulate that a table of 11, which is what we had at La Casa, is rough. It’s not a huge place, and we took up a good portion of the restaurant. My first impression was the extremely slow service, I sat there for about 10 – 15 minutes before my drink order was taken, and it was about another 10 minutes until I received my drink.
Our table stuck to tapas, and with 11 people sharing we tried almost everything on the tapas menu. The food was good, but not spectacular, and they were out of at least 1 thing I wanted to order.
As the restaurant started to clear out (our reservation was at 9PM), the service got better, but by that point we didn’t need it as much. Paying the check was a brutal experience, we tried to make it as easy as possible on our server (who was very friendly) but in the end it took two of us going over to the credit card machine, and the manager stepping in to explain it and get it sorted out.
If the service would’ve been more on point I might have given it 4 stars, but the food in my mind wasn’t good enough to overcome the service deficiencies.

I sent my Mother & sister to La Casa for our the first time on a Groupon deal. Although I didn’t dine there myself, my Mother raved about how nice the server was and how he insisted that they use the full certificate value (thus they were able to get dessert on tap of dinner and drinks). :)
Mom said the space was small but cozy, the dinner good, and the dessert fabulous!

a friend and I went here because I had a groupon. service was good and attentive. I believe our server was named Cassie. the mushrooms stuffed with crab were decent, but the onion and potato omelette was delicious! we also got a pitcher of sangria but it was overpriced. I would go back again.

Service here was horrendous. Here’s what happened:
1. Found one-​inch glass piece in our food.
2. Takes 10 minutes before the waitress comes to apologize
3. Does NOT comp anything on our bill including the dish with the glass.
4. Food was dry and not very good (sangria was ok)
5. Owner finally comes out to apologize and gives us a gift certificate… with an expiration date of the very next day.
In sum it was likely the worst service I have experienced — completely insincere. Do not go here.

I’ve been a handful of times over the past 4 – 5 years, living only a few blocks away. La Casa sorta is hidden away at the end of the Ellsworth buisness strip, so its never super busy and I’ve never had to wait for a table. It has a very cute little patio out back which is perfect for the summer. As for the food, I have never been disappointed and in fact, always pleasantly surprised.
My one recommendation is to get the waiter/​waitress’ opinion of what their favorites are. They have never steered me wrong.
My favorite menu item is the duo de ceviche — salmon and tuna tartare. Their crab stuffed mushrooms are also delish. I’ve had a handful of wonderful ‘specials’. I do not know the correct names for them, but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the fried shrimp served with a raspberry sauce and pork tenderloin with a mustard sauce.
Their sangria, both red and white, are refreshing and delicious!
I highly recommend this place, and I will definitely be going back again and again!

La Casa is a great place to linger over drinks and tapas. I’ve been here 4 times, and every time I’m satisfied with the evening. The cucumber martinis are fantastic, and I only wish they came in a pitcher (like the sangria or margaritas)!
The tapas options are extensive (I’ve never even ordered an actual entrée), and there are some really fantastic options (the breouattes are delicious Moroccan spring rolls) and the daily specials always offer something good (if the pork tenderloin is available, ORDER IT). And if it’s nice out, definitely sit on the back patio – leafy trees, a fountain, just lovely.
Why not 5 stars then? Two reasons: both the servers and some food options can be spotty. Out of the 4 times we’ve eaten there, 2 of our servers were completely on the ball, and 2 left us… waiting… If we hadn’t been waiting on delicious alcoholic beverages, maybe we wouldn’t have minded, but, honey, get me my drink! Also, 2 or 3 times we’ve ordered one tapas item that just wasn’t up to par. Given that we’re order 5 or 6 items each time, no biggie, but something to be aware of.
All in all, I’ll continue to hit La Casa on nice evenings that I’m looking to hang out on the back patio with a cucumber martini and some tapas!

There is not better place to be on a beautiful afternoon then in the back patio of La Casa in shady side. The tapas are fantastic. the Papas Bravas and the tres vieiras are musts every single time. Service is beyond friendly with a wonderful hostess and great waiters. The recognize you on your second visit and you start to feel as part of the family.
The beauty of La Casa is the blend of the Spanish and Moraccan flavors and culture. Visit often