Sarafino’s Pasta and Pizza

Yum! Great flavors! Every pasta sauce we’ve had has been wonderful. Reasonable prices! Awesome atmosphere… you’ll feel like you’re sitting in your Italian gramma’s kitchen! Some of the waitresses — eh, not always the most pleasant. But easily ignored as soon as the hot bread is delivered to the table! Must try! Go at off hours or you will wait forever!

Beans and greens are some of the best in the city. I always get the Rita’s and request gnocchi instead of the ziti and I always add meatballs — my favorite — get it — you’ll love it. The Sarafino’s with chicken and switching out to gnocchi instead of the linguine is soo good!

Love this place. The owner, cooks are nice, some waitresses are nice, some are not.
The chicken panini or sausage panini with pasta salad is awesome. Portions have gotten smaller but price is the same. Almond cake, evil good. Open 11a — 930pm (fri/​sat 1030pm) CLOSED SUNDAY.
Saturday opens at 4pm. I hate crowds and long waits, so if your like me, here are some tips. I go on Mon, Tue, Wed nights anytime or Thurs, Fri/​Sat night i go super early like 4−5pm. Lunch i go at 11am or wait until 2pm. I avoid lunchtime between 12noon –130pm because sometimes there are no tables at all or get your food to go. In the summer they have outdoor seating, but its blazing hot.
The owners Dad (RIP) gave me alot of good tips about where to buy a house on the west end, because some areas only had volunteer FD, and brookline/​beechview old sewer lines, etc… LONG STORY, LOL.

Limited menu, but very good food. I guess they on cook what they make best, and it works. Everything we ordered was tasty, hot and seasoned perfectly. We would definitely go back again. We had the Beans and Greens, veal braciola, and two pasta dishes all great. This is a byob place, with reasonable priced and easy parking. 2 thumbs up.

Great, little hole in the wall.
Yes, it is so small. The waitresses are a little stressed, one forgot to bring out my food while everyone at my table ate. That’s the only reason I gave it four stars. It could have been a five.
Food was fantastic. Great alfredo and red sauces. The crab cakes were suggested over and over but we found them to be dry. The HUGE Portobello mushroom that came with the crab cakes was pretty spectacular. We all basically licked the herb oil plate clean that came with our bread. I think we got three of those.
I had Sarafino’s Pasta and I couldn’t get enough in my stomach. My youngest son ordered Gnocchi with Alfredo and chicken, which I frowned upon. Then loved it. What a great combination — who knew?
Couldn’t eat another bite, so I took Tiramisu home with me. It didn’t make it. It wasn’t the best that I ever had but it was slightly sweet and a great end to my meal.
I really can’t wait to go back. I have a feeling it will be a little better. Owner was present and greeted everyone. He walked around, talked to patrons, laughed and had genuine concern about the food. NICE!

A go to restaurant in Crafton? Yes! You have to know where it is and how to get there, but once you do, it is definitely worth it! You know something is going to be good when you walk in and you are only about 5 feet from the kitchen where the chef is pounding and pounding away on fresh veal!
My wife and I love good Italian food and after Francos in Dormont closed, we were depressed. But alas, we found a replacement…
Its a small place, but so are most of the great Italian restaurants on Mulberry St in New York City, so get over it. The food is great, except the soup, I ordered the Pasta Fagioli, it was loaded with beans and pasta, but the broth was watery and bland, not my first choice, (that is the only reason I gave 4 stars vs 5). BUUUUT, everything else was absolutely excellent! The Bruschetta was excellent which included an Italian salad in the center, Pasta with red clam sauce, Fettuccine with Oglio and grilled chicken, Veal Parmesan over linguine, and fresh bread hot out of a very, very old pizza oven with a classic oil dipping sauce…
For the quality of food and large portions, the pricing is reasonable…
If they had tables outside on the sidewalk, it would be just like Little Italy in New York!

For one, I liked the cozy atmosphere of this little Italian family-​owned restaurant, but it is in need of some major renovation work. The ceiling is bowed from what looks like water damage, and it looks like they attempted to paint it, but didn’t like the color, so they stopped after one row. Maybe that has some history or cute story, but as a first time customer, I wouldn’t know.
The service was ok… not too timely, but not neglectful.
We ordered the special muscles appetizer — good. Too much salt, but good. No comparison to Il Pizzaiolo.
The main dishes were also specials; I had the homemade cheese ravioli and my husband had the pasta svoglio with red clam sauce. The ravioli wasn’t much to write home about. The pasta they use is really thick for ravioli. The sauce was ok.
The pasta svoglio was better. Lots of seafood used in this dish, and I enjoyed the taste I stole.
I don’t think we’ll return here before we try another Italian bistro, but it was worth a try.

Food was exceptional… Went there a couple weeks ago. The place is small but has great ambiance. It is pricey but worth it. Only issue is when you get there you walk right through the dining area and must wait for a seat by the bar. My only complaint was that the waitress was overwhelmed and forgot to offer drinks of any kind. Other than that I would highly recommend the restaurant.

great greens and beans. Solid Italian food but not nothing outstanding. Large portions, BYOB, with jelly jar wine glasses. Either bring your own stemware or a modest bottle of wine. A good place to go with friends.

My grandma and I went for dinner here recently and the food was delicious. I ordered the crab cakes; they were delightful. The dessert — moscato berry cake, was divine! The waitress couldn’t describe it but I took a leap of faith and ordered it anyway. So glad I did. Huge chunks of berries baked into a vanilla cake with layers of wine flavored cream in between. I moaned with joy the entire time I ate it.
The service was iffy, our waitress seemed stressed as soon as she had more than two tables. She rubbed me the wrong way when she refused to let me pack up my own leftovers. She didn’t seem to have enough knowledge of the menu items.
We will definitely be back though!

Sarafino’s is a lively but cozy place with a pleasant ambiance and good food. I appreciate that the offerings are purposely prepared in a straight-​forward manner, and not made with 11,000 ingredients – just old world Italian cooking is all.
I had the special for the evening – two crab cakes with a house salad and a healthy-​sized portobello mushroom. Those crab cakes were so much better than anything I have gotten in the Chesapeake Bay area in quite some time; they were light and lovely and delectable.
My hub had the linguine and white clam sauce; I tried it – it was to die for.
A highly-​pleasing cappuccino for an after-​dinner treat was only $ 2.95? Say what?!
As if it couldn’t get any better, when owner Joe Caliguire was making the rounds in the dining room and found out that we hailed from the nation’s capital, he comped us free dessert. We got the tiramisu cake and almond crème horn, and were they smooth, smooth, smooth, baby!
This is a peach of restaurant. I should have bussed Mr. Caliguire on the cheek, but demurred. I coulda given the wrong impression and then got the local people gossipin’ and all that, since I never met the man before.
No wonder he got restaurateur of the year awhile back. He understands both food and people, and how to treat them very well.
Pittsburgh – you are lucky and I am jealous.

This is our second time here and it is really good. Great pasta dishes. Small menu and small dining area, but pasta sauces have BIG flavor. A very relaxed, small town Italian place with the atmosphere of a New York City hole in the wall,…and that is meant in a good way.

Told Friends: We’re coming your way, pick a dinner spot. And they chose Sarafino’s in Crafton.
So glad they did!
It’s a nice corner restaurant that used to be a pharmacy (so I’m told). Not a spacious dining area, but good for 6 or less at a table.
The smell from the kitchen is strong… garlicky and wonderful.
The bread was fresh, crusty and disappeared fast. I had the wedding soup which was pretty different, as I believe it had basil as the greens and no chicken. Delicious and unique.
Two of us ordered the special which was an alfredo and roasted brussel sprout pasta dish. Mind you, I was excited to see an Italian steak salad that DID NOT include the typlical ‘Burgh French fries — but the brussel sprout pasta changed my mind and it was so good. So WAY good.
Hubs, being the traditionalist that he is, ordered the red Bolognese with a meatball and a sausage — he was pretty happy, also. Friend #2 ordered the house crab cakes, which she knew from previous visits were fabulous and they were pretty lovely, gotta say.
We split the almond dessert — yummy and we should’ve got it TO GO as we were TOO FULL!
The place is noisy and it doesn’t take much for it to be crowded, but dang… the menu has some items that definitely need to be explored further! Be hungry when you get there–

The food was just very typical Pittsburgh Italian food. Same sauces with regular pastas. Huge portions of overly garlic-​y food. Nothing truly to write home about. I just wasn’t impressed.
The restaurant was an old pharmacy. So, it is tiny. I think there were 15 tables. I felt crammed in and there were only two other tables with customers.
The waitstaff kept going into a curtained off area just beside our table to get supplies. The coffee was in a huge carafe. The atmosphere just wasn’t pretty and cozy as it should have been with such a tiny place.
The food wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t great. I’m not sure if go specifically to Crafton for this place.

I have heard so much about the place and finally had the opportunity to visit for lunch. I loved the atmosphere as it was nostalgic and having Joe cooking our food only a short distance away made me hungrier by the moment.
The food didn’t disappoint me at all. We were served a fresh out of the oven loaf of bread, delicious! My wife had a vegetarian sandwich with a side salad and after the hot bread and salad, well let’s just say the sandwich had to be taken home! I had a veal over pasta and it was delicious!
I would definitely suggest the paying a visit and don’t forget your wine as it is a BYOB. The atmosphere is nothing fancy but is very cozy and exactly what you want when eating authentic Italian cuisine!

Excellent, genuine Italian restaurant. I love the intimate atmosphere. The fresh bread always comes directly out of the oven to your table. The prices are extremely reasonable for nicely sized portions. It also means a lot to me when the owner takes the time to talk to his customers. On our last visit he asked where we were from, if we were satisfied, etc. I will absolutely be back.

I really like this place. The food is good as well as the service. The warm homemade bread is delicious. It is served with a very tasty sundried tomato dipping oil.
The menu is quite limited and salads are not included with the entrees.
I enjoy the cozy atmosphere, but there may be long waits as the seating is limited.
The restrooms are located upstairs and are on the dumpy side.
Tonight there were several things that made my dining experience rather frustrating. The air was stuffy, it seemed like the AIr conditioning was not working well.
There was also an issue with the power. The light would dim and the bright, thus happened every minute or so. Very irritating.
The last issue was a ceiling fan that was out of balance and kept making a constant «ticking» noise as it wobbled.
I think some much needed building repairs would make a huge improvement.

Small quant restaurant which used to have great food. We were their last week and had less than average service and the same type food. We took our own wine only to find out that they now have ONLY small juice glasses to drink your wine from. So there we were with a 25.00 bottle of wine we brought back from Napa Valley only to have it stifled in a tiny glass.
The waitstaff said they did it to save money. unfortunately they lost money on us because we probably won’t be back. My boyfriend ask the question.. What’s next red solo cups? Average food, average service and now no stemware. nothing special anymore.

After reading other Unilocal reviews, I knew this was a must try spot. I went in with little expectation for the wait staff, but we were pleasantly surprised! Our names were taken down, we were showed where we could wait and only waited about ten minutes for a table.
Our server was as sweet as could be and got our drinks and bread right away. If I had to leave after the bread and dipping oil I would have been ridiculously happy. The bread came out piping hot and the dipping oil was better than anything I’ve ever had.
We ordered soup which came out right away and was tasty. Our meals came out only a few minutes after we finished our soup and we were not disappointed! I got the Rita pasta and my husband had the Sarafino pasta, both of which were incredible!
We felt out of place because we were the only table in the restaurant without a bottle (or two) of wine! So we will definitely be taking a bottle next time we go!

Ah, back in Pittsburgh after seven years. Actually, I’ve been back for a few months, but hey, I had to hit all my fave spots again before I could start cranking out the reviews. You understand.
Anyway, what I really want you to know is that Sarafino’s is my favorite Italian restaurant, period. They’re just as excellent now as they were before I moved. Not that I was worried they’d change, but it’s good to know that this place has stuck to its menu and terrific daily specials.
Sarafino’s is small and cozy, and as cliched as it might sound, it feels like family. The staff are always friendly and inviting, the owner a great guy who cares about his establishment. It’s always seemed like a hidden gem tucked away in Crafton, and maybe that’s the best thing about it. There are a ton of Italian restaurants around Pittsburgh, and Sarafino’s is in a league of its own, off the beaten path.
So what’s great here? Everything I’ve tried. The bread that is brought to the table has the best dipping oil I’ve ever had. It’s sweeter than other places, and one could be forgiven for filling himself up on the bread alone. But that’s just for starters. The famous greens and beans are just the thing if you’re looking for something on the spicier side, and the wedding soup and pasta fagioli are fantastic.
My favorite thing on the menu, though, is the gnocchi. I’ve never had better. It literally melts in your mouth, which is what a great gnocchi should do. It’s never chewy, never tough. I always get mine in the roasted red pepper sauce (there are plenty of other sauces to choose from; they’re all tasty) with meatballs. And man, I love Sarafino’s meatballs. They’re one of a kind, milder than others, but perfectly complement the dish, while also soaking up the flavor of the main entrée.
The seared steak panini and grilled steak salad are also must-​haves. And the pizza? My fave in the ‘burgh! A nice, thin crispy crust with a sweet sauce base and delicious toppings of your choice. Then there are the daily specials. The crab cakes with portobella mushroom on the side are amazing. Nothing but crab meat, no filler! And if they have the lasagna, you cannot miss out on that. It will split your mind open in a revelatory fashion, I kid you not. Then there’s the veal parm, the ravioli… you get the idea.
So for those of you who actually favor joints like The Olive Garden or Bucca di Beppo, knock it off. This is the real deal. Of course, those of us in the know don’t mind keeping Sarafino’s all to ourselves. But you’d be missing out on one of the best if you didn’t stop by.