17th Street Cafe

AVOID AT ALL COSTS. The food is greasy and overpriced. The wine selection is better at any 7-11 in Iowa. more

I really wanted to like this place. I've heard great things about it, so when my friend gave me a coupon for it I decided that it was worth a try. What a waste of money. This is what I like to call ""faux-met"". It's where a restaurant has no concept of the balance of flavors that is meant to go into a ""gourmet"" meal and instead serves you something you could have made at home only at ridiculous prices in an effort to trick you into thinking it's something special. I went to great lengths trying to pick something without mushrooms (a difficult thing as 90% of the menu had mushrooms) believing that you don't go into a restaurant and mess with the careful decisions a chef has made about the construction of their food. What a waste of effort. My tilapia was HORRIBLY dry and clearly not fresh. Even if it had come with sufficient sauce, the sauce was far too saccharine for the crust they had chosen for the fish. My husband's asiago pillows were also dry and flavorless. The vegetables that came as his side were literally just steamed and stuck on a plate. My penne side was served with marinara that tasted alarmingly like pizza hut's. Anyone can cook food like this and it's fine for an at home meal. But when you go out and pay $25 a plate, you deserve better than this. Don't be tricked into thinking its good just because you paid a lot for it. more

The food here is fantastic! The portions are just right and the staff couldn't be friendlier. I'd recommend 17th Street Cafe to anyone looking for a peaceful environment with great food. more

The 17th Street Cafe is my favorite restaurant. The fried zucchini is so good it should be illegal. Cathy more

To our surprise, Mothers Day was an extremely extraordinary day. My mother doesn't like large crowds, so we have a hard time selecting a place, until we found this place. It is an intimate setting and they took reservations!!!! The owner greeted us at the table with a gift for each of the women - what a classy thing to do and having never been there before, it certainly was a wonderful beginning. Our server was extremely efficient and patient with all of us because we had a large group and she helped us with dinner selections and she did it perfectly!!!! We had appetizers, drinks, dinner and desert and we can honestly say that everything was amazing! We are already planning our next trip there!! The bartender took our requests and knew exactly what drinks to make for us!!!! Thank you, 17 st cafe for a truly fabulous day!!!! more

I usually avoid restaurants on Mother's Day, but today was such a surprise! Although the place is small it is very cozy. The wait staff greeted us at the door and directed us to our seats. The bartender was personable with a beautiful smile. She delivered awesome sangria and drinks! Food is fresh and made from scratch. There were 7 of us and no one was disappointed. Our new favorite place! All in all it's a friendly restaurant with great food more

I read all these great reviews and much to my suprise they were all very wrong! This place is small, crampy and it smells stale. The service was slow and my meal was not that great. Also the food is very overpriced for the quality (i would say it is only so-so). The prices are that of a fancy restaurant and this place is far from it! Do not be fooled by all the good reviews (they must pay people to write them). Do not waste your time or money with this place. more

I have been frequenting the 17th street cafe for several years and I have to say that it is by far my favorite place to dine in the Burgh. The food is always exceptional, the specials at times are unique but always have proven to be a culinary delight and the staff is very friendly and attentive every time. There are not many places where the owner is so involved in making sure that the customers are satisfied and makes an effort to reach out to them during the dining experience. Pat always does. This is very impressive. I also appreciate the consistency and I know that I can count on it always being a positive dining experience. I have taken several clients and family there over the years and have always received positive feedback about the food, the service and the quaint atmosphere. more

The 17th Street Cafe is my favorite place to take family, friends and clients. The chef is accomodating, the wait staff remembers folks by name and the rewards program and email coupons make the cost of eating out easier on the wallet. On the rare occasion when a guest sent his steak back it was promptly replaced to his satisfaction. When large chain restaurants serve ""boil in a bag"" food or make you wait because they don't staff enough for the size of the place, it is nice that South Side independent restauranteers are holding their own. I'd encourage everyone to try the 17th Street Cafe! more

Just stopped for a drink, but came back for the food. After two visits we know most of the staff by name. Best bartender in Pittsburgh. Feels like you're in a restaurant owned by your uncle, if your uncle were a gourmet chef. I had a pasta with seafood - awesome- and don't miss the apple berry cobbler. Oh, my gosh! We'll definitely be going back to the 17th Street Cafe regularly. My new favorite place. Pros: Cheers atmosphere with gourmet food Cons: Small, but cozy more

Went a couple of weeks ago to Nakayama Japenese steakhouse, good but otherwise unremarkable experience, after dinner wanted to get a drink with my wife, we spied the 17th street cafe down the block so we went in and sat at the bar. Immediately a very friendly bartender attended to us and we began chatting. Very personable. My wife and I noticed some very good looking food being brought out to tables around us, (there are 0nly about 10 tables in the whole place). We made a mental note of this. The bartender urged us to sign up for their rewards program so we left our name and address.A couple of days later we got a postcard from the bartender noting how much fun she had talking with us, good marketing! We decided to take some friends the following Friday. After being seated we ordered some drinks and the owner came back and started talking with us, very personable fellow, he is also a chef but hired a fellow chef to cook while he runs the place. Our food came out and to our delight all our dishes were delicous. 9 out of 10 ratings from all 4 of us. Getting a very delicious meal seems hit or miss at many Pittsburgh eateries, it is rare to have 4 people all ordering something different and all being equally pleased. Of note , the place is small and intimate, the building is a remodeled early 20th century storefront. The bathroom is small and somewhat spartan, but clean.If you want a close personal experience with friends and staff alike, this place should meet or exceed your expectations. Pros: great food great atmosphere more

In town on business, my co-worker and I had already been disappointed by 2 other restaurants on Carson Street; so we ambled around and saw this place down a ""side street"" (17th). Pros: Friendly staff, great food more

I've been reading reviews online about this place on review sites like this for years. Ive eaten here three times and have been disappointed every time. The reason I keep going back is that I keep seeing these rave reviews and tell myself that I must be missing something. The service has been slow on all of my visits and the food (albeit decent Italian) is really overrated, overpriced and under portioned. The so called best hamburgers in Pittsburgh are not available at dinner time, so I have yet to try them. The last time I was told that the burgers are not available. I walked two blocks and had the real best hamburger in Pittsburgh. I really feel that the owners must be computer saavy and are creating multiple user id's to these sites and writing the reviews themselves. DO NOT TRUST THESE REVIEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Pros: None (Really wanted to find sometning) Cons: Way Overpriced/Slow Service more

After discovering this restaurant 2 years ago, my wife and I have visited a number of times, some of them with friends or relatives. We've never been disappointed (nor have the people who've accompanied us) with the quality of the food in any way. It's always delicious and well-presented. We stopped in early this past Saturday and the steak I had was perfect. I don't have a great vocabulary for culinary review, but I think my saying that it was excellent-tasting and of a generous portion size should be enough. Sometimes it's difficult for me to find a good steak nowadays but not at this restaurant. And however good the food is at any establishment, it always tastes considerably better when you're treated well by the staff and management. The staff is always pleasant and attentive and almost every time I've been in, the owner stops by after the meal and makes sure that all was up to the usual quality. I appreciate that. If you haven't tried the 17th Street Cafe yet, put it on your list. I don't think you'll be disappointed. Pros: Great food, great service, intimate atmosphere more

I have been to this restaurant a million times and it keeps on getting better. The menu has something for everyone and every item is delicious. The owners are so friendly and always come over to each table wanting feedback. I just stopped in last week and they had guess the weight of the pumpkin. Every member of the staff is accommodating. This is my favorite restaurant in Pittsburgh by far! Pros: amazing food, friendly staff, great location more

This was my first and definately last visit to this extremely over-rated restaurant. While the food was decent (although i've definately had much better in the pittsburgh area), the service was terrible. It took forever to get my drink refill. We asked for more bread and they did not bring it until after we finished our meal. We asked the waitress for 2 separate checks and she told us that they don't have a machine to do it and she ""doesn't have time to do it"" for us. The customer service at this so-called ""fine establishment"" cannot even compete with a fast food restaurant. Pros: average food Cons: awful service more

First time here last night and will not be the last. Great food, great service (C.B.), and great atmosphere! The chicken pasquale and mushroom ravioli were terrific-not to mention the georgia peach cocktails! YUM more

I'm confused. This place consistently gets rave online reviews (city search, trip advisor) but I just don't get it. $20+ pasta dishes are really small, left me hungry. The server (on my last visit) brought my first cocktail with lipstick on the glass, and took 10 minutes to bring the correction. this is all while the restaurant was half empty, and the bar was 10 steps from our table. How does 17th st get best burger in Pittsburgh on city search, and I've been there three times and asked all three times if i could get one of these fabled hamburgers, and they say ""not for dinner, sorry"". I suspect someone is stuffing the online ballot box, because I'm not seeing this place being the best romantic spot, best burger (what burger? I've yet to see one), best Italian food. These awesome things are just not there. This isn't my opinion, this is just plain fact. Please avoid. (or in the very least, don't have the high expectations I had) Pros: food was good Cons: service was really slow more

This little cafe offers a wonderful setting for you and your family, or you and your special someone! My wife and I have been going to 17th St for years, and it has always been our special little place! The food is amazing, the people who work there have always been so nice and the food has Never Once Disappointed! The wine list is extensive, and the atmosphere is the best part. The seating area is not to expansive so you never feel crowed in! Pros: People Cons: Parking more

This is a very cute restaurant, but it is not worth the wait. My friends and I waited for ever to get into this place and when we finally got seated we felt as if we were rushed out the door! I mean, i enjoy quick service but I wasn't the only one who could tell that our server was in a big hurry to get us out. We ended up spending more time waiting than eating. I had heard great things about this restaurant, but I was not impressed with my food. I knew it was going to be pricey to eat here and I don't mind paying the price for a good meal, but I feel as though I paid for a good meal but only got a meal that was less than average. Needless to say, I felt very ripped off after leaving this place. I think there are plenty of places on Carson Street where I could have gotten a better meal. more