Rico's restaurant Reviews

Rico's is a Pittsburgh classic. The food and service are always top notch.

This restaurant lives on it's reputation. The food is predictable and just ok. The service was awkward and indifferent.

Nice date night dinner spot. Food is outstanding. Never have had anything I wasn't pleased with.

Welcoming staff, great food and a nice atmosphere for a perfect evening dinner.

David the owner is a class act! Rico's has great food - I've never been even close to disappointed. The wait staff is attentive and friendly. It's a warm and inviting atmosphere. The decor and the older crowd the restaurant draws will occasionally give you the feeling that the place is a bit dated but you need to push past that because it is a very nice place to have dinner.

Three of us had dinner on Friday, 12/27/2019. The experience was less than satisfying: Our waitress seemed awkward, mispronounced Italian words, and didn't answer questions. We decided to order the house salad; she asked if we wanted gorgonzola on it. I asked whether or not that increased the price. She ignored the question.
We discovered an increase of $5.00 for each salad with the cheese, from $2.50 to $7.50! The house dressing was also very strong, far too much vinegar.
All our main menu selections were far too salty. Back home we became so thirsty, we had to drink several glasses of water.
Thank you for this forum.

As soon as we got there, the valet came to the car and opened the doors for both my husband and I. When we walked inside, we were immediately greeted by a server, and as she went to see if there was a table, another host came to make sure we had been helped. There was about a 10 minute wait, so we sat in the well decorated lounge/bar area.
We were seated in the back of the restaurant, in front of the windows, where we enjoyed a nice view. It's a very quaint and romantic place. This was the first time I had ever been there, but today was my wedding day, and my husband and I wanted to go somewhere new and a little high end, and I feel like Rico's was a good choice.
The food alone would not bring me back. I ordered the Fettuccine Alfredo, and although it was a nice sized plate, it didn't have great flavor, or the "wow factor" that I would expect for a $21 bowl of pasta. My husband ordered the Filet Mignon, and the steak was about the size of a pack of cigarettes, so for $36, he was disappointed.
The staff were so attentive, yet subtle. It's not the kind of place where you are going to have a host at your table every ten seconds, but you won't have to wait long for anything.
The decor was old school, but in such a classy way that it felt modern. Overall, we enjoyed our time there, and it is a place we will visit every December 28th for our anniversary.

During the great quarantine of 2020, we picked up a great dinners for the family. Can't wait to visit and eat in house soon. Best Italian restaurant in Pittsburgh.

Rico's is a family tradition for our family on special occasions and when I come to visit. Bartender Chris was awesome! Our waitress was a little frazzled, but nice. Ceasar salad tableside is a MUST have. Anything on the menu is guaranteed quality. Worth the money, and you won't find better! My mom had a scallop dish with so many scallops, it was fabulous! Spare no expense and eat here.

I had a reservation at Rico s for 630 they only took parties of six. the parking lot was packed my friend was driving and she waited outside in the car with my son. I went in I couldn t even get to the desk after waiting 20 minutes I finally got up to the front of the desk and the woman in the tan dress completely ignored me she wouldn t wait on me she said one minute one minute one minute she never came back. I stood there for 45 minutes and I was not acknowledged and I had a 630 reservation all I wanted to ask was how long would the wait be because on Christmas Eve it s hard to find a place to eat. There was no response from the staff I think they re very unprofessional and they re greedy they overbooked and couldn t Accommodate Customers.

Good food. The wait staff needs more training on the menu items.

They lucky they are just getting one star. I called to inquire about there establishment for a birthday I wanted to have there. Whoever answered the phone started screaming at me and being very disrespectful. I could get if reception was bad but being rude to a first time
Client wanting to spend a lot of money there is unacceptable and take my money somewhere else. If this is how they treat people over the phone dare how they will treat you eating at the actual place. I won't ever take my money here and advise no one else either!

Excellent italian food. Charming ambience and decor, very nice staff. They do great and easy takeout service.
Their signature angel hair alfredo is dreamy

A bit of throw-back Pittsburgh (it's a thing) but the food was really good (haven't had that quality of Spots in a long while), the wait staff dedicated, and a pleasant dinner on a Tuesday.

Trash !!!!! Literally paid 90 dollars for a 30 dollar meal ....then get called names on the way out !!!!!

Overall a good Italian dining experience.
Where's the pasta on the Rotolo?

ONE OF MY FAVORITE BEST OUTSTANDING PLACES TO EAT AND DRINK AND HAVE FUN THEY WILL JUST ABOUT DO EVERYTHING TO MAKE YOUR STAY OUTSTANDING IN EVERY WAY IT WAS OUR BEST AND FIRST TIME IN THE PLACE IT FELT LIKE I WAS HOME AND WATCHING THE GAME EMPLOYEES WERE BECK AND CALL OUTSTANDING ME AND MY WIFE LOVED EVERYMOMENT OF IT IT WAS WORTH FINDING IT WE love it Dowl and Helen McGraw front both buy the big screen TV thanks everyone

Great local restaurant. Very good Italian food. Prices are higher than your chain restaurants but qorth it. Does have a bar area. Nice banquet room for events. Highly recommend.

What an amazing meal with a down to earth staff. Good wine list.

My husband and I chose Rico's for our rehearsal dinner on November 28, 2014 and we couldn't have been happier! Rico's has been an institution to so many in Pittsburgh and my family is no exception, so when choosing a venue for our rehearsal dinner Rico's was an easy choice. The ambiance was perfect and romantic for our rehearsal dinner, and David was absolutely fabulous to work with. He was very responsive to any questions or concerns that we had leading up to the dinner and was able to tailor a menu to fit perfectly within our budget. Choose Rico's for your next event- you won't be disappointed!

My favorite Italian restaurant. They are extremely accommodating to food allergies. I have never had a bad meal, And I have been going here for over 20 years. Many fond memories.

We had a reservation for 6:30pm for my friends bday. We arrived at 6:20pm and at 6;50pm were told to go to the bar area to have a drink bc the table wasn't ready. We eventually got seated at 7:05pm and waited another 15 min to get our appetizer order taken. We noticed ever other table had bread brought to them when they sat down, so we asked for bread, which finally came out enough 15 min later which was cold and stale. I will say once the salads and dinners finally came out they were pretty good (seafood dishes and rotalli were great, angel hair pasta dish not so much). We also noticed that the manager visited every table in the room to ask how everything was and seemed to purposely avoid our table. It was awkward. I'm not sure slow mediocre service was worth it. We won't be back.

Fantastic service Francis is the best waiter you could have. He made our lunch an extra special occasion. The food was good!

Great food, lovely ambience, attentive service and genuine Italian cuisine. A large house-like restaurant tucked away in Rico Lane, just aside from the busy McKnight Road is a warm experience to enjoy. Longstanding restaurant made famous More

Terrible service. More employees then patrons yet still waited far too long for everything. Server was not pleasant and seemed annoyed when asked to do any aspect of the job. Food was nothing special.

Excellent service. Very good food but not exciting enough for the price. We'll likely go back but certainly not often.

My family has been going their for years. Exceptional food every time. Service is phenomenal, never a let down.

This was our first visit to this restaurant, but it will definitely not be the last. The menu is diverse with something for everyone. We don't normally have dessert, but after a pair of excellent steaks, we had some great desserts. A perfect finish to a first rate dining experience. The staff is a fine complement to the food. Everyone was friendly and made us feel welcome there.

A Hidden Gem! Have been there many times and will be there many times more. Say "Hi" to Rico!

Excellent meal the Walleye with lemon sauce was perfect

The most disrespectful staff and owner.
My great uncle WAS a long time customer. David, the owner, embarrassed my uncle & the bartender publically. He thought someone brought a homemade bottle of wine into the bar. In the end, David embarrassed himself more than anyone.
They contest negative reviews. Make sure your google review is visible publically and not just personally.

Great hidden gem off McKnight road in the North Hills. A bit expensive but you get what you pay for.

First time at this restaurant after a full day shopping in Pittsburgh . We enjoyed one of the best meals I have ever had . Would definitely go back .

There were 5 of us for dinner. All meals were excellent!!!

Excellent food and friendly staff. Great stuffed shrimp.

Excellent. It's our favorite lunch place. Love the soft shell crabs & angelhair pasta with pignoli nuts!!!

My husband & I have been coming here for several years every few weeks as a date night, and the experience has been sublime every single visit. Everyone that works there (especially Lisa Rose!) are just fantastic, the food is out of this world, and it's just such a lovely atmosphere. Old school elegant! A must try.

Waited over an hour and a half when we were told 30 minutes. Would have left but they valeted the car and we had already been waiting long enough and were just hungry. It s a dated and old restaurant and from the decor to the staff. For what it cost to eat here, save your money and go somewhere else.

Fabulous as usual .... I had the Walleye and lump crab special and my husband had the broiled seafood platter which was enough for at LEAST 2 guests. Mine melted in your mouth. Never disappointed ... always a scrumptious meal along with impeccable wait staff. David's the best at customer servicing the patrons ... he's always on top of his game.

Excellent service and Italian food in a comfortable environment. One of Pittsburgh best kept secrets. Enjoy from a variety of Italian delicacies. Since 1979 and still doing it up very well!

Very high class! Food is amazing and I love the valet.

Outstanding!! The service was definitely on point, and forgot to mention how good the food was.

Great environment, great food and great service. My favorite place to eat.

I had a great dinner here on Thursday with my good friends. I had veal and peppers and a delicious shrimp cocktail. This is a traditional place, which is awesome especially in today's age when you really can't find the classics. New restaurants seem to be trying so hard to be trendy, "organic", "farm to table" or whatever else it is that they are chasing. Here, you can tell that the owners truly know their stuff and have been cooking the same great dishes for the test of time. Bottom line: fresh fish daily, great wine list, great staff, and most importantly, authenticity. I will be back again soon!

Great food. Good experience. At one time it would have probably been considered "outdated". However, I enjoyed the 1978 feel that restaurant offered. I felt like I was Tony Soprano. Get the Caesar Salad.

Rico's is old school cool Italian food. Put some Sinatra on in the cat on the way there. Revel in the luxury of well prepared fresh ingredients. Take your time, relax, and save room for the fig ice cream.

The Caesar salad that is prepared tableside is fantastic.
Food and service are first class.

Second time at Rico s- again an amazing evening. We were with a table of six and shared zucchini as our appetizer which was light, crispy and delicious as was our caesar salad (prepared table side). My entry was the lemon sole stuffed with crab meat!! Mouthwateringly incredible! We topped it off an incredible pecan ice cream ball with chocolate. A night to remember. Everything about the night was enjoyable and David treated us like we were VIPs.

Definitely one of our favorite restaurants in Pittsburgh area! Never had a disappointing meal!

Great food and service. Upscale hidden gem with huge delicious portions. A++

We had our company Christmas party ther. Great food and atmosphere. Can't wait to go back again for dinner.

This iconic NHills rest most noteable attribute is the service the menu for (NYE) offered a wide variety of starters, entrees, sides & deserts served presented nicely & at the right-temp; proportions were definitely generous; pretentious NYC pricing and the dated decor & flatware that's visually beyond prime were the basis for the rating

Excellent old world Italian cuisine!
Highly recommend for traditional Italian favorites!

Always exceptional food, wine, and mixed drinks. Worth every penny.

Terrible experience here! The staff is incredibly rude and I will never go back.

I love this place since im a kid Don lets me go in the back and pick out my own ice cream by myself and Rico's has really good food

It was really basic. They had no real parmesan for the Cesar salad, no straws for drinks bread was cold, but stuffed shrimp and crab was ok. It was a real old looking place.

The wine list is fantastic and goes well with the meals, Always a pleasure. Just moved back to Pgh and it was my first stop. Just as I remember it, my Happy hour hangout, I would watch what was served before making my decision.....

The food is excellent! The staff was great! Been going the for years and I have had a bad experience!

Food was excellent and service was too. A little pricey.

Horrible staff. Food is mediocre. We had the Caesar salad made at the table and asked for no anchovies , the guy making it was so rude and refused to not put anchovies bc it wouldnt be a ceasar salad without it he said.

Pricey, but delicious. This is an upscale restaurant in Pittsburgh.

Typically we love Rico's, but our last visit was not up to standard. The hostess (not Lisa Rose who is wonderful) seemed very confused and tried to seat us at a table she had given to someone else. Also, my wife ordered scallops for dinner but instead was served a completely different dish. Very disappointing.

You will not regret coming here! We've never had a bad experience coming here. The food is so delicious and we are tough Italians to please. The tableside Caesar salad, the homemade provolone sticks (which you can order any number you like), the tender veal! You cannot go wrong!

Went for a work party. Food was good. Service was ok for the amount of people.

Great meal and excellent service! Love the classic old school Italian feel. The salad lady knows what she is doing tableside

Food is Chef cooked... Fresh and delicious. Recommend seafood pasta diablo... it is not on the menu but he prepares anything you ask for. BEST PLACE TO EAT PREMIUM FOOD! You will pay .... but the food is well worth it!

Well I'm not going back to Rico's. The food was good but our waitress was the worst I have ever had. First since we were in one of the party rooms, the people at my table were standing and talking, and instead of asking us to sit down to get our order, she yelled at us to sit down. Second while walking around the table she kicked a birthday present into the wall, muttering something about how she'd put it on the gift table. And last but not least she threw the saucers for the coffee at each place setting. Bar none she was the worst waitress I've ever had, or dealt with. I will not be returning.