Rizzo’s Malabar Inn

5 star service, authentic Italian FAMILY atmosphere, and last but not least delicious food. When our party of 24 arrived tonight we were greeted by Sean with a big smile and his friendly helpful demeanor. While walking to our room upstairs we had at least 4 of the servers greet us saying welcome to Rizzos. There were a ton of people at Rizzos, yet you would have thought that we were VIP with how nice they treated us. Within a minute of sitting down Alexis and Celeste were getting our drink orders and we all had beer and wine in front of us (the montepulciano wine is to die for). After the hot fresh appetizers were finished we all ordered entrees. The timing from the kitchen was perfect. Salads were just finishing up and we had steaming hot veal, gnocchi, spaghetti, etc ready to eat. The servers from the other sections upstairs and downstairs all helped run the food to our table so that it was served in a timely fashion. Our tables never got crowded with plates or empty glasses. Last but not least Sean suggested that we stop over at the marketplace. When we walked in I felt like i was in a corner store in Italy. Great job to the owners, management, and team members!!! If I could give 100 stars I would.

We were traveling home from the nurses pinning ceremony at Westmoreland CCC. We stopped here at 8:27p and realized they close at 8:30p. My family headed to the car but I walked in to see if they could recommend a good restaurant. They simply said «you can eat here. We’ll gladly serve you.» I resisted and said I did not want to keep them late as I realized they were closing. I resisted but they insisted «please let us serve your family. It is not a problem at all.»
I got my family from the car and we were seated and treated like we were royalty rather than an imposition.
The food was amazing. Every item was excellent — fettuccine Alfredo with shrimp, gluten free rigatoni, homemade family recipe pizza and the best Caesar salad I’ve ever had and I know Caesar salads. Lol.
As amazing as the food was I cannot say enough about the welcome feeling and amazing service in this place. Not one employee made us feel like they wanted us to hurry so they could get home. They created a perfect atmosphere to enjoy a fabulous meal.

The place itself is very nice and the service was very good. The part I have issue with was the food, which is arguably the most important part. The pierogies were in a soup of butter. I was not expecting that and it too away greatly from the pierogies and onions that were well made. Maybe cut back in the butter by at least half? I am hunky and am very particular about my culture.

Absolutely fantastic. The food was perfect, the wine was good, and the people were so nice. Our waitress, Jenn, was great! She showed us around the restaurant after we finished eating, and she had some really nice conversations with us. We will definitely be back.

Just okay in my opinion… Listen i love good food… But i just don’t get the hype about this place. Not impressed with it… It’s… Just… OK.

Still a Destination after all these years.
When I lived in NE Ohio back in the 1980’s, numerous people suggested visiting Rizzo’s when we went over to Pittsburgh. Finding it was interesting because Crabtree is basically little more that a crossroads for a town that has long since died. Oddly enough Crabtree is also home to another excellent Italian Restaurant. Two great restaurants in the middle of nowhere.
In anycase, you pull into the parking lot and it’s a rather spacious parking lot and generally the lot is packed. Looking at the tags, you see of course, Pa, but you will also see Ohio, NY, WV and Maryland at any given time. Rizzo’s has become a destination for those who love good Italian and for those type folks, it reminds me of the line from from Field of Dreams. Build it and they will come.
In anycase, patrons have been coming for over 30 years to both places.
Our youngest Grandson was Baptized earlier that day by his other Grandfather who is a retired Minister. To commemorate the event, we made reservations for a party of 10 at Rizzo’s. There were 8 adults, a toddler and the guest of honor who slept through it all.
Consider this. It’s also Christmas time and the restaurant is slammed with Holiday parties but they went out of their way to accomodate us. Place was packed but we walked in at the apponted time and were promptly seated complete with accomodations for the two young ones.
When I lived in Western PA back in the 1990’s, Rizzo’s was a favorite and I’m glad to report that it has not changed. Between the 8 adults, we had a wide variety of entrees included
Veal and Eggplant Parmesan. Shrimp Scampi, Spaghetti, Italian Combo and I had the baked Lasagna. Can’t speak for everyone but my Lasagna was great, my wife loved her Veal Parm and heard no complaint from anyone else.
As I pointed out, this is more than a restaurant. This is a destinaton and well worth the trip.
Not only is the cusine great, service and attention to detail leaves nothing to chance. I have to give high marks to the managements for having such a well trained and competent staff.
Looking forward to my next visit

Great food with family friendly staff. Consistently good food… good for families. I love the veal parm. Hazelnut gelato to die for.

Probably our favorite «almost home» restaurant. It’s like being at your grandma or aunt’s house. Good Italian food, wonderful staff & the best owners. It’s an all around great experience.

Just hosted a retirement party for a dear friend at Rizzo’s. What a great decision. Instead of a sit down meal, we had appetizers. It was absolutely over the top!!! The appetizers were amazing! We had roasted peppers with asiago cheese, chicken Romano, sausage with peppers and onions in a marinara sauce, mushrooms stuffed with crabmeat and assorted pizzas. Then Rizzi surprised us with pumpkin ravioli!!! AMAZING! Everyone was so pleased with the service… Thank you to Celeste our server! The venue was in the new bar area and it was completely PERFECT! I would give Rizzo’s 10 stars if I could. Thank you to such a professional and kind and generous family restaurant. You are second to none!

My family and I have been coming here for about a decade. I grew up in Windber, PA which has a Rizzo’s of its own (my favorite Italian to this day), but since moving to Pittsburgh this has served as the perfect in-​between stop for my extended family.
They’ve grown a lot over the years but the quality has stayed the same. Inexpensive meals, affordable wine, and delicious gelato for dessert every time we come.
We almost always start with the mix of hot/​sweet peppers with oil and cheese. For my entrée I tend to get chicken parm with a side of gnocchi. Very good house salads — love the crinkle cut beets. Most recent visit had sliced beets so I hope that’s not the norm moving forward.
Only one thing you need for dessert: Nutella gelato. Or more recently we had the special, pumpkin gelato which was delicious.
Friendly hostess and waitstaff every time we come.

My husband and younger daughter ate here this evening. I can’t say it’s the worst Italian I’ve had, can’t say it was the best. My husband ordered the sample platter. He enjoyed the meatballs and spaghetti, he didn’t comment on the raviolis, and he disliked the gnocchi. I ordered the fettuccine alfredo with chicken. The sauce actually tasted good but was overkill, as the pasta was swimming in it. The tiny chicken breast was mixed in with the sauce, which I very much dislike. I like to be able to see the chicken and know what I’m eating, besides that, it kills the presentation. (Call me picky) I didn’t mind there was barely any chicken because it wasn’t the best. Some pieces almost tasted like gristle, could have been cartilage, could have been rubbery, overlooked chicken. I didn’t complain because it was edible. For the price you pay though, you’d think it would be to die for. I was a little taken back that a pre dinner salad was $ 5 a piece. Usually salad and bread are expected with Italian meals, but the salad was actually pretty delish with the house dressing so I didn’t mind. For two adults and one 5 year old (that ordered kids chicken fingers in a healing bucket of fried lol) we paid $ 75 for a mediocre dining experience. The atmosphere and interior were rather nice and decorated well, but I came for over the top delicious Italian and was let down. I will most likely give Carbone’s a try next time I have a craving for a good Italian meal.

The food was very good! I got the chicken park which was delicious! This was the first time I’ve been since the renovation and it’s a lot nicer now. Coursing could have been a little better and they could use a beer list. Our waitress was also very nice!

Always a good meal! Specials are a joke, they only offer them for 30 minutes when they first open. Don’t forget the coupon– they won’t honor the special without it.
Prices are way high for where it is, no happy hour. Just on Fridays from 6 – 8?! And only one drink special–
Don’t look to spend less than $ 100 on dinner here for your family.

Rizzo’s, come on, you let me down. My family has been going here for years so I couldn’t help but choose this spot as our birthday dinner location for my mom’s recent 50^th birthday.
You can count on Rizzo’s for tasty sauces, perfected gnocchi and always being busy. Unfortunately, our last visit had a few flaws:
–sllooowww service. I’ll admit we had a large group but it took eons to even receive our drinks
–tough meatballs — they used to be lightly packed and would nearly fall apart in your mouth — this time I had to use a chainsaw to cut them open.
–Rizzo’s needs an interior face lift — maybe windows? The drop ceilings and packed rooms leave you feeling claustrophobic and sweaty.
New highlight:
Go for the polenta! Very tasty and covered with Rizzo’s famous sauce and your choice of cheese. We opted for the parmesan.
Looking for something lighter? Caprese salad all the way.

Huge portions of authentic home-​style Italian food. Not quite fine dining, but don’t let that get in the way of having a great meal.
The polenta was a little bland and the sauce drowned out most of the polenta flavor. Good thing the sauce was delicious!
Caprese salad had a good balance of ingredients, but the tomatoes were out of season (I know, I know — unavoidable some times of the year).
Gnocchi was a bit sticky, overall good but not mind blowing.

Really good food. This was the first time I had been there, but from what I’ve heard, they recently renovated. The layout is kind of odd, a few small rooms with low ceilings, and then a huge modern room with large windows, a big bar, and very tall ceilings.
We were with a group of about 10 and were seated right away due to our reservations. Drink orders were promptly taken, however the glasses were ridiculously small. I think I drank 15 glasses of water — not exaggerating at all.
The food is slightly overpriced in my opinion, but the portions are large and it tastes authentic. Everything was hot (temp. wise) and served in a timely manner. I didn’t feel rushed between appetizer, soup, and entrée. Our waitress was nice and personable. She gave good recommendations and kept up with our ever-​emptying glasses.
I’d go back, but probably ask for a larger glass.

Fantanstic food all of the time. Always served hot. Best veal i have ever had. Homemade pasta is also the best ive had. Wish they had a better beer selection. Wish it wasn’t so pricey, i would go more.

This was a real surprise. Real Italian food in the Pennsylvania countryside. The Italian gravy is well made. Polenta was awesome. Cannoli was excellent. A real treat.