Gia Visto

Pleasantly surprised by this hidden gem. My fiancée and I had enough time to grab lunch together last Friday and after rummaging around her glove box for coupons and cross checking Unilocal we settled in for Gia Visto.
We found are way to a small unimpressive strip mall at first unsure if it was even open due to a lack of lighting we could see from the outside. We walked up and went in the find it to be cozy and romantically lit. You walk in and first see the kitchen/​prep room, which isn’t so great but their expanded dining room was very nice and cleanly decorated.
We looked over the menu and each picked an entrée– my fiancé chose the chicken risotto with spinach and I got the eggplant parm spaghetti. The bread we got was a little burnt and left us underwhelmed. However the food was absolutely incredible! We both couldn’t stop eating the delicious entrees that we had ordered! We were so satisfied that we even ordered dessert on the spur of the moment– which was also delicious might I add.
Overall food is 5 stars worthy. The reason for the 4^th star review is just for average service and a pretty outdated exterior. All in all, you definitely should add this to a must stop for any date night or outing in the Monroeville area.

I’m a big fan. My family members are all big fans. My coworkers are big fans. My clients are big fans. You should be a big fan too. And if you’re not, then get out of my face with your nonsense because it’s delicious.
My parents started making Gia Visto a regular dinner spot a while ago and I was always down to meet them there if I found out they were going. I never really thought about it for lunch until recently. Their lunch is great. Really, we have clients in our office every Wednesday for lunch and every single Wednesday for the last 4 months, they’ve requested that we pick up from Gia Visto. Their salmon over greens and beans, cooked in olive oil with tomato jam, is one of the best salmon dishes in the Pittsburgh area. All of their salads are great, too… the shrimp caprese, in particular. The dining room is cozy and intimate. It’s BYOB. It’s kick-​ass. Stop being such a freaking goofball and go eat there for the love of God. Places like this need to stay open.

Delicious! Very attentive staff and very nice. They let me basically build my own meal without a complaint and it was amazing. The breaded chicken could not have been cooked any better than what it was! I also had the arancini app which is a go to for me at any Italian restaurant and it was fabulous. I believe baked, not fried, which I really liked. All around great experience. It is BYOB though, just a heads up!

Beautiful, cozy dining room decorated with glassware and art. The server started us with a nice basket of bread. The Caesar Salad had just the right amount of garlic and the unusual addition of grape tomatoes and Kalamata olives. I had the Butternut Squash Risotto with Brussel Sprouts and Hazelnuts. I prefer risotto over pasta whenever I can get it, and it didn’t disappoint! My sister had the Lamb Rigatoni and was very happy with it. Both portions were too much to eat at once and we had them boxed to have for lunch the next day. The only disappointment is that they don’t serve wine and we didn’t know that before we went. You have to bring your own, and their corking fee is $ 4.00. I wish that had been more obvious on their website. Upon further research the next day, I found the corking fee at the bottom of the Lunch Menu. They need to move it to the Dinner Menu, when most people will be drinking wine.

Skeptical at first because of mixed reviews. But such a nice and quiet ambience, perfect for a date or with a little one like us. I had the risotto which was very good and hubby got the lamb rigatoni, oh so good too. Wouldn’t mind coming back for more if ever we’re in the area.

My fiancé and I have been here several times and we must say we love everything about this place.
From the staff and owners who are always very accommodating, friendly and knowledgeable…
To the ambiance and finely appointed décor and contemporary casual atmosphere in this hidden treasure it is worth the finding.
Each time we have gone we have order something different. they offer daily specials or try something off the menu, you won’t be disappointed. Don’t see something you like or want to tweak something you see just ask and they will prepare it for you.
We enjoy the out experience so much we are planning to hold our small intimate wedding reception there!
Yes…they do parties, events and catering.
This is a must experience rare gem hidden right off the parkway east and PA turnpike!
My goodness I sound like their PR person… hmmm
Maybe I will go in for dinner and discuss. lol
Enjoy!

Wow this was an amazing meal. My customers picked this place for dinner and I had no idea what to expect though you will not be disappointed. Everything we had was wonderful. We started with greens and beans appetizer this was cooked properly and very fresh. The house salad was good and different with a white balsamic and yellow raisins among the many toppings. For dinner we all had different dishes though since I was a newbie they insisted I tried their dishes all 3 dishes were different though all so good. From the huge pork chops, to the Bolognese to my dish with pasta and clams I enjoyed all three. We also had a chocolate cake with ice cream which was also good. If I lived in the area I would be a regular! This is certainly going to be my go to going forward when in this part of Pittsburgh! I am so glad my clients shared this gem with me!

Very disappointed. I was there for lunch but never got to eat
After I was taken to my table I sat there for 10 minutes without even getting a glass of water. The server came in several times to give checks to other tables, there were only 2, she never even looked my way. When I got up to leave I told her why I was leaving she just said she forgot about me. Never even apologized.

We were very disappointed in our meals here. My family is Italian, so we love to find local, authentic Italian spots– this is not that. We were the only people here at dinner time on a Wednesday night, so I can’t help but wander if the reviews are stacked? Or else from previous management? There is no way someone could find this place «charming» or «intimate»… Very odd décor and ambiance, and certainly not my idea of clean. Servers were not friendly. Bread was stale. My husband and I each ordered the chicken Romano– the chicken was thick and rubbery and the texture did not resemble anything close to chicken. The spaghetti that accompanied it was far from special– ragu and boxed noodles. The best thing about the meal were the House made salad dressings. Neither of us finished our entrees. I would not recommend this restaurant.

Wow. The best Italian meal I’ve had in quite some time. I got the spinach gnocchi and farro kale salad. So fresh and flavorful. Will definitely be back. Love how it’s BYOB too. You’ve got to try this place!

Amazing homemade gnocchi with vodka sauce. So good! Highly recommend. The bread basket was also delish.

My first time there I I found it on Unilocal food was fantastic service was excellent I would highly recommend it to anyone nice and cozy the appetizers were amazing the grilled salmon exceptional! Great place for a first date if you want to impress someone take them there

I stopped by here a couple of Saturdays ago with my wife and her parents for lunch. Whenever we walked in we were immediately greeted by the hostess and taken to our seats. That meant that we walked through what I think was a childrens cooking class where it looked like they were making pizzas. How cool is that? I think it is awesome that Gia Visto puts on kids cooking classes once a month for those inspiring kid cooks. After making it through the class and into the main dining room we were seated at a 4 top. The inside of their restaurant is cozy and has pictures from a lot of famous places.
After perusing their lunch menu I decided to order the risotto with chicken, parmesan and spinach. It was delivered about 20 minutes later after some other members of my party had finished their soups. Whenever I tried the risotto I thought that it tasted ok. The rice in it was cooked nicely so it was neither hard nor overly mushy. There was an ample amount of spinach and the chicken tasted ok too. Where it missed the mark was that I found it to be pretty bland and singular tasting with no depth of flavor. So while there wasn’t anything wrong with my meal I also didn’t find anything exciting about it either. The rest of my table ended up ordering shrimp caprese salad and it looked pretty good and they were all happy with it.
The bottom line for me is that I would give Gia Visto another chance in the future. While this visit wasn’t what I would consider a good meal for me, it is possible that I chose poorly and could have had a better experience with a better entrée choice.

I wanted to find a BYOB restaurant Gia Visto came up in my search and I am so glad it did. This place was amazing. Nice atmosphere, great service and the food! The Beans and Greens were delicious, the Gnocchi with the Roasted Red Pepper sauce was fantastic. The Gnocchi were fresh made in house. Definitely going back.

This place is a hidden gem! Super great and flavorful food. The place was getting packed around 5:30 on a Wednesday with what looked to be a middle aged crowd with lots of regulars (and lots of wine, its BYOB!). I minused a star for the menu being a little overpriced for pasta and the waitress was amazing but she was the only one in a packed dining room. Will definitely return with friends and wine!

The ambience is fine: friendly service and a cozy atmosphere. The food, unfortunately, is not up to par. The presentation of the dishes was solid, but ultimately the meal was a case of flash over substance as the food was underwhelming.
I ordered the hanger steak with side farro salad. The salad could have been good had the ratio of ingredients been more balanced. My salad was 90% farro, 10% everything else combined. I felt like I was eating a bowl of grains rather than an artisan salad. The hanger steak entrée was wholly disappointing. For $ 27, you receive ~5oz of rough quality meat, some spinach and garlic, and roasted potatoes. The advertised goat cheese and pancetta may have made things more interesting if they were anywhere to be found.
I really wanted to like this place, but from beginning to end the meal was dissatisfying. I even picked a safe dish (hanger) to avoid disappointment but somehow the rare, tender hanger I was expecting came out tasting like slightly burnt flank.
Bottom line: Their attempt to be fancy fell flat in my eyes; food was overpriced and the flavor combinations put together just did not work.

I read all the reviews that were posted before we made s reservation
I felt good and excited to go to dine there.
6of us went there for my daughters birthday. We had a reservation for 730 on Saturday the 13 th
We arrived at 720 and was seated by 730
The resturant was crowded.
We were given menus and a drink order was taken
When the drinks were brought to us is when all the confusion started
The menu was long and all mixed up with both sides not very understandable
Ok so I figured I would just ask the waitress right? Not really
She didn’t even understand it and had to run back in the kitchen for answers
She brought bread which was homemade and good but in the basket was 6little pieces not enough for 2 people
I ordered gnocchi with red roasted pepper sauce after a 5 minute dissertation on which sauces had or did not have onions
At 815 roughly 35 min after we ordered I flagged the waitress down and asked her where our soups and said was
She told they were coming right out
Finally at 830 we got out soups and salads
At 850 a young an in a grunge. Tossil cap and and t shirt brought our meals
He was dirty looking (very un professional)
Now the food was hot and good but the portions were very skimpy. My gnocchi were 19.50 .for that I received 13 small pieces of gnocchi. That is more than 1 dollar for each piece. I not asking for the world for 19.50 but that was ridiculous
Every one else had very small portions too.
Our waitress did make sure our drinks were refilled but that was all.
The service although the food was good not excellent was very very poor and unprofessional. I left there knowing that the food was ok but I could not recommend this resturant to anyone and would never go back there 2 stars only because the food was ok everything else terrible
Ang B

Great Food, absolutely great! We came here on a whim looking for somewhere new to eat in Monroeville and boy am I happy I stumbled in here.
The ambience is very casual and yet elegant. You can bring your own wine although they do have a corkage fee I believe (not completely sure). The menu has plenty of items and since it’s an Italian restaurant they give you out of this world portions.
I ordered the trout entrée with a side farro salad. The salad was huge, literally enough of r2 or 3 people to share. It came with beets, kale and walnuts and a few other touches but the dressing wasn’t too appeasing to me. My husbands salad had a tomato balsamic dressing which was great so I asked her to add it to mine instead and it really improved the flavor. He ordered gnocchi in a tomato base sauce that also came with large olives that were very good and tangy.
My trout was packed with flavor and tasted very fresh. It was accompanied by braised red cabbage and a sweet potato soufflé. It was like the perfect bite, trout, cabbage and sweet potato all in one. Excellent! The cabbage I have to rave about because they made it sweet and oh so buttery. I loved each bite. My husband too enjoyed his food and we even shared a dessert together. Apple pie a la mode. The apples weren’t cooked as soft as I like them but it was still a decent dessert.
This place will definitely be added to my goto list of places to eat. plus the menu changes weekly which is a good thing because I’m all about new dishes: D

Oh my goodness.
I live in Austin, and grew up in PIttsburgh’s east side. I never knew just how spoiled I was by PA italian food until I left and moved to the south where… at least in Austin, italian is miserably pale comparison to what I can get at so many places in Pittsburgh. Gias is FABULOUS in my book, one of the best italian places in Pittsburgh IMO… I wish I could bottle all this deliciousness up and take it with me but I can’t. So I’ll just keep dreaming about the awesome meal I had here until I’m back in PA.
Things to know: The interior is warm and charming. Space is very limited so make reservations in evenings and on weekends. You need to bring your own wine. Service is good… our waitress wasn’t fawning but she was polite and didn’t miss a beat in execution.
Oh yea, the FOOD! We got these things and thought this about them:
— Eggplant parmesan– very best I’ve had. Lightly crispy, not too heavily cheesy, and heavenly sauce.
— Beet salad– good, light. PICKLED FENNEL! Why do more places not have this? So good. Need to learn how to make. Would be an epic hit at gastropubs.
— Ceasar salad– we all agreed it was the least impressive. Dressing was heavy and a little too fishy. About ¹⁄₃ as much dressing would have improved the salad greatly. Still everything else was awesome so they get a pass here.
— Homeade ricotta gnocchiI! If you get nothing else here get the Gnocchi with roasted red pepper sauce. I’d probably honestly make it my last meal on earth.
— Homeade Rigatoni with tomato basil sauce. So delicious, just a perfect simple and beautiful bowl of pasta.
— Pork Shoulder with puscanetta– didn’t have any but it got rave reviews from everyone.
— Tiramisu and mini cannoli, and a house coffee. Dessert to die for.
I’d easily eat here and die happy.

I dine here a few times a year for lunch. I really like their roasted red pepper and vodka sauces on any of the pasta options (but do try the ricotta gnocchi!). Add a meatball or two and you have the makings of an excellent meal. All pastas are between 7 – 10 dollars and are decently portioned for lunch servings.
I also very much enjoy their paninis with the chicken/​goat cheese/​roasted red pepper being my favorite!
I never enjoyed «beans and greens» before I tried it here. I’ll admit it is very tasty, with fresh tomatoes and white wine sauce.
The dinner menu is larger and slightly more expensive, but lacks the lunch paninis (I’m not sure if they are still available, so ask!) Large plate stars include the flank steak and the pork shank.
The place is BYOB and corking fee is a modest $ 4.
Keep in mind, however, that the place is tiny (probably only twenty tables total)! So either make a reservation or go during lunch. They also do several «wine dinners» over the course of the year.
One strange thing — it’s an Italian restaurant with pictures of Prague everywhere. Not necessarily a bad thing … just slightly out of place. Samozřejmě je mi jedno. Česká Republika se mi líbí!