Cafe io

My visit to Café io it’s a perfect example of why I love Unilocal.With dozens of reviews, and a solid 4 stars, I decided to venture to this place to give it a try. And I was completely blown away by the amazing food, exceptional service, and homey feel of this little restaurant.
Let’s start off with the exceptional service. I like how it wasn’t just our waitress waiting on us (filling our drinks and serving our food to us). Everyone on the service team pitched in and provided service. That quality of customer service makes me really happy!
Now on to the food. Wow. That’s all I can say. I had the French Mushroom Soup and the Chicken Marsala for my dinner. The flavor of the soup is something I cannot explain and I highly recommend giving it a try! The Chicken Marsala rocked my world! I think it is the Marsala sauce that made the dish. It was a perfect combination of sweet and savory. It was so good I had to steal my companion’s french fries to pick up the leftover sauce on the plate!

This place is EXCELLENT. I do not go five-​star very often. This is an unassuming, humble, little place on Beverly in Mt. Lebo that vastly exceeded my expectations.
Here is what I like:
1) The setting is nice, classic, and cozy. There is lots of glass at the front, admitting good, natural lighting. The tables/​chairs are efficiently spaced, so there is elbow room (not always the case in a smaller restaurant). They have one of those «air door» things that really keeps the cold out in Winter, as guests walk in/​out from outside.
2) The FOOD is great. I’ve had a steak, a crab-​cake, two of their fancied-​up grilled cheeses, entre salads, side salads, and homemade soups. All of it has been fantastic. The grilled-​cheese with the BBQ on it is amazing, especially with the sweet-​potato fries.
3) Service is good and unobtrusive, matching the setting with efficient service that works. Food prep. times are very reasonable.
This place makes a great date-​night spot, and my lovely wife likes it, too. Go and give these folks a try.

this is a wonderful neighborhood deli and my go to lunch spot. they have 4 soups every day and at least one vegetarian option — usually there are two. the tomato bisque is the best ive ever had and all the others are good too. they also make sandwiches to order and have home made sides ready to go. hands down better than the chains and always friendly staff.

Café Io is simply wonderful! It’s quickly becoming my favorite weekend lunch spot in Lebo. It’s at a great location on Beverly Road in Lebo, and the service is superb! Let me also tell you that you must get the French Mushroom soup! Think FO soup only way better. It comes with a little shaving of parm cheese on top that is the perfect amount. I crave that, I want more. They also serve alcohol which is always a plus in my book. I’ve only been in for lunch twice so far, but I am really looking forward to trying other menu items!

In a nutshell: cute little restaurant in a cute little strip in Mt. Lebanon. Serving variety of cuisines and dishes. Good food, but not the best you’ll have.
My husband and I came here on a Friday night and it was packed and we figured they have to be doing something right. Looking at the menu, it’s hard to identify their signature dishes as their menu has quite the assortment of cuisines. They have grilled cheeses, pastas, fried rices, jambalaya, tacos… identity crisis or jack of all trades? The hubby ordered the Chicken Marsala and I ordered the Fish Tacos and French Onion soup. I thought my soup was ok; definitely have had better. The fish tacos were good, but again, I’ve still had better. They were huge though. However, the chicken marsala was delicious. The pasta was cooked perfectly, as was the chicken. And the sauce! Perfectly sweet, savory and earthy, with hints of wine and garlic. So all in all, it was a hit and miss so we hope to be back to try other items from the menu.

Definitely looking forward to checking Café Io out given the positive reviews. Unfortunately there must be a lot of people whom live in the Dormont/​Mt. Lebo area that have no idea what good food is supposed to taste like. I had the poutine app to start, which was a bust. The gravy was watered down and they served it with beef slices which wasn’t what I was expecting. Needless to say, the beef was on par with something I could get at Arby’s.
The Pittsburgh Crab Cake sandwich was such a disappointment. Nothing about it was unique and I’ve had better quality of crab cakes from Giant Eagle. One tiny crab cake between two pieces of generic white toast. The bread it was served on was certainly not homemade. Tasted like toasted Wonder Bread to me. Fries that were placed on the sandwich were nothing special. Didn’t seemed seasoned at all either
Overall, nothing at Café Io is something special and you’re better off saving your money and making whatever is on their menu at home. I won’t be back.

Nice place. Interesting and good menu. Surprisingly reasonable priced.
Very helpful hostess staff while waiting for a table.
We went over to Bedo’s to have some drinks and they called us when our table was ready.
That was awesome.
Would definitely go here again.

Every time I go here, I have to get their spinach salad. The dressing, the goat cheese, the apples… they’re all perfect. It’s just filling enough. I have tried multiple appetizers and have enjoyed them all. My guests have tried their grilled cheeses, and have loved them. I’m fairly certain this is a BYOB restaurant. The only aspect I dislike is the children that will run around the restaurant freely during dinner hours, and sometimes at lunch hours. The ambiance is cozy and warm, and I definitely recommend.

This place was so warm and welcoming on a cold and dreary fall day. I love walking into a place that feels cozy and intimate, with a small staff and lots of personal touches — and that’s exactly what happened here. I was meeting a colleague for dinner on a weeknight after a very long day of travel (and dealing with Pittsburgh’s never-​ending terrible traffic). I found this place thanks to Unilocalies and invited him to meet me here.
As I arrived early, I sat at the tiny little bar and ordered a cocktail. Holy. Cow. I can’t remember the name, but I’ll never forget the flavors of the gin martini with grapefruit and lemon juices and agave nectar. I knew I was off to a good start. When my colleague arrived, we were immediately seated. I ordered the orecchiette and he a burger. We were both very impressed with both the timeliness and flavor of the dishes. My pasta had the exact right amount of sauce, sausage, and veggies to make each bite perfection. We ended the meal with dessert drinks, and I have decided to start making the Nuts n Berries drink myself at home, it was so dreamy.
It pains me to say that I had one sad experience when I took some dessert to-​go. While the substance of the berry/​custard pie (?) should have been spot on, it was so dry that it crumbled each time I went for a bite. Either the dessert had been sitting awhile or there isn’t enough moisture in the custard to keep this cohesive. I’m guessing that the former is the case.
All in all, I would really recommend this place for a casual but impressive dinner.

Love this little place!
The flavors, portions, and prices are perfect. This is a great spot for lunch with the girlfriends or a casual but still intimate dinner date.
Highly recommended!

Everything we’ve every had here has at least been good. Sometimes it’s been excellent. The staff is very friendly and the prices are reasonable. They have a pretty good beer list, though nothing on draft. They also changed their menu up recently and eliminated some things, including my wife’s favorite pasta dish. They added a bunch of grilled cheese sandwich options which isn’t really my thing. Definitely recommend though, this restaurant would fit in down in more trendier spots like Lawrenceville, Shadyside or downtown.

When we moved to Mt Lebo I was so pleasantly surprised to have a great simple café within walking distance from our new home, as we came from Shadyside and were used to walking to lunch and dinner! We love IO so much that we probably eat here at least twice a week. And my children & I are ADDICTED to the tomato soup. It is the best tomato soup I have ever had in my life. Our other favorites are the fish tacos, sweet potato fries, and the spicy veg head sandwich. The café is simple and tasteful, very family friendly, and even BYOB if your favorite wine isn’t on their small list. I usually just get some prosecco!

Great service. Really cute place in a great location. I live right down the street. I decided to get a salad to go for dinner. I asked for no onions or olives with extra cheese. I got next to none. This salad isn’t worth $ 12 but I’ll try another time. Give this place a chance. Great atmosphere. Just look inside your bag before leaving with carry out.

Fresh ingredients well prepared. Took my mother and sister (a pastry chef from LA) for a Saturday lunch. Both were impressed. Monster grilled cheese with the tomato basil soup can’t be beat, and I won’t be thinking about dinner until late tonight!

Love the green beans with the horseradish sauce as an appetizer. My friend always has the open faced turkey sandwich. I’m kind of partial to the crab cakes!
The owners are truly hardworking and so personable. I would highly recommend dinner and a Lemon Drop Martini!!!

It’s a shame we haven’t visited Café IO sooner, being just a hop, skip and jump away in Dormont. I blame those darn hills, or I’d be walking here! It’s incredibly adorable inside, and we were lucky enough to sit in the best seat for date night, a cozy little set-​up right in the corner by the window.
I started off with a delicious manhattan, which makes me wish they had a bigger bar area to grab some casual cocktails at with friends. But I’m okay sticking with a dinner cocktail for now.
We started with the Lovino ($ 10 — tempura mozzarella, Italian sweet sausage, marinated tomatoes, basil, organic mixed greens). You can’t deny the power of tempura mozzarella. I kept repeating how much I enjoyed the balsamic too. Probably too much actually, much to the chagrin of my hubby.
Next I had the Mediterranean Bronzini ($ 22 — grilled fillet of Bronzini, crispy parmesan polenta, wilted spinach, marinated tomatoes, balsamic
vinegar, extra virgin olive oil). Good thing it also had the balsamic on there so I could rave some more! There were two large pieces of fish too, so it was hard to finish the whole dish. Plus, the two fried polenta pieces gave it just the right amount of carby goodness that I craved.
I’ll note that they have a large grilled cheese menu, which makes me want to come back again for lunch and also brings out the families for dinner. So know you can bring the kiddos!

Stopped in a Friday to have some seafood and the meal was great. Everything on the menu seems to be tasty and well thought out and prepared. The Mediterranean Bronzini on a parmesan polenta was perfectly cooked and very tasty. Of course SWMBO ordered the crispy Green Beans to start, that are so much fun to eat.
As always, the service was good.

I gave up meat for lent, which drastically reduces my options. Though I’m not a rice person, I opted for the tofu fried rice. I was very pleased. To the point where this will be on the regular order rotation for me even outside of the lenten season. What great flavor! I love it.

Best grilled cheeses in Pittsburgh. Love this place. I have eaten here 3 times & the food is always delicious. Highly recommend a grilled cheese with grilled onions on whole wheat with tomato soup. The grilled cheese has the perfect amount of cheese & bread (it’s not greasy) & the tomato soup you can tell is made from scratch.
Also, the fish tacos are awesome!
Good service, the food comes out fast & good prices. You can’t go wrong, Café io is a must try!

How did I not know this place exists for so long? Seriously, it’s a 5 minute walk away from my house — HOW?
Café io may be my new favorite local spot to eat. It’s cozy, it’s comfortable — it’s everything you want in a café with that little extra something that comes with a restaurant. The staff is great and the cooks specialize in well-​done comfort food. Tomato soup, grilled cheese, burgers, those sorts of things, with daily and weekly specials that add a little extra flair to the menu and gives the adventurous folk some extra options. But really, comfort food’s the way to go here: what’s better on a Friday than eating your favorite soup or sandwich while sipping on a cocktail?
I personally highly recommend the hummus and vegetable plate, and the veggie sandwich was really yummy as well. My first visit was the day after Halloween so they still had a Pumpkin Pie martini that was wonderful, and I can’t wait to see what other seasonal beverages this café may offer. Hopefully one of them goes with a crab cake sandwich, because that is next on my list of things to try!
Oh, and as if the food weren’t enough of a reason to go, it looks like they often give donations to and do partnerships with local nonprofits. Comfort food that helps benefit a local cause — now really, how can you say no to that?