Casbah

AMAZING! We heard Casbah had the best Calamari in Pittsburgh so we just had to try. So when we made a trip to Pittsburg in late summer this was one of our first stops. Had the calamari, and it was OUTSTANDING! Its nice and crisp and has that crunchy but not overpowering outer fryer coating, and then it had this lemon aoli that was under it. And just on the edges there was this sweet chili sauce with just enough spice, if you took up a piece, dipped it in the lemon, and then the chili, it was one of the best things I have ever eaten, and I have eaten some good stuff. After the calamari we chose their three course lunch meal for only $ 16. For $ 16 you get so much amazing food! It starts out with a cup of soup, I chose the squash purée, and oh my goodness was it good! It was this thick purée of butternut squash but it had toasted sesame on top and had some very developed rich flavors. After he soup I got half swordfish sandwich and again, AMAZING! I’m a sucker for swordfish so I may not be the most unbiased person, but it was soooo good! It had a nice medium rare swordfish steak on two nicely toasted pieces of homemade bread, and on top was clean and crisp vegetables to make the whole meal so light, and there was this dressing on it that words can’t describe. My final course was the gnocchi, and I was literally speechless after just one bit of this heavenly gnocchi. I mean I have been talking this place up, but this gnocchi was to die for. I literally told the waitress, I would die for just one more bite. It was like little pillows of goodness in this rich sauce with shagbark hickory nuts and hen of the woods mushrooms. The strong flavor of the hickory nuts and the woods mushrooms compliments the softness of the gnocchi perfectly! Oh, and it had rich duck configue in it and the nice meaty duck left you feeling full afterwards. Overall, amazing restaurant, I have been back 2 times since then and have been astounded by their food every time. I highly recommend this to anyone with $ 16 and a tongue.

I know this might sound weird, but: My favorite thing about Casbah is the bread. The bread is *apparently* from Eleven and it’s amazing. If you go for dinner you get a crusty bread that is sliced thinly and served with butter AND (more importantly) a peppery soft cheese spread. I love this combination. If you go for brunch, they give you a little assortment of bread. I’ve always received a lime muffin and a biscuit, and last time I went there was a chocolate scone. I can’t remember the third option on the visits before, but they have always been good. It also comes with a honey butter that is delicious. One time we even asked for more butter and muffins :)
The (other) food at Casbah is also very good. I’ve had a tomato bisque, cauliflower soup, swordfish, different pastas, multiple desserts, and the prix fixe brunch. Everything has been great. I don’t think you can go wrong with the food. And, definitely get a dessert. The desserts have all been wonderful.
The service is also great and the décor is pretty. The patio is always warm on the winter and it feels more spacious than it does inside. Casbah is one of the restaurants on my «definitely check it out» list.

I have been wanting to try this place for so long as a huge Big Burrito fan. We finally made it for Sunday brunch and happy to report it lived up to my expectations. We sat in the outside area (covered but with heating lamps) and had a great waiter. They have a price fix brunch with includes a drink, app and entrée. We decided to just order entrees and glad we did as the entrees are very large portions. I went with the mushroom and goat cheese omelet but substituted the mushrooms with tomatoes. It also came with toast (I went with wheat), fingerling potatoes, and choice of a meat-​I got the bacon. The omelet was delicious and the bacon was crisp just the way I like it. We did have to wait a while to get salt & pepper, ketchup and jelly but finally got it all before our food got cold. Others in my party got the eggs benedicts, shrimp omelet with egg whites and waffles. Everything got good reviews. What I also loved was we got a big pastry basket with biscuits, apple cinnamon muffins and scones. Al very tasty and a nice starter. I would really like to go back for happy hour as they have a very nice bar inside.

Tasty farm food and well cooked. Nice and warm garden especially in the winter. Long Island duck is excellent!

We went here for a wedding rehearsal dinner last night and the experience was amazing. They set us in a private room in the basement which was very dimly lit and each table had its own server.
We were served a four course meal with a very interesting salad, flatbread with different types of hummus. Our main course was the filet mignon with a delicious creamy potatoes surrounding it.
The dress attire for this place is sort of dressy which is great. There is valet parking which is a huge plus because it’s located in a very busy area right on a main street. I would love to come back again with just my wife and try other things on the menu. We will try to go back.

Oh So Good!!! Greeted warmly and taken timely. (Had Reservations) Arrived early and had drinks. One Grapefruit Juice and One Natrona Ginger Beer. Both my favorites. The beginning of a really nice dinning experience.
The menu was simple and eloquent. The low lighting made it hard to read but, the waitress explained everything. Nothing pretentious just simple on point. The waitress stuck around for questions and returned with a table candle without being prodded. That was nice
I had a warm arugula salad. Very good!!! Nicely dressed hints of bacon tossed in with greens.
For dinner; Date had swordfish, I had the pork-​chop. Great choices. I have to say the RISOTTO, probably the BEST, and the sauces built up each bite beautifully.
Great Dinner Date.
Recommend!!!

I believe it was Aristotle who once said, «Holy craaaaaaaaaaaaap!» Based on the dining experience I had last night, I can only assume that he’d just eaten at Casbah when he said that.
Pittsburgh is a city that has no shortage of *amazing* restaurants and among those, Casbah is one of the best.
I went with my two kids (foodies at heart and who are both up for anything, always – no chicken nuggets for these two) and our experience, from the moment we crossed the threshold til we floated out after we were finished, was damned close to perfection.
First off, THE WINE LIST. Sweet niblets. I had a glass of Michel-​Schlumberger Pinot Noir that was so good that my eyes actually crossed. CRAZY good. And the rest of the selection was just as impressive.
We were served a basket of hot-​from-​the-​oven bread with sea-​salted butter and this otherworldly strained Greek yogurt stuff with lemon that was so yummy I seriously considered licking the plate. Seemed reasonable at the time.
Appetizers were flatbread with hummus, baba ghanouj, and red pepper muhummara (sublime) and veal/​pork meatballs with crispy Brussels sprouts that earned a resounding «OMG!» from the young uns.
The girl child ate – and swooned over – short rib ravioli, the boy devoured (and waxed rhapsodic over) his orecchiette with Elysian Farms chicken, and I lost myself in (and have pledged my troth to) the best cioppino I’ve ever eaten (San Francisco, eat your heart out).
But wait! There’s more!
Dessert. Holy yum balls. Kid #1 had raspberry-​chocolate bread pudding with crême Anglaise, Kid #2 had the chocolate cheeesecake bombe. Both kids were over the moon and doing things like pledging to clean their rooms every day (that must’ve been SOME dessert).
On top of all this, the service was AH-​mazing. Every person who came to the table was funny and smiling and bending over backward to make the meal all it should have been. And it was.
I’ve eaten at a great many of this city’s best restaurants and this was one of the best experiences I’ve had here.

Lovely place for delicious Mediterranean food and fine service. We went here for a friend’s birthday and Casbah was a festive environment. This place is fine dining but it’s not stuffy. I tried to keep my fork and knife and the server made jokes about how that’s not their style. In addition, the patio is a nice romantic backdrop with overhanging lights and white curtains.
First let me talk about the drinks. My husband’s moscow mule was a little stronger than most places would make it, but they do have the copper mugs. Some places cheap out on that but not Casbah. I had a delicious house Malbec but then switched over to a Grenache and Carignan blend. It was the first time I’ve had such a mix and I was so happy with my choice that I ended up ordering another glass. It was a wonderfully rich and bold (but not bitter) combination that was a superb pairing to our dinner entrees.
For starters I had the octopus, which was ok but not great. There was too much of a char flavor so it was almost burnt. The tuna however was an explosion of flavor. It was fresh and very flavorful.
For my main dish, I had the duck. I double checked with the waitress when I ordered to make sure the skin was crispy and it was indeed. The meat was perfectly tender and the sauce was sweet and savory.
Everyone at the table thoroughly enjoyed their meals. The lamb shank is so large you need to get a takeaway bag.
The birthday boy’s wife arranged for an ice cream before we got to dinner. The waitress seamlessly distracted us with dessert menus while she got the cake ready, so she really added to the birthday fun.
All in all, this place really impressed. It can be fun, romantic or celebratory depending on the occasion.

We went to Casbah this past Saturday. It is my birthday month and Big Burrito offers a great deal for anyone who is on their mailing list, providing their patrons with a free entrée up to $ 30.00 at any of their locations beside Umi. I chose Casbah since I have been to all of them but this one.
Our reservations were early at 5pm on a Sunday. We arrived seated quickly in their outside seating area, which is very nice. We were brought some water while we reviewed the menu. I decided to start with a Manhattan to drink. It was very nice, and strong. Next we decided to order. Earlier I looked online at their menu and I decided I would be ordering either the Cioppino, littleneck clams, mussels, shrimp, scallops, halibut, grilled sourdough –32 or their Long Island Duck, roasted breast, braised leg, gnocchi, spinach, lavender, peaches, duck jus– 29. I have had the duck dish at Soba before and loved it, but I wanted to try the Cioppino despite that, since I also love seafood and shellfish. This I would discover was a mistake. My partner got the Pork Chop dinner. We placed our orders and waited.
During our wait they brought some bread. It was a nice touch; the bread was warm and served with two types of spreads. By the time our entrées came I wanted another drink and asked for Boyd and Basil — 10 Boyd & Blair vodka, fresh lemon, basil, soda, Angostura bitters, this was one of their signature cocktails. So we began to eat. The scallops in the dish were excellent. Perfect sear and seasoned, as well as the shrimp. The tiny piece of halibut in the dish and I mean tiny, was so overcooked. I choked it down but completely unappealing and tiny. The sauce in this fish soup was also not that great. The dish came with bread to soak up the juices but the bread itself was burnt and hard. It actually hurt my mouth to bite it and that was after dipping it in the juices. I was going to ask for more bread, hold the burn, but our server had not come back. So I finished the meal and said forget it.
At this point the drink I ordered was still not delivered. I was done eating and had to use the restroom so I told my husband if he came back without my drink to tell him forget it and just bring the check. When I got back to the table that was indeed what happened. Except he told him he was sorry and if we ordered dessert he would comp my drink. So when he finally returned, he ordered the Chocolate Cheese Cake Bombe, Pinotage syrup & whipped cream, hazelnuts, praline ice cream, gastrique, when the waiter asked me I simply said no thank you, can I just have the drink I ordered? He brought dessert and my drink and explained it was «on the house, and it was their/​his fault.» No biggy really, I was way more annoyed with my meal. I think what really bothered me was one, how small the entrée was. It was more suited to be a lunch portion in my opinion. And then how much it was, but I did have the coupon so I guess I can’t complain that much about that. Simply put if I had spent $ 32.00 on the meal I got I would have been very upset. Lastly, the halibut was so overcooked and dry, same with the toast, and the sauce wasn’t that pleasant. All in all I wish I would have gone with the duck. Live and learn.

I got my Big Burrito birthday meal voucher in the mail, and I couldn’t decide which place to try. I am a huge fan of Eleven and Mad Mex, but I wanted to try somewhere new. I had previously sampled Casbah’s food when they catered the dinner for Quantum Theater’s production of Tamara. I enjoyed the food at that event so I settled on coming here.
The atmosphere of Casbah is really cute. It’s slightly upscale, but you will still feel comfortable in nice jeans. There is a Mediterranean theme to the atmosphere, but I don’t know that the food is themed that way, despite what Unilocal says.
I ordered the Lamb Macaroni and Cheese because I am a Mac and Cheese addict. The portion was exactly lunch sized, and it came with a small salad. The salad was really just a spring mix of lettuce with an oil dressing, but it tasted good. The mac and cheese was delicious. Plenty of lamb and lots of cheese. It was on the creamy side of the mac and cheese scale. I would order it again, but I would also like to try other things on the menu. My friends ordered a sandwich and one ordered a bowl of soup. The sandwich eater felt her turkey sandwich was pretty standard, but it was a turkey sandwich. The soup eater was a fan. Again, I plan to come back and test other things.
As a side note: The catered meal I previously tried was family-​style chicken with potatoes and veggies, I believe. It was good but not what I would expect after seeing the menu for them to serve. I think you are safe to try just about anything here, really.
The only odd thing was that the servers really seemed to be fighting for tables. Everyone was trying to get our drink and food orders, to the point of it being a touch aggressive. Not a big deal just an observation.

I like this place very much, and find it to be reasonably vegetarian-​friendly. You have to know what to order, though, to get the best deal, because some things are just plain overpriced.
You should definitely stop in for lunch and get the Piccola Gusto menu — it is a great deal and is plenty of food. You get to try so many awesome things, and it’s possible for every component to be vegetarian! It is a way better deal than ordering any one item — they are pretty expensive.
I’ve also been to a dinner party catered there (in the nice outdoor tent area), and they had a great antipasti platter and various pastas we could try. There were actually multiple vegetarian options, which I really appreciated.
I would give this place a 5, but it would be nice if the vegetarian options experienced as much rotation/​creativity as the meat ones. I love the mafaldine, but it is consistently the only veg pasta on the menu. But service, ambience, and food are all great.

Casbah is great! They always over deliver; whether it be the service, the food presentation or the quality, freshness and uniqueness of each dish starting with the appetizer all the way to dessert they never disappoint. Their menu is constantly changing so you never know what you’ll get each time you go.
I also love the atmosphere & eating outside on their patio.
Casbah is a must try (and ask to eat on the patio)!

You can’t go wrong with Casbah. Meals and service are deliciously consistent, yet there’s enough experimentation to keep things interesting. My dad and I visited this week, specifically, for Pastafest and — as usual — the meal was nothing short of spectacular.
We began at the bar where I mentioned a favorite drink no longer on the menu: the Malbec margarita. The bartender was quick to dig out the recipe box and whip one up to sweet and sour perfection. Happy hour prices make a stop at this bar one Shadyside’s best options for higher end post-​work cocktails.
Seated in the bright (though slightly stuffy patio), we began with Casbah’s exceptional calamari. Lightly breaded and fried, the squid was tender and deliciously sauced with a garlicky aioli and the sweet and sour Italian agrodolce (ahhhmazzzing), the combination made for a crave-​worthy bite.
Pastafest provided tasting portions of some old favorites and chef’s creations. We shared three:
Gemelli, jumbo lump crab, sweet corn, guanciale, tarragon: sweet and bright, this dish was summer on a plate.
Doppio Ravioli, eggplant purée, goat cheese, sweet & spicy peppers, marinated fennel: creamy and rich, the sweet and spicy pepper sauce was just the acidic kick the ravoli needed to balance perfectly.
Sheep’s Milk Gnudi, pork ragôut, baby kale, grilled scallions, orange sea salt, extra virgin olive oil: gnudi is an all-​time favorite and the pork ragout was incredibly tender, a gussied up version of BBQ and pasta salad.
We ended our meal with the milk cake which was moist and sweet and lovely with the last few sips of wine. The thing about Casbah? I always leave wanting more, which always keeps me coming back.

I signed up for my big burrito birthday coupon and knew Casbah was the place I wanted to go to use it! Being that it is a little out of my price range normally, I figured it was the best place to use my coupon and celebrate my birthday! Believe it or not, this was the 2^nd Big Burrito restaurant that I have ever been to, Kaya being my first (and I only visited the Sunday prior to coming here on Friday).
My boyfriend and I made reservations for 6:30 pm on a Friday. We only made them the night before and it wasn’t a problem at all. When you arrive, there is complimentary valet parking– how awesome is that? We were sat on the covered patio area, which I really loved. It was a little slanted, which was weird, but our table wasn’t thankfully. It was really beautiful– plants and art all around. We started off with drinks– I ordered the white wine flight. Having had a wine flight one other time, I found these to be pretty reasonably priced. I received three small glasses of white wine for $ 11. Each one was delicious and I really loved how they were all from different places (Austria, Italy and Spain).
Next, we received bread and two types of butter. One was more traditional and the other was a homemade lemon and herb butter. I really liked them both! For my entrée, I ordered the pork chop. It came with a magical mix of sauces and two side dishes– one that was mainly potatoes and the other being sautéed kale. WOW. The garlic cream sauce was unbelievable, the pork chop was HUGE and literally cooked to perfection. The kale was perfect, not bitter at ALL (how do they do that?) — it was amazing. The portion was huge and I somehow engulfed the entire thing. My boyfriend ordered the short rib ravioli’s and loved it– although he preferred my meal over his. I was so full that I skipped the desert. They noticed my birthday coupon and presented me with an adorable little plate with «Happy Birthday» written in chocolate and two salted caramels– what an adorable touch!
Service was perfect, the wine was perfect, the food was perfect… now I see what the fuss is all about. This might be one of my new «special occasion» spots– and we are planning to come back next month for my boyfriend’s birthday (I need that pork chop in my life again, stat!).

I’ve been to Casbah several times now and each dinner experience has been even better than the last. I have tried several pastas, seafood, and meat dishes and not a single one has ever disappointed. The aspect of Casbah that I feel sets it apart from even the other Big Burrito restaurants is its quality of service. They are extremely polite, knowledgeable, and hard-​working!

It is DUE time to update this review. Why? Because I had a phenomenal brunch here, and it totally restored my faith in not only Casbah, but Big Burrito. I can’t lie, I love what the Big Burrito group does. I think all their restaurants are awesome, but Casbah was always my least favorite. Now, I feel it is on par with the others!
I love a good prix fixe brunch, and for $ 28 you receive a cocktail, appetizer and entrée. So I started off with a mimosa (always a good start!). Then I ordered the Tomato & Basil Bisque and parmesan crostini, which was excellent. I’m very judgmental of tomato bisque, as it is one of my favorite soups.
Then came the main course. Braised Lamb & Eggs: braised Elysian Fields Farm lamb shoulder, spinach, poached local eggs, tarragon, grilled sourdough. I love lamb so hard. It’s by far my favorite meat, but it has to be cooked with care. This definitely had flavor, was tender and paired perfectly with the spinach and eggs.
I couldn’t finish my meal, so they boxed it up. I separated the sourdough and the rest of the dish so the bread wouldn’t get soggy, and our server gave it to me without the sourdough. I mentioned I did that on purpose and he immediately went back into the kitchen and got me fresh bread. How nice is that?
Now I’m excited to try other meals here again!

It was funny because my boyfriend and I came here spontaneously — we were going to stop by a pizza place for a slice, but decided to stop into Casbah instead. Totally different atmosphere and dining experience. It’s a pretty romantic setup. When we went (around 8pm on a Thursday), there weren’t too many people there. I felt like the service was good. They didn’t treat us like second rate citizens even though we were in casual clothes and I was carrying my backpack (typical student outfit).
We had the tuna tartare, which was lovely. Then, we tried the duck with gnocchi and spinach which was also delicious and a great blend of flavors. For dessert, we had the Chocolate Cheese Cake Bombe, which was just ok. It looked pretty, but the flavors weren’t anything special. Oh, they also had really nice house made bread that came to our table warm, crusty and crunchy outside and soft inside.
Overall, Casbah was a good experience, but I’m not drooling as I think back to the meal. I’m not sure I’ll go back because there are other places to try and the price point makes it somewhere I wouldn’t just go to on a normal day.

It’s hard to judge and review based on takeout alone, especially at a place with such an atmosphere like Casbah, but here it’s goes…
My boss decided to treat us all for lunch so I looked for something that appealed to me. I must admit that the menu scared me at first. It’s definitely more of an upscale kind of place, but not quite a «suit & tie» affair. I settled on the bacon and turkey club. Seemed safe.
I didn’t think it was anything amazing. Yes, I said it. I’ve been looking forward to eating here, too! The sandwich was just sort of… plain. The sauces were bland and did nothing for me. It all just seemed very dry. Aside from the tasty bread and bacon, I wasn’t too impressed. For a cheaper price, I could have ordered a club sandwich from a mom and pop’s greasy spoon and been more satisfied.
I also ordered a salad which consisted of lettuce and beets. Dressing was okay, but a little tangy.
All in all, I’d like to return and actually enjoy a meal in the restaurant. Atmosphere does a lot for a place so a trip back is definitely in order. Also, I’d like to actually study the menu and ask some questions to make sure I can order something good. At work I was a little rushed to make a decision.
Side note — the takeout packaging is awesome. High quality microwaveable/​reusable plasticware!

At this time, I have officially had every meal of the day at Casbah (it’s great!). Here are my thoughts from my three visits:
First time was for dinner (June 2014) with my Big Burrito Birthday Coupon. We sat outside, where it was pleasant even though it was the middle of the summer. They were generous with the table bread and I really liked their goat cheese yogurt spread. I got the Orrechiette chicken pasta and BF got the filet mignon. The pasta was ok (see lunch review for update) and came in a large portion. The filet mignon was perfection. I made BF share with me :) The roasted potatoes with the green chutney were also heavenly. Definitely a lovely way to spend my birthday.
Second time was for a weekday lunch with a college friend visiting (Nov 2014). We had the 2 $ 10 off entrée coupons and ordered off the Gusto menu (a fancy version of Panera’s You Pick Two). I got the Orrechiette again and a Turkey Avacado Sandwhich. The pasta was delicious this time, so I’m thinking it was just one-​uped by the Filet Mignon at dinner. Friend got the vege risotto which she liked. I like that Casbah is willing to customize plates at no extra charge or nuisance — they removed all bacon items from my entire meal and replaced them with other dressings, etc. I really appreciated that. Even without the coupon the Gusto lunch menu is a great deal!
Third time I went for brunch with another girlfriend (Dec 2014)
. I LOVE BRUNCH and Casbah took the cake. The table scones, pastries etc were delicious as was the accompanying cinnamon butter. Our waiter was very nice and helpful and was again quick to help customize my vegetarian friend’s needs. I got the Mimosa which was delicious. Smoked salmon appetizer was as good as the other Unilocalers say and the portion was humongous. Finally, I got the scallop omelette and they had no issue giving me my favorite home fries as the side instead of the grits. Friend got the salad appetizer and the spinach eggs benedict. She loved the eggs not such a big fan of the arugula salad (which I have had and liked). We each had a $ 10 off brunch which made this a steal :) We were able to sit outside even in the winter which was nice.
All in all, I love Casbah. I’m a student so it’s a little expensive for me. But I go every chance I get. Look out for Big Burrito coupons!

This update is for Casbah’s brunch.
Alright, Casbah. You got me, you got me good. Dinner as I mentioned before was decent, but the brunch, amazing. Compared to dinner, brunch at Casbah is definitely the better meal and deal. I don’t advocate playing favorites when it comes to siblings in the same family, but sometimes you can’t help it. Brother Brunch gets the nod here.
Brunch is basically a fixed set. For $ 28, you choose an adult beverage (or non-​alcoholic), an appetizer, and an entrée. They start you off with some pistachio scones, buttermilk biscuits, and cornbread. Perfect, I like to stretch before I get my grub on. For my Prix-​Fixe (fixed set), I went with the mimosa, smoked salmon, and sea scallop fry.
SMOKED SALMON: If you like smoked salmon, then you would enjoy this appetizer. It’s what you would expect but also a larger size than I thought it would be! «Oh no, there’s too much of something I like,» said nobody ever. Upon seeing the smoked salmon display fanned out on its plate with bits of egg, red onion, and aioli garnished over top, my salivary glands couldn’t control themselves!
SEA SCALLOP FRY: You know I love me some scallops. The dish came with two scallops, a small croissant, small bits of fennel sausage, a side of white corn grits, and a little bit of butternut squash and caramelized onions. I was tempted to go with the classic eggs/​toast/​waffle as an entrée, but I am so glad I put on my big boy foodie stretchy pants and took a chance. It’s not your typical brunch dish and it’s one I would definitely recommend.
All in all, fantastic brunch experience. Definitely felt comfortably full, but not in a self-​hatred, «I-​regret-​this-​decision-​immediately» kind of way. Service was professional; our waitress kept the waters filled and came in to check on us a little after each dish was served.