Monte Cello’s

After visiting here a few times with my boyfriend and his family, it’s good. It’s one of those places that doesn’t stand out. You’ll say, it’s a good solid choice, but there is nothing about it that makes it worth 4 stars. There is also nothing bad about it that makes it worth 2 stars. I’ve never had a bad experience here. (I just think maybe I’m giving too many 4 stars and I’m beginning to reevaluate my life lol)
The pizza is good and the beer selection is nice. They have bottles too but I’m more of a draft beer kind of gal.
They have a nice little «banquet» area that I’ve also been to a few times. It’s comfortable, small, but great for family get togethers or «baptism» lunches, things like that. The staff that have helped us in the banquet area are always so kind and patient. I guess you would have to be with the large group of people lol and the food was solid. Nothing too special, but good for buffet style food.
Lastly, sometimes they have a magician for the kids (and I’m sure the adults too) he’s not like those creepy, hoakie, magicians you see sometimes. He’s good and if you don’t want him to come to your table, I think he can sense it and will not bother you. He remembers my boyfriend’s nephew’s name and remembers his favorite trick. It’s cute!

We sat near the bar area where the TV’s are. It was clean and quiet. The guys at the bar were talking about football, it actually kept us entertained during lunch. Lol.
We ordered a large meatball and a large chicken & broccoli. The chicken broccoli was DELICIOUS. Best pizza I’ve had in a while. Meatball was nothing to write home about, but good anyway.
Nice kids meal options for our son, too.
Waiter was friendly and kept our drinks full. Couldn’t ask for more at lunch time.
Prices are little high bu worth it.

Monte Cello’s is a fine name for a restaurant! We were hungry for pizza and my friend suggested we go here. It was fairly busy for a Thursday night and I was told that on weekends it can get super crowded. There were plenty of pizza options to consider but we chose the traditional pizza. The table next to us chose the deep dish style and it looked like one very hearty pizza pie. I think it was even thicker and deeper then what you would expect to be served at an Uno’s.

My family, coworkers and I have been getting food and would LOVE to dine at this establishment. Their fried zucchini is awesome and their italian subs I’ve been known to crave. Food quality aside, a recent trip with my out-​of-​town sister-​in-​law, brother, their 3 very small children (2,4,6 years of age) and my mother was horrible. Our waitress was likely a newbie, and I always have the utmost respect and patience for new employees and green waitresses (we all have to start somewhere!). My sister-​in-​law has a strict diet for herself and her children and requested no fries for their kids’ meals. As the food arrived, there were fries on all of the kids’ plates. We inquired as to why and the waitress said «well, they’re free with the meal, so we gave them to them anyhow!»… :/​Then my sister-in-law’s salad was completely incorrect. When she informed the waitress it wasn’t what she ordered, the waitress said «I can take it back» and my SIL decided she would pick off what she didn’t want. After the waitress left, she realized the task of removing things from her salad was too much of a task. The busboy took the dish back to the kitchen as per our request. The waitress finally returned and my SIL requested the salad be taken off of our bill. The waitress said that she couldn’t because she didn’t personally see the returned salad. She then SCOLDED my SIL and said «Next time, you should send the salad back immediately»… Finally, after our meal, with terrible service (the waitress never returned to check on us), I received our bill that had a 20% gratuity added to the final bill. I walked up to the hostess and requested I speak with the manager. The manager said that parties greater than 8 people would have 20% gratuity added. Since when are 3 small children part of a party greater than 8 people??? I told her that if I felt the waitress earned 20%, I would happily tip that (which I usually do). She did not earn 20%. I wanted to only tip 10%. The manager looked at me and scolded me with a «Next time, be prepared that a party of 8 people has 20% gratuity added». I kindly informed her there would never be a «Next time». While I waited for the new bill at the front of the restaurant, the waitress returned to tell my family (without me present), that she didn’t earn a tip, so feel free not to tip her. ??? Wow. As we left the restaurant, after I paid with my 10% tip, the manager and all of the staff lined up along a wall and scowled at us as we left.
The NEXT TIME I want to eat a high school cafeteria, I’ll be sure to tip my waitress as per her service.

Best Buffalo Chicken Pizza I’ve ever had! Fantastic pizza all around! Only downside is that they don’t deliver.

The is nothing Italian about this place. The tomato base sauces are either bland or acidic. Pasta chokes everything else in the dish. The so-​called speciality pizza is horrid pool of greasy cheese-​like product that you can’t taste any other topping on it. Yes, it is a consistent cheap selection of terrible cooking, whether you go to their Milvale or to Cranberry branches.

Their food is consistent, that’s for sure. You’re not gonna get a super fancy meal but you’re not gonna pay for it either. The food here is better than some of the nearby «upscale» Italian places too, without the attitude and price. What I get most often (2 times a month or more) is the Buffalo Chicken Pizza. SOLID. It’s a staple for events and people coming over. When friends from outta town visit they often request it.

This is a good Italian restaurant with reasonably priced food! There pizza is really good! My favorite is the fact they have Ho-​Ho Cake for dessert! You have to try it, its the best!

First our server Amber B. Was AWESOME! Very attentive, quick and super nice! All of our meals, apps, soups and salads were great. My only slight complaint was the hostess wasn’t very friendly, the hostess is the first person who greets you when you walk through that door, they must be happy to see you & everyone that walks in there. There was also a couple seated behind us that ended up leaving after they sat for 15 minutes without any service at all. Not sure whose fault that is but In my restaurant it is my hostesses job to let my servers know that thats their table. But other than that My family had a great time. Thank You

Great restaurant with tasty food. I’ve never been disappointed in 23 years! My Mom worked there when I was growing up, and their food is just as good as it was when I was 6. I’ve never had bad service, and Joe really cares about his customers. I love their pizza, and the hoho cake from Lincoln Bakery is a divine treat on occasion.

Average food overall, pretty lousy prices. For Italian food you could do worse, but you could also do a whole of a lot better. Pizza is expensive but tasty. Dinner’s were over prices and i think i could make the same thing at home pretty cheap

Website says open till 10:00 pm. My wife and I arrive at approximately 9:30 pm. We are told you’re closed. Signs and website say you’re open until 10:00. Also you doors were unlocked. If you’re closed you need to lock the doors, I’ve worked in the business as a night shift manager and I’m open until my doors are physically locked. If someone walked in to my open doors I always served them, that’s how I was trained and that’s how I ran things.
Look at your menu burgers, hoagies, pizzas, etc 80% of which take under 10 minutes to make. Your staff didn’t even offer to make us a carry out order, for example a cold sub so you don’t even need to turn back on a grill.

My favorite Italian restaurant. Everything I’ve tried was delicious! Even my 83 year old Mom ate everything on her plate! Anything is good!

I’ve never had a pizza at Monte Cello’s that I didn’t love! Don’t take my word for it. My friend brought her Italian boyfriend who makes pasta and dough for his family’s restaurant in Ancona. They traveled throughout PA, both to Pittsburgh and Philly, and even went to NYC… and he said that Monte Cello’s pizza was his favorite. Pittsburgh was his favorite too :)
I’m not comparing Monte Cello’s pizza to New York Pizza (or pizza from Italy for that matter). It’s totally different. But, no matter where you’re from or what kind of pizza you’ve had, you can’t deny that Monte Cello’s makes a stellar pie.

Love Monte Cello’s! Very consistent and it is always pretty tasty. It’s a great place for family and friend get togethers with plenty of room for larger tables. One half of the restaurant is more bar centered with multiple TVs, while the other half of the restaurant is more of a dining room with no TVs.
Some of my favorite menu items… Joe’s Special pizza is delightful. A thicker crust with a bit of a spicier sauce and extra cheese. Get it with mushrooms and you’ll be so content and in a carb coma before you know it. Their salads are fresh, crisp, and their dressings are delish. All of their hoagies are also great with quality ingredients, perfectly toasted bread, and large portions. If you come during the week at lunch time, they have a lunch buffet which includes a salad bar, some hot food, and various pizzas. They usually have a dessert pizza as well. I think it’s the best lunch buffet in the area and they really work hard at keeping the food fresh and loaded. It is a buffet so the cheese on the pizza may not be quite hot and bubbling, but come on people, have some reasonable expectations.
The service is always friendly and quick. With large groups the waitresses are quick to bring over pitchers of pop or iced tea so a glass is never empty.
Oops…I almost forgot dessert! Two words. Hoho cake. It’s worth coming here for this. Remember those lunch treats that as a kid you housed but now you feel them sticking to your hips as you eat them? Well now it’s in a CAKE version, and it’s as delightful as you think it would be. I believe they get their desserts from a local well known bakery and they definitely seem like they are right out of a bakery. Try the Hoho cake. And the carrot cake. And the german chocolate cake. I think I’m drooling…

After driving by here every day, I thought I would give the lunch buffet a try. I guess it was my mistake to go at 1:30, but I was disappointed. I understand that eating a later buffet with hardly anyone in there does not mean all the food will be the freshest, but the pizza was very dry and cold. The hot foods were still decent and they had pasta with meatballs, pierogies, chicken pot pie, buffalo shrimp, scalloped potatoes to go along with soup and a salad bar. It had potential, but for $ 10 was not worth some of the food being dried out.
That being said, i will probably try it again for take out, so at least I know the food is fresh. Being new to Pittsburgh, I clump this restaurant into the many restaurants that seem like people just eat there because their parents or grandparents did even though it isn’t as good as it used to be.

I like it.

For a red sauce joint, this place is good.
A great option for a non-​chain restaurant on the North Hills.

I’ve been to Monte Cello’s on Babcock more than a few times in the past 5 years, so it wouldn’t be fair to review them on my last visit (which was this past Monday) but instead review them based on the sum total of all of my visits (which are many).
First things first: What I like:
1. Their Calzones are AMAZING. Definitely the best I’ve ever eaten. Not too saucy, not too small or dry, perfectly seasoned. I always opt for the meatball, and while I’ve usually had it with the usual meatball fillings (meatballs, a little sauce, ricotta and mozzarella cheese), this recent visit made me realize that you can add extras in it, and apparently it doesn’t cost you any extra. I tried it with some pepperoni and extra cheese — even though it was good, I will still just do mine plain. Also, I love the fact that they are filling enough (at least for me) that I can eat half there, and take half home the next day for lunch. Tip: if ordering the side of sauce (which does cost extra) and more than one person is doing the calzone, ONLY order one sauce. There is more than enough to share.
2. Which leads me to their side sauces. If you order a side of something (ranch, sauce, whatever) you get practically a BOWL full of it. It’s almost bordering on too much… but hey… too much is better than not enough.
3. Pizza. They USED to have a special during Steeler games that you could order (during the game) a large cheese pizza for 7.99. They don’t anymore. Hey, the economy, whatever. Their taco pizza is one serious pizza. Lots of meat, lots of cheese, lots of taco toppings. They aren’t messing around. Get the jalapenos on the side, though. A little pricey on their pizzas, but they’re really good. That’s what Monte’s is known for, mainly, is their pizza.
4. French fries. Crispy on the outside, fluffy and soft in the inside. Enough said.
Some *minor* gripes:
1. If eating in, try NOT to sit in the dining room by the bar. I have found service to be a little slower there. I prefer the other dining room, or take out.
2. The price is a little high, but on the other side, the quality is good.
General overall review: This is an all around great place to go. Go here.

Heading back to Pittsburgh-​proper from the Ross Township mall, we decided we were ready to eat but didn’t want to have to fight any of the holiday traffic surrounding the mall. So, breaking out the handy-​dandy iPhone application, we found Monte Cello’s. With only one review, it was a bit of a gambit, but we decided to get ourselves some Italian food.
When we arrived, the place was packed. This is a VERY popular local business. We arrived just in time for the Friday rush to be waning and we were sat in a booth after about a two-​minute wait. The place looked quite new and nice on the inside. Our server was immediately at our table and taking our drink and appetizer order:
Italian Wedding Soup
Provolone sticks
Meatballs
Unsweet Tea with lemon
Pepsi
Our drinks were on the table immediately as was the soup. The Italian Wedding soup is some of the best that I have tried in the entire Pittsburgh area and I had no qualms finishing it. My issue was trying to figure out what I was going to have for dinner. Was I going to order an entrée, or were we going to share a pizza. As our appetizers arrived, we opted to try the pizza before delving into anything more complex. We ordered:
Bread and butter
12″ pepperoni pizza with extra cheese
The meatballs and the cheese sticks were anticlimactic after having had the Wedding soup. The meatballs were average as were the cheese sticks. We finished the appetizers and awaited the pizza with anticipation; not knowing if it would be more akin to the soup or the rest of the appetizers.
When the pizza arrived, we dug in immediately. This was no Fiori’s. It was an average pizza, but it tasted better than much of the food that I had found in the area. In the end, I counted ourselves lucky to find a restaurant that I would consider «A-​Ok» and could return to when I am in the area of the mall.