Trapuzzano Italian Chophouse

This place is closed, permanently. My sister just bought a $ 100 gift card in February, and now we can’t spend it. They disconnected the phone number, and the website reads «We are no longer operational».

Stopped in because steel cactus seated someone ahead of us. The staff was friendly good atmosphere, quaint music. Got the Kalamari which was very good. And fresh pasta rigatoni bolonegese, and an affordable bottle of wine. My lady got a veal house burger that was amazing on the flavor.

The service was great. The food was completely tasteless. I mean, how do you make a burger and fries have no flavor what-​so-​ever? We should have known better since there was no one else there (when most other restaurants are having their usual busy lunch rush) Had two lunches and split a glass of wine and the bill was $ 50? Just… go somewhere else.

When this place first opened, it was wonderful. Unfortunately, they seem to have a difficult time finding employees in both the kitchen and the dining room, because both the food and the service have gone downhill. I would recommend not ordering any of the specials. Service used to be so attentive, but now it is difficult to find anyone if you need or want something. I had to resort to taking my water glass to the bartender for a refill. I bet that this place won’t last much longer, which is a real shame. Their lasagna Bolognese is just so incredible, but I think it won’t be around much longer. Every time I go, there are fewer and fewer other diners and by 8:00 on most nights you can tell that the servers are just waiting for you to leave so they can close up and go home. Shadyside needs a place like this, so I’m sorry to see it floundering.

My husband made reservations for Saturday night, and after seeing advertisements in various magazines I was anxious to try it. Our reservations were for 7:00 PM and we got there right on time. We were seated out in the front private room, although there were empty tables in the main restaurant. We asked to be moved, as it was cold and empty out there.
We were moved no problem.
We were greeted by a very nice server, and she told us the specials and took our drink and appetizer order.
When she returned with our drinks, we ordered salads and our entrees.
We ordered the mussles and they came out quickly with hot bread and dipping oil. Our salads came at the same time. While we were eating our salads and appetizer, our dinners came out. The waitress was standing there holding the entrees as my husband was trying to finish his salad. Why the rush?
It was shocking and the waitress was embarrassed. The waitress apologized, but we were in and out of there on a Saturday night in exactly one hour!!! And we had dessert! The tiramisu was good! What a strange experience. So much a leisurely dinner for Valentines Day !
We paid the bill left at 8 PM! The waitress gave us a card for a free appetizer should we ever return, which I doubt.
The manager or gentleman at the front, never welcomed us, never asked how the dinner was or offered any reason for us to come back. I can see why restaurant was half empty on Valentine’s Day weekend. You would think the manager would welcome new customers and encourage them to return. With so many restaurants in the Pittsburgh area, you would think customer service would be at the top of the list. It clearly isn’t here.

Well, round two the other night, and although it was better overall than the last time, I will still not be returning because it is still overpriced and very uneven.
I had the Frutti di Mare this time, which came out looking good, but most of the shellfish were just over cooked enough to make them somewhat shriveled and tough. One fairly large and definitely stunning scallop topping it all was just about perfect, though.
The pasta was nice, but beyond al dente. The marinera sauce, however, while edible, was very bland and literally tasted like it came from a jar with zero effort made by the kitchen.
Utterly and completely unforgivable at $ 29 — and especially in a restaurant with an Italian name.
It wasn’t quite Chef Boy-​ar-​dee, but that name did cross my mind at the time.
My friend had the same reaction to the sauce on his pasta and eggplant Parmesan; the whole dish was very forgettable.
Frankly, the spaghetti and meat sauce at Eat ‘n’ Park is much better, although it lacks the seafood. You also don’t expect as much at $ 12, but it’s still more flavorful.
I did have a pretty nice glass of wine, though, which wasn’t listed by the glass. I didn’t ask why they just happened to already have an open bottle, although the question certainly crossed my mind.
The tiramisu was quite good as well. The fried calamari was absolute perfection, with a lovely sauce, and the arugula salad was as well. Those I’d go back for.
The real killer was when someone used what smelled like full strength bleach to clean a serving station as we were having our dessert, the stench of which permeated the whole room. The hostess claimed it was Windex, but it could not possibly have been.
And then the toilets in the ladies’ room needed to be cleaned — and we were seated at 5:30! There was also not a drop of hot water. Freezing cold water is not only uncomfortable, but just the thought of the employees not having hot water to wash with their own hands — OMG!!!
When I drop over $ 100 on dinner for two, which only included one glass of wine, one soda, one desert, one salad, one appetizer and two entrees, I expect a whole heck of a lot more out of the entrees, and of the environs.
I would have dropped another star, but left the third one because the good parts balanced out the bad ones just enough to deserve the extra one.

My fiancé and I decided to give this place a try for Sunday brunch. BIG MISTAKE. We got here around 11:30 and there were only a few other people. We ordered and then we waited and waited and waited and waited. It took over 45 minutes for us to get French toast and eggs Benedict. When my fiancé did get his eggs Benedict they were cold. The entire time we were waiting we were trying to figure out what was taking so long since there were only about 2 other tables in the whole place. At one point the waitress asked if we wanted bread while we waited. We declined. We just wanted our food. It’s ridiculous that it took so long to get breakfast only for it to be cold. Stick with Pamela’s.

I love lasagna, it’s one of my favorite foods. The lasagna here is top 5 I’ve had in my life. Very good atmosphere, attentive servers. Definitely recommend this place.

Came on a Saturday evening and it was surprisingly empty. My friend and I decided on Trappuzano after seeing the wait at Girasole. I’m glad we ended up here instead! We got the bruschetta appetizer and the homemade lasagna. The bruschetta was great, but nothing new. However, the lasagna was delicious and well portioned! The bread with dipping oil was fantastic as well — perfectly baked, warm and fresh. There was also live music which was nice but a little loud so it was hard to keep a conversation at times. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the restaurant considering the reviews on here. Give it a shot!

I’m use to the poor service in Pittsburgh but this was by far one of the worst restaurant experiences I’ve had since I moved here. We went on a Saturday for the end of restaurant week. We were seated at a table and we waited for almost 15 min for someone to acknowledge our table (it was early and pretty empty). Some man delivered water but never made eye contact. In fact he slammed the glasses so hard on the table it almost knocked the candle over. When the waitress finally came to our table she delivered menus and silverware and said she would be back to take our orders. So there we are waiting another 10 minutes for her to return and to make matters worse, my napkin is covered in hair and dust (almost like it had been on the ground)!!! The salad and entrée were mediocre at best. The dessert was god awful. I ordered a cheesecake option that tasted like rubber. It appeared like it was pre-​plated hours ago and left out uncovered. I had one bite and left the rest. Would never go back to this place… not even for a restaurant week discount lol

Really enjoyed our dinner. Nice setting. We started with some apps. The Polpette were good, really liked the fried calamari and Bruschetta. I had the special of Prime Rib, delicious, cooked perfectly. For dessert we shared a couple of wonderful treats including a chocolate cake, unfortunately do not remember the name. Others with us all enjoyed their dinner. Service was very good too.

My man and I have officially become our parents. Why eat out when what we make at home is better? Disappointment after disappointment and waste of money trying local restaurants… (sad).
Last night friends invited us to happy hour/​dinner at Trappuzzano’s. Our experience was outstanding. The staff was very friendly and professional. The wine selection was quite nice. The food was exceptional. We shared an flatbread appetizer (enough for 4) and then ordered dinner. The ribeye was perfect but the star of the show was the risotto of the day selection — salmon, sausage and arugula. The chef actually asked us our opinion and of course received the «four thumbs up» from us.
Looking forward to our next experience at Trappuzzano’s. We will most certainly go again soon
Thanks to all of the staff for a wonderful and relaxing experience.

My wife and I attended a birthday party at Trapuzzano. We were hungry so we decided to have a go at it. My wife and I are not fans of Italian food, mind you. In the ten years that we’ve been together, we’ve never once gone to an Italian restaurant for dinner.
The atmosphere was interesting. There was a live jazz /​rock band playing. The crowd was a mixture of Shadyside uppity types and families who were there for tradiitional italian food. The restaurant was clean and the layout is welcoming.
Our service was above average. We didn’t feel rushed and all of our requests were fulfilled, although the promptness of our service left a little to be desired.
I ordered an Old Fashioned and my wife ordered a martini. Both drinks were true to form and well made.
Our food was excellent. I ordered chicken parmesean as did my wife; I ordered red sauce, she ordered alfredo. We both commented on our dishes being the best Italian chicken dish we’d ever had.
Prices are reasonable for Pittsburgh dining.
All in all, we had a good experince here. With all of the great new diverse restaurants in the Pittsburgh area, it’s good to see someone doing «tradition» and doing it well.

My husband and I were in Shadyside for an errand and we fully intended on heading to Capital Grille. It was a dark, rainy night so the evening called out for a warm, dark atmosphere. By this time, it was getting late (9pm) and we were famished. We noticed Trapuzzano’s and decided to go for it. We were familiar with the Elbow Room so it seemed like a good fit for the evening. Plus, I was craving steak.
There was only another table there when we arrived. we took seats at the bar (I have to say, I was skeptical at this point). I ordered a Cosmo and it was perfect. My husband wasn’t as crazy about his drink (can’t remember what he ordered) but it wasn’t really their fault. He ordered something too sweet for his tastebuds. They graciously tempered the drink for him by adding some other ingredient.
We ended up ordering beans and greens… delicious! They were well seasoned and had a little acidity. We also shared the ribeye with a gorgonzola sauce. YUMMY!!! The sauce was incredible and the steak was tender and flavorful. It was perfectly prepared to our liking. We ordered the risotto of the day as well and it was everything a risotto should be… cheesy, creamy, deliciousness. The grilled asparagus were also tasty.
Toward the end of our evening, the chef came out and chatted with us. He was very personable, as was the bartender. They made us feel right at home. They even had us try a dessert on the house. It was like eating a cloud of lemon… very light and fluffy and not overly sweet. It had a few chocolate chips on the top. I’m not sure what it was called but it was the
perfect way to end our meal.
This was just good, honest food, prepared well. This place exceeded my expectations and I will definitely go back. Next time I will try one of their pastas.

It is like restaurants like these that make me wish there was a 3.5 star option. I had a really lovely time with my date on my birthday here, it was also mother’s day. The place was kind of empty for it being mother’s day, which made me a little nervous at first. I like the décor, but I am not sure the white table clothes were necessary, it made me feel like the whole experience was going to be top notch and fancy. However, it was quite relaxing and not fancy, our server looked our age and was joking around with us about drinking until 4 in the morning.
The drinks we pretty good, I ordered the moonshine martini and my date ordered the blackened old fashioned. We then ordered the Trapuzzano which was my favorite.
Food-​wise, we ordered chicken parm and gnocchi with pesto cream sauce, which was recommended by the server when I asked what he would pick. I would say they were both delicious plates. The chicken with the parm started getting cold quickly though. The bread and olive oil for starters was also another plus, the bread came out warm both times and the seasonings in the olive oil made it pretty tasty.
Overall, I would say it was a very nice experience, however, I don’t know if I was 100% sold on the complete idea and if I would come back anytime soon. WAY too many amazing restaurants in Pittsburgh.

Ate here on a recent Sunday night and the restaurant was pretty empty. The décor is really nice and upscale. The service was ok. They give you pretty tasty dipping oil and bread to start, but we were a little disappointed that the pasta dishes did not come with a salad to start. The chicken parm was pretty good and the half portion was more than enough for one person. It could have used more spice/​flavor though. I think we may stick to Girasole in the future when we want Italian.
I’d like to come back to try their reverse martini happy hour sometime.

To be honest the food here is slightly below 4 stars — presented well and tastes good but simply not dazzling or crave-​worthy.
The 4 stars are mainly for the service and atmosphere, which was wonderful. The staff was exceedingly pleasant and attentive from the moment we walked in to the moment we stepped out. Though our main course took much longer than usual to arrive, the waitresses (we had two at all times — I guess one must have been training?) kept us informed and were apologetic.
The carpaccio was tender and perfectly textured but had too much lemon in it — it was bitter and took away from the flavor of the meat. I ordered chicken parmesan which was average — I feel like I could have ordered it from a pizza place and had a similar experience — not bad but not great.
The inside décor, however, is gorgeous and very romantic — makes it worth going to. There is a seating area with comfy couches to lounge where there is sometimes live musicians which is pretty cool.
I would probably only return here only for lunch or appetizers because it is a little pricey for the quality of food but if you like Italian and want a classy atmosphere in Shadyside it is not a bad choice.

We were on the hunt for more yummy food and wine after the Unilocal event at UP&C. We drove around looking for a parking spot near Noodle Head but that didn’t happen so next in line was Walnut St. We found this lovely Italian Chophouse. The décor and overall ambiance was very nice and classy! I could relax in their lounge, sip wine, and watch the snowfall, while listening to live music and be one happy lady. They didn’t have live music on the night I went but they had a piano and the dates listed when someone would be performing.
First we were greeted by the friendly bartender and offered some fresh Italian bread with oil for dipping. We wanted to order the 12oz Asiago filled meatball as an app but they were out so went with the traditional meatballs instead. They were pretty good. Then for our entrees we ordered the Abruzzo Chicken. It was delightful. It’s fried chicken with Gorgonzola cheese served on some mushrooms and spinach with a side of linguini. It was awesome! They had a great wine menu with plenty by the glass to offer and their cocktails looked delicious as well. Can’t wait to go back and try their olive oil cake!

Came here for dinner and drinks, excited to try out a new place. Unfortunately, this spot did not delivery on their promises.
The martinis and wine were pretty good and not terribly priced. However, this «Italian chop House» is not a good place to get food. The appetizer bruschetta was fresh, but not very good. Just tasted like diced tomatoes on toast. Salads were pretty good, but way overpriced. We got the asparagus truffle pasta, which was lukewarm and the noodles weren’t cooked right. We also got the steak, ordered as rare. When it came out, it was way over cooked and had no pink at all. Sent it back and got a black and blue raw steak. Sent it back again and they got it wrong a third time.
Desserts that were brought out were significantly smaller portions and lower quality than the tray of samples.
Would not come back except maybe for a half price martini. Many better spots for Italian food or steaks in the city.

Trapuzzano is the newest of restaurants nestled above my second home of Walnut Street on the corner of Ivy. While I was sad to see the last business leave I have not been disappointed what took it’s place.
Walking up to the second floor entrance we were greeted by the hostess and asked where which side we would like. We were opting for the Bar before one of the Lounge tables were cleared just to realize there was an abundant and cozy lounge immediately free so we stayed there instead. They waitress came promptly and I was happy to see a familiar face. [She is also my Salsa instructor so I knew it was going to be a nice evening]. My friend and I both had a glass of the house wine and gazed upon our menus. The have a narrowed down lounge menu which is just great.
We ordered the daily special of the Basil Bruchetta and the Calamari. I separately also had a half of the Arugula salad. The Bruchetta was spicy! This was a surprise for me and not in a bad way. Within Pittsburgh I have seen Bruchetta in all forms it seems from full tomatoes to diced tomatoes to a seasoned mixed sauce. This was on the diced end but was not lacking of any of the Bruchetta garlic kick! which I am so familiar from my dad’s way of making it. If you like garlic get it, however for many I could see this being too powerful. The calamari came and large bits with a medium amount of breading. It was served with marinara. Unfortunately there was nothing special to say about this. Then the Salad. I am SO happy for this salad I immediately went out the next day and bought all the ingredient to make in house. Arugula, pinenuts, parmesan cheese shredded on top and sauced up with a Balsamic glaze! [I forgot how I loved balsamic] — at home I make it slightly tuned up but that’s just me. Absolutely delightful. I do love my salad. This will be even better in the Summer with fresh local herbs.
The ambiance is quiet and sophisticated and the lighting is chandelier dim. hmm… dimly lit. Definitely a new fav on Walnut for me.