Truth Lounge

Uh-​oh! I googled this restaurant (a few days after being taken for a celebratory dinner) and came up with the Urban Spoon site. Truth is fairly new (at least to me), located in Pittsburgh’s South Side neighborhood on S. 12^th Street. A friend took me to celebrate the attainment of my Masters. She had been told by other friends that this place was worth a try.
Upon entry, it was not very busy, with a bar and dining room clearly separated via a wall down the middle. The valet person made eye contact with us (just a table of 2) and my friend mentioned that she had made reservations earlier this week. Before he could get a word out, a young waitress, who seemed annoyed with an abundance of rapid business (all at the same time). She blurted out for us to hear, «No more seating int he dining room.» He mentioned that we had reservations and she said, «put them at the high top.»
You see, my friend and I respond when appropriate is something is obviously not right and we are at the receiving end. However, we were excited to try this place based on the referral source and had already enjoyed a glass of wine prior to our arrival. My friend immediately told the young valet that it was not his fault and we would take the seat at the bar. It seemed less stuffy and we certainly did NOT want to give that person our money.
OK, so I have said little to lukewarm things about this place. If you have stayed with me this far, then it was worth it. The wine selection, our appetizer of cheese and then entrees (Tuna tar tar and Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes) were all served promptly. We did not have another encounter with the waiter in the other room. For many reasons, I would have walked OUT, but I am so glad we did not. My friend knew that the owners were greek, though the cuisine is not. We casually raved to the owner about our experience, but let him know that it started off rocky. We also assured that we did not want to see anyone get fired, but that he should hear our feedback.
So, after 15 minutes of a chat, she and I will be hosting a fundraising event their this summer for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Western PA.

I read these reviews and realize that perhaps the location is the reason for not having a higher star rating. The atmosphere and quality of the food lends itself better in the cultural district or Market Square. I am not sure those that go to «hit bars» in the south side are looking for an upscale dinning experience although if you are don’t dismay. While Truth is upscale it is casual.
Truth offers valet parking, a great atmosphere, an excellent bar and quality food for the price. The taste of the food is excellent and you can notice the care that goes into the dishes. Enjoy small plates to get a taste of the menu. Nothing disappointed. The staff is courteous and helpful. The owner meets everyone and is genuinely interested in what you have to say.
I believe there is a cigar bar across the street should you like that type of thing afterwards.
Truth is definitely worth a visit to decide for yourself.

I had dinner here last night with my hubby! The food was excellent. The braised short rib was the best we’ve ever had… so tender, they just melt in your mouth. The crab cakes were also very good along with the mushroom risotto. The service was good but the staff needs a bit more training on the finer aspects of restaurant service. My husband had to tell the valet to open my car door (he kinda just came out and stared at us like he had no idea what to do) and our waitress didn’t know how to properly serve a bottle of wine. She just opened the bottle and poured it into our glasses! Other than that… it’s a nice spot! We’d go here again.

Truth has a lot going for it, despite the negative reviews here. It’s obvious that they take the negative feedback to heart because they have already addressed both the high windows («too bright») and the questionable menu items (with some changes in menu).
We started with lambsicles; an unappealing name but a delicious choice. We also tried the scallops, cooked perfectly, which sat atop what may have been the tastiest mushroom risotto I’ve ever eaten. We also ate two flatbreads, the only truly memorable one being the seafood flatbread, which is large and completely covered in very good seafoods.
All-​told, the food was reasonably priced, the place was very casual-​cool with a classy bar, and the service was friendly but a little lacking in confidence.
The music was pretty awful and I hope that gets some attention in the coming weeks. Overall a very nice time and a truly delicious meal.

I tried this place last night for the first time. I went with a group of girls for a friend’s bachelorette party. The atmosphere is really nice. I never went when Café Allegro was in this space, but it appeared to be newly remodeled. It was contemporary and modern but still welcoming and comfortable.
I was a bit worried at first because the waitress announced they were out of several items on the menu, but they added a few specials which helped to make up for it. We started with cocktails and a few small plates including the large artisan cheese plate. For $ 15, the cheese plate was a great value with at least 5 types of gourmet cheeses along with dried apricots, candied walnuts, berries and various sauces. We also had the gnocchi appetizer which was delicious. I had a dark and stormy cocktail, one of my favorite drinks, which was made perfectly by the bartender. The owner even surprised us with a complimentary champagne toast to celebrate our special occasion.
My friend and I ordered the anjou pear salad to share before our meal. It had gorgonzola cheese and walnuts with a meyer lemon vinaigrette… Yum! And for my entrée, I ordered the crab cakes with mushroom risotto and asparagus. The crab cakes were seriously awesome. They had tons of jumbo lump crab and were perfectly seasoned. They were also moist and flaky with a nice golden crust. The risotto was creamy with a good balance of earthiness from the mushrooms and cheesy-​ness from the parmesan. The asparagus was simply done but cooked nicely.
The service was fantastic throughout the meal. The wait staff was attentive and everything was timed perfectly. At the end of our meal, the owner brought out complimentary Limoncello shots for us to sip. Another welcomed surprise! And after we paid our check, the staff brought out special desserts on the house. Vanilla cheese cake with a banana caramel sauce that was out of this world. The head chef even came out to our table to make sure we enjoyed our meal.
I would say I have pretty high standards for restaurants given all the great new places that have opened in Pittsburgh over the past few years. I was pleasantly surprised by Truth Lounge and will definitely be back a second time. They went above and beyond to make sure we had an awesome dining experience, and completely earned this 5-​star review.

I was hopeful, but unfortunately I should have followed my gut to another restaurant. A forgotten appetizer and over ONE HOUR for our dinner… Unacceptable. I’ve walked out of one restaurant before… If it wasn’t for my boyfriend, I would have left by now.
We ordered the flaming cheese app as well as the gnocchi to sample the tapas menu. We never received the gnocchi. The cheese came but it was underwhelming. It was missing something. Perhaps a pita to eat the cheese with or even tomatoes would have improved the dish. Overall, it was just «meh.»
45 minutes later the waitress brought burnt bread and unsalted butter since the food was taking so long… meanwhile all tables that came after us were served. Actually they even commented on our dinners delay. When the owner finally came to apologize, it was an hour later. He said that out would be another 5 – 7 minutes… Yes, I was «hangry» by this point. He bought us a round of drinks and then our food. Apparently the waitress told the chef I wanted my sushi grade tuna cooked «medium-​well» …Umm, no. My boyfriend’s veal chop was to be cooked medium well, not my tuna. I sent it back and received my correctly cooked tuna, but was underwhelmed by the lack of seasoning. I was so hungry that I ate my meal, but was not impressed.
The manager comped us a round of drinks and dessert, which we appreciated but the damage was done. Personally, after working in the restaurant industry before, I felt my dinner should have been comped. The meal and service failed to satisfy or impress.
I was VERY disappointed and, quite frankly, wouldn’t go back. Yes the food was ok, but for the price and time it took to get food, don’t waste your time.

I decided on Thruth Lounge when we were expecting company from out of town (my friend’s girlfriend who has been to the burgh a few times but has yet to experience a good restaurant). I was hopeful that Truth would be a good choice that would also allow her to experience the southside minus the drunken 21 year olds and random shootings. Truth had to be good, it was on the list of Pittsburgh’s top 25 Restaurants for this year. Don’t believe everything you read.
The ambiance was not much to talk about and there were only a few other tables. We decided to start our meal with a couple small plates. We decided on the cheese plate and the steak flatbread. I can’t comment on the flatbread because I didn’t try it. When the server brought our cheese plate with crackers (ritz), I asked what the cheeses were. The server had no clue. He went in the back to ask and came out a few minutes later spitting out names he could not pronounce. He couldn’t tell us anything other than the names. Ok. Moving on. We ordered our entrees. Several minutes later the server came out to inform my husband that they were out of the quail he ordered. Really? At a top 25 restaurant the wait staff does not know what the kitchen is out of? We were informed that they had quail but it didn’t look good so they didn’t want to cook it. Thanks? But, shouldn’t you have looked before dinner service? My husband then chose the surf and turf. I decided to go for the special– strip steak, duck confit mashed potatoes and an argula salad. When our entrees arrived, my husband’s steak was overdone. My steak was extremely fatty. I know that a strip steak has some fat on it but this piece was fatty throughout, not just on thesides/​ends. I could only eat about half of it. The potatoes were so thick and rich I couldn’t eat more tha a few bites. The arugula salad was a few pieces of arugula on top of the steak– no dressing. We decided to not even attempt dessert. In conclusion, Thruth felt like a bad episode of Chopped. I left the restaurant hungry. We will not be returning.

I stopped by here a couple of Fridays ago with my fiancé and two other couples for dinner. We had reservations and were the first from our party to arrive and were quickly led from the fairly full bar area into the mostly empty dining room. The table that we were placed at was right underneath a window which for reasons unbeknownst to us or the server, did not have and curtains or shades. This was a major problem since it was a very sunny day and made it very difficult for some of our dining companions to even look in the direction of my fiancé and myself. I actually felt bad for the two that were seated in the direction facing the window as they had the sun in their eyes constantly and that could not have been nice. After we were seated for a bit, the server came over to give us the specials of the day and also mentioned that they were out of the Italian meat plate and duck. At this point my fiancé ordered a merlot, only to have the server go off to get it and come back to tell her that they were out of it. The same thing would happen later in the evening whenever one of our dining companions ordered the quail as his entrée. I don’t know that I have ever seen a restaurant out of that many food items, on a Friday night of all times, especially one that is a little more upscale.
Our group decided to start off the evening by trying out two of the «small plates», the large artisan cheese plate and a flatbread with a prime rib. After the small plates came out, we decided to ask our server what kind of cheese was on the cheese plate as the menu did not mention it and we were not able to identify it ourselves. He had to go back into the kitchen to find out and I wish that I could remember any of them but none were anything that I have heard of before. Even so, I enjoyed the taste of all 4 different kinds although there wasn’t as big of a flavor difference in them as I would have liked. The flatbread ended up being very good and would ultimately become my favorite dish of the evening. For my dinner entrée I decided to order the Bloody Mary Marinated NY Strip Steak while my fiancé went with the Surf and Turf. As soon as we cut into our steaks it was easy to tell that both were overcooked. However my fiancé would tell me that her scallops were tasty and cooked perfectly. As for my entrée, the marinade that was on my steak was fairly bland and did not provide the flavor that I expected out of it. My favorite part ended up being the Gruyère potato terrine which was terrific. It had the potatoes in a long rectangular shape that you would associate with a terrine and seemed to be lightly fried on all sides which helped to give it some crisp and flavor.
The bottom line for me is that I would not head back here in the future. While some of the food proved that the restaurant has some promise, there were just too many little things wrong that could have been easily fixed. Everything from seating a table facing a window on a sunny day without blinds to the number of menu items that they were out of and even overcooking our steaks are things that are very simple to fix and had me leaving Truth Lounge with a sour taste in my mouth.

Boy and I made a 7 pm reservation on a Friday evening, but there was no need. When we arrived, the place was dead. This worried me a bit. At the time, Truth had only been open for ten months so I put it in the back of my mind.
We were seated by the owner who pointed out the extensive wine and cocktail lists and departed. A friendly waitress took our drink order, a bottle of the Axis Zinfandel to split.
While we were deciding on food, we took in a bit of the ambiance. It’s a beautiful space. The bar is contemporary but comfortable and separated from the main dining room, which only has twelve or so tables. For some reason I found the dining room to be a bit «cold.» Not just in décor, which was very Hilde-​from-​Trading Spaces («Color? How about gray?») but also in physical temperature. Brrr.
Onto the food. Boy and I shared the gnocchi with braised short rib as an appetizer. Delicious, and the second-​best gnocchi I’ve had in Pittsburgh. For entrees, I chose the «Surf and Turf», which was a petit filet with scallops. The waitress kindly let me switch out the mashed potatoes for risotto. Although I found it odd that they didn’t ask me how I preferred my steak to be cooked, it came out a tender and tasty medium-​well. A very well-​cooked steak!
Boy opted for the braised beef short ribs. In retrospect, I am upset I didn’t take a photo of his entrée. It was a HUGE chunk of meat. As in, Renaissance Fair leg of turkey huge. Although slightly fatty, the ribs were flavorful and tender.
We split the chocolate lava cake for dessert. It was obviously made fresh (and not reheated) so it took a little while to make. We were in no hurry, and the cake was good, but nothing spectacular.
Overall, a «good» dining experience. I couldn’t decide between three and four stars. The reason why I ultimately chose the former is because I generally found the environment to be a little «off.» The dining room was eerily quiet and cold. But most importantly, the manager/​owner checked on us several times. Or rather, he checked on BOY several times. Not once did he face and/​or talk to me and ask how my dining experience was. Really strange. I’m curious to see how Truth will do in the future. Their excellent menu is sufficient to support a larger clientele.

Really good tapas. Like all tapas, I believe they are overpriced, but you have to pay for trendy, I guess.
J and I shared 3 plus a dessert. The crab cake sliders are amazing — serious lump crab meat, a mustard sauce that wasn’t too biting and perfect little roma tomatoes. Then came the mussels — we get mussels almost everywhere we go and while these were not the best ever, they were decent. The broth could have used a little spice, but the mussels were fresh and flavorful. The last course was likely my favorite — seafood flatbread. Hardly any cheese, just huge pieces of mussels, scallops and shrimp on very tasty flatbread.
The dessert was lava cake which J thought was not as good as the Pizza Hut lava crunch cake — seriously, it wasn’t. Have you tasted the completely man-​made materials that make up the Pizza Hut lava crunch cake? It’s unhealthy at it’s most awesome. But it was still good.
I think we would go back, but the price is a bit steep for what we got.

Best risotto I’ve ever had. Really fun drinks. Cool ambiance.

Stopped in for a quick bite before a show at Club Café. I ordered a grapefruit martini, and the bartender (who was very professional and attentive) gave me one he had just made for a table that happened not to be needed. No charge. Thanks — saved me $ 10 and it was delicious.
We had the small cheese plate, which was a nice-​sized appetizer portion for us to split, and then each had another small plate. I got the steak, which was literally the most tender steak I have ever eaten. I cut it with the side of my fork. It came with a tasty potato salad, bright green asparagus, and some regrettable grilled tomatoes (they’re pretty seriously out of season and probably should have been switched out for something else). My fiancé had the ahi tuna, which he loved.
The place is a bit pricey, but the food (at least what we had) was really, really up to snuff. Tasty and strong cocktails, although again, expensive. Good thing we’re not big drinkers. We’ll be back again the next time we go to Club Café.

Bottom line: Don’t waste your time here. The drinks were just ok but not worth the money. The valet was not nice to us. The biggest problem we had: the big bad vibes from the owner! He essentially picked a fight with us. Why is this guy in the service industry? Not recommended-​unless you are looking for a bad time and an argument. Another fine example of how bad service (and just a bad time) can come from the top down.

I was SO pleasantly surprised by this place. The name made me think I’d walk into a douchey lounge where the food was an afterthought. I was so very wrong.
Let’s start by saying that they serve small plates only. The owner came out and introduced himself and let us know they’re planning to introduce entrees to the menu soon. I can’t wait!
My boyfriend and I were fine with small plates, because the menu was full of things we wanted to try. We ordered 8 or so dishes. Without us even asking, the staff served them one at a time, starting with the cold/​light dishes and moving into the heavier stuff. One after another, we were pleasantly surprised. The chef came out and introduced himself to us and was receptive to our feedback. Our server, DiAnna was attentive and always available. The food was SO good.
The stars:
Crab Meat Hoelzel– I’m from Maryland, so crab meat in Pitt is a bit of a struggle for me. This was perfectly seasoned, lump crab, where they let the crab be the star.
Pork Belly– You can’t really go wrong with a pork belly.
Arancini– had little bits of crispy proscuitto, and I was pleased to see the sauce was well seasoned. I wanted to take ten of these home and eat them again.
Black Truffle Potato salad– This came with my tenderloin, which was cooked how I liked it and well seasoned. But this potato salad, I DIED for. I even had to get some extra to take home. I spent the next few days picking at it in the fridge because I didn’t want it to be gone.
One of our dishes had a delicious veggie purée that was also fantastic. The Lambsicles came with a tasty chutney as well. My boyfriend had tuna on two dishes (tartar and nicoise) and he really enjoyed it too.
The drink menu was fun and inventive. I could have sat there and tried every martini on the list, one-​by one.
We were there at 9pm on a Friday, and they weren’t very busy. I almost don’t want to post here and let the secret out, but I have to give credit where it’s due. Everyone was friendly and accomodating, we even got free limoncello and bananas foster cheesecake (delicious) courtesy of the staff. I will definitely be returning.

I recently tried this place out and I like it. It is a little bit pricey for a college student and the portions are on the smaller side. I thought the food was very well made. My favorite dish was beef tenderloins sliders. The bread was sweet and the beef was just perfect. I also love their banana cheesecake. It came out warm and I love the different flavors.
This is a place where you’ll go to talk more than eat. I didn’t leave feeling full but I did leave feeling like I ate good food. I also love that it is open late. They just recently open so I hope to give them another try.
I’d recommend them a try.

I really want to like this place-​there is nothing else like it on the South Side and has a early 30’s professional, this could be a great spot that sets itself apart from the college scene along Carson. I really liked the décor, atmosphere and what they could be… if they paid more attention to the details. First, we ordered the Old Fashion which is on their drink menu — it is listed as being made with with Angel’s Envy bourbon. Apparently they were out of that so the bartender used Woodford — without saying a word, essentially passing it off and hoping we wouldn’t notice. Not what he should have done — a college kid may not know the difference but a bourbon drinker will. Simple enough fix — ask the customer what bourbon they prefer it you are out of what’s listed on the menu. We ordered the cheese plate, which stated it was served with heirloom tomatoes — no tomatoes arrived with it and again no one mentioned they were out of this item. The cheeses were good and for $ 15 it was a nice serving. But they didn’t give you any crackers or bread or even enough fruit (aside from 3 tiny strawberries and some dried apricots). It needs to come with something to eat with all thy cheese. Overall, we liked the atmosphere and hope that these are opening kinks that will be worked out — we will likely give it another try and hope that they start paying attention to the details. It would be great for the South Side to have a place like this.

We live in southside and also love to patronize new restaurants near us. Tried Truth. For the first time and it was amazing. The scallops and tenderloin sliders are wonderful. They surprised us with bananas foster cheesecake, it was one of the best cheesecakes i have ever had light and fluffs with great flavor. They also have a great drink menu, grapefruit martini and old fashion were our favorite. The owner and head chef were very welcoming and came over to talk to us multiple times. Definetly going to tell everyone we know in the area about truth and come back soon.

Meh. Went there on a week night after work. Food was just ok, one dish totally lacking seasoning and another cold which was ironic because the place was dead. In fact, the only people that were there seemed to be friends of owners, so being a non-​friend took a while for our drinks to come. The only thing NYC about this place seemed to be the pricey, watered down cocktails. In short, it wasn’t a terrible place, just nothing special. There are definitely more lively, fun or sexy options in pitt than to waste your $ on mediocrity.

Awesome food, awesome service… cocktails are great — ask for Mike! My wife keeps dragging me here!