Not sure why this place has such mixed reviews...every time we've been here we have gotten great food and great service! One of my favorite pizza places in Pittsburgh within walking distance from home...hard to say no to that!
(5)
Brenda L.
Food is very good! Service was excellent close to the hospital nice for groups very sporty atmosphere, but not noisy. We stopped in on s Sunday afternoon
(4)
Amanda M.
Great pizza! Crust was perfectly fine , not too hard, no burnt pieces. Large has 8 cuts, plenty for a family of 4. You knew its his when the table is quiet :-) I had the Blues Brothers wings. I really liked them. It was hit sauce mixed with ranch and blue cheese. The loaded French fries were tasty! Fresh cut with cheese and bacon. Will def come back!
(4)
Michael R.
Atmosphere is very cool, great staff, great beer selection, decent Italian-style bar food. Biggest hit here is the one to my wallet. Most of the beer selection was offered only in a tulip glass and ranged from $7-8.50 for a portion significantly smaller than a pint. BUT, the selection is extensive and has several local brews. Several televisions within a small place which is good for watching sports. Would and should be a 4ish... I do recommend it though.
(3)
Ryan K.
Another dime a dozen Pittsburgh small pizza shop. Paid $6 for a slice of red velvet cake and received a tiny piece, was barely an inch wide at the widest spot. Paid $5.49 for an order of breaded zucchini and got maybe 8 thin strips, much less than most places I've gotten it from. A big ripoff and does nothing to differentiate itself from the 80% of Pittsburgh Pizza shops that are on a similar level.
(1)
Meghan B.
Liz J. and I visited Caliente's for the first time about a month ago. We were super hungry and wanted to try everything on the menu! We ordered the loaded fries and breaded zucchini to start. They were both delicious! Although they were amazing, they weren't anything out of the ordinary when it comes to bar appetizers. Next, we ordered the buffalo chicken rolls and the jalapeno bacon rolls. I assumed we would be receiving two small orders, since they were only $7 each and I became adjusted to receiving small portions of rolls at restaurants. No. There were six rolls in each order and they were HUGE. I was only able to finish one of each and I was completely stuffed. They were homemade and absolutely amazing. The flavors were awesome and they went deliciously with their homemade ranch. I was pleasantly surprised with my visit to Caliente's. I assumed it was going to be just another pizza bar, but it wasn't at all. Awesome service, a great selection of drafts and OUT of this WORLD rolls! I also ordered pepperoni rolls to go and gave them to my cousin- she loved them too!
(4)
Maria L.
Ordered pizza one night while at a friends house hanging out. They are a couple blocks from Caliente. We had it delivered so we could continue drinking on the porch. We just ordered a large pizza and it took over an hour do it to be delivered. The pizza itself was very tasty. It was very saucy but I like it that way. It was priced a little high for a large pizza especially when it took so long to deliver.
(4)
Hilary B.
This place is amazing. Clean. Scrumptious food. Great beer selection. EXTREMELY friendly bartenders. I felt like everyone at this bar was an old friend. It. Was. Great.
(5)
Scott G.
Hands down best beer selection in Pittsburgh. Can be pricy for drafts but from 430-630 all drafts ate half off making them more than reasonable. Also have at least one beer or brewery on special each day. The pizza here is pretty good but definitely not my favorite in the city. Haven't tried much else on the food menu other than the burger which was decent. If you're into craft beer though you HAVE to give callientes a try. They make it a point to carry the best selection of bottles and drafts including hard to find brews from across the country. I have come hear for several special tappings (Canadian breakfast stout, bourbon county stout, etc...) and the events have always been well run and gone smoothly. Also they have a recently renovated downstairs bar which is open on busy nights and is great!
(4)
Jeb M.
Easily my favorite pizza in Pittsburgh, maybe 2nd-favorite anywhere :) The atmosphere is low-lighting relaxed (for a bar). Staff is very friendly. And the craft-beer selection is great. I really appreciate the drafts-menu which provides a detailed description of each beer. Plus, the happy hour is half-priced drinks and actually includes all the beer on draft (!) instead of limiting to two or three select beer-options like other places. Recently moved to Kent, OH from Pittsburgh and will miss this place most of all.
(5)
James C.
Had takeout today at Children's Hospital. Delicious cheese with riccotta.
(4)
Whitley S.
Not a fan... I've ordered delivery from here (with coworkers) several times since I work late nights. The food has never been anything to rave over in my opinion. The last time we ordered, we received half of a pizza that we didn't order. It might have been fine if it was a whole pizza for free, but it was peculiar. Additionally, they always forget the ranch... If you love hot wings with ranch, and don't have any ranch... The wings become pointless. Also, one of the 'grubhub' drivers isn't very nice. Not sure of her name, but she drives a green car. Bottom line- it's open late, they have a lot of options on the menu, and they deliver. We only keep giving chances due to the above.
(2)
Chelsea I.
My coworkers and I order from here every once in a while. There are WAY better places, and from this last experience, I will be ordering elsewhere if ordering my lunch at work. Their pizza is pretty good. They have a really great selection of different specialty pizzas too, so if you do order from here, I recommend pizza. Today, I decided to order a burger. I swear it was not even edible. The meat is weird, the cheese was practically nonexistent, the bun was mushy, and the toppings were not fresh. Their French fries are edible, but they're always soggy. They also give us a hard time about ordering separate orders, even if there is only two of us! They charge a delivery fee to each order, and their food is expensive to begin with. I have never eaten inside or experienced their beer selection, but from my experiences, I will be ordering elsewhere, as this was never my favorite place to order anyways.
(2)
Chip R.
Met up at Caliente's with a social group that I belong to yesterday after work for "drinking practice". I must say that I was very impressed with the selection of beers on tap. It's a rarity for me to find a bar that has quality craft beers on tap that I have not yet tried or haven't had in a long time. Caliente's sure did deliver in that respect. I started out having a long time favorite of mine, Bell's Third Coast Old Ale. It was correctly served in sniffer glass and it went down just right. I followed it up with the Brew Gentleman's Mammoth, then a Bullfrog Blackberry JuJu, a Draai Laag Yodeler, Lost Abbey Lost and Found, a Free Will Barbera Grape and finished the evening off with a Dogfish Head Raison D Extra. Nice selection of beers eh? I think so. And the best part about it was that most of the brews were consumed during happy hour meaning that they only cost me $3.50 each! We started our "drinking practice" on the first floor of Caliente's then as our group grew to double digits we took it down stairs. Both locations were comfortable and accommodating yet distinctly different from one another. The first floor had a more "old skool", traditional Pittsburgh pub feel to it contrasting with the metro kind of lounge atmosphere of the basement. It was like bar hopping without the benefit of enjoying every one of those February 8 degrees that we were blessed with outside yesterday evening I'd be remiss if I didn't comment on the pizza at Caliente's. The group I was with ordered a number of pizzas and I had the opportunity to enjoy a few slices of the Meat Lover's pizza and a few slices of a BBQ Chicken with Pineapple pizza. They were both delicious and could stand toe to toe with just about any Italian pie in the Burgh. I can't say enough good things about this place. If you appreciate good craft beers and enjoy Pizza, this is the place for you. If I lived a little closer to Bloomfield, I would most certainly be a regular of Caliente's.
(5)
Morgan D.
Still really pleased with Caliente. Great food and drink specials, food is always good. Service has been fine with a few stars in the server lineup. Good selection of bottles and drafts, food and drink prices all very reasonable. But what is up with the super slippery wood floor in the back? I kinda feel like I'm ice skating back there.
(4)
Meg O.
OK food, but delivery takes FOR-FREAKING-EVER. I'm sorry, but 2 hours for an order of cheesy bread is outrageous. The beers are overpriced, as well. If you're going to eat here, I'd suggest dine-in or pick up.
(3)
Sean G.
I like their food inside only. Take-out from this place is astoundingly bad. They forget everything the dish is supposed to come with. I know food is supposed to be eaten fresh made from kitchen to plate so that's why I don't judge too hard on takeout food, but the take-out service is horrible. The old lady driver that needs to bath is very rude. Bill came and it wasn't what grub hub had quoted so I told her and she could care less, even after I tipped over 20% before driver fee. If you are driving you still have to represent the company. Best pepperoni rolls around.
(3)
Megan S.
I have eaten here several times and normally it's not to bad this time around I got food my order was all wrong .. I ordered boneless wings and got traditional wings that were undercooked pretty badly and they forgot my ranch(which is minor) ... The pizza however was very good... It was a late night order but that doesn't mean the quality should go down hill...basically it was 40 dollars down the drain!
(2)
MaryAlice R.
Came here for lunch and ordered a small BBQ pizza. There was barely anyone there and it took quite a long time to get my beer (I had a half day at work so I had to celebrate!). The pizza also took sometime. For a place I thought would be a quick lunch, it ended up being an hour. So if you are in a hurry I recommend to stay away! The pizza was good, but nothing to write home about. I may be back to see if I get a better experience. The beers they have on tap are fantastic so I think it may be worth the try.
(3)
Lauren P.
Great place for pizza and beer on a Friday night! Caliente's has a huge selection of draft and bottled beers. I was a little disappointed during my last visit as on draft they mostly had Dogfish Head which I believe was leftover from a special event they had. Also the bottled beer selection was pretty low. This is not typical though and I was still able to try 2 new bottled beers including the Deschutes summer ale which had a nice light flavor. Their pizza is delicious and we went with a medium sized pie with chicken, bacon, tomato, and ranch dressing as well as a small Hawaiian pizza. Both had lots of fresh toppings and even a few slices left to take home.The prices are right but the service is slow- I was surprised by how many waiters and waitresses they had on a Friday night and still it took over 15-20 minutes to order and a long waits in between beers.
(3)
Alexandra L.
Awesome pizza, great service and an extensive list of beers on draft. A great place to take friends or even just for happy hour. Really a fan of their delivery as you can also have beer delivered!
(5)
Stacie C.
If you're looking for a cool local place to hang and enjoy some good beers, Caliente is it. Their beers, both bottled and on tap (including many local selections), rotate frequently so there's always a fresh selection. I usually order a flight so I can try a few beers when it's too difficult to decide on just one or two. The website is also updated regularly with the current draft and bottle list. It's also good to know that they will fill any growler with almost any of their draft selections. Caliente offers daily food and drink specials in addition to their weekday happy hour specials. The food isn't high class, but I'd say it's better than your average bar food. I've thrown the kitchen a curve ball when I ordered fries with the special request that they be tossed in the garlic parm sauce used for wings and they delivered. I've tried several of their other wing flavors (I prefer the boneless in the Blues Brothers sauce), the Italian and Steak subs, the gourmet pizzas and even a calzone (which they will warn you might take some extra time to bake but is well worth it). I don't always go there to eat, but I end up smelling the food and at least order something to go most nights I'm there. While everything I've had has been good, I would definitely recommend the gourmet pizzas before anything else. (The Thai Chicken is definitely worth your time.) I wouldn't recommend delivery but instead order take-out ahead of time. Or go for a beer while you wait for your food. Don't forget to check out the downstairs bar, known as the Railsplitter Speakeasy. It's got a different vibe than the upstairs bar which can feel a bit more divey and crowded. The Railsplitter has a more cozy feel and I find it a better atmosphere for enjoying a good craft beer. (If it was up to me, the whole place would look and feel like the Railsplitter.) I get some of the complaints, but on several of my own visits to Caliente, I find the problem is with the clientele. In other words, people go in for a beer and then don't know what to do when they can't get a Bud Light. These are the people who can ruin a good night for an otherwise great server. Just remember if you're thinking about checking it out it's called Caliente PIZZA and DRAFT House. And if you enjoy a great beer and a perfect slice, buy the crew a 6-pack as a thank you.
(4)
Cherith C.
Really great pizza, but the service was lacking. Waitress was definitely bummed out to "deal" with us. I've never understood this. I served for a long time and more customers just meant more money. Anyway, pizza is excellent and the choices are awesome. The buffalo chicken was great!
(3)
Maura U.
Great experience here! We had one of those city cards that give you $10 off of $30, and we decided to try it out on an early Monday evening. We ordered the broccoli poppers and house salad. My husband said that that was how broccoli should be-surrounded by cheese and bacon and then fried. Lol. They were delicious! The house salad was fresh and the balsamic dressing topped it off nicely. We ordered the Thai Chicken Pizza, and it was very good. Service was pleasant, and the draft selection was great-very diverse.
(4)
Adriane N.
My bf and I stopped by here to grab a bite to eat since it's apparently the only place in the area open past 11. Atmosphere is pretty chill. The food was amazing and the beer selection was impressive. I got the bbq chicken pizza and loaded fries (just Ok). My boyfriend got the steak and cheese pizza which was amazing. Our waiter was nice but it was evident that he was ready to go home. Definitely would come back here. Pay in cash if you can...I witnessed unsafe handling of credit cards. Waiter left a credit card on the table and walked away from it! #Yikes
(4)
Daniel M.
I love your wings. They're delicious. The fact that you charge customers for carrots and celery is utterly ridiculous. That's like saying, "yeah I know it's free at literally every restaurant across the United States, but fuck you I'm going to charge you for them." Oh and I bought them and they were dried out and old. So they fuck you twice. Change this and I'll give you 5 stars.
(1)
Madeline V.
The three stars are mostly for the awesome tap and bottle selection offered at Caliente. As a beer lover it's nice to see somewhere other than D's in Regent Square with this sort of massive selection. I wish the food was a better deal frankly, so that prevents my review from being better. My roommate and I have tried getting meals to-go, and it's been an underwhelming experience. Everything is a bit overpriced for the portion size and quality. My advice: Come to Caliente to pick up some epic beers, and go anywhere else on this wonderful little stretch of Liberty Avenue for takeout!
(3)
Bob B.
Anytime I can get back to the Bloomfield, the place in which I grew up I enjoy it. I only had the pizza to eat. There is better pizza in the area, but I would still rate the pizza slightly above average. The crust is a little chewy, but the overall taste and toppings are good enough. What sets this pizza place apart from others is the beer list. You can walk in at any time and get 1-2 drafts that would be hard to find at other places.
(4)
Natasha H.
I was pleasantly surprised by my evening at Caliente last Saturday, especially after reading lots of 2 and 3 star reviews. I went for a birthday party in the downstairs room and found the place to be lots of fun. A bunch of us filled up the entire downstairs, so we pretty much had the bartender two ourselves. The bartender was really nice and served everyone quickly, remembering everyone's drinks. The beer selection was fantastic, especially for a random bar in Bloomfield. The food was pretty good and not greasy. I'll for sure be back from a trivia night. Only drawback is that only the (kinda gross) women's restroom is on the first floor, rather than the basement.
(4)
Riley S.
I have bee nmeaning to review Caliente for a long time now. I has been my boozer of choice since I moved to Bloomfield almost a year and a half ago. It was actually one of the first local businesses I patronized following my move. The bar is small. A few seats and tables with a larger raised section at the back. The space is small and the bodies pack in during peak hours. The big focal point, besides the myriad of beer signs from over a hundred different breweries from around the nation and globe, are the chalk walls. The first holds the draft list and usually a cool piece of seasonal chalk art. The back wall has a very VERY cool piece of chalk art depicting the storefront and surrounding buildings on Liberty Ave. The service is usually top notch. I tend to go on Tuesdays (cause I am a secret karaoke whore) and see Angie. Angie is a peach. Always quick with a smile and a drink. On a side note she was also first runner up for a best bartender in the Burgh competition this past year. There is a small downside though. The management seems to never schedule an appropriate amount of staff, so during volume you can face a bit of a wait, unless you become a regular, then you get taken care of. The food here is bombtastic to boot. Pizzas are incredible, my favorite being the spinach and feta. My all time favorite item on the menu is the Italian Sub. The col cuts are great, the cheese is awesome, the veggies are fresh and crisp and it is all contained by a chewy crusty sub roll. Also, kitchen is open till 2 so big plus for me. The biggest reason I love Caliente is their beer selection. To have one of the biggest and most eclectic selections in all of Pittsburgh and literal stumble (long story involving way too much North Coast Old Rasputin and Fireball) from my front door is truly a double edged sword. The bar features about 20 constantly rotating taps with the worst beer being Yuengling. They also have a very nice bottle selection to boot. The beers come in appropriate glassware, which is unique. Most bars have pints and maybe snifters but Caliente had pislners, snifters, tulips, and goblets. The only drawback is that I find the drafts to be a little over priced. Like the Toby Keith song, I love this bar. It is quick, convenient, and fun. It only loses a star for being a hair overpriced and understaffed. Neither of these will keep me from going back again and again.
(4)
Emma D.
I go back and forth on Caliente. On one hand, it has one of the best draft lists in the immediate area. On the other? The service, pricing, and food leave something to be desired. The good first. Caliente's draft list is awesome, and I've really enjoyed my visits to the basement bar (open weekends). It's a very different feel than the upstairs bar and restaurant, which lacks any sort of atmosphere. Caliente's Happy Hour deals are fantastic--from 4:30 to 6:30 on weekdays the drafts are half off! After Happy Hour, my issues with Caliente outweigh the positives. First off, the service is nonexistent. I can't blame this on the staff itself, I the place seems severely understaffed. Every time I've visited, servers are running around trying to help everyone out, and in the end, it takes about double the time to place orders or get drinks. I don't mean this as a cheapskate, but I've found some of the pricing on the draft list to be off. Last night, the always awesome Big Hop was on tap for $6.50... for a smaller goblet. That's a hard pill to swallow, since you can walk across the street to Lot 17 for a $5-6 Big Hop in a pint glass. I do understand the high price for many of the rare beers, but this just seemed fishy to me. I've eaten in several times, and everything has been meh. I mean, it's bar food, so nothing fancy, but I'd rather get a pie down the street. I recommend visiting Caliente for Happy Hour, getting an order of the Buffalo Fries, and allowing plenty of time for the slow service.
(3)
Callie O.
I've ordered from Caliente so many times, but I've never had the pleasure of trying their craft-beer selection or great happy-hour deals. My review focuses on my most recent visit. Two nights ago my boyfriend and I were hanging out a friends, and we were crazy hungry at about 10pm. Caliente was suggested and chosen. We went for their five-cheese calzone and jalapeno poppers. The food took about an hour to arrive, which I guess makes sense for a late night. We probably should have just walked there, but we were too lazy to do that, plus we were gaming. The food arrived and it looked amazing. The calzone was definitely big enough for two people, but certainly could have fed three. At first bite I was in love. Cheesy deliciousness danced around my tongue and my hunger was sated. I was a bit of a challenge to eat it all though, so I shared with my friend. The jalapeno poppers were pretty tasty too. They weren't overly fried or greasy. They were just right! They could have been spicier though. There's not a lot else I can say about Caliente. Their pizza and food is consistently delicious, they employ friendly people and the price is right for what you get. I highly recommend Caliente and some of their great happy-hour deals.
(4)
Gerald D.
Wait staff very knowledgeable on beer selection, even offers small glass to taste different beers . Now I order the supreme pizza and its was very good I hate to say this probably the best in the city . Caliente was running a special with Brooklyn beer order a beer and get a glass really cool look for specials every Friday . Recommend for the beer and food selection
(4)
Dania P.
I'm sad to write this review, because I'm actually obsessed with Caliente's Hawaiian pizza, but the service is so bad I feel that I can no longer give them my business! Every time I order I get the same thing-- and that's pretty frequent (don't judge) and every time I call and order they tell me it will be 45 minutes.... and every time it is late. Last time, the woman who delivered it told me they dropped it and didn't want to give me a bad product-- ok fair. But, why wouldn't you let me know that or give me some sort of discount since it was so late? If that was the only time this sort of thing happened, I would give them a pass, but they are always late and the one time I went into the actual establishment the service was slow and inattentive as well. Maybe it's a training problem... a hiring problem? Pros: +Pizza is GOOD Cons: -Slow inattentive service -Slow delivery -general lack of concern about the happiness of their patrons
(2)
Andy J.
Caliente has amazing food. Their pizza is very good. The dough and sauce are amazing. The hoagies are awesome. I think the buns are made in house. The only reason I'm giving them only four stars is their beer prices are a tad high and the draft selection seems to always be beer I don't care for.
(4)
George S.
Great local 'go-to' spot for a beer especially during happy hour. THE best beer selection I've seen around especially if you like to try variety of beers. Bartenders are always friendly but definitely need help if the place is busy. The pizza is great and the fries and some appetizers are good but beyond that is a bit of a waste. Especially the buffalo chicken sandwich..don't waste your money. It is truly a PIZZA AND DRAFT place. One of the only places around that will serve food until 2am however!
(4)
Kath E.
My burger was completely raw when I asked for medium well. Took a bite and it was disgusting.
(1)
Hilary W.
Let me start by saying I love beer. I love beer not in the "yeah I drink KBS when it comes around" way, I love beer in the "I trade, travel for, and cellar some of the rarest beer in the world" way. Fuss if you will about the food, that's subject to opinion, but fussing about the beer here is asinine. Your glass smelled of bleach? Say something, I've never had an experience here where they wouldn't correct it! Your beer was too expensive for a small pour? Do your research. Those beers are very difficult to acquire, the kegs are extremely expensive, and typically the bar owners take a small margin just to be able to offer said beers at their establishment. In addition, most of those beers are very high in ABV, so it's responsible serving to not give 16oz of an 11% beer to customers. I moved here from Philly (consistently rated one of the top beer cities in America), and it was extremely hard to find the rarer beers in Pittsburgh. Establishments like Caliente and a handful of others are bringing credibility to the craft beer community in Pittsburgh. The first day I walked in I breathed a long sigh of relief and thought, "damn, I'm home". As for the food, I can't speak of the delivery as I always go in to enjoy my food with a beer. The pizza has always been properly cooked, and the other Pittsburgh standards of fried foods and rolls are pretty spot on. I don't go there to get a charcuterie and roast leg of lamb, I go there for solid wings and a world class beer. I really couldn't ask for more of a craft beer bar in Pittsburgh. Last, I've had the opportunity to get to know the owners during my visits in the past year. If you see something wrong, think something is off, or are generally displeased, just tell them. Write your review, that's cool, but have the courtesy to let the business owner know so they can right the wrongs. Turns out they're really normal, nice people.
(5)
Stephen R.
So the food was good but the beer is overpriced. I've never seen beer come in such a little glasse.. A toaster or a flask glass really.. Don't be cheap come on seriously I will not be returning..there is better places elsewhere... Plus the service was mediocre just like the other reviews You would think they would have learned
(1)
Mackenzie B.
Caliente's delivers to Pitt, which is important since I'm a student. I can't speak for other types of food, but the calzones and pizzas are phenomenal! The Parmesan and garlic topping on the crust of the calzone makes the dishes memorable. The owner, Nick, is a great guy who helped my organization out with pizza donations this previous summer.
(4)
Kerri M.
Love the beer selection, pizza, and happy hour specials. Their draft list could be one of the best in the 'burgh, and they supplement that with a wide variety of bottle options. Caliente offers daily food and drink specials and happy hour deals. You can't beat half off craft drafts during happy hour! So why three stars? Each time I've been there, they typically only have a manager on staff and a bartender who is doubling as a waitress for the whole place. The staff is always friendly, but for-sure overworked. Don't expect to come in here and get out quick, and you may wait in between drinks longer than you'd like. They offer special events, like karaoke, live music, and trivia night. Hope to check those out in the future!
(3)
BJ B.
My sister and I decided to grab a drink after dinner. We walked around until we found the draft house. I'm a beer connoisseur and love a good Belgian stout. The beer was phenomenal but the customer service needs some work. The bartender was very rude and harassed my sister who was paying with cash. His attitude towards other elderly customers was not kind either. I understand that people have a bad day, but you work for the public. Suck it up. Probably won't be back!
(1)
Toni B.
There was a wait for a table, but the staff was very attentive, provided frequent updates on the status of our wait, and offered a drink at the bar. The pizza and salad were delicious. Beer selection was awesome. We'll be back!
(4)
Sara H.
Had to give it another try. Big mistake. The waitress acted like we were a bother to her (there was one other table; it was no where near closing time). She was rude from the minute we sat down until we left even after many attempts to "kill her with kindness." What is the point of having "the best craft beer list" if your staff knows nothing about the beer, serves it in the wrong glass, and the glass they do serve it in reeks of bleach and is filthy? I won't be returning and I'd advise others to stay away.
(1)
Jon H.
So I had been hearing about Caliente for awhile now (lived in PGH for about 5 years) and saw a Groupon so decided to give it a shot. I was not disappointed. The parking sucks, but that's every place in Bloomfield, and it was easy to find. My wife and me took our 3 kids and my only gripe is we had to wait about 45 minutes for a table, then again it was a Saturday night. The dining area should be way bigger. But the food was great. The breadsticks with homemade ranch were awesome and the Broccoli Puffs were amazing. We had a Pepperoni pizza and a Meat Lovers Pizza and they were both great. Good crust, lots of toppings. My wife had a Buffalo Chicken salad and she loved it. I would highly recommend Caliente. Our waitress was really good too. Even without a Groupon we will definitely go back.
(4)
Brandon Y.
If you think you'll be hungry in 2 hours then you should order from here. I think the food was decent but it was so cold by the time I got it that I really wasn't sure. I placed an order, 1 large pizza and am order of jalapeño poppers...an hour and forty five minutes later I called just to learn that they were "about to leave". Fifteen minutes later my food was delivered after having plenty of time to cool off.
(1)
Mashel R.
I am rating this for eat in only. The pizza was awesome!! The loaded fries not so much, it was a very small serving and just bland. We had plenty of drink refills and ate downstairs during a planned event. I gave it a 4 based on the fact that one menu item was great and the other not. I would like to try it again but skipping the fries.
(4)
Douglas C.
The pizza is by far one of the best in the city and some of the best I've had period. However, as a regular customer (though it's soon to be former), the delivery takes anywhere from an hour and fifteen minutes to an hour and a half and by then the pizza is lukewarm and has to be thrown in the oven. There's a million other pizza places in Bloomfield.
(3)
Elizabeth R.
You can't go wrong with Caliente. First of all, the atmosphere is pretty cool. It's a smaller place, but the dark lighting and appearance of the place definitely make it a pretty relaxed setting. They have TVs and there's always music playing. As far as the food goes, the pepperoni rolls are my absolute favorite. They offer food specials nightly, and the personal pizza for $5 is always a good go-to. The beer selection and draft list seem to always be updated when my group stops in, and they've hosted plenty of events with different featured beers. it seems like a lot of people are starting to find out about the new ownership of this place. That's really great for business, but it seems to be making it much more crowded on any day of the week. Plan for some extra time for the kitchen/servers to catch up. Lastly, the prices. They aren't out of the norm by any means. For me, this is a gem of Bloomfield and definitely one of my favorite places to visit in the burgh.
(5)
Eric G.
I went here with a friend last night and was surprised by the experience that I had. First of all, if you're advertising your restaurant as a pizza place, you have to have great pizza.... bottom line. And unfortunately, I think that the pizza was the worst part of my entire experience here. I walked in and sat down with a friend for dinner.I had a Groupon and was eager to use it- but I unfortunately had heard that this place was a little below par, so my expectations weren't very high. However, I was surprised, almost floored, at the variety and diversity of craft beers- good for you guys! The waiter, who was actually a really nice guy and great, offered to give me a taste of anything and I tried the chocolate stout- mmmmmhmmm. I ended up getting the night special of a 22oz average beer for either 4 or 5 bucks, but enjoyed the menu nonetheless. And the food.... the food was actually pretty damn good. I had to spend 25 bucks for the Groupon, so we got a smorgasbord of bar food: onion rings, breadsticks, and a pizza. The waiter was even nice enough to come back and say we had enough money on the Groupon to get fries too- so we did just that (all of this for $25!) . The fries were average, but the onion rings and breadsticks were amazing. Good service, very little wait time. However, ironically the pizza left a lot to be desired. Overall though, a tasty and fun little night. This place was a nice little hole in the wall in a small space right on Liberty, and I probably would go back again.
(3)
Beck G.
Their pizza is pretty good and they have a great beer selection, but be prepared to wait over hour and a half to get your delivery order... Every time... Even when you live less than 2 miles away. Absolutely ridiculous.
(2)
Sheryl T.
I will never order another pizza from Caliente ever again. Tonight I decided to use my "credit" for my botched pizza from my last review. Apparently wrong thing to do. So they told me the wait would be 30 to 45 minutes. Ordered this at 1218. I don't get any calls from Caliente about my delivery or that the driver is even outside. All I get is a knock on the door but by the time I get outside no ones there. It's 130 I call for my pizza. At this point after 3 undercooked pizzas and an undelivered one what can I say I'm pissed. Not only do I get yelled after asking for a refund for the credited pizza as well what I ordered on this ordered he tells me I don't deserve the refund (from apparently "2 weeks ago" he says I'm pretty sure it has only been 5 days let me check my Yelp records) for the credited pizza I never received. By the way everyone this is coming from the exact same person who botched the order from the last review. Now hes saying that he didn't even make a mistake on the last one after he owned up to everything in the last review. Um. What? Im over it. I speak to the manager who apparently likes to let his employees yell at people over the phone and tell him I want everything refunded and that no I don't want a free pizza. I don't care if he makes it and that all I want is an apology from his employee for yelling at me telling me guess what I'M WRONG. Even the manager doesn't think I deserve an apology. Caliente heres a few lessons for you: 1. Employees need to show professionalism regardless of how annoyed, rude, pissed, off a customer is. There is no back and forth. 2. Hanging up on customers too is a no go. 3. Learn how to make a pizza. The pizza that you were probably going to give me this time was probably undercooked too. Time to start ordering from GIovannis at least their pizzas are consistent.
(1)
Sam P.
I have been back a few times and was not disappointed. The menu has many solid options including the pepperoni rolls. What makes this place great is the consistently awesome specials. They really make an effort to get great beer here. I've attending three different buy a draft/keep the glass, all which had representatives from the brewery giving out samples. I really enjoy this place.
(5)
Jim V.
Like this little place a whole bunch!! Always interesting and unique beers. And, although we've never done anything else, the pizza is honest and well prepared. Not sure why they don't rate better in the "best of" rankings. This is a simple neighborhood bar with friendly staff and reliable food. Can be a bit noisy and crowded. But if you get here early and stay through "the game", you're sure to have a good time!!
(4)
David K.
We went to this place this past weekend and had an incredible experience. It was for a surprise birthday party so we had the whole downstairs to ourselves minus the bar. The server immediately took our Beverage orders as soon as we say down. Once everyone showed up he quickly took our food orders. We ordered a large pizza half pepperoni and half cheese and it was really good. The crust was perfect, the sauce tasted homemade and had a perfect flavor texture to it and the pepperoni and cheese were just right. We also got a ranchero steak sub and it was amazing. Great steak, Fresh cut French fries, and ranch dressing. The bread was perfectly toasted and the steak was very flavorful. Everyone else in our group enjoyed their food as well. The server was outstanding all night long. We will be back to this place for sure.
(5)
Rachael E.
I wanted beer and pizza one night and this place was recommended by a friend. I will never go back there. My beer was warm. My waiter couldn't give me any advice about their beer list and the pizza was burnt. Nothing worse than burnt cheese and pepperoni. We had also ordered loaded fries which were just okay, however, our order for them came after we had finished half the pizza. When I asked the man who brought us our pizza he said in a really defensive way that he was simply the pizza guy and didn't know a thing about the fries. I would not recommend this place. Ever. Bad food. Bad service.
(1)
Lindsay D.
While Caliente is one of my easy, go-to spots to bring friends for a quick drink, I have to say it's not my favorite joint. Its cave-like lighting is certainly not improved by its blasting music that ensures that you neither see nor hear your friends. The food pretty all right-- it is about two steps above bar food-- tasty, but nothing uber fantastical. What I keep going back for, however, is their excellent draft and bottle selection. They provide tasty craft brews, often local ones too, all the time. I love it!
(3)
Kayla D.
Caliente is my new favorite happy hour spot. They have a great selection of craft beers that is constantly changing. During usual times the beer can get a bit pricey but all craft beers are half off for happy hour and its the perfect place and time to try out new things. The staff are attentive and friendly and their pizza is also good. But as far as craft beers go, it's the best place to get a wide selection in the area and youll never get tired of the same old thing because it is always changing.
(4)
Matthew U.
Ordered the other night from here and of course I didn't get pizza. I opted for the burger once again (I've been on a burger kick lately). And of course this place didn't disappoint. The burger was nice and big, made sure it filled the bun. Topped with the usual lettuce, tomato and onion. Bigger than burgers you may find at other places in the city. I ordered fries as my side and was not disappointed with them. Nice size portion for the price. They had some type of coating on them that made them a little more crunchy than what you would find at any fast food place. Deliver is through GrubHub, so a fee does apply (this fee varies on the place you order from, from what I have noticed).
(4)
Jake F.
Don't get me wrong, this place keeps its kitchen open til 2AM, and I appreciate it, but they don't have a single inexpensive, decent beer on tap, their bottles are over-priced, and you pay for the kitchen's extra hours. Pizza is good--a three and a half star pie. The yeungling battered fish sandwich is really good, maybe even five star, but you'd want to pay about $1.50 less for it from a bar with a slighlty less corporate/chain atmosphere. Applebee's isn't the standard people!
(3)
Meghan S.
I've been to Caliente a few times now and I love it. The pizza is good, the buffalo pizza is delicious, the steak salad is also delicious, the loaded fries are amazing. Service can be a little slow, but it's always busy so I can let that slide. The food is worth it! I work nearby, so I'll continue to eat here for the foreseeable future. I can't get enough of this place!
(5)
Gilles D.
Knocked off a star because of the service. It's not that the bartenders and servers are bad - they're all lovely - it's that whomever is scheduling them is horrific at their job .Constantly understaffed. If you're running specials everynight and draw a moderate to full crowd, you need more than one person. The staff is apologetic about it and it's not enough to keep me away but holy crap man, take some burden off your employees for god's sake. Last four times I have been the wait times for service have been on the absurd side, you're doing nobody a favor here. ------ Cannot believe I've waited so long to go here, kicking myself for wasting time with the smaller pizzerias (no offense). Went on a Sunday, great specials on the pizza. I think it was 13 dollars for an XL pizza and you get four toppings for free. The pizza was delicious, went with spinach, feta two times, and ricotta, nice greek pizza. Got a side of fries which were quite tasty and fairly priced, big portion too. GREAT beer selection, server knew her stuff and suggested a peanut butter porter which was phenomenal. Cool place too, lots of TVs and seating. They have good specials every night on food and booze, will definitely be making Sunday nights pizza night now.
(4)
Michelle W.
The pizza here is great, delicious and a good price. Sometimes the service lacks because it is also a bar (which I also enjoy) but when you come for dinner or the happy hour pizza you have to wait longer than expected.
(4)
Holly C.
Pizza was delivered in a timely fashion but it was burned and almost inedible. The cheese bread was even just average. I will not be ordering here again.
(1)
C L.
I've tried Caliente's pizza and rolls (buffalo chicken and the spinach and artichoke), and the dough is phenomenal. It's so chewy and fresh-- yum. My only recommendation for Caliente would be to focus less on IPAs on their draft list and include some more wheat beer options.
(4)
Amy R.
Gator's was the best. The place that went in after Gator's was not good. This place is better than that place, so I'm happy. Nothing really notably good or bad about the place. They do have pretty darn good pizza, which pushes it from a 3 star to a 4 star. The wings were ok. The bartender/server was friendly and attentive. I'll go back.
(4)
Kia H.
Fantastic food! I ride past this place daily and never stopped to try anything...well that was short lived. I visited Caliente's twice in one week! Service was prompt, food was fresh! Keep up the good work, Caliente!!!!
(5)
Cindy H.
Over priced! Over crowded! The service was so slow but I don't blame the wait staff. They were so over worked. There is no way the small staff could keep up with all the people. Not at all what we expect. We will not be returning!
(1)
Will H.
When you're a pizza joint in Pittsburgh (or any city, for that matter), you better have something awesome going for you or you'll just be another pizza place lost in the numbers. Count Caliente in the latter group. Caliente really offers up nothing new or memorable, unfortunately. The service we had while sitting at the bar was poor. The bartender was nice, but she spent more time talking to her friend who wasn't even paying for anything than waiting on us and other customers who had empty beers at the other end of the bar. The mozzarella sticks weren't very hot when they came out, but were still the delicious kind that I love, so I wasn't going to let it bother me. The only downside is that you only get 4 sticks. The bummer in that portion was only magnified when the rest of the meal left a lot to be desired. My chicken parmesan hoagie was clearly made with frozen patties, and there wasn't a lot of cheese or sauce on the hoagie. I definitely wouldn't order it again if I, for some strange reason, was eating there again. The white pizza we ordered was okay, but it was more of a bland cheesy bread than a white pizza. Very little flavor, very little cheese, and none of that garlic/oil/seasoning flavor that you expect with a white pizza. It's not a bad bar, though. Decent beer selection (although a beer list would be nice on the menu). We also liked the actual atmosphere, even though it was dead while we were there. Unfortunately, without an improvement in service and food, I don't see it being full of customers on a regular basis any time soon.
(2)
Kareem F.
Fantastic Pizza! Some of the best pizza I've had in a while. The wings were also tasty. Good beer selection Seemed a bit underserved when we first got there but more folks came on shift and service improved.
(4)
Larry B.
Ate at new Allison Park location this evening. Draft beer selection was good, beer was barely above luke warm. Bottle beer selection is great, only if you like IPA's..which I do. Pizza and bread for sandwiches, TOP NOTCH. Prices...WAY TOO MUCH, most likely our first and last trip despite the tremendous service.
(2)
Jose H.
The ingredients are fresh and good but i always have to throw the pizza in the oven because it is never fully cooked, get your stuff together guys, your pizza would be good if it was cooked right! Cant comment about anything else.
(2)
Matthew M.
Great beer selection! The wings were fantastic as was the pizza. I really enjoyed the food but have to downgrade the rating based on the service. The wings didn't show up until we were 2/3 done with our pizza and we waited a long time before our server was able to take care of us. Part of the problem was probably the fact that they were understaffed due to the Little Italy festival going on outside...I definitely will try again as I expect that this was an anomaly.
(3)
Andy K.
Okay, I came to this place a lot for karaoke last year. It was fun cause I could take off my shirt and stuff and no one cared. They also had bar bingo which was a sure fire way to get drunk for under $15. Recently, a lot of friends were raving about the pizza, which I have had a few times before. I remember it being what I call "bar pizza". Pizza that is doey and fluffy, tastes good when you are sober but even better when you are drunk, however at the end of the day there is nothing special or redeeming about it. Think of Pizza Hut or frozen pizza you may purchase at a grocery store. I gave the pizza another try. Perhaps I was wrong. No, it was the same doey, bar pizza. Not amazing by any standards. I asked the pizza mAker about the inspiration behind their pizza, his response "I don't know... My mom bought a lot of tombstone when we were kids". Aside from this pizza with a bad personality, the beer is way over priced, they don't even serve straub or pbr. The bartender told me they "we're trying to get rid of that crowd". The crowd however added to the subpar experience. The best I can describe it is Bloomfield's jersey shore. In conclusion, if you wanna eat wack pizza, pay to much for beer while being surrounded by douches Caliente is the place for you! The best thing this place can offer is they DO serve pizza till 2 pm.
(2)
Ryan C.
I went to get a pizza for take and was generally ignored while trying to give my name to the waitress to see if my order was ready. When it did come out there was a hoagie with it which I did not order. I tried to say something but she basically tossed the pizza at me and then walked away while ignoring my "excuse me"n attempts. I tried to follow her and it was like she was rushing away from me. She went back behind the bar and just starting playing with her phone while I had to yell MISS! Then she tried to take my pizza away and I had to tell her I didn't order the hoagie. I handed it to her and she just tossed it on the counter and said she didn't know who's it was. Then when I got home my pizza was cold...not just warm...cold. I won't be back and I feel bad for whoever's hoagie that was.
(1)
Faith A.
What a good find! I do not work too far from this little establishment and I have to say that since it was discovered, we have gotten many a goodies from here. Their portions are large, and definitely quality... I have not had anything that I did not think was great here. They are always fast and seem to possess a high level of customer service too... delivery is always fast too! I suggest trying this place if you have not done so yet...
(4)
Pete R.
I had never reviewed Caliente when it was under the previous ownership and I'm glad I didn't for the new owners, who happen to be awesome. The atmosphere is much of what you would expect from a bar. People jabbering away and TV's in the background with sports, all standard good stuff. The decor is in the process of changing with the new owners, more cool stuff on the wall and the addition of the chalkboard paint listing all the tap brews (all 20) is really cool. What makes Caliente welcoming is the staff, none of who I have ever had an issue with... From the handy man to the owners, they know how to treat patrons. As for the food, it is pretty damn good. The pizza is, in my opinion, the best in Bloomfield. It is obvious that they use fresh ingredients, many of which I believe are local. The wings are solid and the sandwiches are put on superb bread, which I think makes or breaks most sandwiches. Drinking! If you like craft beer then Caliente is your place to go in Bloomfield... The selection on tap is fantastic with Hercules Double IPA, Raging Bitch Belgium IPA and Dogfish Head Burton and Baton only to name a few... There is 20 on tap in total and one will not find a miller lite or bud light in the mix... IF you prefer bottles, well they have two full coolers full of craft brews, including my personal favorite, Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA... And for you hipsters, they most certainly have Pabst Blue Ribbon available... You can't go wrong with Caliente.
(5)
Nichole M.
Dear Caliente, you being in my neighborhood is dangerous business indeed. I stopped back after being TRAPPED in traffic one night in hopes of finding some homemade tiramisu since I remembered it being on the menu. While they didn't have any, I did get two slices of cheesecake for next to nothing. Only downside, it was frozen when I got home. I stopped back in tonight to grab a small pizza for spinster-dinner. I opted for the buffalo chicken pizza. It came out on this beautiful platter, all puffy crust and browned cheese. This was far far better than the five cheese pizza. Far far better. The bartender was friendly as always.
(5)
Dan M.
I know, 5 stars is "as good as it gets", so I hesitate because there is always room for improvement, but for great pizza and wings this place deserves the 5 stars. The house made pizza sauce is perfection, and they don't skimp on the cheese. I've never actually eaten in house, we always get it delivered, so this review is simply on the great food, and super friendly drivers, and staff.
(5)
Carlos T.
Great beer selection but way way way too expensive. $15 for two beers? Save your money and go elsewhere.
(1)
Adell K.
I came here on the groupon and I must say this place gets very high marks. The food was really good the pizza was perfect. I had the Thai chilli wings and the sauce was the best I've had ever. GREAT beer selection with good beers on tap and in bottles. Great and knowledgeable service . This place is a win.
(5)
Dani W.
Given the convenience of the location and the consistently awesome selection of beers at Caliente, I would assume this would be one of our regular spots. Sadly, not so. We've been here a handful of times (maybe 5?) and have been disappointed every time. While the beer selection is great, the prices are simply outrageous. A 22oz specialty beer for $19? I've found the same beers at around $12-$14 in other spots. Our experience with the food is limited. The only thing we've tried is the fried zucchini, but it was pretty awful. Limp, flavorless mush with a side of marinara that was basically just plain tomato sauce. We have avoided their pizzas on the assumption that the same sauce is used. Despite the over-priced beer and mediocre food, we may have continued to pop in from time to time, but for our 2 most recent experiences which made me feel like the management/ownership of this place is just downright dishonest. Caliente has taken to advertising pint nights (buy a beer, keep the glass). The first one we tried to go to, we got there around 9:45, and were informed that they were out of glasses. They said the special started at 7. OK, that's not unreasonable. So the next time, we got there around 7:20. What do you know? Out of glasses. The manager looked at me and said, "They go fast!" That may be true, but then: get more glasses! I don't need free glassware to patronize a place, but I do find it extremely insulting when a business advertises something like this to get you through the door, then doesn't deliver. Running out of a special in 20 minutes isn't a special - it's a fire sale. The beer selection may be good, but we won't be going back.
(1)
Jan J.
Almost thought I walking into Pipers Pub at first, and the place sure looks like just that. Stopped by on a Thursday evening and place was somewhat busy. We got served right away. They have a decent draft beer selection, and the subs we had were alright. Service was good!
(3)
Tessa M.
everyone needs to try the broccoli bites, first off. probably the best ever. i also had the greek pizza which was also delicious. prices are reasonable as well. the only reason i didn't give it 5 stars, is that the service wasn't the best ever. there were no servers, just the bartender, and he was rather slow and we had to ask for water refills. (the bar section wasn't busy either) but he was friendly, so i can't complain too much. i'd definitely go back. oh, another bonus: they serve pizza super late!
(4)
Kay E.
I don't normally like pizza, but Caliente's makes a really good one. The atmosphere is very casual and our server was sweet and really pretty. I didn't expect to like Caliente since it comes off as a dive, but I was surprised.
(5)
Justin L.
Pizza and appetizers are pretty nice. Beer selection seemed OK, but not particularly vast. They had one poor bastard working there on the Sunday night before Memorial Day and it was like one of the only places open on the street. One person at the bar and doing table service for food. Service was predictably, cripplingly slow. Assuming this was a one off because of the holiday weekend I would give this place another try. The patrons having shouting matches outside also provided nice, light evening entertainment.
(2)
Andrew K.
We have been here a number of times and I really like the food and beer selection but the service, frankly, sucks. If I could look past the service this would be a 4, maybe even 5 star review, but again the service consistently sucks. Let's review the service first and just get this out of the way. Tonight we came in and it was moderately busy so we sat/stood at the bar. We all ordered beers (at least 3 on their draught list were kicked but still on the chalk board. How hard is it to erase a chalk board?) and our friends ordered a pizza. The wait wasn't long for the pizza but when the kitchen brought out the pizza they just set it on the back bar. And there it sat for 10 minutes while the bar tender and servers walked by it and wouldn't make eye contact with us. Finally my friends were served their lukewarm pizza after we pointing out that it was there. No apologies or acknowledgment of an issue were given. When it started to clearing out we moved to a table and had some more beers. At the end of the night a friend had to leave early so he cashed out his tab. After our friend had left the bartender came over and stated that he had given our tab to my friend whom had left so we would need to pay his which was much larger. He stated that we could just get the money back from our friend for the difference later on. Once again no real apology was given. I am really not sure how his mental error became my problem but it seems kind of ridiculous that I became responsible for it and it isn't like there is a manager on duty to deal with. Onto the good stuff. The pizza is well above average and my wife especially loves the buffalo chicken pizza. The wings are some of the best in town. Fried crisp and sauced properly. The beer list is also one of the best in the east end. They boast around 20 taps and the selection is always unique and well rounded for even the most demanding beer guy or girl. Bottom line, I'll come back. But I know that service will probably continue to suck and that I really have to be proactive as a customer when I am there.
(3)
Nate G.
Felt compelled to write an update. Caliente seems to have gotten their act together. I believe a change of ownership or management has happened since my original post. Pizza has significantly improved. The beer selection is awesome. They frequently host limited release tappings. Only downside is that they are a tad on the pricey side, even for quality craft beer.
(4)
Melissa P.
Great beer selection. Good food. Subpar service. I really want to patronize this place more but 2 visits and both with crappy service makes it tough.
(3)
Darren W.
Kay and I stopped into Caliente for a post-work pie late last week and were delighted to find that its buttery cheese, dulcet, snap-your-fingers-snap-your-neck sauce and chewy-as-a-Southside-Pretzel crust made it an easy contender for one of the East End's very best. We got no askew looks for requesting the Kay Kombo, and with beverages and tip, our total was still less than 20 dollars. On the atmosphere tack, I have no idea what Caliente becomes like as the night grinds forward, but when we visited around 5PM, the bar was rather quiet and calm, and Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations was on the telly. Having written that, I feel that Caliente was a pleasant, inexpensive choice for a payday Friday night dinner, and I think you will also if you visit. P.S. Maria, our server, was an absolute sweetheart.
(4)
Iliana C.
Finally, a pizza place worth raving about in Pittsburgh! So Caliente looks like a typical bar from the outside but the inside seems like it's in limbo between bar and restaurant. The menus are takeout menus - what? Yeah, this got my expectations really low but when the food came out I was pleasantly surprised. The Caesar Salad was nice and big and the dressing automatically came on the side. The garlic bread (only 99 cents!) was delicious with just the right amount of crunch. The personal pepperoni pizza had all the things I look for in a pizza - just enough grease, great amount of toppings, and not too much crust. The pesto pasta also didn't come out dripping in oil - very hard to find. I will be coming back or ordering from here whenever I get my pizza cravings. They deliver to Shadyside! Seriously, give it a try. Great value.
(5)
Natahley B.
Alright, I have to level with you - I'm giving Caliente a 5 star rating, but it's for a combo of above-average 'bar food' AND the fastest delivery in Bloomfield, hands-down. (Who enjoys waiting an hour and a half for food?! When ya hungry, ya hungry!) Thus far, I've sampled: chicken tenders (delish), popcorn chicken (okay, but more crispy breading than meat), onion rings (the best!), white pizza (solid, not as good as Angelo's, but you can add ricotta), regular pizza (good), mozzarella sticks (decent), chicken parm with pasta (the chicken is diced up and kinda mixed with the pasta, which is different, but still good), and -- duhn, duhn, duhhhn -- the gyro. I have to elaborate on this one, because I was kinda shocked by how good their gyro was! They toast the pita, so it has a satisfying crunch to it, which I appreciate. They deliver it with the cucumber sauce (decent, but not Mike & Tony's) on the side so ish doesn't get soggy -- a plus in my book -- and the right amount of lettuce, tomato, and red onion comes on the luscious lamb. We've ordered the gyro about five times now, and have never been disappointed! On top of all that, the food is usually delivered within 20-30 minutes. How awesome is that? I mean, when you call and order delivery, it's because you are hungry and, in my case, too lazy to put shoes on and drive to Wendy's. Caliente always comes through for me here. In fact, last night, they delivered our food in FIFTEEN minutes! That's cray-cray. Unheard of. Usually, food delivery peeps seem to like to flaunt their power over you. "You're hungry? We have food. Yeah, you want our food?... Well, ya gotta wait!" Not Caliente. They're quick, pleasant, and they take credit cards over the phone, so you don't have to have cash either. :)
(5)
Amanda Q.
was here twice. was kinda 'meh' both times. food is okayyyyy.... bartender took a while before noticing we existed.
(2)
Dave H.
Eaten here before and A+. Last night a friend moved back to Pittsburgh and took her out for drinks. We started at Pleasure Bar in Bloomfield...thats another story! :-( Decided to try out Caliente's. Wasnt that busy but that was good. Ordered a rum runner and Jeff,the bartender, never made one. No biggie. White russian and my friend said make me something with tequila in it. She loved it! We ended calling it The Jeff Drink.(think of something catchier later) he seemed to be there solo and held his ground, calm,collected, and really nice. Ordered provie sticks and chicken poppers, and they were out in minutes and were great, (for fried food) we have now officialy made it our meeting place and Italian days is coming up and surely will bring the gang down here!
(5)
Michael M.
I came in for happy hour. I sat at the end of the bar, received no attention from the staff. A guy was loudly mounting a TV on the wall behind the bar (power tools and such); something that should have probably been done outside of business hours. They have $3 happy hour four cut pizzas, and a dollar off of drafts. I ordered a pizza with olives and whatever great divide beer they had on draft. Their beer mark-up is much higher than industry standard. After 20 minutes, my pizza came out with the incorrect toppings. After 20 more minutes, it came out correctly. It was fine, but by that time I just wanted to get my shit and leave. One of the staff had put on some truly awful music on the jukebox, and the noise from trying to mount that TV behind the bar was distracting. As a server, I know that in this type of situation, it's standard to offer the customer some kind of discount, or to take care of the customer's drinks so that they come back (or at the very least, to avoid a negative review). The bartender (I think also the owner) didn't take care of anything for me. I'm never getting food from here again, and if I go for Karaoke I'm going to pre-game real hard so I don't have to break my bank on their super-expensive beer.
(1)
Jarrett H.
Great, cheap pizza.. Definitely nothing to write home about, but my plain 18" pie was less than $9 for takeout. The pizza itself tasted good - light on the sauce and heavy on the cheese, and the crust was excellent for your basic American-style pizza. Most of the menu is under $10 for pasta, hoagies, etc, and they have some pretty good coupons as well. They appear to have some daily food and drink specials. Monday wing night and thursday burger night, and maybe a half-off pasta on wednesday. Inside Caliente there is also a bar. Reasonably priced, the selection didn't seem out of this world but $4 Sarnac seasonals tied us over while we waited for our pizza to come out. We also got buffalo fries - which unfortunately were not as we imagined, the potato-based cousin of the wing, but rather a knock off of Buffalo Wild Wing's buffalo chips(thick-sliced potato chips with curly fry seasoning). Tasty, none-the-less, and sometimes thin enough that the edges were crispy like a chip, delicious! All-in-all, just a neighborhood bar and pizza joint. If you're looking for a cheap pizza and you live around here, definitely give them a call.
(4)
Smarvin S.
EXTREMELY HIGH PRICED BEERS.ATLEAST 2X AS MUCH. good beers. good pizza . good calzones. good food in general. but beers are priced atleast 2X the price of anywhere else you will find good beers. go to lot 17 across the street. not as many any beers on tap but priced right and really awesome people working. or just go buy a case next door at the distributor. sucks but true. like you caliente but you are ripping us off. i paid $9 dollars for a dogfish draft. good beer. but seriously? im emailing dogfish too to confirm how excessive this is. At least have the decency to display your prices so your customers have the option I walk out before ordering. But I guess that's part of the plan because no one would stay if you did. And I have heard this complaint from everyone I know who has got sucked into Caliente.
(1)
Meghan C.
As I detailed in my first review, the pizza and wings here were pretty bad. I have since been back for their karaoke night and it was pretty fun. Apparently this is the new "cool" hangout spot, or so I've heard. I guess they're hosting shows, etc. and really trying to make this more of a bar than a restaurant, which is cool since I didn't find the food particularly good. BUT...the bartenders here are HORRIBLE. I mean, they are really just bad bartenders, at least the two that were there the night I was there (and apparently are like always there). The one girl looked angry the whole time and wouldn't give me a straw for my cranberry vodka (seriously, who wants to drink well vodka without a straw?). She also gave attitude when my friend asked for a lime for her Tecate (again, who wants to drink Tecate without lime?). AND she didn't even open the beer, which I'm pretty sure is illegal (my friend has since been back and said that this is a common occurrence). The male bartender tried a lame attempt at flirting with me by continuously mentioning my bright red shorts. And then my friend's double gin-and-ginger-ale got knocked over literally a minute after she paid for it, and the bartender witnessed it, and he charged her for it!! I know the bartender's not required to comp you a drink or anything...but every time this has happened to me (most recently, at Mad Mex...I was talking with my hands a little too enthusiastically...), the bartender hasn't made me pay for a replacement drink. And I didn't have to ask, either. LAME! Weirdly...the pizza I saw some people eating looked nothing like the pizza I received when I ordered delivery from them. So maybe I did get a bad one, who knows.
(2)
Jeff L.
For the record, me and the girlfriend WANT to love this place, but after 2 visits over the past couple weeks, it is simply in our "okay" column. Why? Well, first, let me say that Caliente's hits 2 of our 3 metrics for becoming a fan favorite: beer selection and food quality. Both times we've been to Caliente's the pizza, wings and fries have been pretty good to great. And the beer selection is perfect for microbrew worshipers like ourselves, with bottles, cans AND drafts galore. However, they score low in our 3rd metric of service. Not that the service is rude or absolutely terrible. It is just not good. It is the slow, lack of attention and detail that irks us. We tip well and we demand more attentive service. First trip we sat at the bar. The guy there was nice enough, but several times he passed us when we had empty drinks and twice we asked him for things like a glass of water and we actually saw him start to get it, but get sidetracked talking to coworkers and regulars and remember after 5 minutes when he came back to our part of the bar. Last night, we were inadvertently charged for an item we "won" on their Facebook page. And the waitress went out to smoke while our empty water glasses remained at full attention in the end if our table...in the dining room area with no one else there. I'm starting to wonder if this is why the place seems empty on weekend nights. This place is so close to being a contender...the service just needs to pick up before we will come back again.
(3)
Casey D.
It's really unfortunate that the service at this place sucks so much, because I really like the beer selection and the food is decent as well. But every time I'm in there, they are incredibly understaffed. Once, my friend and I sat at the bar for 15 minutes without a drink! It was ridiculous. And once you order food, you're really in for the long haul...
(2)
Brittany W.
When this place first opened it was awesome. great food, fast service, decent prices. We would order from them probably once a week. they had fantastic specialty pizza and great plain normal pizza as well. HOWEVER, they went through a change in management and I think they changed their food company because all of a sudden it went downhill quick! We ordered salads from there one night and not only did they tell us that it was going to take 45 minutes for PICKUP but they weren't even ready when we got there 50 minutes later. we asked for extra ranch when ordering and asked if it was in there when we picked up. The response was "uh, it should be" Needless to say it was not. The salads were disappointing to say the least. Another time, the delivery driver "supposedly" got lost coming to the house. we literally live on the same block one street over! Such a shame because this place was awesome when it opened. I will never order there again.
(2)
Jaren L.
This is a cool, clean Bloomfield bar. It's nonsmoking if you do not like that about some of the other East End "hot spots" and the drinks are pretty darn cheap. The food is good bar food. It's not like wow cool foodie bar food like Brillo Box or something but it tastes great. I loved the fries and the pizza was so good that I ate enough that I felt full for days. Also, karaoke night here is low key and fun and you can be "that guy" who does multiple songs very easily. I give this review based on four nice experiences.
(4)
Jee L.
I've ordered late night delivery for pizza, pasta ans wings as an experiment. Everything sucked. I will never order from them again.
(2)
Dawn M.
Being a business owner in the area I love to try new places with clients (When time permits) I had the opportunity to enjoy a slice during Lil Italy Days and wanted to eat in this time....We picked up a Living Social Deal and headed on over.... We had a gyro with fries and HAD to try the wings!! The food and the service was great!! Loved the murals on the wall done by a local artist. We will definitely return for full price this time!!!
(5)
Eric A.
They have great pizza and the best beer selection in Bloomfield...but that's about all. I've had experiences with the staff ranging from "alright" to downright bad. Today the staff experience was an exception (in the beginning), but rest of the visit left me with a sour taste. Decided to stop in for a quick burger and a beer before meeting up with friends. Ordered a beer and a cheeseburger from the very nice female bartender. I sipped my beer, so as to make it last until I was able to enjoy it with my burger...then 30 minutes went by. The cheeseburger finally arrived overcooked and under-cheesed. It was basically boiled meat on a deli bun, no juice at all. By this time, the nice female bartender had been replaced by a man who was very curt with his customers. No, I'm not mistaking busy for curt. The gentleman who sat next to me asked what was good on tap and he just turned away and said "all of it's good." I was hoping this could be my go-to place for a quick bite and a brew, as I live just 2 blocks away. Turns out stopping in for a quick bite is actually an hour commitment. I'll probably go back for the pizza, but that would be about it.
(2)
Haneen S.
I went on Thursday and it was 7 dollar medium cheese. Coming from Chicago I was skeptical but the pizza was delicious. The crust was good and it was even good cold later. The waitress was really nice. The only problem was the rif raf that came in. Crowd was somewhat trashy. I would go back if I was in Pitt again.
(4)
Joel G.
This place is DEAD. New owners who hate punks, gays and weirdos. They are trying to turn it into a south side frat bar. Nothing but dinguses working and hanging out here now. Avoid at all costs. You guys ruined a great spot.
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : Yes Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner, Late Night Parking : Street Bike Parking : Yes Good for Kids : No Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : Free Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : No
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Desirae H.
Not sure why this place has such mixed reviews...every time we've been here we have gotten great food and great service! One of my favorite pizza places in Pittsburgh within walking distance from home...hard to say no to that!
(5)Brenda L.
Food is very good! Service was excellent close to the hospital nice for groups very sporty atmosphere, but not noisy. We stopped in on s Sunday afternoon
(4)Amanda M.
Great pizza! Crust was perfectly fine , not too hard, no burnt pieces. Large has 8 cuts, plenty for a family of 4. You knew its his when the table is quiet :-) I had the Blues Brothers wings. I really liked them. It was hit sauce mixed with ranch and blue cheese. The loaded French fries were tasty! Fresh cut with cheese and bacon. Will def come back!
(4)Michael R.
Atmosphere is very cool, great staff, great beer selection, decent Italian-style bar food. Biggest hit here is the one to my wallet. Most of the beer selection was offered only in a tulip glass and ranged from $7-8.50 for a portion significantly smaller than a pint. BUT, the selection is extensive and has several local brews. Several televisions within a small place which is good for watching sports. Would and should be a 4ish... I do recommend it though.
(3)Ryan K.
Another dime a dozen Pittsburgh small pizza shop. Paid $6 for a slice of red velvet cake and received a tiny piece, was barely an inch wide at the widest spot. Paid $5.49 for an order of breaded zucchini and got maybe 8 thin strips, much less than most places I've gotten it from. A big ripoff and does nothing to differentiate itself from the 80% of Pittsburgh Pizza shops that are on a similar level.
(1)Meghan B.
Liz J. and I visited Caliente's for the first time about a month ago. We were super hungry and wanted to try everything on the menu! We ordered the loaded fries and breaded zucchini to start. They were both delicious! Although they were amazing, they weren't anything out of the ordinary when it comes to bar appetizers. Next, we ordered the buffalo chicken rolls and the jalapeno bacon rolls. I assumed we would be receiving two small orders, since they were only $7 each and I became adjusted to receiving small portions of rolls at restaurants. No. There were six rolls in each order and they were HUGE. I was only able to finish one of each and I was completely stuffed. They were homemade and absolutely amazing. The flavors were awesome and they went deliciously with their homemade ranch. I was pleasantly surprised with my visit to Caliente's. I assumed it was going to be just another pizza bar, but it wasn't at all. Awesome service, a great selection of drafts and OUT of this WORLD rolls! I also ordered pepperoni rolls to go and gave them to my cousin- she loved them too!
(4)Maria L.
Ordered pizza one night while at a friends house hanging out. They are a couple blocks from Caliente. We had it delivered so we could continue drinking on the porch. We just ordered a large pizza and it took over an hour do it to be delivered. The pizza itself was very tasty. It was very saucy but I like it that way. It was priced a little high for a large pizza especially when it took so long to deliver.
(4)Hilary B.
This place is amazing. Clean. Scrumptious food. Great beer selection. EXTREMELY friendly bartenders. I felt like everyone at this bar was an old friend. It. Was. Great.
(5)Scott G.
Hands down best beer selection in Pittsburgh. Can be pricy for drafts but from 430-630 all drafts ate half off making them more than reasonable. Also have at least one beer or brewery on special each day. The pizza here is pretty good but definitely not my favorite in the city. Haven't tried much else on the food menu other than the burger which was decent. If you're into craft beer though you HAVE to give callientes a try. They make it a point to carry the best selection of bottles and drafts including hard to find brews from across the country. I have come hear for several special tappings (Canadian breakfast stout, bourbon county stout, etc...) and the events have always been well run and gone smoothly. Also they have a recently renovated downstairs bar which is open on busy nights and is great!
(4)Jeb M.
Easily my favorite pizza in Pittsburgh, maybe 2nd-favorite anywhere :) The atmosphere is low-lighting relaxed (for a bar). Staff is very friendly. And the craft-beer selection is great. I really appreciate the drafts-menu which provides a detailed description of each beer. Plus, the happy hour is half-priced drinks and actually includes all the beer on draft (!) instead of limiting to two or three select beer-options like other places. Recently moved to Kent, OH from Pittsburgh and will miss this place most of all.
(5)James C.
Had takeout today at Children's Hospital. Delicious cheese with riccotta.
(4)Whitley S.
Not a fan... I've ordered delivery from here (with coworkers) several times since I work late nights. The food has never been anything to rave over in my opinion. The last time we ordered, we received half of a pizza that we didn't order. It might have been fine if it was a whole pizza for free, but it was peculiar. Additionally, they always forget the ranch... If you love hot wings with ranch, and don't have any ranch... The wings become pointless. Also, one of the 'grubhub' drivers isn't very nice. Not sure of her name, but she drives a green car. Bottom line- it's open late, they have a lot of options on the menu, and they deliver. We only keep giving chances due to the above.
(2)Chelsea I.
My coworkers and I order from here every once in a while. There are WAY better places, and from this last experience, I will be ordering elsewhere if ordering my lunch at work. Their pizza is pretty good. They have a really great selection of different specialty pizzas too, so if you do order from here, I recommend pizza. Today, I decided to order a burger. I swear it was not even edible. The meat is weird, the cheese was practically nonexistent, the bun was mushy, and the toppings were not fresh. Their French fries are edible, but they're always soggy. They also give us a hard time about ordering separate orders, even if there is only two of us! They charge a delivery fee to each order, and their food is expensive to begin with. I have never eaten inside or experienced their beer selection, but from my experiences, I will be ordering elsewhere, as this was never my favorite place to order anyways.
(2)Chip R.
Met up at Caliente's with a social group that I belong to yesterday after work for "drinking practice". I must say that I was very impressed with the selection of beers on tap. It's a rarity for me to find a bar that has quality craft beers on tap that I have not yet tried or haven't had in a long time. Caliente's sure did deliver in that respect. I started out having a long time favorite of mine, Bell's Third Coast Old Ale. It was correctly served in sniffer glass and it went down just right. I followed it up with the Brew Gentleman's Mammoth, then a Bullfrog Blackberry JuJu, a Draai Laag Yodeler, Lost Abbey Lost and Found, a Free Will Barbera Grape and finished the evening off with a Dogfish Head Raison D Extra. Nice selection of beers eh? I think so. And the best part about it was that most of the brews were consumed during happy hour meaning that they only cost me $3.50 each! We started our "drinking practice" on the first floor of Caliente's then as our group grew to double digits we took it down stairs. Both locations were comfortable and accommodating yet distinctly different from one another. The first floor had a more "old skool", traditional Pittsburgh pub feel to it contrasting with the metro kind of lounge atmosphere of the basement. It was like bar hopping without the benefit of enjoying every one of those February 8 degrees that we were blessed with outside yesterday evening I'd be remiss if I didn't comment on the pizza at Caliente's. The group I was with ordered a number of pizzas and I had the opportunity to enjoy a few slices of the Meat Lover's pizza and a few slices of a BBQ Chicken with Pineapple pizza. They were both delicious and could stand toe to toe with just about any Italian pie in the Burgh. I can't say enough good things about this place. If you appreciate good craft beers and enjoy Pizza, this is the place for you. If I lived a little closer to Bloomfield, I would most certainly be a regular of Caliente's.
(5)Morgan D.
Still really pleased with Caliente. Great food and drink specials, food is always good. Service has been fine with a few stars in the server lineup. Good selection of bottles and drafts, food and drink prices all very reasonable. But what is up with the super slippery wood floor in the back? I kinda feel like I'm ice skating back there.
(4)Meg O.
OK food, but delivery takes FOR-FREAKING-EVER. I'm sorry, but 2 hours for an order of cheesy bread is outrageous. The beers are overpriced, as well. If you're going to eat here, I'd suggest dine-in or pick up.
(3)Sean G.
I like their food inside only. Take-out from this place is astoundingly bad. They forget everything the dish is supposed to come with. I know food is supposed to be eaten fresh made from kitchen to plate so that's why I don't judge too hard on takeout food, but the take-out service is horrible. The old lady driver that needs to bath is very rude. Bill came and it wasn't what grub hub had quoted so I told her and she could care less, even after I tipped over 20% before driver fee. If you are driving you still have to represent the company. Best pepperoni rolls around.
(3)Megan S.
I have eaten here several times and normally it's not to bad this time around I got food my order was all wrong .. I ordered boneless wings and got traditional wings that were undercooked pretty badly and they forgot my ranch(which is minor) ... The pizza however was very good... It was a late night order but that doesn't mean the quality should go down hill...basically it was 40 dollars down the drain!
(2)MaryAlice R.
Came here for lunch and ordered a small BBQ pizza. There was barely anyone there and it took quite a long time to get my beer (I had a half day at work so I had to celebrate!). The pizza also took sometime. For a place I thought would be a quick lunch, it ended up being an hour. So if you are in a hurry I recommend to stay away! The pizza was good, but nothing to write home about. I may be back to see if I get a better experience. The beers they have on tap are fantastic so I think it may be worth the try.
(3)Lauren P.
Great place for pizza and beer on a Friday night! Caliente's has a huge selection of draft and bottled beers. I was a little disappointed during my last visit as on draft they mostly had Dogfish Head which I believe was leftover from a special event they had. Also the bottled beer selection was pretty low. This is not typical though and I was still able to try 2 new bottled beers including the Deschutes summer ale which had a nice light flavor. Their pizza is delicious and we went with a medium sized pie with chicken, bacon, tomato, and ranch dressing as well as a small Hawaiian pizza. Both had lots of fresh toppings and even a few slices left to take home.The prices are right but the service is slow- I was surprised by how many waiters and waitresses they had on a Friday night and still it took over 15-20 minutes to order and a long waits in between beers.
(3)Alexandra L.
Awesome pizza, great service and an extensive list of beers on draft. A great place to take friends or even just for happy hour. Really a fan of their delivery as you can also have beer delivered!
(5)Stacie C.
If you're looking for a cool local place to hang and enjoy some good beers, Caliente is it. Their beers, both bottled and on tap (including many local selections), rotate frequently so there's always a fresh selection. I usually order a flight so I can try a few beers when it's too difficult to decide on just one or two. The website is also updated regularly with the current draft and bottle list. It's also good to know that they will fill any growler with almost any of their draft selections. Caliente offers daily food and drink specials in addition to their weekday happy hour specials. The food isn't high class, but I'd say it's better than your average bar food. I've thrown the kitchen a curve ball when I ordered fries with the special request that they be tossed in the garlic parm sauce used for wings and they delivered. I've tried several of their other wing flavors (I prefer the boneless in the Blues Brothers sauce), the Italian and Steak subs, the gourmet pizzas and even a calzone (which they will warn you might take some extra time to bake but is well worth it). I don't always go there to eat, but I end up smelling the food and at least order something to go most nights I'm there. While everything I've had has been good, I would definitely recommend the gourmet pizzas before anything else. (The Thai Chicken is definitely worth your time.) I wouldn't recommend delivery but instead order take-out ahead of time. Or go for a beer while you wait for your food. Don't forget to check out the downstairs bar, known as the Railsplitter Speakeasy. It's got a different vibe than the upstairs bar which can feel a bit more divey and crowded. The Railsplitter has a more cozy feel and I find it a better atmosphere for enjoying a good craft beer. (If it was up to me, the whole place would look and feel like the Railsplitter.) I get some of the complaints, but on several of my own visits to Caliente, I find the problem is with the clientele. In other words, people go in for a beer and then don't know what to do when they can't get a Bud Light. These are the people who can ruin a good night for an otherwise great server. Just remember if you're thinking about checking it out it's called Caliente PIZZA and DRAFT House. And if you enjoy a great beer and a perfect slice, buy the crew a 6-pack as a thank you.
(4)Cherith C.
Really great pizza, but the service was lacking. Waitress was definitely bummed out to "deal" with us. I've never understood this. I served for a long time and more customers just meant more money. Anyway, pizza is excellent and the choices are awesome. The buffalo chicken was great!
(3)Maura U.
Great experience here! We had one of those city cards that give you $10 off of $30, and we decided to try it out on an early Monday evening. We ordered the broccoli poppers and house salad. My husband said that that was how broccoli should be-surrounded by cheese and bacon and then fried. Lol. They were delicious! The house salad was fresh and the balsamic dressing topped it off nicely. We ordered the Thai Chicken Pizza, and it was very good. Service was pleasant, and the draft selection was great-very diverse.
(4)Adriane N.
My bf and I stopped by here to grab a bite to eat since it's apparently the only place in the area open past 11. Atmosphere is pretty chill. The food was amazing and the beer selection was impressive. I got the bbq chicken pizza and loaded fries (just Ok). My boyfriend got the steak and cheese pizza which was amazing. Our waiter was nice but it was evident that he was ready to go home. Definitely would come back here. Pay in cash if you can...I witnessed unsafe handling of credit cards. Waiter left a credit card on the table and walked away from it! #Yikes
(4)Daniel M.
I love your wings. They're delicious. The fact that you charge customers for carrots and celery is utterly ridiculous. That's like saying, "yeah I know it's free at literally every restaurant across the United States, but fuck you I'm going to charge you for them." Oh and I bought them and they were dried out and old. So they fuck you twice. Change this and I'll give you 5 stars.
(1)Madeline V.
The three stars are mostly for the awesome tap and bottle selection offered at Caliente. As a beer lover it's nice to see somewhere other than D's in Regent Square with this sort of massive selection. I wish the food was a better deal frankly, so that prevents my review from being better. My roommate and I have tried getting meals to-go, and it's been an underwhelming experience. Everything is a bit overpriced for the portion size and quality. My advice: Come to Caliente to pick up some epic beers, and go anywhere else on this wonderful little stretch of Liberty Avenue for takeout!
(3)Bob B.
Anytime I can get back to the Bloomfield, the place in which I grew up I enjoy it. I only had the pizza to eat. There is better pizza in the area, but I would still rate the pizza slightly above average. The crust is a little chewy, but the overall taste and toppings are good enough. What sets this pizza place apart from others is the beer list. You can walk in at any time and get 1-2 drafts that would be hard to find at other places.
(4)Natasha H.
I was pleasantly surprised by my evening at Caliente last Saturday, especially after reading lots of 2 and 3 star reviews. I went for a birthday party in the downstairs room and found the place to be lots of fun. A bunch of us filled up the entire downstairs, so we pretty much had the bartender two ourselves. The bartender was really nice and served everyone quickly, remembering everyone's drinks. The beer selection was fantastic, especially for a random bar in Bloomfield. The food was pretty good and not greasy. I'll for sure be back from a trivia night. Only drawback is that only the (kinda gross) women's restroom is on the first floor, rather than the basement.
(4)Riley S.
I have bee nmeaning to review Caliente for a long time now. I has been my boozer of choice since I moved to Bloomfield almost a year and a half ago. It was actually one of the first local businesses I patronized following my move. The bar is small. A few seats and tables with a larger raised section at the back. The space is small and the bodies pack in during peak hours. The big focal point, besides the myriad of beer signs from over a hundred different breweries from around the nation and globe, are the chalk walls. The first holds the draft list and usually a cool piece of seasonal chalk art. The back wall has a very VERY cool piece of chalk art depicting the storefront and surrounding buildings on Liberty Ave. The service is usually top notch. I tend to go on Tuesdays (cause I am a secret karaoke whore) and see Angie. Angie is a peach. Always quick with a smile and a drink. On a side note she was also first runner up for a best bartender in the Burgh competition this past year. There is a small downside though. The management seems to never schedule an appropriate amount of staff, so during volume you can face a bit of a wait, unless you become a regular, then you get taken care of. The food here is bombtastic to boot. Pizzas are incredible, my favorite being the spinach and feta. My all time favorite item on the menu is the Italian Sub. The col cuts are great, the cheese is awesome, the veggies are fresh and crisp and it is all contained by a chewy crusty sub roll. Also, kitchen is open till 2 so big plus for me. The biggest reason I love Caliente is their beer selection. To have one of the biggest and most eclectic selections in all of Pittsburgh and literal stumble (long story involving way too much North Coast Old Rasputin and Fireball) from my front door is truly a double edged sword. The bar features about 20 constantly rotating taps with the worst beer being Yuengling. They also have a very nice bottle selection to boot. The beers come in appropriate glassware, which is unique. Most bars have pints and maybe snifters but Caliente had pislners, snifters, tulips, and goblets. The only drawback is that I find the drafts to be a little over priced. Like the Toby Keith song, I love this bar. It is quick, convenient, and fun. It only loses a star for being a hair overpriced and understaffed. Neither of these will keep me from going back again and again.
(4)Emma D.
I go back and forth on Caliente. On one hand, it has one of the best draft lists in the immediate area. On the other? The service, pricing, and food leave something to be desired. The good first. Caliente's draft list is awesome, and I've really enjoyed my visits to the basement bar (open weekends). It's a very different feel than the upstairs bar and restaurant, which lacks any sort of atmosphere. Caliente's Happy Hour deals are fantastic--from 4:30 to 6:30 on weekdays the drafts are half off! After Happy Hour, my issues with Caliente outweigh the positives. First off, the service is nonexistent. I can't blame this on the staff itself, I the place seems severely understaffed. Every time I've visited, servers are running around trying to help everyone out, and in the end, it takes about double the time to place orders or get drinks. I don't mean this as a cheapskate, but I've found some of the pricing on the draft list to be off. Last night, the always awesome Big Hop was on tap for $6.50... for a smaller goblet. That's a hard pill to swallow, since you can walk across the street to Lot 17 for a $5-6 Big Hop in a pint glass. I do understand the high price for many of the rare beers, but this just seemed fishy to me. I've eaten in several times, and everything has been meh. I mean, it's bar food, so nothing fancy, but I'd rather get a pie down the street. I recommend visiting Caliente for Happy Hour, getting an order of the Buffalo Fries, and allowing plenty of time for the slow service.
(3)Callie O.
I've ordered from Caliente so many times, but I've never had the pleasure of trying their craft-beer selection or great happy-hour deals. My review focuses on my most recent visit. Two nights ago my boyfriend and I were hanging out a friends, and we were crazy hungry at about 10pm. Caliente was suggested and chosen. We went for their five-cheese calzone and jalapeno poppers. The food took about an hour to arrive, which I guess makes sense for a late night. We probably should have just walked there, but we were too lazy to do that, plus we were gaming. The food arrived and it looked amazing. The calzone was definitely big enough for two people, but certainly could have fed three. At first bite I was in love. Cheesy deliciousness danced around my tongue and my hunger was sated. I was a bit of a challenge to eat it all though, so I shared with my friend. The jalapeno poppers were pretty tasty too. They weren't overly fried or greasy. They were just right! They could have been spicier though. There's not a lot else I can say about Caliente. Their pizza and food is consistently delicious, they employ friendly people and the price is right for what you get. I highly recommend Caliente and some of their great happy-hour deals.
(4)Gerald D.
Wait staff very knowledgeable on beer selection, even offers small glass to taste different beers . Now I order the supreme pizza and its was very good I hate to say this probably the best in the city . Caliente was running a special with Brooklyn beer order a beer and get a glass really cool look for specials every Friday . Recommend for the beer and food selection
(4)Dania P.
I'm sad to write this review, because I'm actually obsessed with Caliente's Hawaiian pizza, but the service is so bad I feel that I can no longer give them my business! Every time I order I get the same thing-- and that's pretty frequent (don't judge) and every time I call and order they tell me it will be 45 minutes.... and every time it is late. Last time, the woman who delivered it told me they dropped it and didn't want to give me a bad product-- ok fair. But, why wouldn't you let me know that or give me some sort of discount since it was so late? If that was the only time this sort of thing happened, I would give them a pass, but they are always late and the one time I went into the actual establishment the service was slow and inattentive as well. Maybe it's a training problem... a hiring problem? Pros: +Pizza is GOOD Cons: -Slow inattentive service -Slow delivery -general lack of concern about the happiness of their patrons
(2)Andy J.
Caliente has amazing food. Their pizza is very good. The dough and sauce are amazing. The hoagies are awesome. I think the buns are made in house. The only reason I'm giving them only four stars is their beer prices are a tad high and the draft selection seems to always be beer I don't care for.
(4)George S.
Great local 'go-to' spot for a beer especially during happy hour. THE best beer selection I've seen around especially if you like to try variety of beers. Bartenders are always friendly but definitely need help if the place is busy. The pizza is great and the fries and some appetizers are good but beyond that is a bit of a waste. Especially the buffalo chicken sandwich..don't waste your money. It is truly a PIZZA AND DRAFT place. One of the only places around that will serve food until 2am however!
(4)Kath E.
My burger was completely raw when I asked for medium well. Took a bite and it was disgusting.
(1)Hilary W.
Let me start by saying I love beer. I love beer not in the "yeah I drink KBS when it comes around" way, I love beer in the "I trade, travel for, and cellar some of the rarest beer in the world" way. Fuss if you will about the food, that's subject to opinion, but fussing about the beer here is asinine. Your glass smelled of bleach? Say something, I've never had an experience here where they wouldn't correct it! Your beer was too expensive for a small pour? Do your research. Those beers are very difficult to acquire, the kegs are extremely expensive, and typically the bar owners take a small margin just to be able to offer said beers at their establishment. In addition, most of those beers are very high in ABV, so it's responsible serving to not give 16oz of an 11% beer to customers. I moved here from Philly (consistently rated one of the top beer cities in America), and it was extremely hard to find the rarer beers in Pittsburgh. Establishments like Caliente and a handful of others are bringing credibility to the craft beer community in Pittsburgh. The first day I walked in I breathed a long sigh of relief and thought, "damn, I'm home". As for the food, I can't speak of the delivery as I always go in to enjoy my food with a beer. The pizza has always been properly cooked, and the other Pittsburgh standards of fried foods and rolls are pretty spot on. I don't go there to get a charcuterie and roast leg of lamb, I go there for solid wings and a world class beer. I really couldn't ask for more of a craft beer bar in Pittsburgh. Last, I've had the opportunity to get to know the owners during my visits in the past year. If you see something wrong, think something is off, or are generally displeased, just tell them. Write your review, that's cool, but have the courtesy to let the business owner know so they can right the wrongs. Turns out they're really normal, nice people.
(5)Stephen R.
So the food was good but the beer is overpriced. I've never seen beer come in such a little glasse.. A toaster or a flask glass really.. Don't be cheap come on seriously I will not be returning..there is better places elsewhere... Plus the service was mediocre just like the other reviews You would think they would have learned
(1)Mackenzie B.
Caliente's delivers to Pitt, which is important since I'm a student. I can't speak for other types of food, but the calzones and pizzas are phenomenal! The Parmesan and garlic topping on the crust of the calzone makes the dishes memorable. The owner, Nick, is a great guy who helped my organization out with pizza donations this previous summer.
(4)Kerri M.
Love the beer selection, pizza, and happy hour specials. Their draft list could be one of the best in the 'burgh, and they supplement that with a wide variety of bottle options. Caliente offers daily food and drink specials and happy hour deals. You can't beat half off craft drafts during happy hour! So why three stars? Each time I've been there, they typically only have a manager on staff and a bartender who is doubling as a waitress for the whole place. The staff is always friendly, but for-sure overworked. Don't expect to come in here and get out quick, and you may wait in between drinks longer than you'd like. They offer special events, like karaoke, live music, and trivia night. Hope to check those out in the future!
(3)BJ B.
My sister and I decided to grab a drink after dinner. We walked around until we found the draft house. I'm a beer connoisseur and love a good Belgian stout. The beer was phenomenal but the customer service needs some work. The bartender was very rude and harassed my sister who was paying with cash. His attitude towards other elderly customers was not kind either. I understand that people have a bad day, but you work for the public. Suck it up. Probably won't be back!
(1)Toni B.
There was a wait for a table, but the staff was very attentive, provided frequent updates on the status of our wait, and offered a drink at the bar. The pizza and salad were delicious. Beer selection was awesome. We'll be back!
(4)Sara H.
Had to give it another try. Big mistake. The waitress acted like we were a bother to her (there was one other table; it was no where near closing time). She was rude from the minute we sat down until we left even after many attempts to "kill her with kindness." What is the point of having "the best craft beer list" if your staff knows nothing about the beer, serves it in the wrong glass, and the glass they do serve it in reeks of bleach and is filthy? I won't be returning and I'd advise others to stay away.
(1)Jon H.
So I had been hearing about Caliente for awhile now (lived in PGH for about 5 years) and saw a Groupon so decided to give it a shot. I was not disappointed. The parking sucks, but that's every place in Bloomfield, and it was easy to find. My wife and me took our 3 kids and my only gripe is we had to wait about 45 minutes for a table, then again it was a Saturday night. The dining area should be way bigger. But the food was great. The breadsticks with homemade ranch were awesome and the Broccoli Puffs were amazing. We had a Pepperoni pizza and a Meat Lovers Pizza and they were both great. Good crust, lots of toppings. My wife had a Buffalo Chicken salad and she loved it. I would highly recommend Caliente. Our waitress was really good too. Even without a Groupon we will definitely go back.
(4)Brandon Y.
If you think you'll be hungry in 2 hours then you should order from here. I think the food was decent but it was so cold by the time I got it that I really wasn't sure. I placed an order, 1 large pizza and am order of jalapeño poppers...an hour and forty five minutes later I called just to learn that they were "about to leave". Fifteen minutes later my food was delivered after having plenty of time to cool off.
(1)Mashel R.
I am rating this for eat in only. The pizza was awesome!! The loaded fries not so much, it was a very small serving and just bland. We had plenty of drink refills and ate downstairs during a planned event. I gave it a 4 based on the fact that one menu item was great and the other not. I would like to try it again but skipping the fries.
(4)Douglas C.
The pizza is by far one of the best in the city and some of the best I've had period. However, as a regular customer (though it's soon to be former), the delivery takes anywhere from an hour and fifteen minutes to an hour and a half and by then the pizza is lukewarm and has to be thrown in the oven. There's a million other pizza places in Bloomfield.
(3)Elizabeth R.
You can't go wrong with Caliente. First of all, the atmosphere is pretty cool. It's a smaller place, but the dark lighting and appearance of the place definitely make it a pretty relaxed setting. They have TVs and there's always music playing. As far as the food goes, the pepperoni rolls are my absolute favorite. They offer food specials nightly, and the personal pizza for $5 is always a good go-to. The beer selection and draft list seem to always be updated when my group stops in, and they've hosted plenty of events with different featured beers. it seems like a lot of people are starting to find out about the new ownership of this place. That's really great for business, but it seems to be making it much more crowded on any day of the week. Plan for some extra time for the kitchen/servers to catch up. Lastly, the prices. They aren't out of the norm by any means. For me, this is a gem of Bloomfield and definitely one of my favorite places to visit in the burgh.
(5)Eric G.
I went here with a friend last night and was surprised by the experience that I had. First of all, if you're advertising your restaurant as a pizza place, you have to have great pizza.... bottom line. And unfortunately, I think that the pizza was the worst part of my entire experience here. I walked in and sat down with a friend for dinner.I had a Groupon and was eager to use it- but I unfortunately had heard that this place was a little below par, so my expectations weren't very high. However, I was surprised, almost floored, at the variety and diversity of craft beers- good for you guys! The waiter, who was actually a really nice guy and great, offered to give me a taste of anything and I tried the chocolate stout- mmmmmhmmm. I ended up getting the night special of a 22oz average beer for either 4 or 5 bucks, but enjoyed the menu nonetheless. And the food.... the food was actually pretty damn good. I had to spend 25 bucks for the Groupon, so we got a smorgasbord of bar food: onion rings, breadsticks, and a pizza. The waiter was even nice enough to come back and say we had enough money on the Groupon to get fries too- so we did just that (all of this for $25!) . The fries were average, but the onion rings and breadsticks were amazing. Good service, very little wait time. However, ironically the pizza left a lot to be desired. Overall though, a tasty and fun little night. This place was a nice little hole in the wall in a small space right on Liberty, and I probably would go back again.
(3)Beck G.
Their pizza is pretty good and they have a great beer selection, but be prepared to wait over hour and a half to get your delivery order... Every time... Even when you live less than 2 miles away. Absolutely ridiculous.
(2)Sheryl T.
I will never order another pizza from Caliente ever again. Tonight I decided to use my "credit" for my botched pizza from my last review. Apparently wrong thing to do. So they told me the wait would be 30 to 45 minutes. Ordered this at 1218. I don't get any calls from Caliente about my delivery or that the driver is even outside. All I get is a knock on the door but by the time I get outside no ones there. It's 130 I call for my pizza. At this point after 3 undercooked pizzas and an undelivered one what can I say I'm pissed. Not only do I get yelled after asking for a refund for the credited pizza as well what I ordered on this ordered he tells me I don't deserve the refund (from apparently "2 weeks ago" he says I'm pretty sure it has only been 5 days let me check my Yelp records) for the credited pizza I never received. By the way everyone this is coming from the exact same person who botched the order from the last review. Now hes saying that he didn't even make a mistake on the last one after he owned up to everything in the last review. Um. What? Im over it. I speak to the manager who apparently likes to let his employees yell at people over the phone and tell him I want everything refunded and that no I don't want a free pizza. I don't care if he makes it and that all I want is an apology from his employee for yelling at me telling me guess what I'M WRONG. Even the manager doesn't think I deserve an apology. Caliente heres a few lessons for you: 1. Employees need to show professionalism regardless of how annoyed, rude, pissed, off a customer is. There is no back and forth. 2. Hanging up on customers too is a no go. 3. Learn how to make a pizza. The pizza that you were probably going to give me this time was probably undercooked too. Time to start ordering from GIovannis at least their pizzas are consistent.
(1)Sam P.
I have been back a few times and was not disappointed. The menu has many solid options including the pepperoni rolls. What makes this place great is the consistently awesome specials. They really make an effort to get great beer here. I've attending three different buy a draft/keep the glass, all which had representatives from the brewery giving out samples. I really enjoy this place.
(5)Jim V.
Like this little place a whole bunch!! Always interesting and unique beers. And, although we've never done anything else, the pizza is honest and well prepared. Not sure why they don't rate better in the "best of" rankings. This is a simple neighborhood bar with friendly staff and reliable food. Can be a bit noisy and crowded. But if you get here early and stay through "the game", you're sure to have a good time!!
(4)David K.
We went to this place this past weekend and had an incredible experience. It was for a surprise birthday party so we had the whole downstairs to ourselves minus the bar. The server immediately took our Beverage orders as soon as we say down. Once everyone showed up he quickly took our food orders. We ordered a large pizza half pepperoni and half cheese and it was really good. The crust was perfect, the sauce tasted homemade and had a perfect flavor texture to it and the pepperoni and cheese were just right. We also got a ranchero steak sub and it was amazing. Great steak, Fresh cut French fries, and ranch dressing. The bread was perfectly toasted and the steak was very flavorful. Everyone else in our group enjoyed their food as well. The server was outstanding all night long. We will be back to this place for sure.
(5)Rachael E.
I wanted beer and pizza one night and this place was recommended by a friend. I will never go back there. My beer was warm. My waiter couldn't give me any advice about their beer list and the pizza was burnt. Nothing worse than burnt cheese and pepperoni. We had also ordered loaded fries which were just okay, however, our order for them came after we had finished half the pizza. When I asked the man who brought us our pizza he said in a really defensive way that he was simply the pizza guy and didn't know a thing about the fries. I would not recommend this place. Ever. Bad food. Bad service.
(1)Lindsay D.
While Caliente is one of my easy, go-to spots to bring friends for a quick drink, I have to say it's not my favorite joint. Its cave-like lighting is certainly not improved by its blasting music that ensures that you neither see nor hear your friends. The food pretty all right-- it is about two steps above bar food-- tasty, but nothing uber fantastical. What I keep going back for, however, is their excellent draft and bottle selection. They provide tasty craft brews, often local ones too, all the time. I love it!
(3)Kayla D.
Caliente is my new favorite happy hour spot. They have a great selection of craft beers that is constantly changing. During usual times the beer can get a bit pricey but all craft beers are half off for happy hour and its the perfect place and time to try out new things. The staff are attentive and friendly and their pizza is also good. But as far as craft beers go, it's the best place to get a wide selection in the area and youll never get tired of the same old thing because it is always changing.
(4)Matthew U.
Ordered the other night from here and of course I didn't get pizza. I opted for the burger once again (I've been on a burger kick lately). And of course this place didn't disappoint. The burger was nice and big, made sure it filled the bun. Topped with the usual lettuce, tomato and onion. Bigger than burgers you may find at other places in the city. I ordered fries as my side and was not disappointed with them. Nice size portion for the price. They had some type of coating on them that made them a little more crunchy than what you would find at any fast food place. Deliver is through GrubHub, so a fee does apply (this fee varies on the place you order from, from what I have noticed).
(4)Jake F.
Don't get me wrong, this place keeps its kitchen open til 2AM, and I appreciate it, but they don't have a single inexpensive, decent beer on tap, their bottles are over-priced, and you pay for the kitchen's extra hours. Pizza is good--a three and a half star pie. The yeungling battered fish sandwich is really good, maybe even five star, but you'd want to pay about $1.50 less for it from a bar with a slighlty less corporate/chain atmosphere. Applebee's isn't the standard people!
(3)Meghan S.
I've been to Caliente a few times now and I love it. The pizza is good, the buffalo pizza is delicious, the steak salad is also delicious, the loaded fries are amazing. Service can be a little slow, but it's always busy so I can let that slide. The food is worth it! I work nearby, so I'll continue to eat here for the foreseeable future. I can't get enough of this place!
(5)Gilles D.
Knocked off a star because of the service. It's not that the bartenders and servers are bad - they're all lovely - it's that whomever is scheduling them is horrific at their job .Constantly understaffed. If you're running specials everynight and draw a moderate to full crowd, you need more than one person. The staff is apologetic about it and it's not enough to keep me away but holy crap man, take some burden off your employees for god's sake. Last four times I have been the wait times for service have been on the absurd side, you're doing nobody a favor here. ------ Cannot believe I've waited so long to go here, kicking myself for wasting time with the smaller pizzerias (no offense). Went on a Sunday, great specials on the pizza. I think it was 13 dollars for an XL pizza and you get four toppings for free. The pizza was delicious, went with spinach, feta two times, and ricotta, nice greek pizza. Got a side of fries which were quite tasty and fairly priced, big portion too. GREAT beer selection, server knew her stuff and suggested a peanut butter porter which was phenomenal. Cool place too, lots of TVs and seating. They have good specials every night on food and booze, will definitely be making Sunday nights pizza night now.
(4)Michelle W.
The pizza here is great, delicious and a good price. Sometimes the service lacks because it is also a bar (which I also enjoy) but when you come for dinner or the happy hour pizza you have to wait longer than expected.
(4)Holly C.
Pizza was delivered in a timely fashion but it was burned and almost inedible. The cheese bread was even just average. I will not be ordering here again.
(1)C L.
I've tried Caliente's pizza and rolls (buffalo chicken and the spinach and artichoke), and the dough is phenomenal. It's so chewy and fresh-- yum. My only recommendation for Caliente would be to focus less on IPAs on their draft list and include some more wheat beer options.
(4)Amy R.
Gator's was the best. The place that went in after Gator's was not good. This place is better than that place, so I'm happy. Nothing really notably good or bad about the place. They do have pretty darn good pizza, which pushes it from a 3 star to a 4 star. The wings were ok. The bartender/server was friendly and attentive. I'll go back.
(4)Kia H.
Fantastic food! I ride past this place daily and never stopped to try anything...well that was short lived. I visited Caliente's twice in one week! Service was prompt, food was fresh! Keep up the good work, Caliente!!!!
(5)Cindy H.
Over priced! Over crowded! The service was so slow but I don't blame the wait staff. They were so over worked. There is no way the small staff could keep up with all the people. Not at all what we expect. We will not be returning!
(1)Will H.
When you're a pizza joint in Pittsburgh (or any city, for that matter), you better have something awesome going for you or you'll just be another pizza place lost in the numbers. Count Caliente in the latter group. Caliente really offers up nothing new or memorable, unfortunately. The service we had while sitting at the bar was poor. The bartender was nice, but she spent more time talking to her friend who wasn't even paying for anything than waiting on us and other customers who had empty beers at the other end of the bar. The mozzarella sticks weren't very hot when they came out, but were still the delicious kind that I love, so I wasn't going to let it bother me. The only downside is that you only get 4 sticks. The bummer in that portion was only magnified when the rest of the meal left a lot to be desired. My chicken parmesan hoagie was clearly made with frozen patties, and there wasn't a lot of cheese or sauce on the hoagie. I definitely wouldn't order it again if I, for some strange reason, was eating there again. The white pizza we ordered was okay, but it was more of a bland cheesy bread than a white pizza. Very little flavor, very little cheese, and none of that garlic/oil/seasoning flavor that you expect with a white pizza. It's not a bad bar, though. Decent beer selection (although a beer list would be nice on the menu). We also liked the actual atmosphere, even though it was dead while we were there. Unfortunately, without an improvement in service and food, I don't see it being full of customers on a regular basis any time soon.
(2)Kareem F.
Fantastic Pizza! Some of the best pizza I've had in a while. The wings were also tasty. Good beer selection Seemed a bit underserved when we first got there but more folks came on shift and service improved.
(4)Larry B.
Ate at new Allison Park location this evening. Draft beer selection was good, beer was barely above luke warm. Bottle beer selection is great, only if you like IPA's..which I do. Pizza and bread for sandwiches, TOP NOTCH. Prices...WAY TOO MUCH, most likely our first and last trip despite the tremendous service.
(2)Jose H.
The ingredients are fresh and good but i always have to throw the pizza in the oven because it is never fully cooked, get your stuff together guys, your pizza would be good if it was cooked right! Cant comment about anything else.
(2)Matthew M.
Great beer selection! The wings were fantastic as was the pizza. I really enjoyed the food but have to downgrade the rating based on the service. The wings didn't show up until we were 2/3 done with our pizza and we waited a long time before our server was able to take care of us. Part of the problem was probably the fact that they were understaffed due to the Little Italy festival going on outside...I definitely will try again as I expect that this was an anomaly.
(3)Andy K.
Okay, I came to this place a lot for karaoke last year. It was fun cause I could take off my shirt and stuff and no one cared. They also had bar bingo which was a sure fire way to get drunk for under $15. Recently, a lot of friends were raving about the pizza, which I have had a few times before. I remember it being what I call "bar pizza". Pizza that is doey and fluffy, tastes good when you are sober but even better when you are drunk, however at the end of the day there is nothing special or redeeming about it. Think of Pizza Hut or frozen pizza you may purchase at a grocery store. I gave the pizza another try. Perhaps I was wrong. No, it was the same doey, bar pizza. Not amazing by any standards. I asked the pizza mAker about the inspiration behind their pizza, his response "I don't know... My mom bought a lot of tombstone when we were kids". Aside from this pizza with a bad personality, the beer is way over priced, they don't even serve straub or pbr. The bartender told me they "we're trying to get rid of that crowd". The crowd however added to the subpar experience. The best I can describe it is Bloomfield's jersey shore. In conclusion, if you wanna eat wack pizza, pay to much for beer while being surrounded by douches Caliente is the place for you! The best thing this place can offer is they DO serve pizza till 2 pm.
(2)Ryan C.
I went to get a pizza for take and was generally ignored while trying to give my name to the waitress to see if my order was ready. When it did come out there was a hoagie with it which I did not order. I tried to say something but she basically tossed the pizza at me and then walked away while ignoring my "excuse me"n attempts. I tried to follow her and it was like she was rushing away from me. She went back behind the bar and just starting playing with her phone while I had to yell MISS! Then she tried to take my pizza away and I had to tell her I didn't order the hoagie. I handed it to her and she just tossed it on the counter and said she didn't know who's it was. Then when I got home my pizza was cold...not just warm...cold. I won't be back and I feel bad for whoever's hoagie that was.
(1)Faith A.
What a good find! I do not work too far from this little establishment and I have to say that since it was discovered, we have gotten many a goodies from here. Their portions are large, and definitely quality... I have not had anything that I did not think was great here. They are always fast and seem to possess a high level of customer service too... delivery is always fast too! I suggest trying this place if you have not done so yet...
(4)Pete R.
I had never reviewed Caliente when it was under the previous ownership and I'm glad I didn't for the new owners, who happen to be awesome. The atmosphere is much of what you would expect from a bar. People jabbering away and TV's in the background with sports, all standard good stuff. The decor is in the process of changing with the new owners, more cool stuff on the wall and the addition of the chalkboard paint listing all the tap brews (all 20) is really cool. What makes Caliente welcoming is the staff, none of who I have ever had an issue with... From the handy man to the owners, they know how to treat patrons. As for the food, it is pretty damn good. The pizza is, in my opinion, the best in Bloomfield. It is obvious that they use fresh ingredients, many of which I believe are local. The wings are solid and the sandwiches are put on superb bread, which I think makes or breaks most sandwiches. Drinking! If you like craft beer then Caliente is your place to go in Bloomfield... The selection on tap is fantastic with Hercules Double IPA, Raging Bitch Belgium IPA and Dogfish Head Burton and Baton only to name a few... There is 20 on tap in total and one will not find a miller lite or bud light in the mix... IF you prefer bottles, well they have two full coolers full of craft brews, including my personal favorite, Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA... And for you hipsters, they most certainly have Pabst Blue Ribbon available... You can't go wrong with Caliente.
(5)Nichole M.
Dear Caliente, you being in my neighborhood is dangerous business indeed. I stopped back after being TRAPPED in traffic one night in hopes of finding some homemade tiramisu since I remembered it being on the menu. While they didn't have any, I did get two slices of cheesecake for next to nothing. Only downside, it was frozen when I got home. I stopped back in tonight to grab a small pizza for spinster-dinner. I opted for the buffalo chicken pizza. It came out on this beautiful platter, all puffy crust and browned cheese. This was far far better than the five cheese pizza. Far far better. The bartender was friendly as always.
(5)Dan M.
I know, 5 stars is "as good as it gets", so I hesitate because there is always room for improvement, but for great pizza and wings this place deserves the 5 stars. The house made pizza sauce is perfection, and they don't skimp on the cheese. I've never actually eaten in house, we always get it delivered, so this review is simply on the great food, and super friendly drivers, and staff.
(5)Carlos T.
Great beer selection but way way way too expensive. $15 for two beers? Save your money and go elsewhere.
(1)Adell K.
I came here on the groupon and I must say this place gets very high marks. The food was really good the pizza was perfect. I had the Thai chilli wings and the sauce was the best I've had ever. GREAT beer selection with good beers on tap and in bottles. Great and knowledgeable service . This place is a win.
(5)Dani W.
Given the convenience of the location and the consistently awesome selection of beers at Caliente, I would assume this would be one of our regular spots. Sadly, not so. We've been here a handful of times (maybe 5?) and have been disappointed every time. While the beer selection is great, the prices are simply outrageous. A 22oz specialty beer for $19? I've found the same beers at around $12-$14 in other spots. Our experience with the food is limited. The only thing we've tried is the fried zucchini, but it was pretty awful. Limp, flavorless mush with a side of marinara that was basically just plain tomato sauce. We have avoided their pizzas on the assumption that the same sauce is used. Despite the over-priced beer and mediocre food, we may have continued to pop in from time to time, but for our 2 most recent experiences which made me feel like the management/ownership of this place is just downright dishonest. Caliente has taken to advertising pint nights (buy a beer, keep the glass). The first one we tried to go to, we got there around 9:45, and were informed that they were out of glasses. They said the special started at 7. OK, that's not unreasonable. So the next time, we got there around 7:20. What do you know? Out of glasses. The manager looked at me and said, "They go fast!" That may be true, but then: get more glasses! I don't need free glassware to patronize a place, but I do find it extremely insulting when a business advertises something like this to get you through the door, then doesn't deliver. Running out of a special in 20 minutes isn't a special - it's a fire sale. The beer selection may be good, but we won't be going back.
(1)Jan J.
Almost thought I walking into Pipers Pub at first, and the place sure looks like just that. Stopped by on a Thursday evening and place was somewhat busy. We got served right away. They have a decent draft beer selection, and the subs we had were alright. Service was good!
(3)Tessa M.
everyone needs to try the broccoli bites, first off. probably the best ever. i also had the greek pizza which was also delicious. prices are reasonable as well. the only reason i didn't give it 5 stars, is that the service wasn't the best ever. there were no servers, just the bartender, and he was rather slow and we had to ask for water refills. (the bar section wasn't busy either) but he was friendly, so i can't complain too much. i'd definitely go back. oh, another bonus: they serve pizza super late!
(4)Kay E.
I don't normally like pizza, but Caliente's makes a really good one. The atmosphere is very casual and our server was sweet and really pretty. I didn't expect to like Caliente since it comes off as a dive, but I was surprised.
(5)Justin L.
Pizza and appetizers are pretty nice. Beer selection seemed OK, but not particularly vast. They had one poor bastard working there on the Sunday night before Memorial Day and it was like one of the only places open on the street. One person at the bar and doing table service for food. Service was predictably, cripplingly slow. Assuming this was a one off because of the holiday weekend I would give this place another try. The patrons having shouting matches outside also provided nice, light evening entertainment.
(2)Andrew K.
We have been here a number of times and I really like the food and beer selection but the service, frankly, sucks. If I could look past the service this would be a 4, maybe even 5 star review, but again the service consistently sucks. Let's review the service first and just get this out of the way. Tonight we came in and it was moderately busy so we sat/stood at the bar. We all ordered beers (at least 3 on their draught list were kicked but still on the chalk board. How hard is it to erase a chalk board?) and our friends ordered a pizza. The wait wasn't long for the pizza but when the kitchen brought out the pizza they just set it on the back bar. And there it sat for 10 minutes while the bar tender and servers walked by it and wouldn't make eye contact with us. Finally my friends were served their lukewarm pizza after we pointing out that it was there. No apologies or acknowledgment of an issue were given. When it started to clearing out we moved to a table and had some more beers. At the end of the night a friend had to leave early so he cashed out his tab. After our friend had left the bartender came over and stated that he had given our tab to my friend whom had left so we would need to pay his which was much larger. He stated that we could just get the money back from our friend for the difference later on. Once again no real apology was given. I am really not sure how his mental error became my problem but it seems kind of ridiculous that I became responsible for it and it isn't like there is a manager on duty to deal with. Onto the good stuff. The pizza is well above average and my wife especially loves the buffalo chicken pizza. The wings are some of the best in town. Fried crisp and sauced properly. The beer list is also one of the best in the east end. They boast around 20 taps and the selection is always unique and well rounded for even the most demanding beer guy or girl. Bottom line, I'll come back. But I know that service will probably continue to suck and that I really have to be proactive as a customer when I am there.
(3)Nate G.
Felt compelled to write an update. Caliente seems to have gotten their act together. I believe a change of ownership or management has happened since my original post. Pizza has significantly improved. The beer selection is awesome. They frequently host limited release tappings. Only downside is that they are a tad on the pricey side, even for quality craft beer.
(4)Melissa P.
Great beer selection. Good food. Subpar service. I really want to patronize this place more but 2 visits and both with crappy service makes it tough.
(3)Darren W.
Kay and I stopped into Caliente for a post-work pie late last week and were delighted to find that its buttery cheese, dulcet, snap-your-fingers-snap-your-neck sauce and chewy-as-a-Southside-Pretzel crust made it an easy contender for one of the East End's very best. We got no askew looks for requesting the Kay Kombo, and with beverages and tip, our total was still less than 20 dollars. On the atmosphere tack, I have no idea what Caliente becomes like as the night grinds forward, but when we visited around 5PM, the bar was rather quiet and calm, and Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations was on the telly. Having written that, I feel that Caliente was a pleasant, inexpensive choice for a payday Friday night dinner, and I think you will also if you visit. P.S. Maria, our server, was an absolute sweetheart.
(4)Iliana C.
Finally, a pizza place worth raving about in Pittsburgh! So Caliente looks like a typical bar from the outside but the inside seems like it's in limbo between bar and restaurant. The menus are takeout menus - what? Yeah, this got my expectations really low but when the food came out I was pleasantly surprised. The Caesar Salad was nice and big and the dressing automatically came on the side. The garlic bread (only 99 cents!) was delicious with just the right amount of crunch. The personal pepperoni pizza had all the things I look for in a pizza - just enough grease, great amount of toppings, and not too much crust. The pesto pasta also didn't come out dripping in oil - very hard to find. I will be coming back or ordering from here whenever I get my pizza cravings. They deliver to Shadyside! Seriously, give it a try. Great value.
(5)Natahley B.
Alright, I have to level with you - I'm giving Caliente a 5 star rating, but it's for a combo of above-average 'bar food' AND the fastest delivery in Bloomfield, hands-down. (Who enjoys waiting an hour and a half for food?! When ya hungry, ya hungry!) Thus far, I've sampled: chicken tenders (delish), popcorn chicken (okay, but more crispy breading than meat), onion rings (the best!), white pizza (solid, not as good as Angelo's, but you can add ricotta), regular pizza (good), mozzarella sticks (decent), chicken parm with pasta (the chicken is diced up and kinda mixed with the pasta, which is different, but still good), and -- duhn, duhn, duhhhn -- the gyro. I have to elaborate on this one, because I was kinda shocked by how good their gyro was! They toast the pita, so it has a satisfying crunch to it, which I appreciate. They deliver it with the cucumber sauce (decent, but not Mike & Tony's) on the side so ish doesn't get soggy -- a plus in my book -- and the right amount of lettuce, tomato, and red onion comes on the luscious lamb. We've ordered the gyro about five times now, and have never been disappointed! On top of all that, the food is usually delivered within 20-30 minutes. How awesome is that? I mean, when you call and order delivery, it's because you are hungry and, in my case, too lazy to put shoes on and drive to Wendy's. Caliente always comes through for me here. In fact, last night, they delivered our food in FIFTEEN minutes! That's cray-cray. Unheard of. Usually, food delivery peeps seem to like to flaunt their power over you. "You're hungry? We have food. Yeah, you want our food?... Well, ya gotta wait!" Not Caliente. They're quick, pleasant, and they take credit cards over the phone, so you don't have to have cash either. :)
(5)Amanda Q.
was here twice. was kinda 'meh' both times. food is okayyyyy.... bartender took a while before noticing we existed.
(2)Dave H.
Eaten here before and A+. Last night a friend moved back to Pittsburgh and took her out for drinks. We started at Pleasure Bar in Bloomfield...thats another story! :-( Decided to try out Caliente's. Wasnt that busy but that was good. Ordered a rum runner and Jeff,the bartender, never made one. No biggie. White russian and my friend said make me something with tequila in it. She loved it! We ended calling it The Jeff Drink.(think of something catchier later) he seemed to be there solo and held his ground, calm,collected, and really nice. Ordered provie sticks and chicken poppers, and they were out in minutes and were great, (for fried food) we have now officialy made it our meeting place and Italian days is coming up and surely will bring the gang down here!
(5)Michael M.
I came in for happy hour. I sat at the end of the bar, received no attention from the staff. A guy was loudly mounting a TV on the wall behind the bar (power tools and such); something that should have probably been done outside of business hours. They have $3 happy hour four cut pizzas, and a dollar off of drafts. I ordered a pizza with olives and whatever great divide beer they had on draft. Their beer mark-up is much higher than industry standard. After 20 minutes, my pizza came out with the incorrect toppings. After 20 more minutes, it came out correctly. It was fine, but by that time I just wanted to get my shit and leave. One of the staff had put on some truly awful music on the jukebox, and the noise from trying to mount that TV behind the bar was distracting. As a server, I know that in this type of situation, it's standard to offer the customer some kind of discount, or to take care of the customer's drinks so that they come back (or at the very least, to avoid a negative review). The bartender (I think also the owner) didn't take care of anything for me. I'm never getting food from here again, and if I go for Karaoke I'm going to pre-game real hard so I don't have to break my bank on their super-expensive beer.
(1)Jarrett H.
Great, cheap pizza.. Definitely nothing to write home about, but my plain 18" pie was less than $9 for takeout. The pizza itself tasted good - light on the sauce and heavy on the cheese, and the crust was excellent for your basic American-style pizza. Most of the menu is under $10 for pasta, hoagies, etc, and they have some pretty good coupons as well. They appear to have some daily food and drink specials. Monday wing night and thursday burger night, and maybe a half-off pasta on wednesday. Inside Caliente there is also a bar. Reasonably priced, the selection didn't seem out of this world but $4 Sarnac seasonals tied us over while we waited for our pizza to come out. We also got buffalo fries - which unfortunately were not as we imagined, the potato-based cousin of the wing, but rather a knock off of Buffalo Wild Wing's buffalo chips(thick-sliced potato chips with curly fry seasoning). Tasty, none-the-less, and sometimes thin enough that the edges were crispy like a chip, delicious! All-in-all, just a neighborhood bar and pizza joint. If you're looking for a cheap pizza and you live around here, definitely give them a call.
(4)Smarvin S.
EXTREMELY HIGH PRICED BEERS.ATLEAST 2X AS MUCH. good beers. good pizza . good calzones. good food in general. but beers are priced atleast 2X the price of anywhere else you will find good beers. go to lot 17 across the street. not as many any beers on tap but priced right and really awesome people working. or just go buy a case next door at the distributor. sucks but true. like you caliente but you are ripping us off. i paid $9 dollars for a dogfish draft. good beer. but seriously? im emailing dogfish too to confirm how excessive this is. At least have the decency to display your prices so your customers have the option I walk out before ordering. But I guess that's part of the plan because no one would stay if you did. And I have heard this complaint from everyone I know who has got sucked into Caliente.
(1)Meghan C.
As I detailed in my first review, the pizza and wings here were pretty bad. I have since been back for their karaoke night and it was pretty fun. Apparently this is the new "cool" hangout spot, or so I've heard. I guess they're hosting shows, etc. and really trying to make this more of a bar than a restaurant, which is cool since I didn't find the food particularly good. BUT...the bartenders here are HORRIBLE. I mean, they are really just bad bartenders, at least the two that were there the night I was there (and apparently are like always there). The one girl looked angry the whole time and wouldn't give me a straw for my cranberry vodka (seriously, who wants to drink well vodka without a straw?). She also gave attitude when my friend asked for a lime for her Tecate (again, who wants to drink Tecate without lime?). AND she didn't even open the beer, which I'm pretty sure is illegal (my friend has since been back and said that this is a common occurrence). The male bartender tried a lame attempt at flirting with me by continuously mentioning my bright red shorts. And then my friend's double gin-and-ginger-ale got knocked over literally a minute after she paid for it, and the bartender witnessed it, and he charged her for it!! I know the bartender's not required to comp you a drink or anything...but every time this has happened to me (most recently, at Mad Mex...I was talking with my hands a little too enthusiastically...), the bartender hasn't made me pay for a replacement drink. And I didn't have to ask, either. LAME! Weirdly...the pizza I saw some people eating looked nothing like the pizza I received when I ordered delivery from them. So maybe I did get a bad one, who knows.
(2)Jeff L.
For the record, me and the girlfriend WANT to love this place, but after 2 visits over the past couple weeks, it is simply in our "okay" column. Why? Well, first, let me say that Caliente's hits 2 of our 3 metrics for becoming a fan favorite: beer selection and food quality. Both times we've been to Caliente's the pizza, wings and fries have been pretty good to great. And the beer selection is perfect for microbrew worshipers like ourselves, with bottles, cans AND drafts galore. However, they score low in our 3rd metric of service. Not that the service is rude or absolutely terrible. It is just not good. It is the slow, lack of attention and detail that irks us. We tip well and we demand more attentive service. First trip we sat at the bar. The guy there was nice enough, but several times he passed us when we had empty drinks and twice we asked him for things like a glass of water and we actually saw him start to get it, but get sidetracked talking to coworkers and regulars and remember after 5 minutes when he came back to our part of the bar. Last night, we were inadvertently charged for an item we "won" on their Facebook page. And the waitress went out to smoke while our empty water glasses remained at full attention in the end if our table...in the dining room area with no one else there. I'm starting to wonder if this is why the place seems empty on weekend nights. This place is so close to being a contender...the service just needs to pick up before we will come back again.
(3)Casey D.
It's really unfortunate that the service at this place sucks so much, because I really like the beer selection and the food is decent as well. But every time I'm in there, they are incredibly understaffed. Once, my friend and I sat at the bar for 15 minutes without a drink! It was ridiculous. And once you order food, you're really in for the long haul...
(2)Brittany W.
When this place first opened it was awesome. great food, fast service, decent prices. We would order from them probably once a week. they had fantastic specialty pizza and great plain normal pizza as well. HOWEVER, they went through a change in management and I think they changed their food company because all of a sudden it went downhill quick! We ordered salads from there one night and not only did they tell us that it was going to take 45 minutes for PICKUP but they weren't even ready when we got there 50 minutes later. we asked for extra ranch when ordering and asked if it was in there when we picked up. The response was "uh, it should be" Needless to say it was not. The salads were disappointing to say the least. Another time, the delivery driver "supposedly" got lost coming to the house. we literally live on the same block one street over! Such a shame because this place was awesome when it opened. I will never order there again.
(2)Jaren L.
This is a cool, clean Bloomfield bar. It's nonsmoking if you do not like that about some of the other East End "hot spots" and the drinks are pretty darn cheap. The food is good bar food. It's not like wow cool foodie bar food like Brillo Box or something but it tastes great. I loved the fries and the pizza was so good that I ate enough that I felt full for days. Also, karaoke night here is low key and fun and you can be "that guy" who does multiple songs very easily. I give this review based on four nice experiences.
(4)Jee L.
I've ordered late night delivery for pizza, pasta ans wings as an experiment. Everything sucked. I will never order from them again.
(2)Dawn M.
Being a business owner in the area I love to try new places with clients (When time permits) I had the opportunity to enjoy a slice during Lil Italy Days and wanted to eat in this time....We picked up a Living Social Deal and headed on over.... We had a gyro with fries and HAD to try the wings!! The food and the service was great!! Loved the murals on the wall done by a local artist. We will definitely return for full price this time!!!
(5)Eric A.
They have great pizza and the best beer selection in Bloomfield...but that's about all. I've had experiences with the staff ranging from "alright" to downright bad. Today the staff experience was an exception (in the beginning), but rest of the visit left me with a sour taste. Decided to stop in for a quick burger and a beer before meeting up with friends. Ordered a beer and a cheeseburger from the very nice female bartender. I sipped my beer, so as to make it last until I was able to enjoy it with my burger...then 30 minutes went by. The cheeseburger finally arrived overcooked and under-cheesed. It was basically boiled meat on a deli bun, no juice at all. By this time, the nice female bartender had been replaced by a man who was very curt with his customers. No, I'm not mistaking busy for curt. The gentleman who sat next to me asked what was good on tap and he just turned away and said "all of it's good." I was hoping this could be my go-to place for a quick bite and a brew, as I live just 2 blocks away. Turns out stopping in for a quick bite is actually an hour commitment. I'll probably go back for the pizza, but that would be about it.
(2)Haneen S.
I went on Thursday and it was 7 dollar medium cheese. Coming from Chicago I was skeptical but the pizza was delicious. The crust was good and it was even good cold later. The waitress was really nice. The only problem was the rif raf that came in. Crowd was somewhat trashy. I would go back if I was in Pitt again.
(4)Joel G.
This place is DEAD. New owners who hate punks, gays and weirdos. They are trying to turn it into a south side frat bar. Nothing but dinguses working and hanging out here now. Avoid at all costs. You guys ruined a great spot.
(1)Rachel B.
Delicious!
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