Esta Esta Restaurant Menu

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  • Britney C.

    So normally I don't visit places that have bad reviews but this is like the only spot in monroeville that we have yet to visit and dine at. Me and the hubby choose this spot at 8:45 after quiznos had closed as well as carhops, quitters!! I guess i'll start with the atmosphere then food then service. We walked in the bar entrance of the restaurant which allows smoking so that was a bit off putting, I wasn't sure where to go so one of the customers directed us to the door just past the beer coolers. The air was a lot fresher in the actual dining area but still rather stale. They do have their own entrance located on the far left side of the building almost as if its in the rear. The place was completely empty with only the hostess and 1 waitress to help us. We pretty much had the joint to ourselves. The bathrooms are unbelievably small with a shower curtain for a door over the two stalls. not much for privacy but a door would just not fit an cause the bathroom to be even more crowded than it already is. The decorations are definitely old Italy style maybe early 80's at the most but that doesn't bother me. I really enjoyed the mirror as a back wall so you could see behind you in the restaurant. They waitress and hosted both waited on us mostly because they were bored which they did tell us but they were friendly and we enjoyed talking with them. They gave us the menus which had a lot of options but did seem little over priced. My husband ordered the lasagna and I ordered off their bar menu and got an italian hoagie. I choose balsamic as my dressing because the italian was interlay all oil and no flavor. MY sandwich was great, soft warm bread, tasty meats and a nice layer of veggies. It also came with pickle which I devoured. My husbands lasagna was great too. The meat was so soft and tasty and the sauce made my mouth water. I actually added some to my hoagie. As an appetizer we ordered the stuffed banana peppers which I was told would be spicy but I had no idea they were that spicy. I couldn't eat them and so my husband finished them off. WE received three or four large peppers and I just ate the skin with the sauce. Again it was a great sauce!! Our servers we very pleasant, timely seeing that we were the only ones there. Although our food did take some time to come out, it was not cold and plus everything is homemade here which is always a plus. So my review is 4 stars for this place. If the bathroom was larger and the bar was nonsmoking I'd probably consider using the review but four stars is still pretty good!

    (4)
  • Jeff C.

    This place is amazing. It's true, it's not "up to date" but the ambience is still beautiful. The food is unbelievable. I travel the country and eat fine food all over. This is likely the very best Italian restaurant I've been to. It has character. Very Nice music playing overhead. The staff is very attentive and friendly. Try the fettuccini Alfredo. The sauce is completely homemade with imported cheeses. Also try the chicken Romano, it's one of the best I've had. Server was Anthony, very attentive and friendly. Manager was Carol, very friendly as well! Made us feel at home.

    (5)
  • Eric S.

    I read the reviews mentioning an odor but I went anyway. Upon entering you immediately smell an old stale motel room type of odor. Smoke was coming from the bar. I lost my appetite instantly. I can't understand why the place was packed.

    (1)
  • Shirl R.

    I have not been to this place in 30 years, and went over the weekend. BIG MISTAKE. They have not updated ... or probably cleaned since then. The smell, as others have said is bad. Parmesan cheese, that smelled like puke, mixed with stale smoke. The bartender was uninterested in our presence. I have never felt like I was so uncomfortable in a bar or restaurant, and that they would prefer that I wasn't there. The "regular" crowd, of about 8 people were at the bar, and the rest of the place was empty, including the dining room. The regulars swore like truck drivers and sailors at a cussing competition. I couldn't believe that the staff didn't ask them to "cool it", or at least use their "inside voices" if they must use the "F-Word" six times in one sentence. Unbelievable. Ordered from the short menu, because the full menu is so overpriced, and from the look of the place, and the smell, I just felt that it didn't warrant the pricing. If I am going to pay premium prices, I want to be at a "nice" place, and this was not IT. The staff stared at us and whispered to each other...freakin' weird and uncomfortable. We are an over-50 couple, normal, and upper middle class. I felt like I was in their chair, or something. LOL. Getting a refill on a beverage was not an option here. The food was just OK, somewhat dried. Their own description talks about "Michael" the chef, but, honey, there is a woman or 2 cooking, between their cigarettes and gossip on their barstools. Michael should know how his business is being represented. I know that 30 years ago, this place was upscale and highly respected. I can't say the same now. Sad to see them allow their patrons to go down the street, but it seemed that this staff just didn't care about the fact that someone was here to try it out, without a coupon.

    (1)
  • Rob F.

    Excellent food, friendly staff, and a decor like your grandma's house. What's not to like?

    (5)
  • Barbara C.

    You get what you pay for. I bought a Living Social for $20 to get $40 worth of food. When we came in the place was empty...a bad sign....but we gave it a go anyway. The waiter was friendly. The breaded zucchini was good...and it went down hill after that....wedding soup with only two little meatballs......veal romano that was drenched in some kind of sweet lemon sauce that made it soggy and inedible. My husband had gnocci that were edible but not good. Overpriced, and by the way another couple came in and walked out while we were there.....will never go there again. A lousy experience.

    (1)
  • April V.

    Couldn't even eat there it smells like Vomit the second you step inside the dining area! They need a complete make over!

    (1)
  • Abby K.

    Sometimes you walk into a restaurant and feel as though you've been transported to another time and place. Sometimes its tragic, sometimes its magic. Sometimes the food is good, sometimes you want to go into the kitchen and stab the cook in the neck. We've driven past Esta Esta quite a few times since moving to Pittsburgh last year and we've been filled with curisity. It looks like something straight out of Goodfellas. Last night, we decide to scratch that itch and see what this place is all about. Esta Esta has been open since 1955 and it looks like nothing has changed. The first thing I noticed when I walked in the door was the overwhelming smell of romano cheese. Its a confusing smell - it smells a little like puke, it smells a little like rotten food, but in any event, I found it to be somewhat off-putting. The decor is tacky. The fake painted windows, the strings of lights with bunches of plastic grapes, the empty chianti bottles on the tables covered with red candle wax and tall red candles all give the place an air of sad nostalgia. Its dark in the diningroom and that always makes me think it might be really filthy but nobody can see it. So, right off the bat, I was concerned. These are not good signs and I almost demanded to my husband that we turn around and leave. But something made us stay. There were two tables of people in a dining room of about 20 tables, but it still took the lone waitress about 10 minutes to come seat us. She led us to a booth and when I sat down on the cushioned bench, I sunk and I could feel a big metal spring poking me in the hip. She apologized and said "I should have warned you about that". No, they should replace that seat. But whatever. A couple more groups came in while we were looking at the menu, one was a party of 8 and one was a party of 6. And this poor waitress was completely overwhelmed. She couldn't keep up and every time she came to the table, she apologized. The bartender came over and helped her, which was nice. We looked at the traditional Italian menu and decided not to get too fancy. I ordered linguini and meatballs and my husband ordered eggplant parmesean. Our salads were fine, our bread was fine, but based on the decor and service, I was bracing myself for the worst when our food arrived. We were pleasantly surprised. The meatballs were bumpy and irregularly shaped, flat on one side, the telltale sign that they were homemade. Aside from being just a touch salty, they tasted good. The pasta was cooked well and tossed in sauce and cheese and the marinara was rich and flavorfull. My husband's eggplant was tasty too. It came rolled up in little bundles and the eggplant was sweet, fresh and cooked perfectly. So despite the scary look and smell of this place, the food was not completely unfortunate. We probably won't be back, just because there are so many other places in Pittsburgh that serve good food and don't smell like cheese puke. But I didn't feel like I wanted to go into the kitchen and stab the cook in the neck.

    (2)
  • Carrie L.

    **ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE!!** We went here on a weekend around 7ish for dinner; we always pass it and were curious but never stopped until one fateful evening... The first thing you notice is the musty smell when you walk in. Then you realize that the 70's decor (including hung stripper lights around the ceiling) hasn't changed (probably) since the restaurants inaugural opening. We were seated and a candle was lit (think Lady & the Tramp-style Chianti bottle with a candle stick... that's what it was!) Next we were brought our drinks and some stale Italian bread, that I swear had a hint of Freezer-Burned flavor to it. The menu items had NO descriptions next to anything. Just the name of the item and a price. This kind of leads me to believe that the owner must be extremely ethnocentric (bordering on racist) and hate anyone who ISN'T Italian.... what else should I think? Who assumes that everyone knows every Italian dish? Playing it safe, I ordered the Dill-Butter Salmon--because I LOVE salmon--and the cauliflower as my side dish. It came out looking really good!! When I tasted it, the Salmon was incredibly salty! I salt the crap out of most everything, but this was even salty for me! As I ate, noticed one bite was particularly fishy and, for a second, I thought it was colder than the rest. Upon cutting into the very center of this tiny piece of salmon, I noticed that it was completely raw inside and freezing cold. In the entire 6 years that I've been with my husband, I have never complained to a waitress, sent anything back OR made a fuss over the food ANYWHERE. I just couldn't eat this though. I was very apologetic to our nice waitress (WHY THE HECK WAS I APOLOGIZING? ...but I digress) and said that it could use "some extra time to cook because the center was raw and still very very cold. Would that be possible?" She (the waitress) was then very apologetic and said "no problem, we'll fix that right up, blah blah blah" I'm not sure who was more embarrassed, her or me! It came back out and I cut into the middle-ish again and it was still just as pink and cold as the first time I sent it back. I explained to her that I couldn't eat it (still incredibly polite about the entire situation--as I find it embarrassing to complain about food) and that I was through and no longer hungry, because I didn't want to prolong this awkward food fail. She brought out our bill.... This salmon dish that they botched was originally $19.99 (for effing SALMON... a TINY piece of it, that wasn't sushi-grade and was served raw and COLD without the menu indicating such). She took $10 off of our bill... so we paid 9.99 for a monkey-dish of cauliflower. Yep. True story. I. was. pissed! When a restaurant does wrong, you take the ITEM off of the menu. Not a fraction of it and add free cake. I wanted dinner, not dessert. Oh, and a piece of cake was put into a container to take home "on the house". I don't want your cake--I'm ready to puke from accidentally eating fishy/cold/crappy salmon... Cake is not the answer to topping off this "meal"! We'll never go back again. Scent = moldy/damp/sort of dirty Decor = c'mon, renovate or at least dust! Price = waaaaaaaaay overpriced for basic Italian fare. Food = a joke, even my husband's dinner (the Tour of Italy) was mediocre, at best! (The Alfredo sauce tasted like it came straight out of a jar) Italian restaurants in Pittsburgh are easy to do, but its even easier to do the FOOD badly. This place has got to be a "front" for something else, I have no idea how this joint stays open! Maybe they have poker machines somewhere? Who ever this "Michael" cat is, that is said to come and talk to everyone, certainly never came to talk to us! PS: Playing old music to make you feel like you're an extra in Good Fellas does not an Authentic Italian Restaurant make.

    (1)
  • Brian R.

    Came here not knowing anything about the place. We ate at 6 p.m. on a Saturday evening, and there was only one other party of four in the restaurant. Odd, for a Saturday evening. Anyhow, upon entry, we realized we picked a "fancier" establishment. Very dark (aka poorly lit). Upon being seated, a candle was lit at our table and we were promptly visited by our waitress. The service was great. In fact, I'm pretty sure our waitress visited our table about 6 or 7 times (a little overkill). I had the Chicken Romano dish, with a side salad and vegetables. The food was decent. Dessert was better. We had a piece of cheesecake that was very delicious. Overall, I didn't feel like I got much bang for my buck... Prices are a little high for what you get.

    (2)
  • Tony M.

    SPOOKY, BIZARRE, RESTAURANT I should have walked right out when faced with two doors into the restaurant. As soon as I opened that door, I was immediately greeted by the host who led my co-worker and I down a narrow hallway to the dining area. I felt like I was following the white rabbit down the rabbit hole. He sat us down and lit the candle on the table (seriously - we were a couple of guys grabbing an after work meal). Dimly lit, smelly, musty restaurant. The only reason I stayed was to satisfy my sense of adventure. I told my co-worker "This place will either be the best meal we've every had, or the worst". unfortunately, it was the worst. The host said it was old school Italian, but it was mediocre, overpriced food, in a surreal environment.

    (1)
  • Robin S.

    If you don't think this is a 5-Star place, you are an idiot, a teeny bopper, or just don't know what good food is. I ate there for the 1st time last night & it was amazing!!

    (5)
  • Nina P.

    THE WEIRDEST PLACE I'VE EVER BEEN! My parents suckered my hubby and I along with my bro and his girl to this strange strange place under the illusion of "don't judge a book by its cover."This place is more like "sip the kool-aid and enter a time warp!" Stepping in the place is like a violent swirl back to the 1970s and the movie Good Fellas. It's strange and dark. I was willing to forgive this if the food was good- which my folks claimed-but it was only so-so. It's a strange time warp more than anything else.

    (2)
  • Oleg B.

    That place was horrible. Wedding soup was so cold - grease was sticking to my teeth. I couldn't even eat it. Interior needs some work... I mean some serious fixing - as I couldn't shake off the feeling that I was in some 3rd world country. Never again!

    (1)
  • Lynda Y.

    I really couldn't get past the smell in this place...everything was old and need updated ...my boyfriend and I sat down ,looked around, and walked out...so therefore I couldn't rate the food...we went across the street to eat!

    (1)
  • Amy I.

    Nick Marie's is absolutely wonderful!! I can't say enough wonderful things about this place. The food is absolutely to die for ... I've been there countless times and I've never had a bad meal. Michael, the chef, comes and talks to everyone who eats there. YOU NEED TO TRY IT!

    (5)
  • Ryan B.

    This is one of those classic spots that reminds you of the Italian community of the old days when you were a kid. I have a tradition of showing up here on special occasion holidays such as Valentines day or other special event days. If you like Veal, this is your spot. The meat was soft, the sauce was thick and robust... the Italian bread... Just keep it coming please! Service was quick, on point, and faster than my needs. Price was reasonable for what you get. This location is also well known in the community for the lounge side of the business that is a very comfortable bar with what seems to be at least a 60" flat screen to watch the game on. Chin Down! (salute to the next 100 years)!

    (5)
  • Julia H.

    I'm not sure what most people were discussing in terms of smell. We rented out the dining hall for a meeting, it smelled a little stale, like cigarettes, but the lounge wasn't too far away and people were definitely smoking. It wasn't bad though. I usually get migraines and it didn't bother me. No Ramona cheese smell? I don't know if it's because we rented the venue late, from 10p to 1am and they weren't cooking. The pizza was REALLY good. I found the sauce to be delicious. The staff was courteous and very respectful. Personally, I thought the decor in the dining hall was quaint. I liked it. I'm planning on going back.

    (5)

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Map

Opening Hours

  • Mon :5:00 pm - 1:3

Specialities

  • Takes Reservations : Yes
    Delivery : No
    Take-out : Yes
    Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
    Good For : Dinner
    Parking : Private Lot
    Bike Parking : No
    Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
    Good for Kids : Yes
    Good for Groups : Yes
    Attire : Casual
    Ambience : Divey
    Noise Level : Quiet
    Alcohol : Full Bar
    Outdoor Seating : No
    Wi-Fi : Free
    Has TV : No
    Dogs Allowed : No
    Waiter Service : Yes
    Caters : Yes

Categories

Italian Cuisine

The immense popularity of Italian cuisine globally isn't unknown. You can find an Italian Pizzeria around every corner of almost every city in the United States. Not to forget that in every house, people enjoy mac and cheese as comfort food. But it would be wrong to believe that Italian food starts with pizza and ends with good pasta as this Mediterranean country has much more to offer other than these two dishes. In Italian Cuisine, there is a high use of fresh tomatoes, all kinds of herbs, great quality of cheese, all types of meat, seafood and fresh handmade pasta. Many find it hard to believe that Italians have been making noodles long back.

Italian and Greek cuisines are always mistaken to be same, but they are poles apart. The primary difference between the two cuisines is the use of cheese in most of the Italian dishes. Italians love to cultivate their own cheese and process them as per their food requirement. It is believed that some cheese is so expensive that cheese producers secure them in lockers.

If you are bored eating the same old pasta or pizza, you can try some of the authentic Italian dishes like Risotto, Polenta, Ribollita, Lasagna, Fiorentina Steak, Bottarga, Ossobuco, Carbonara, Focaccia, Arancini and Supplì. Another item which Italians love to relish every morning is a good cup of Italian Coffee. Once you taste a freshly brewed cup of Italian Coffee, you might not visit Starbucks ever again. Authentic Italian food is made with heart and soul, so go find a restaurant where you can relish Italian cuisine in your city.

Esta Esta Restaurant

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