Esta Esta Restaurant - Monroeville, Pennsylvania

Ulyana K.

Came in to get takeout. I was always confused as to whether this place was closed or not, and I’m glad to say they are not. The food was pretty decent overall. I tried out their eggplant parmigiana, wedding soup, and cannoli.

The eggplant park was a bit on the expensive side for the portion. However, it was pretty tasty. They do add a ton of cheese on top, so it’s kind of overpowering. The eggplant itself wasn’t too soggy and had a pretty good texture. Overall, not a bad dish, but nothing crazy. They also included free complimentary bread with it which is always nice.

The wedding soup was also pretty good. It came as a side to the eggplant parm. Good amount of meat, and quite flavorful. This would be nice on a winter day.

The cannoli was probably my favorite part of the meal. It was one large cannoli, which makes it hard to share (and it’s a bit expensive to be just for one person, so eating it is a bit awkward). But, the creamy inside is very tasty, and they made sure the outside stays crispy.

The service wasn’t the best, and I did feel a bit ignored and rushed as I was getting my order.

All in all, I enjoyed this place. It was good, but nothing outstanding. Pretty solid Italian food for the area.

Dennis E.

After living close to Monroeville since I was a child and having been past this place time and again, I finally decided to take my family to try this place out.

They opened at 4 and we actually planned ahead due in large part to the reviews posted that spoke of how busy this place gets, so we made a reservation the day before.

The ambiance of this place is classic old school Mom and Pop Italian. Mirrors on walls, linen table cloths and even chair covers make dining here a true walk down memory lane. The music playing of Sinatra, Patsy Cline and other greats of a time passed seemed to add to the experience in a very subtle but nostalgic way.

We were seated promptly and ordered an Appetizer of fried provolone cheese. That was the start of an amazing tour for the taste buds! The sauce....from the first taste it took me back to my childhood of classic, all day Sunday kinda sauce! So savory and flavorful and the consistency of it just had me wanting to spoon it directly from sauce dish to my mouth!

The menu here is straightforward. Full of classic Italian dishes with sandwiches also available.

The four of us decided on Eggplant parmesean, lasagna, chicken Alfredo and shrimp Alfredo.

The waitress was very pleasant and attentive and brought a basket of rolls and bread for us as we waited for our salads and entrées to arrive.

The breads here - I could have honestly just made a meal of that and their sauce! Soooo fresh and delicious!

The salads were great as well. The house Italian is a basalmic base and I would recommend that for sure!

The entrées arrived and the portion sizes here hearken me back to the old days where you knew that whatever you ordered would likely serve for a lunch meal the next day!

The Eggplant parmesean was fantastic! Highly recommended for those not much for meat.

The lasagna was my choice - and all I can say is it will definitely be among my go to choices the next time I dine here! I ordered extra sauce and that was probably the sole reason I was only able to finish half my meal because I ultimately had too much bread and sauce that filled me up!

The Alfredo (both shrimp and chicken) were creamy and savory!

They do charge an additional 4% if you're using credit cards to pay but - for the service and the quality of the food here - that is a small price to endure!

Celeste B.

This is my home away from home. Great food and great customer service.

Brandon S.

First Time at this restaurant. Extremely friendly staff, a lot of locals who are fun to talk with, and the food was phenomenal. Large portion sizes. Highly recommend. Will be back

Bob K.

Have never had anything but an exceptional meal there. Everything is fresh, high quality, homemade food. I’ve been dining there for over 30 years. The service is amazing. The best restaurant in the area for excellent quality food!

Amy O.

Easily the best Italian restaurant in Pittsburgh. Family owned restaurant for many years. The food is awesome and anything you order you will be happy with. You can dine in the dining room or at the bar which is a totally separate area. Whatever you choose , surf and turf, filet or pasta you can be sure you will keep going back. They have my business for life.

Michelle C.

This place is a gem. The staff is amazing from the Hostess to the Server and the Bartender/Owner. Everyone treats you like family. Again amazing. The food is authentic Italian and extremely good. We love everything about Esta Esta

Samuel A.

My family and I came here to have a nice Italian dinner, although the experience was completely the opposite. When we walked in the hostess initially looked at us very strangely up and down as if we were not welcome before informing us where the intended dining area is. Our meals were mediocre to say the least as we had sent back a dish (chicken Alfredo) because it was very bland and lacking flavor. Upon our exit my parents questioned the unprecedented gratification tax that was not explained before we had ordered, that being a 20% fee on everyone for the weekends. Subsequently, the waiter didn’t think the questioning was entitled so she told us she was getting an officer out of the bar. YES, this lady called the police on my family, her reasoning being “I knew you would be a problem before you were seated” which is undeniably a racial injustice. The “officer” came to our table purely for intimidation purposes and my family had to the 20% tax on our food taken off since my mother knew the owner. This is not somewhere you go to expect any welcoming if you are someone of African-American descent.