Adolfo’s Restaurant

Came to Adolfo’s with great expectations from a colleague’s review for my resident foodie’s [KB’s] bday. I was excited for this addition to Bloomfield because of the Venezuelan twist. The place is small and quaint with many authentic dishes, perfect for our intimate Sunday brunch endeavor. However, the experience was a bit underwhelming.
The server was lovely and knowledgeable. Our third friend was late, so we had an order of Arepa Fritas which was good, so I thought we were off to a good start. Because it’s BYOB, we brought a bottle of Champagne to celebrate the occasion. They will make in house mimosas for you, which is neat, however they took our bottle to the back never to be seen again. We each had a mimosa and I ordered a second one because one should get 4 or 5 out of them, but that would have gone completely to the wayside if I hadn’t asked. The second one was practically all orange juice so I’m unsure what goes on back there.
They have a brunch menu where you mix and match 5 dishes to make a plate for 8.95. What a deal, or, as it was Christmas season, there was a Holiday special dish of 5 preset items. For the special occasion we had the Holiday dish. Honestly, I’m not sure what they did with the potato salad, but it was inedible and looked like it came from a can shaped into a tupperware mold. The rest were hit and miss. The shock was definitely when the bill came that the special was $ 20 bucks. NOT worth it, especially because that’s a pretty steep up charge from their regular menu and not displayed beforehand. I should’ve asked and will from now on, because I definitely felt duped.
Otherwise, everything was alright, but I don’t understand the hype. Personally, I won’t make plans to come again unless I’m invited by someone else, because it may just be the items on special. Disappointing.

I expected a more authentic Venezuelan food. It seemed a little pricey for what it was.

My wife is Venezuelan, so we were excited to try. Unfortunately, there isn’t much Venezuelan on the menu. We had plantains, arepas y yuca, which was good.

Adolfo’s is just ok in my book. I would HIGHLY recommend making a reservation, especially for dinner on the weekend, as I saw many people being turned away. Our waitress was very nice and attentive. I ordered the veal parm with a side of pasta and chicken pastina soup. The soup was good, but it was served barely warm (btw, I was starving so I just ate it at that temperature, I survived). The veal was HUGE, the size of a small pizza huge, three people could have shared it and left full. It just didn’t have that much taste to it and it wasn’t anything special. The side of pasta was your basic penne and marinara, but it was very small and didn’t match the size of the parm. I think you only get the complimentary sangria if you are not BYOB’ing; my friends brought wine and I didn’t drink any nor was I offered sangria. I don’t think I would go here again.

Stopped in at Adolpho’s for lunch. The place was pretty quiet and we had no trouble getting a seat on the patio. The staff was very friendly and attentive (more on that later). The menu boasts Italian and Venezuelan cuisine. Now this was just lunch so not sure how it is for dinner but definitely more Italian options.
I did decide to go Venezuelan and got the Arepas which was a grilled cornmeal cake stuffed with a filling. They were out of the shredded beef so I went with the ham and cheese. The filling was pretty work a day but the cornmeal cake was really good. It was grilled crispy on the outside so you could hold it and got that crispy texture, but then had a grits like consistency inside. Id be willing to try this again but with a different filling. It was served with a verde hot sauce and garlic aioli which were both good.
As for the service, my lunch guest also asked for shredded beef which was unavailable. The chef felt bad and doubled the size of our Fried Yucca appetizer which I thought was a really nice thing to do. The Yucca itself was very good and was a great replacement to fries, just could have been seasoned a bit more.
All in all a nice little restaurant worth trying out. I’m sure I’ll be trying it again.

A real disappointment – especially moving into the space formerly belonging to the awesome Stagioni, which really made itself a culinary feature of Bloomfield before moving off to the South Side.
This is definitely a teeny restaurant space. Unfortunately Adolfo’s doesn’t do much to help with that. Our table was SUPER cramped. There really wasn’t any forethought given to the size of plates/​dishes, amount of flatware on the table (at one point, I had 5 forks. WTF?), or organization of the space. There was also a serious gnat issue in the restaurant. Yes, I know that’s a risk when you have open-​air from the front of the restaurant, but there were flies and gnats everywhere. Our waitress calmly placed napkins over our wine glasses, but that didn’t save us from swallowing some insect protein throughout the night.
Food was super disappointing. The fried plaintains with cheese were not very appetizing. I’ve had something similar before… but with a sharper cheese, vegetables, and even meat… and with larger/​thicker slices of plantain so that you actually get the unique flavor of them. Not these. Two fish dishes were exceptionally bland… crying out for some salt, some pepper, something. The best thing about our meal was the fried yucca with its garlicky sauce… and that was basically just like eating fries & mayo… so not THAT awesome. The pasta was overcooked, although the tomato sauce was pretty decent. Salads were terrible (giant chunks of unappetizing lettuce and a few pieces of tomato), overdressed, and just, yuck. The overwhelming consensus was that the food lacked flavor and creativity.
The desserts were cloyingly sweet and just so «overdone.» The tres-​leches cake might have been ok, but had one too many ingredients/​flavors going on. The kicker of the night was when our server rattled off the ingredients to the house sangria… unfortunately AFTER we ordered… and it featured… can’t remember… Sprite or 7-​UP? There are no words to describe how awful this stuff was.
Our server was SO sweet. She took great care of our table, really seemed to believe in the quality of the food they were serving, and was definitely focused on customer service. But at around $ 30 for a fish entrée… this restaurant is way over-​priced for its niche. You can get significantly better quality food for less in Bloomfield, even at some of the high-​end restaurants.
Won’t be back. Don’t imagine this place will last long.

*sigh* I don’t even know where to begin with Adolfo’s…nothing was good about this place. First off what is the deal with them being a Venezuelan and Italian restaurant. Just because your restaurant is located in a primarily Italian neighborhood doesn’t mean you have to also serve Italian food. Pick one style and be the master of that style food. I would have more respect for them if they just stuck to what they know and only served Venezuelan food. The menu is SO small and there are barely any vegetarian options. My husband and I looked at the menu for about 15 minutes trying to figure out what to order, we didn’t want to order pasta we wanted to try a Venezuelan entrée but due to no vegetarian options we had to order a pasta dish. Honestly we were a few seconds away from walking out but didn’t want to cause a scene, figured we’re already there mise well try something. Started with the onion soup and fried plantains. The soup was so so but really oily with a big lump of cheese in it, which was really chewy and the plantains had a bunch of cheese dumped on top of them and were so greasy and mushy! The entrée came with a small salad. No thought put into the salad. Cheap lettuce and the veggies were not even diced, the tomato was hard and the dressing choices were so basic. We split the pesto pasta… not good. Barely ate it. Once again too oily/​greasy, too much cheese and a generic flavor!
Also the prices are much too high. Almost $ 30 for a fish entrée that comes with just one small basic side. I almost ordered the fish entrée but I wasn’t about to pay almost $ 30. That’s ridiculous.
I really don’t understand how Adolfo’s has so many 5 star reviews. I was so disappointed and felt like I wasted my money on my meal. This was a complete miss for me.

Underwhelming by a mile.
Probably the worst wait and food we’ve had in a while. Italian festival … We chose here. Every street vender had better tasting food, served at least 20 degrees warmer, and offered friendlier service.
Try the tiramisu I guess? It was the only acceptable item the three of us had and that’s because it was supposed to be cold.
Pass this place.

This is a tough restaurant to rate. I wanted to like the restaurant: I felt that the staff was extremely sweet and the chef was obviously passionate about his menu. However, I was not blown away by the food.
The salad was a simple side salad: lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, olives. Not particularly special.
For the main course, I felt the flavors were not extremely diverse or complex. The food was reminiscent of home cooking. It was well done, but I found the pricing to be pretty high for the quality and amount of food. The «fusion» part was more that there were some Venezuelan dishes and some Italian dishes. Perhaps that fact made some lack of cohesiveness of the whole restaurant. The salad didn’t quite work with the dish I got. The dish I got was a Venezuelan dish: fried pork and a side of rice. While the pork was delicious and rice well cooked, I felt it lacked any variation. Perhaps if I had gotten a Venezuelan vegetable side dish, my view of the whole meal might have changed.
Overall, the food was okay and the people were great. I may come back for a takeout option instead of a sit-​down in the future.

Found this hidden gem one afternoon walking through Bloomfield with my dog. The dog-​friendly patio made having lunch comfortable and enjoyable. The patio itself was ideally located with plenty of shade. Our waitress was very accommodating and pleasant. The food came out quickly, delicious, and reasonably priced. If you’re in the Bloomfield area this place and its patio are a definite stop. Bonus… it’s BYOB.

The food was good. The wait was horrible 1 person waiting on 10 tables. Hostess did not care that we were waiting more concerned with personal business. The waitress was snippy when we ask for more water eve. Though our glasses were empty. Can’t imagine how this place has been in business this long

I decided to check this place out for lunch. As usual parking can be a problem but I was fortunate to grab a spot near the restaurant. I went over, found the door open, and walked inside. The place was empty inside except for one nice waitress seated there. She asked me whether I wanted to sit inside or outside. Since no one was inside I opted to go outside and sit under an umbrella.
The lunch menu consisted of a mixture of your typical appetizers, salads, soup, regular pasta dishes, entrees such as chicken Romano, and Venezuelan entrees. The waitress was kind enough to explain the menu to me. She recommended the chicken arepas with cheese. It is pulled chicken with cheese served on a gluten free flatbread made from cornbread. It also can be made with either pulled beef or pork. I inquired about the plantains and learned that it is a dinner item for $ 8.95 but can be ordered for lunch fried. She did advise me that these arepas are very filling so I opted to try those and see if I could eat the other later.
The arepas are $ 8.95 for two of them. Another interesting item on the menu was called empanadus which are gluten free fried turnovers with the same meat fillings. Again you would get two for roughly the same price. As I waited I listened to the sounds of Latin music coming out of the speakers behind me.
I got my meal and it came with a tomato wedge, a piece of lettuce and garlic dipping sauce. They were very hot but very good! As a matter of fact I wasn’t even sure I could eat the second one, the first one was so filling! They are served with a knife and a fork because they can get very messy. The wind was also blowing so it was a bit hard to secure everything but I managed.
I was able to finish both of them and then she asked me about dessert. Tempting as it was I couldn’t eat another bite. I asked about brunches and learned that they are only served on Sun. They don’t have Wi Fi but being outside helped me with my mobile devices while I waited for my lunch.
Adolfo’s sits right across the street from Starbuck’s and is located near West Penn hospital. The Bloomfield bridge is currently closed for renovations and there is much construction in the area. The place is small, the courtyard is nice and although they take reservations, I didn’t see the need for any during the lunch hour. Most people were sitting in the courtyard which is great on a sunny day as the day of my visit.
i would call it a nice hidden gem in the Bloomfield area.

I love this place. I have gone here multiple times and I honestly look forward to coming back again. I am Colombian, so once I saw that this place opened up and that they served Venezuelan food I HAD to go, and honestly, I was not disappointed at all as it was very, very similar to my mom’s Colombian home cooking.
I have tried their suffed arepas which are like corn patties (think grits) stuffed with delicious chicken and avocado. I have also tried their cochino frito, which fried pork. It was perfectly cooked and just so flavorful.
For brunch they have a variety of items to try. Eight in all and you get to pick five of them. I had the pericos which is eggs with tomatoes and onions (done just right, not overdone or underdone), fried arepas, little cheese sticks wrapped in what seemed pastry, shredded chicken, and bacon. Although it sounds like a whole lot, the portions were just perfect. Also for brunch if you bring your own Champagne, they will provide the OJ for a small fee so you can have mimosas!!!
Also in the evenings they provide a complimentary sangria with your dinner! Not too shabby for a place that is BYOB!
Overall this place is awesome and I honestly can’t wait to go back!!!

This is one of only a few Latin American places in Pittsburgh, and specifically the only ‘Venezuelan’ place. But how does Venezuelan cuisine blend into the culture of Bloomfield, while at the same time stand out as a unique establishment in Pittsburgh? Well, Italian Venezuelan fusion of course!
I could just start and end with ~the sangria is complimentary~, and that would be enough, but it would be an injustice to the rest of the delicious food.
Plantains, soft and sweet on the inside, browned and a bit crisp on the outside, and cheese on top. Perfect way to start.
Next was the pabellón criollo which I have never had before so I really have nothing to compare it to. Basically its shredded beef (you can also get chicken), rice, and beans with cheese. This comes with plantains around the side, but since I already had that as an appetizer, and I also wanted to try the fried yuca, they happily surrounded the plate with fried yuca instead. And let me tell you, THAT in combination with the garlic aioli type dipping sauce served with the yuca was THE winner for me. I want to bathe in it, it’s so good. The yuca is similar to a fry but thicker, and I’d say more of a creamy texture inside.
At this point I’m basically already exploding. But I haven’t tried the tres leches. Soo. Yeah. Out comes the cake. It’s a very wet cake, and I’d say it’s similar to tiramisu. Tres leches means three milks so there ya go. Very sweet and coconutty here, with a layer of cream on top covered in cinnamon, dusted with powdered sugar, and a chocolate caramel drizzle.
This is the part where I slide out of my chair and roll back to my vehicle because it’s more efficient at this point, and attempt to drive home.

This restaurant only opened 2 months ago, and we’ve already been there 3 times. With the abundance of Italian restaurants in Bloomfield, we were intrigued by the Venezuelan menu items. We first came and sat down in the outdoor courtyard on a Saturday night and were greeted by live music and a complimentary glass of sangria. My started with a few of the stuffed arepas. They were all delicious, but the chicken and avocado arepa was truly amazing. We split an order of the pabellon criollo — an awesome plate of shredded chicken, rice, beans, and maduro. We finished our meal with the Tres leches, which my wife said reminded her of the dessert her grandmother used to make. The fantastic food, atmosphere, and service for a low price have made us regulars.
We came back again this past Sunday to try the brunch. You have the option of picking 5 items from a list of about 10, including huevos pericos (scrambled eggs with tomato and onion), frittatas, bacon, sausage, and other latin favorites such as arepas fritas, yucca, and tequeno. I really liked being able to try small portions of several menu items that added up to a delicious and hearty breakfast. To top everything else off, if you bring a bottle of champaigne, they will supply the OJ for your mimosas. Overall, this is a great place to eat and a nice change from your typical Bloomfield fare, and we are sure to remain regulars.

Skinnier me loves and hates that the now fat me came here. Incredible flavors and delicious. Arepas may not be on the menu but they are incredible. The tres leches were amazing. We ate too much and enjoyed every moment of it sitting in a great outdoor area. Live music every other Saturday. Come here. Eat well.

YUM YUM YUM. Honestly, this was one of the best meals I have had in a while. We started off with the fresh bread and the complimentary sangria, then for an appetizer had the fried plantains, which were topped with mozzarella cheese. Entrees come with a salad, and we got the chicken piccatta and the pesto tortellini. The chicken was pretty good, but the tortellini was amazing. Around us, everyone else was saying how good their food was as well. Our waitress, Sandy, was great the whole time, and made sure that we saved room for the tres leches. IT WAS SO GOOD. I was so full, but it was still just so good. We met the owner, and he was the sweetest man. I’d definitely recommend this place for a girls night out or a date night. They have Sunday brunch and serve alcohol there and are also BYOB. Truly great.

The hubby and I decided to walk there for dinner this evening. We had been wanting to try it out for awhile. We sat on the patio and more immediately offered complementary sangrias.
My husband had the halibut with artichoke hearts that was on special that evening. I had the lamb chops that were on special. As an appetizer we split the fried plantains and cheese. With his dish my husband chose the yucca as his side. He came with the most delicious garlic sauce to dip them in. The sauce was also good when the fish was dipped in it.
Totally totally worth the price we paid. And we definitely want to go back.

Truly a rising star in the great collection of Bloomfield restaurants! The complimentary sangria was phenomenal and was very tasty. We ate only their Venezuelan offerings, and honestly, it was some of the best Latin American cuisine we have had in the U.S. I strongly recommend their chicken avocado arepas, made fresh by the chef. Please do yourself a favor and request their house-​made cilantro-​tomatillo salsa, and DO try the garlic sauce that comes with your arepas. My mouth is still watering just remembering it!
We were floored by how CHEAP our check was– we ordered 2 arepas each, plus a wonderful tres leches cake. The duo of arepas was plenty of food, and was $ 8.95 for two. Other offerings were a bit pricier, though, so I’m not sure our bill would be that low in future visits.
We sat outdoors and enjoyed a beautiful evening– I hear they even have live music some Saturdays. I am eager to come back with friends, and try any of the Venezuelan cuisine this chef cooks up!

I wandered by and saw this place for the first time today and thought «why not give it a try»? There is a small indoor seating area with only 7 tables, one of which is set up for a group of six. I was enthused by the Latin music playing in the background. There were also two tables for two outside on the sidewalk and a patio around the side with additional seating. The sidewalk seemed like a nice choice.
I was greeted by the waitress and offered something to drink including complimentary sangria… Well that’s a no-​brainer, I’ll take the sangria.
I asked a few questions about the menu and decided to go with one of the Venezuelan options as that sounded more interesting with Italian food being ubiquitous in this neighborhood. I ordered the pabellon criollo and was pleased to learn that all entrees come with bread and a side soup or salad.
The sangria was delicious and not too fruity, and hey, who’s gonna complain about free drinks? The bread came with a nice home made herbed dipping oil and Parmesan cheese. The salad was good but somewhat on the plain side even for a side salad. Pleasantly appetized my main course arrived.
Pabellon criollo is a platter of shredded beef, seasoned white rice, black beans with queso fresco, and plantains. Every bite was delicious, but the plantains were the star of the show. Usually I’m not a big fan of plantains but these were on the sweeter side and were perfectly cooked. They made an excellent contrast to the savory beans and meat.
Overall I was really happy with Aldofo’s. It does have a family run feel, which I didn’t mind as I appreciate the authenticity and lack of pretentiousness. The prices did seem a bit high though on a few of the dishes. I was informed by the chef/​owner (Aldofo I presume?) that they will be having live music outside Saturday night and are byob. Sounds like a great time to come back with friends.