San Lorenzo Ristorante

Excellent romantic Italian dinner with my wife! Very quaint and excellent pasta dishes. BYOB is a great plus with a small cork fee. Good service and good food. One of Lawrenceville’s hidden gems! They take reservations which is always nice.

I was really excited to try San Lorenzo, because a great Italian restaurant in Lawrenceville would be very convenient for me. While this restaurant was okay, it’s far from great. Making reservations was tedious and when we got there the restaurant was half empty. By 7:30, all of the specials on the menu were sold out (which was confusing because the restaurant was half empty). Most of the food on the menu is super heavy. There are only two fish dishes available the night we ate there and neither was particularly memorable. I definitely wouldn’t dine here again.

This was a terrific dinner spot. We had three different pastas; one had mussels, another had tomatoes and peppers, and a third had gnocchi, mushrooms and spinach. All three were great. The dessert, appetizer, and salads were terrific too. The sauce on the second pasta was sublime – perfect combination of items.

Everything I had here was delicious! The sardines appetizer and the artichoke appetizers were a great way to start the meal. The best part was the salmon entrée, cooked perfectly and a great sized portion! The staff at San Lorenzo is very informed about the selections and was very welcoming and helpful throughout the whole meal. San Lorenzo is a perfect choice for fresh, delicious food and welcoming, friendly service.

My husband and I went here for the first time over the weekend. We live within walking distance and looking at the menu online got us in the mood for some Italian. The first thing we got served was bread. It was only three sort of dry pieces but when we asked for a refill they gave us another basket with softer and warmer bread. They were also very nice about bringing out a side of butter for my husband who prefers that to the olive oil/​balsamic that they served us initially. For the appetizer we got the sauteed calamari. I am not a big tomato sauce fan, but this sauce was actually very tasty and we ate the entire appetizer.
For entrees my husband got the pork chop and polenta and I got the seafood linguine pasta. His entrée was huge and delicious. The chop was cooked well and the polenta was also a big winner. However the reason I didn’t give them the five star rating because I wasn’t a terrible fan of my pasta. The sauce was wine based which I usually like but it was pretty bland tasting to me. The serving was large and there was plenty of seafood but I would have much rather had my husband’s entrée.
The desserts sounded good but we were too full and on a time budget to get any. Next time we come we will BYOB and probably stay for dessert. Overall I would recommend it, but I would want to try another pasta dish before getting too excited about spreading the word.

Great food, great service, byob, relaxing atmosphere… I will be back! We loved the calamari appetizer. I thought my lasagne was fantastic.

My husband and I decided to give San Lorenzo a try on a Friday night and we were not disappointed! Given that we live a few blocks away, we had walked by many times and had never seen many people inside; yet the menu always looked appealing to us. We have lived in much bigger cities than Pittsburgh with arguably better restaurant scenes, and absolutely love Italian food. I’m trying to say… our standards are high.
We had made a reservation beforehand and walked in to our pick of several tables. We chose a 2 top just inside the front door, which was just lovely. The breeze from outside was so nice and we got to enjoy the romantic décor, especially the lights hanging around the front windows. We brought a bottle of wine with us and enjoyed a very reasonable $ 7 corkage fee.
For dinner, we started out with the burrata, which had an understated yet beautiful presentation. The portion size was ample and it came with roasted red peppers, roasted and sun dried tomatoes, and seasonal preserves. It was delicious. My husband ordered the carbonara and I had the gnocchi with caramelized mushrooms and arugula. Both were wonderful; my husband’s was a tad on the salty side, which I think came from the pancetta, but mine was spot on flavor-​wise. The portion sizes were definitely appropriate. We eyed up the desserts but were so full from dinner and wine that we held off.
We were very pleased with our meal here. It’s a more traditional style of Italian restaurant than other local Italian establishments. The service was perfect– so attentive and sweet. It was so nice to not have to wait for a table and to just walk right in. We will definitely be coming back to this place!

I think you’re going to love this place. It’s warm, it’s romantic, it’s a little oasis of classic Italian in the center of the hipster ocean.
San Lorenzo Ristorante had the most amazing fish special tonight. It was a pan-​fried cod fillet, very generous and topped with perfectly steamed brussels sprouts and tart San Marzano tomatoes. The bottom of the fillet was light and crisp and the sweet white fish was a perfect match for the earthy brussels sprouts, rich pancetta and bright tomatoes. There was a small side of indulgent brown butter gnocchi. I neglected to ask if they were made in-​house but these little pillows of heaven were very close to the gnocchi we had in Italy.
My fiancé ordered the bucatini with the San Marzano topping, three rounds of mozzarella and a light sprinkling of grated parmesan. The pasta was cooked just al dente and none of the flavors overwhelmed the other. Fresh basil was a standard accompaniment but it’s hard to ruin that.
The bread provided before the entrées was standard Italian restaurant bread. However, it was lightly toasted which was a nice change. The dish of olive oil/​balsamic was topped with a basil chiffonade but it could have used some more balsamic to round out the oil (we didn’t ask for more… but should have).
Our waiter was wonderful. She was extremely pleasant, answered our questions about the menu and checked on us just enough but not too much.
For the pasta entrée, fish special, bread and a bottle of San Pellegrino, we dropped about $ 55 (including tip). For the quality of the food, the warmth of the staff and surroundings, it was well-​worth each dime. We will definitely be back for more!

A bit underwhelming and kinda «Pittsburgh Italian».
Came here for Valentines Day and ordered the tasting menu, which looked fantastic. The oyster was kinda sketchy (and I love oysters to death) and it looked like a cheap gulf oyster. The pasta dishes were good but not particularly memorable. My fiancé really enjoyed his fish course but my steak was very tough. The waitress agreed and reduced our check, which was very nice of her.
The dessert was hysterical because it was so Pittsburgh, wrapped up like it was some authentic Italian delicacy when it was simply cake with some fancy sugar sauce. We couldn’t stop laughing.
Overall, ok meal and better than Alexander’s in Bloomfield but we are still searching for real, fine Italian food in Pittsburgh. Any suggestions?

Went on Valentine’s. Day. In spite of the crowd the food came out in a timely fashion and was perfectly prepared. The. wait staff was very good without being obtrusive. We had a great meal and will definitely go back.

First of all, for those of you who miss Café Vita in Oakmont, this is it (same owner and a lot of the same staff)! Second, just a note that the restaurant is BYOB, with a very reasonable corkage fee of $ 7.
We made a reservation; and, our table was set and ready for us when we walked in. The service was incredible — very attentive and friendly staff. The menu is small in size but big in flavor. We finished every single crumb of our appetizers, salads, entrees, and dessert. I all but licked my plate. We miss Café Vita’s brunch in Oakmont but dinner was just as impressive. We’ll definitely be back!

THIS PLACE IS BYOB. I always want to specify that up front for my fellow winos.
The menu is carefully curated, and relatively limited, so you may want to check it out before dining. That said, my meals there have been hit or miss. Hits include a caprese salad with cedar plank-​roasted tomatoes and house-​made burrata. Misses include an amatriciana sauce with so many banana peppers in it that my eyes were watering before I even took a bite.
The wait and host staff are very friendly. This is not the best Italian I’ve had in Pittsburgh but it’s a great addition to Lawrenceville.

The food and service were excellent. We started the evening with the Artichoke Romano appetizer which was by far the best dish of the night. For our meals I had the
Chicken Milanese which was good, though my friend had the Wild Mushroom Gnocchi and this was fantastic. I will definitely go back again to try the rest of the menu.

By far the best Italian in Lawrenceville! Our service was fabulous, Ashley was attentive, truly knew and obviously enjoyed the menu. I ordered a linguini with shrimp, scallions and chives, it was very good, I did have to lightly salt it. My husband ordered chicken casalinga, a nice sized portion and very good — I did salt his lightly also. We will go back!

Oh my, from start to finish! This restaurant is wonderful… completely different flavors. My husband and I came here for our anniversary last night… it’s pretty special. The calamari (not fried) was sauteed in a spicy puttanesca sauce, that was to die for. My husband had linguine and mussels with chick peas that was spicy and also great. I had linguini with shrimp and zucchini and smoked mozzarella. Dessert was a lemon tart (not homemade albeit tasty and not too sweet). We’d go back here in a heartbeat!

I stopped by here this past Tuesday night with my fiancé and another couple for dinner. After looking up the location on the internet I was surprised that I had never noticed this place before as it is located right on Butler Street and I had parked right across the street from it the week before. However once I did notice it I realized that it was a pretty cute location. The inside of the place was tastefully decorated but we all also thought that the temperature was a bit cold although that was probably due to the summer cold front that had just come through. It was also a fairly small establishment and I would guess that it would probably max out at around 40 people or so.
The week that we attended happened to be restaurant week and so a house salad and a dessert were included in the price of our entrees. For my entrée I decided to go with the rabbit gnocchi while my fiancé went with the linguine pescatore. The first thing out on our table happened to be bread and a dipping sauce. The bread was a pretty good Italian bread and then the dipping sauce was EVOO and some herbs. After that came our salads which seemed to be pretty standard except for the sunflower seeds on them. While I couldn’t see myself purchasing it as a stand alone item, I was happy to have it as part of my meal. The next items to come to our table were our entrees. My gnocchi was a ricotta gnocchi with a rabbit ragu that was topped with some pickled cherries. After placing it in front of me our server then asked if I would like some freshly grated pecorino romano on top of it which I did. Overall I was pleased with my meal and thought the gnocchi had a nice and light texture while also having a good taste. The rabbit was also good and cooked nicely but my favorite addition was the pickled cherries which gave a the dish a nice little acidity. Finally for dessert we were given the option of a number of different cakes: a shortcake, a limoncello cake, a chocolate cake and an oreo cake. Since I am not able to eat chocolate, I ended up going with the Limoncello cake and was happy with my decision. The cake had a really good flavor of Limoncello to it and was also moist.
The bottom line for me is that I would head back here again in the future. I love that this place is BYOB and I thought the food was good for the price as well.

The food at this place is a true stand-​out. Its not super trendy like most other places in Lawrenceville. The floors are carpeted and the ambiance is more traditional. It wasn’t filled with Hipsters and we walked right in to get a table on a Friday night at 7PM. Our server was very friendly.
But back to the food. Oh the food!!! First off, the place is BYOB. Huge money saver. My hubby and I don’t eat meat, and since most of thentréeses are meat, we went apps and pasta. We started off with beans and greens and artichokMilanesese. Both were HUGE and fantastic. We were both alreadgettingng full after the apps.
Next, the hubby got a house salad which was a good size and full of goodies. He was pleased. I got the heirloom tomato caprese. It UNBELIEVABLEABLE. heirlooms, basil, mozzarella, capers, grilled peaches– it was heaven. Fresh, large, beautifully plated and the contrasting flavors went wonderfully together.
We were both officially stuffed after the salads and we ordered a split pasta to finish off our dinner– gnocchi. It came pseparatelyrately. If this was a split portion (which I confirmed that it was), I can’t imagine anyone ever finishing a dish themselves. If you are Italian or love gnocchi, you know how easy it is to mess it up and get a heavy little ball. This, fortunately, was a perfect little pocket of airy gnocchi. Up there with some of the best in the city (Dish, il pizziolo).
We weren’t able to finish our gnocchi, so we didn’t make it to dessert, but we walked out with only a $ 55 bill. Couldn’t believe it for the quality and quantity of food.
I can’t wait to go back.

Lawrenceville finally has a nice date restaurant! The space is roomy– no sitting on top of the next table here. The lighting was suitably dim, but not too dark to read a menu. Overall, very cozy atmosphere. The service was impeccable– we never felt hovered over, but our waters stayed full and every need was anticipated. As for the food,
there was not a bad bite on a plate. The bread was delicious, served with a side of fresh ricotta and olive oil. For appetizers, we ordered the artichokes and calamari. The artichokes were so tender and creamy. The calamari, fresh and in a phenomenal sauce with capers and olives. For entrees, we had the mushroom gnocchi in truffle oil and artichoke rigatoni. Both were savory and large servings– we had plenty to take home. I almost hope that no one reads this review– the service and food was so good that I want to keep it to myself.

Great service. Sydney chicken Milanese and baklava cheesecake were awesome. The chicken was cooked perfectly with an amazing favor. We never imagined how delicious baklava and cheesecake taste when combined. Our group also tried the linguini carbonara and braciole, both had excellent flavor.

I’m being kind with the three star rating since they just opened on Tuesday.
It’s a small carpeted space where the tables aren’t on top of one another. That was a plus. We were greeted promptly with friendly service… Good there too. BYOB so they opened our wine and filled water glasses. Seemed good so far. Everything was good until we ordered the entrees actually. The beans and greens app was good. My husbands beet salad was okay. Nobody told our server they were out of cavatelli so when my dish arrived with fettuccini I was surprised. She took it back. I had to choose something else (which was difficult as I had my heart set on cavatelli). I chose the gnocchi with white truffle oil, etc. I think I was just disappointed and did not enjoy it maybe bc I couldn’t get what I wanted even though I was willing to try something else? I’m searching for a reason to feel like I do. I will say that my hubby’s gnocchi with wild boar was good (a little overdone). I wish I ordered that but being it is lent, no meat for me (I only tried a smidgen of the sauce and some of the dumplings).
We spent 80.00 for me to leave hungry. I am sure it will get better, but just be prepared for decent service and meh food until they are firing on all cylinders (which is my hope… They improve soon after the kinks are worked out).