Zarra’s A Taste of Southern Italy

This is by far the best authentic Italian Restaurants in Pittsburgh. Their southern Italian flare accompanied by their made fresh daily pastas and entrees will leave you hungry for more. They import Italian wines that agree with everyone’s pallet and the desert is to die for! If you haven’t tried it, the missing out!

Very very good food and extremely friendly! Many choices to select so we will be back.

In a nutshell: eclectic décor, yet intimate. Overpriced. Smells like your grandma’s perfume.
I didn’t have a great experience here. I usually don’t mind weird décor but some of the stuff they have here are just plain creepy. It’s weird to catch a mannequin or doll staring at you in the corner of your eye when you’re eating. Just saying. The dining room was cluttered and the smell is overwhelming of talc powder. The smell was so strong, it kind of made me sick. So I was really hoping the food would be amazing. The menu looks impressive because it doesn’t look like your average Italian menu and it has a lot of homemade items. I ordered Judy’s Homemade Ricotta Noodles and it was good, but certainly not life-​changing. The sauce was on the sweet side and although it was good, it could not balance the overwhelming flavor of black pepper from the noodles. The black pepper turned the dish incredibly spicy. I don’t know if I can quite call these noodles either. They’re more like huge chunks of pasta dough, about ¾ inch thick pieces cut into 1 in. by 3 in. pieces. All dishes come with a mixed green salad, not your typical iceberg lettuce salad most other Italian restaurants give. The service could also have been better. Our waiter did not smile once and he spoke to us with such a condescending tone, despite us giving him no trouble at all. With food not all that special, steep prices, rude service and creepy décor, I don’t think I’ll be back.

Really cool place! The food was great, and I was very impressed by the genuine hospitality of the waitress and the owners. Great food, great people!

If you are looking for an Italian place that resembles a small family run restaurant this place has all the looks of it from the unique décor and pink building. However, the family itself leave a lot to be desired. The mother is the main cook and I will say she usually does a fairly good job. The son Donnie is a complete waste of space for this restaurant. He claims to be a waiter, but it’s hard to be a waiter when you are sitting at the bar or watching tv or on his phone outside.
I can’t even get started on the father. He is clearly the owner and mastermind and financial guy for this restaurant. Unfortunately, if you googled the definition of obnoxious, ignorant Italian man it wouldn’t even come close to explaining the efforts this man goes through to be and sound like an ass. He routinely screams/​tells (talks?) at his staff and even customers. Sorry Zarra’s but you’d be better off without him. He literally does nothing for the restaurant except hang out and yell at people.
The only thing this family has going for them is the rest of the staff who haven’t quit yet. I’m only giving them 1 star because giving 0 wasn’t an option.
I mean… who washes silverware in Windex? Gross! Ammonia on my utensils? No thanks! I’ll never go back

Unexpected find with a lot of family charm (tons of nicknacks in main dining room) but high prices. Dinner includes salad and bread with make your own olive oil dip and Parmesan but ranges around 20 – 30 $ which is high for what they offer. Alcohol is pricey for ambiance but very friendly staff. We had come because they gave my friend a free plate last time she came in for coffee!
Veggie perspective– 1 – 2 veggie options. I had the ricotta noodles with eggplant mezzanine which was good not great. Salad was excellent. I loved the tiramisu which was very rich. Ricotta cake I wouldn’t order again.
Probably will not return due to pricing and ambiance style.

I ended up here after I had to cancel reservations at Asiago’s due to a baseball game and I could not find parking in the North Shore. I’m happy my gf found this place. Food was awesome and so was staff. I will definitely come back! Waiter bought me a slice of cheese cake for my birthday! Homemade and was delicious!

I came here with my parents this past Fri. evening at around 6pm. I live a few blocks away and Zarra’s was one of the closest places I had bookmarked. Given that my mom is a picky eater and enjoys casual Italian eateries, and that my parents were staying in Oakland (not at the hotel across the street, FWIW), I figured it was as good of a reason as any to check it out. Zarra’s is most definitely an old school red sauce joint, so it fits the bill for Pittsburgh Italian comfort food – don’t come here if you’re expecting trendy, cutting-​edge fare.
For our entrees, my mom had the meatless lasagna ($ 16), my dad has the Zarra’s sampler ($ 22), and I had the ricotta noodles ($ 18). All of the entrees came with side salads, as well as a shared bread plate. The bread was insubstantial and mediocre, and came with an oil dipping sauce, which is a good thing, since it wouldn’t have held up to butter. The salads were along the same lines, consisting of spinach dressed with a vinaigrette sauce and a few vegetables that most likely came out of a can. You can get blue cheese on your salad, which my mom and I did, or anchovies, as my dad did, but just be aware that these additions come at an upcharge.
Fortunately, the entrees were better. The manicotti had an interesting pointy shape and light texture that was different than any I’ve eaten before. Flavorwise, they weren’t too exciting, which was also true for the red sauce. Each entrée came with a side of sausage, meatball, or eggplant, so I chose the latter for mine since I’m inherently leery of ground meat. The eggplant added some variety to the dish, but I found it a bit on the mushy side. My mom and dad enjoyed their entrees – my mom is picky about the composition of lasagna, so I was happy to see that she ate it without picking it apart. I tried a bite of it, and it was pretty similar to the lasagna she makes at home, which is probably why. I didn’t try any of the other items, so I can’t directly comment on them except to say that the meatballs are huge (about 3″ in diameter and twice the size of meatballs I’ve had at the meatball joint downtown). I wanted to try the baked Alaska since I’d never had one, but my parents were too full to share it with me, and I didn’t want to get stuck eating the whole thing, so we ended up passing on it.
Overall, we were generally satisfied with our meal at Zarra’s, despite the lackluster start to the meal. The fare was exactly what I expected, satisfying my mom’s pickiness and filling us all up after a long day of travel or work. The service was excellent, as was proper given that we were about the only ones in the restaurant other than a few people sitting on the porch by the time we left. As others have mentioned, the décor – right down to the toilet seat in the women’s restroom – is interesting and eclectic, and makes for good conversation. While I probably wouldn’t go out of my way to return, I wouldn’t be opposed to coming back sometime – perhaps to try the baked Alaska – given its convenience to my apt. 3.5 stars.

What a wonderful surprise to find such an eclectic family-​friendly restaurant in Oakland. I felt like I was in an Italian grandmother’s dining room! The food is amazing; get the house soup: it’s basically a matzo ball made out of ricotta. We came for my daughters birthday and when I made the reservation they offered to bake her a bday cake. All the food is AMAZING! Staff is nice and friendly. Sit on the balcony of weather is nice.

Hole in the wall across from our hotel. Superb food and the most quaint Italian atmosphere. There’s both inside & outside seating, but I recommend sitting inside to get the whole feel of Southern Italy! Between my family, we had the manicotti with sausage, lasagna with meatball, seafood linguini, tiramisu dessert & chianti wine. All amazingly delicious homemade dishes. The bread & salad were fresh & the wait staff was friendly. True Italian run joint– highly recommend it if you’re in the area!

I have such a soft spot for Zarra’s — I remember when this place was the Electric Banana and I love that they have all of the kitschy items and oddball antiques which gives this place so much character and provides for a unique dining experience. This is a family run business — and the servers are wonderfully friendly and the food is fresh and delicious and if you are lucky enough to be there on a day that Judy is in the kitchen you are in for a real treat. The food is always good, but you can always tell when it’s made by Judy’s expert hands. I’ve been here many times and will definitely be back again and again.
Probably my favorite thing on the menu is the Ricotta Dumpling Soup. It is one of the best soups that I’ve ever had in my life! I’ve sometimes gone there just to get soup and salad because the soup is that delicious. I’ve tried many of their entrees, but one of my favorites is the simple Algie i Olio which I sometimes add the Italian tuna to the dish to make it even more mouthwatering and delicious. Judy’s Ricotta Noodles are warm, pillowy delights topped with the rich tomato sauce — absolutely delicious! The Melenzane Romano is another one of my favorite dishes. There are so many great things on the menu and even though I’ve dined at Zarra’s many times, I still haven’t tried even half the menu because I keep going back to my favorites time and again. Great Italian food!

Loved the décor, but the food and the service did not measure up. The salad was delicious! But the entrees were ok at best. Our waiter looked angry all the time. I would not return.

I liked the décor, the soup was good, the food was below average. But the owner was a creep. He kept flirting with me and my friend and even asked for pictures with him. He made us feel uncomfortable and I couldn’t wait to leave. I will never eat there again.

Went to Zarra’s a couple nights ago and the food was amazing. Had the Verdura e Fagioli and added the homemade sausage to it. This place is truly authentic Southern Italian cooking!

Zarra’s is amazing. All the food is homemade and very good. This family owned restaurant is a fabulous find and I strongly suggest anyone who likes outstanding Italian food to try it.
The décor remindes me of an estate sale that serves wonderful food. The menu changes for the weekend so come during the week for a larger choice.

Came in late and just had some app’s — The stuffed banana peppers were awesome as well as the calamari antipasto.
Super nice people and a crazy eclectic atmosphere — you gotta check them out!

this place had the worst food i ever had in my life!!! they were very rude. dont ever go here!!! super gross!!!

Great sausage Wonderful spicy rich flavor obviously made with feeling. That almost made me go to two stars or??? But my family was just so disappointed overall that I’m sticking with one star.
Ambiance: kitchy Italian knick knack filled dining room which is a little over the top but fun. No problems
Service was terribly. So slow. We arrived before 9 and it was 9:50 before anyone took our order and then only because we flagged down someone. Our waiter was nowhere to be seen in this half filled not busy restaurant.
Meal comes with salad. Could be yummy but we can’t say since ours never came.
Entrees included that yummy sausage but also cold dense ricotta noodles Other Unilocal raved over this dish so huh??? Maybe the chef was asleep or we were getting the final dregs of the day. Unclear.
Got the bill. They charged us for blue cheese on the salads we never got. Huh again? Didn’t correct the bill but offered us free tiaramusu which also NEVER came. Huh.
We called and complained and the owner seemed nice and apologetic but stilll…
One star.

One of my favorite Italian restaurants so far! I loved the food and we all left feeling great due to the awesome experience.
Don’t let the pink painted building with bright blue neon lights catch you off guard. The atmosphere is unique with revolvers and swords on the walls. The service is down to earth and very good. But the food… oh the food… I left wondering and hoping the next time I could return was sometime in the very near future.
I had the shrimp dish with mushrooms and spinach. It also came with a bowl of pasta and marinara sauce. I want going to eat the pasta… but it only took one bite for me to realize how awesome it was. Yum. Others had the Fettuccini Alfredo. It was so creamy and delicious. The bread and olive oil mixture was sooo good!
I am so looking forward to going back!

The décor at this place is definitely strange, yet it will absolutely capture your attention. From the beautiful stained glass to the plethora of swords, the wall decorations will definitely provide for interesting conversation!
Despite the kitchy décor, mismatched chairs and tablecloths, the food was fantastic, and the service was attentive. From the scallops to the rack of lamb, my family enjoyed everything that we ordered. It’s nice that all of the entrees come with garlic bread and a salad.
When I’m back in Pittsburgh, I’d definitely return. My only concern: we were there on a Saturday night, and the place was pretty empty. I know it’s a little off the beaten path, but I wonder how it’s going to keep surviving…