Gianna Vias Restaurant Bar - Pittsburgh

UPDATE (08/16/18 WITH PICS): We returned after our son's six-month checkup, and once again, the food was fantastic! This restaurant is amazing! My wife and I enjoyed a fish dinner, and the fish tacos were HUGE! The staff was incredibly friendly, and the food was simply delicious. We will definitely be back! I had some pictures, but I lost them on my phone, so I guess I’ll have to visit again to take new ones!

I dined late at night and ordered the hunch marsala dinner. It was flavorful, but it could have used a little more salt. I would definitely order it again.

I found the service to be incredibly unprofessional. We sat at our table for about 20 minutes without anyone coming to assist us. Several groups that arrived after us received their orders while we were still ignored. Even after informing the staff at the front, it took a long time for a server to attend to us. Needless to say, we chose to leave without dining. If I could give zero stars, I would, but Google doesn't allow that.

To our delight, everything went smoothly. Our table was prepared and we were seated immediately after it was sanitized. The flatware was sealed in plastic bags and presented alongside the menus. The menu matched what we had seen online, so we were prepared for the variety of dishes. Focusing on the Italian section, we ordered the Stuffed Peppers and Baked Ricotta for appetizers. For our main courses, we chose Eggplant and Veal Parmesan, as well as two different versions of Chicken Marsala—one with traditional fettuccine and the other with an upgrade to potato gnocchi. They had an extensive beer selection and some cocktails, but we opted for a bottle of Chianti, pleasantly surprised by the reasonable price. The appetizers were fantastic! The baked ricotta was a unique and creamy delight, perfectly complemented by grilled bread slices for dipping along with pimentos and other accompaniments. The stuffed peppers were flavorful and mild. The Chianti was a pleasant discovery—an excellent 2018 Chianti Reserva priced at just $33, an absolute bargain! When our main courses arrived, we quickly realized we had made a mistake in our ordering. Each dish could easily serve four people! They were all extremely tasty and among the best in their category, with perfect flavors and served piping hot. We ended up packing away three-quarters of each dish to take home! Finally, we couldn't resist indulging in a couple of desserts, especially since they were on discount. Both the raspberry desserts...

For my main course, I chose the Florentine pasta and added chicken, which came with a side of wedding soup. The soup was flavorful, but I found the pasta itself to be just okay—not exceptional, but still good. The chicken in the pasta was a highlight, though. I also tried the electric blue cooler drink, wanting to try something unique. It was a well-mixed drink, but it wasn’t really to my taste; however, that's just personal preference. I still finished it, nonetheless. Our server was friendly and attentive. When our appetizer took a bit longer than expected, he kindly brought out our soup while we waited, which I thought was a thoughtful gesture. Overall, a great experience!