Caffe Davio

I come here every other month or so with a giant group (about 20) of friends.
Dinner here is amazing. I’ve been here so often I’ve learned that Pasta Granchio, with seafood and feta cheese and spinach, is my favorite. But literally everything is delicious, from the starting salad to the main entrée to the desserts. (By the way, if you get dessert, try the cheesecake. It’s rich and creamy and delightful). Service is always great too, and that’s saying a lot when you have a party of 20 people.
The only thing that could use work is the décor, though some would argue that it adds to the charm of the place. It’s not a «scene» place, so I never take my friends who are into a haute or fancy scene here. It’s more of a place for foodies who love the hole in the wall with amazing food.

Had a superb dinner
Greens and beans just right
Fried mozorelli excellent
Salad delicious
Swordfish best ever!
Recommend highly
Five stars

I’ve been here for breakfast several times over the past few years and Café Davio always delivers. I usually go for the Bagel & Lox, but this last visit I tried their special of croissant french toast with strawberries and my skirt was OFFICIALLY blown up! So f-​king good! My husband got the Sicilian and devoured it. We were both extremely satisfied. Another plus, is Café Davio’s speed. Being a smaller venue they really know how to move tables and get people seated and fed efficiently. The Virgo in mean really appreciates that and it sure as hell beats waiting for 45 – 60 minutes across the street as Waffles Incaffeinated, which is slightly overrated by the by.

Fantastic food. The pappardelle bolognese was fantastic. I also recommend the beans and greens. Very good.

This place is cozy (small) but the food is great. We brought our own wine. Out of everything we ordered, the only thing that was just OK was one of the standard salads. With a base of pale iceberg lettuce, it’s hard to excel. The seafood pasta that I ordered was delicious. The rack of lamb was amazing. I didn’t even think that I liked lamb! I also liked that you can see all of the food being prepared.

SETTING
Smaller place, tables close together, very casual and dated diner feel.
FOOD
Ordered the «Smitten Swine» Fritata, which is essentially an omelet that has Gorgonzola cheese… and…um…hmm, let’s just forget about the rest of the ingredients because Davio had me at Gorgonzola. Oh, right, and bacon, mushrooms, tomato, and garlic!
Took about 30+ min to get our brunch orders. When I got my fritata and took a bite, I was a bit disappointed. My stomach cried out it despair, «WHERE IS THE GORGONZOLA?!» The Fritata definitely had cheese on it, but it was cheddar (orange) and not the crumbly blue veiny goodness that I was expecting. Noooo! Don’t do me like that!
Thankfully the rest of the ingredients were fine, and with a strong garlic presence. Still! You can’t tell me there is Gorgonzola and NOT have it. Try telling a kid you’re gonna take him trick-​or-​treating for candy, and you only hit up that one neighbor who gives out apples (plain apples – not even caramel covered).
The order also came with 4 triangles of toast (buttered) and you can ask for jelly. Side of potatoes were not bad. Filling for sure and decent food, but I just couldn’t help but think about the missing Gorgonzola!
SERVICE
Slow but present. Seemed like only one or two people waiting on a full house. Friendly staff.
IMPRESSION
Originally planned to go to Waffles Incaffeinated, but the wait was 1.5 hours long. It was 10:30am. We were stuck in the twilight zone: long waits because we were too late for brunch, and no lunch places open because it was too early for lunch. I did not want to relive waiting for food for 1.5 hours again.
Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me. But if you can «full» me now, I might just give you a try. Caffe Davio to the rescue!
*Cash only
.

I went to Caffe Davio for brunch last weekend because Waffles Incaffeinated had a 45 – 60 minute wait. There were plenty of open tables in this tiny restaurant with dated, diner-​esque décor.
They have a very basic menu for brunch, with about 8 frittata/​omelette options. I am not a huge scrambled egg person so I wasn’t overly enthused by this. I decided on The Smitten Swine (Bacon, mushroom, tomato, garlic & Gorgonzola). I only suggest this if you like Gorgonzola, because there is a large heap right on top! The cheese really made this dish for me. Otherwise it was just OK.
The service was good, and the man filing beverages was ON TOP OF HIS GAME. He probably asked us 8 times if we needed more during our 45 minute meal. It was a bit over kill but I guess it is better than being ignored.

Went to this restaurant for dinner and the food was out of this world. The pasta was delicious and veal was amazing. The atmosphere is lacking and it is cash only but it is definitely worth trying.

Came here after a recommendation or two. Thank goodness I did.
It’s a very small place, but that’s what makes it so great. The intimate atmosphere allows the service to be beyond outstanding. Seriously, our cups were never even close to being empty.
And the food? Well let’s just start with the toast. It was made with some of the freshest bread I’ve ever had. Just amazing. My eggs, hash browns, and sausage were terrific too.
Just a great dining experience in good old South Side. I’m definitely looking to make this a regular stop on my yearly trip to Pittsburgh.

I really hate writing 3 star reviews but…
We went for dinner on a Wednesday and we were the only table there for I think the entire night. Now, that’s not their fault per se but it makes you wonder – why are you at all open for dinner in the first place?
People give great reviews for their breakfast and, considering the size of the place, I’m sure they’re slammed all through the weekend and maybe during the week for breakfast too. I think if they have something great like that going for them they should stick with it. Also, the whole décor of the place screams breakfast. The lighting was bright as hell. With those beautiful red carpets and the nice classy looking bar they could turn the place into a romantic dinner experience with a few well placed lamps and some candles. I mean… come on.
I had the filet which was cooked correctly and I tried a friend’s lobster ravioli, which was also good. The fried mozzarella was tasty, the meatballs were not super generous but were also good. This place definitely doesn’t have BAD food but… I was just kind of turned off by the décor.
I will also say this as a positive – the people who worked there were very very sweet people. The chef was a peach, friendly and talkative, and the waitress was helpful and professional and nice.
If you have something great, don’t ruin it by also having something mediocre. Don’t you want those nights off anyways? I don’t think it is cost effective for a business to stay open for 6 covers. Doesn’t make any sense.

Fantastic! Stopped in on a busy Sunday morning. The place was packed but we got a table in about 10 minutes. The servers were busy but extremely polite and attentive. The food was phenomenal. There are 9 tables in this place and one chef banging out plates. It was amazing. Little pricey for breakfast but well worth it! Definitely coming back next time we’re in the burg!

This is the BEST breakfast in all of Pittsburgh. Service is always good. Seating is limited but it’s worth the wait if you find a line.

I’m guessing the food is good, but have tried coming twice for breakfast at 8am and they were not open. Business hours say 7am-​10am each time I’ve tried.

I went to Caffe Davio for brunch and loved it. The place as a nice, small atmosphere. Classic diner feel with hip menu, staff. Seemed like the Fritata was the go to and we all loved it. Good mix of veggie and meaty plates. Would definitely come again.

Had a delicious meal the other night. Linguine and clams were amazing. My friend ordered the veal chop and loved it. Quaint atmosphere and enjoyed talking with the chef! Definitely recommend this place and we will go back.

I work for American Eagle and Davio is just down the street. I’m convinced it’s a front for the mod or something because I“ve never been able to figure this place out. They only take cash and I’m pretty sure the register is a hole in the counter.
Having said that they do a pretty good breakfast. As they say on their menu «A diner during the day, the heart of sicily at night». I have never been there at night so I can’t validate that but they do a pretty good breakfast.
Bring cash…

We used to frequent this place for breakfast quite often. My boyfriend and I went for a walk on the Southside Riverside Trail and were hungry for breakfast. We arrived and had a 5 minute wait. The restaurant is very small. The waitress was anything but friendly. We had to ask for drink refills and our «thank you’s» were never returned with a «you’re welcome». She reached across the table to grab dishes without saying a word. Our omelet and two eggs over easy took 40 minutes. I have always enjoyed the food here, but the long wait for my food and the terrible service really made for a bad experience. Don’t think we will start frequenting this place again.

I had high hopes for Caffe Davio. You know where this is going to go, don’t you?
It’s a very casual place. You get the feeling breakfast everyday hosts a lot of regulars. Our server was not the friendliest. You know when you get one of those servers that you think hates you… for no reason other than you came into the restaurant and sat down. That was her.
I was going between the lox and cream cheese bagel and the salmon omelet. I went with the salmon omelet because I really wanted to try a side of chocolate chip pancakes, since you’re allowed to order a single. I wasn’t really into the omelet though. I understand the smoked salmon is salty and adding in the capers made it extra salty, but it was just too much for me. The homefries were also disappointing and not crispy enough. I did enjoy the chocolate chip pancake though. TONS of chocolate chips! I should have just been bad and went with the good, ya know?
If I went again I’d just go for the lo and bagel combo… or just dig a deeper hole for myself and get the pancakes!

I’ve been to Caffe Davio’s «brunch» hours several times now and can tell you that the morning fare is equally delicious.
Omelets are large, tasty, and accompanied by potatoes and your choice of toast.
There are daily breakfast specials according to what is seasonal.

This update is for breakfast only… I have had breakfast here many times over the years and it has been great AND a good value. I admit to only ordering eggs and omelets though. I also haven’t been to breakfast here for at least 6 months.
This AM i woke up and wanted french toast. I knew that Davio’s had french toast so it was the only place i wanted to go. We were the first to be in the restaurant at 8:15 on Sunday AM. The waitress was friendly and prompt, bringing water and taking our order w/​i 5 minutes. I couldn’t wait.
Our food arrived 15 – 20 minutes later. The egg dish was fine. The french toast was horrible. The 2 pieces were very cool (temp) with a chunk of icy butter on top. I could neither melt or smash the butter… the toast was no help. I pushed the butter aside and poured on syrup.
The cold toast was dry and chewy. I looked to see if there was any egg on it… the only way I could tell was by the ever so slight cinnamon taste. Couldn’t see anything nor taste any egg. Fortunately I order 50 cents worth of walnuts to eat. I did not eat 75% of the toast.
Waitress asked if I wanted anew one. I declined because it took so long to get this one!
I don’t know if I will return for breakfast…