Review Detail

The Cheesecake Factory at Ross Park Mall sits up high in the North Hills and is the first branded upscale shopfront you see as you drive across the hilltop Ross Park Mall plateau. To say this restaurant is popular in the North Hills area is an understatement. I showed up with my family to celebrate, once again, a birthday—this time my wife's—and soon as I checked in, I was told the wait was two-and-a-half hours. Yes, two-and-a-half hours. 

 

Being all the wiser from previous trips to The Cheesecake Factory, I told my wife that for her birthday that she and my daughter can go shopping—perhaps unwise—and I will hold the fort down at the Cheesecake Factory bar. You see, the Pittsburgh Panthers football game was in full progress, and I was aware that I can leverage my wife and kid's need to indulge their shopping spirit, while I indulge mine for beer and football. It is a match made in heaven. 

 

I had a great time sitting at the bar watching Panthers but the beat down on the Virginia Tech Hokies. The bartenders were quick and very friendly. For the most part, there were only couples seated at the bar and I got the one stool that was the odd one out. So, I nestled into the space, elbow to elbow, keeping my focus on the game lest I miss a Kenny Picket long bomb. 

 

The atmosphere at The Cheesecake Factory in Ross Township is always vibrant, upscale casual, and lively. It always feels fun to be in this restaurant. The decor is a mix of modern touches with loosely Egyptian motifs. How that compliments the wide variety of cheesecakes and specialty desserts that they sell, I am not sure. But, hey, when in Rome, or Egyptians do, okay, perhaps this sentiment is better stated when at The Cheesecake factory, have cheesecake. 

 

Unfortunately, I didn't get to have any cheesecake. 

 

You see an hour into the Panther smackdown of the Hokies, my daughter materialized and told me that we had to go because there is no way we’re waiting two and half hours. She had other plans that involved her old high school friends from North Hills that evening and she was home from college for Mom's birthday. We decided that yes, indeed that was a long time to wait, perhaps too long. Let's go somewhere else. I asked my son where else we could go, and keep in mind he is in fifth grade. His suggestion? 

 

Bob Evans. 

 

For crying out loud, Bob Evans as the fallback for The Cheesecake Factory birthday dinner for my wife. No way. 

I hatched a plan. I wanted my cheesecake. 

 

I suggested we drop the kids off and my wife and I would go out later by ourselves. That didn't fly with my son, who despite being in Fifth grade, complained that he had already been abandoned at the Ross Park Mall playground, and added forcefully, “I’m getting something out of this night.” 

 

Jeez. The compromise was to hit the drive-thru at the Chic-A-Filet along McKnight Rd. and then dump him and my daughter off so that my wife and I could resume our evening. 

 

Turns out we went to BJs Brewhouse and Restaurant McCandless Crossing, where there was an hour-and-a-half wait, but we were able to grasp a four topper in the bar area, order food, and enjoy a glass of birthday wine. 

 

So, on this trip, it should be noted that I had no Cheesecake cheesecake nor Cheesecake food for that matter, only Cheesecake beer, which was a tall pour of a malty Samuel Adams Oktoberfest. Nonetheless, I have eaten the Cheesecake Factory in Ross Township, often enough to share my thoughts on the food itself. 

 

I like the wide variety of food. There is bound to be something to satisfy everyone's taste and the appetizers are filling, tasty, and range from healthy options to those that are more along the lines of a wing and beer guy. I wouldn't say the food is super great, but it is typically pretty good and on par with the pricing.  There are so many different choices I wonder how much of anything they make is made there on the spot versus shipped from a real factory to The Cheesecake Factory. 

 

All in all, The Cheesecake Factory is a destination restaurant in the North Hills area and the perfect place to wait out a shopping spree by the wife. I highly recommend this place for a date night, celebratory dinner, a shopping spree diversion, and even a ball game and a beer.  The service is great, the food is tasty, and the ambiance is always snappy.