Rico's Restaurant
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- Mon 11:30 am - 10:00 pm Closed now
- Tue 11:30 am - 10:00 pm
- Wed 11:30 am - 10:00 pm
- Thu 11:30 am - 10:00 pm
- Fri 11:30 am - 11:00 pm
- Sat 11:30 am - 11:00 pm
- Sun Closed
Rico's is a long-standing family-owned Italian restaurant and steakhouse featuring a wide variety of authentic Italian cuisine and extensive wine list, set in an elegant, traditional, old-world atmosphere. Rico's is located just off Evergreen Rd. near the McKnight Rd. - Babcock Blvd intersection in Ross Township.
About Rico's Restaurant In Ross Township
Rico’s Restaurant opened in 1979 in Ross Township as a family-owned and -operated restaurant. It has since established itself as a Pittsburgh staple. Rico's Restaurant attributes its staying power to the relationships built and cultivated over the past 40 years among customers, servers, chefs, purveyors, and the wineries that fuse their combined Italian and Pittsburgh heritage.
Rico's Restaurant Signature dishes
Signature menu items at Rico's include the following:
- Angel Hair pasta with pine nuts
- Fettuccine allo Scoglio with Red or White sauce
- Caprice Salad with imported fresh bufala mozzarella
- Walleye Pike with Lump Crabmeat, and
- Virginia Spots English style
About Chef Rico Lorenzini
Rico Lorenzini, the original owner, has spent almost 70 years in the restaurant business. More than half of that has been at his family restaurant, Rico’s Restaurant in Ross Township.
Lorenzini was recognized by Ross Township as the restaurant celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2019. Lorenzini began working in restaurants at the age of 12 while growing up in the Tuscany Region of Italy.
“I was a dishwasher and after 7 or 8 months I started cooking,” Lorenzini told Pittsburgh’s Action News 4, in November 2019.
After emigrating to the United States in 1958, Rico landed a job at a restaurant in Green Tree. There he learned the American ways, while still close to his fellow Italians.
“Through them, I learned how to speak English a little bit and how to work in the restaurant in America,” he said. Lorenzini credited his wife, Gloria, for helping to inspire him to open his own restaurant.
Rico's is no stranger to celebrity diners. Among the famous to have dined at Rico's include Andy Williams, Franco Harris, Art Rooney Sr., Rocky Bleier, Bruno Sammartino, Shirley Jones, Johnny Carson, Michael Keaton, and more.
Rico’s son, David, now owns the business, but Rico still works in the kitchen cooking up Italian dishes. He said he’s grateful for all the support from his family, friends, community, and customers.
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Editor review
The decor is an eclectic mix of old-world understated, muted luxury, with white tablecloth touches of class in every corner of the multi-story restaurant, which is tucked away in the North Hills of Pittsburgh. When you walk in you feel like you are in the middle of a Frank Sinatra song.
After entering, you are escorted through a decorated lounge, wallpapered with a collage of celebrities, who have at one time or another, dined at Rico's Restaurant. The list includes luminaries such as Bruno Sammartino, the Rooney’s, Franco Harris, Johnny Carson, Shirly Temple, Michael Keaton, and the list goes on as long as Rico’s wine list.
Comfortable armchairs and thematic artwork add a welcoming and warm touch as you walk past a wine room protected in decorated wrought iron. The restaurant interior is compartmentalized lending a cozy warm feel to each dining area. Tables are nicely spaced, and many provide a calming clear view of the surrounding woods. This place holds a certain timeless romantic charm.
For the main course, I had veal parmigiana, comprised of breaded veal topped with their homemade tomato sauce, melted parmigiana, and mozzarella, with a side of Rico’s famous angel hair pasta, tossed and served in a delicate cream sauce and with imported Portuguese pignoli nuts. It was cooked to perfection, tasty and filling. I found Rico’s famous angel hair pasta uniquely velvety, rich, and nutty.
My son had the fettuccine alfredo, a tangle of pasta tossed with cream sauce, and parmigiana cheese. My wife had the broiled seafood platter, which included petite lobster, shrimp, sea scallops, Boston scrod, clam coquille, stuffed oyster with crabmeat, lemon, and drawn butter. Our birthday girl chooses the fettuccine allo scoglio, a hearty mix of baby shrimp, scallops, and clams tossed with delicate tomato sauce or white sauce.
Everything we ate was fresh and delicious. We are a family that shares and to my palate, all the dishes were exquisite.
If you are a wine connoisseur, this is the place for you. Rico's, over the years, has developed many connections to bring select wines from Tuscany, Italy to California to their restaurant in Ross Township.
If you are looking for a fine dining experience, I highly recommend Rico’s Restaurant in Ross Township. The food is delicious, and the atmosphere is classy, understated, and perfect for a memorable occasion. I will be back to make many more!
Buon appetito!
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