Legends Eatery

What a fun surprise! My Dad and I were walking around his old neighborhood and we were headed to another restaurant, but we saw the holiday lights at Legends and decided to stop in. It was about 4:45. We didn't have a reservation, which is recommended on weekends, but they were able to seat us as long as we finished before a 6pm reservation came in.

My Dad got the chicken parm and enjoyed it. I decided to get the veal with peppers and it was better than expected; it had perfectly cooked veggies, solid portion, balanced Marsala sauce, yum. We each started with the wedding soup - really good. We were too full for dessert but our server said they were homemade. Another time!

I have been wanting to try Legend's for a long time, several years now. And, I finally did it. I tried a pretty solid range of items: the penne vodka, apple pie, house made focaccia bread, and side salad.

Let's start with the main course, the penne vodka. I've actually never had this dish before, but I thought it was very well made! The portion was definitely adequate, and it was clearly high quality. It's quite creamy, and doesn't taste like vodka at all. A tad bit of sweetness to it too. There's not much prosciutto, and it was all just kind of one clump in the bottom of the pasta, but it was still good.

The side salad served complimentary with it was actually surprisingly good. Not just lettuce and cucumbers like in many other places. They had carrots, onions, spinach, blue cheese, and a very tasty ranch. The ranch, while very good, had a sort of grainy-ness to it, in texture. Other than that, fresh and very good!

The little pieces of bread were also a lovely complimentary treat. I believe they are made in house, and I loved them. They'd be even better with a little oil (and I think they do have that option as an appetizer).

Finally, the caramel apple pie. It was good, but a bit of a let down. The crust was kind of flavorless, and there wasn't really a strong caramel flavor to it. It was still good, and a great serving (although also pretty expensive), but not the best I've had.

All in all, a very good, quantity, little Italian spot on the North side. Great spot for celebrations and high quality food. I would recommend!

Legends Eatery opened in 2002 and serves old-school Italian-American cuisine in a casual atmosphere. Its menu lists appetizers such as mussels and meatballs, entrees such as veal parmigiano and fettuccini alfredo, and desserts such as fried cannolis and chocolate cake. The restaurant serves beverages such as sodas, coffees, and teas but is BYOB for alcohol.

The restaurant's website recommends making a weekend reservation at least two weeks in advance, so I instead ordered food through their website for pickup. After 24 minutes, the restaurant emailed me that my food was ready.

The restaurant is located near Allegheny General Hospital and appears to have limited parking, so my husband dropped me off and drove around the neighborhood while I went inside the restaurant to pick up the food. An employee immediately and kindly greeted me, handed over my bag of food, asked if I needed any utensils, and thanked me.

Here are my reviews for my foods:

Penne blackened shrimp ~ $21 - 4.5 stars - The penne pasta was cooked well, and it was topped with delicious shrimp, cherry tomatoes, portobello mushrooms, oil, and garlic. On the side were a small salad with my choice of balsamic dressing and an add-on of a few small slices of focaccia bread.

Caesar salad ~ $18 - 3.5 stars - The mixed greens, olives, red peppers, and cheese were very fresh. I had not ordered chicken, but the restaurant included chicken. Caesar dressing was in separate containers.

Meatball parm sandwich ~ $17 - 3 stars - My husband ordered this hoagie, and he ate only half of it. The hoagie roll was from Breadworks, and it contained large meatballs, cheese, and sauce. On the side was a small salad with mixed greens, carrots, onions, cucumbers, cheese, and my husband's choice of ranch dressing.

Mozzarella ~ $10 - 3 stars - Large triangular chunks of mozzarella cheese were fried, and my husband ate most of them. On the side was marinara sauce.

I also had ordered a 6.75-ounce bottle of Perrier for ~ $6, but I did not have a bottle opener to open it, so I saved it for later.

Really gotta love this place! It's small, local, authentic and friendly. They really make you feel like one of the family! It's like a party there every time we go to eat. Their food is incredible. We have probably ordered everything off of their menu. The sauces are terrific, the choices are vast-anyone can find something to eat! It is BYOB and they charge a corking fee for each person partaking. You will probably go home with leftovers-which makes it even better! You get to experience the dinner all over again the next day!

Detailed Review:

Spinach Ravioli: 4/5
I enjoyed this but I would have liked more garlic.

Blackened Shrimp: 3/5
I only tried a couple bites but it was pretty good. The pasta seemed to be a little undercooked but not that noticable. Heavy on the garlic in this one.

Chocolate Cake w/Ice Cream: 3/5
Very rich cake. We only had enough ice cream to get through half of the cake. The slice was massive.

Overall, I wasn't disappointed but I wasn't blown away. The service was a bit slow but we went on a Friday night. Also this is BYOB so make sure you bring it if you want it.

My friend and I had dinner at Legends on a Tuesday night before attending an event in the area. I've visited several times in the past with older family members, and the crowd during our visit this time around matched that same demographic. I ordered the penne vodka (with plenty to take home) that came with my choice of wedding soup. My friend ordered the mozzarella small plate as her meal.
We had no problem finding a table on a Tuesday night around 5:30pm, but I would recommend a reservation if wanting to visit during a peak time as it is a small dining area. Also note that it's BYOB.

Family owned delicious Italian foods & dessert restaurant located in the North Side. This restaurant is BYOB, highly recommend reservation if you're going on the weekend- they have a very small bar area that's open seating. The most fresh and incredible pasta! Their coconut cream pie is to die for!!!

Stopped in for lunch on a weekday. I have been here several times for dinner but this was my first time for lunch. The service was good and food was out to us pretty fast. The chicken Caesar salad was my favorite (note it had olives). I assumed (my fault) that the sandwich would have been hot so I was a little disappointed when it was cold but again, I think that was my fault. Overall it was a nice lunch stop close to the hospital.
Personally I like legends best for dinner with a nice bottle of wine (byob) and good company. It's small inside so make reservations!

I will say I have loved Legends when it's the weekend but during certain days it's just not as good - Most of the time I do take out and the food is amazing , but every so often it's not the same. I'm assuming it may be the cook on staff at the time. Overall. They are great- the food is soooo good. Just be sure to order at night or the weekends. The ambiance is very much a ma and pa authentic Pittsburgh original and that's what I love about it. Everyone is so sweet and it's such a fun place to eat. Definitely come here.

It had been a long day. Cold and rainy, we had driven from Columbus, visited my friend, skipped lunch, and wrestled with a programmed door lock to our airbnb. I was hungry. It was Monday. I was getting grumpy. Everything was closed, BUT Legends was open. I had always wanted to try this place, but I have a long list of favorites in the Burgh. Hubby and I decided to take out and split an order of Chicken Scallopini, which came with soup, parmesan potatoes, strips of slightly cooked veggies, and focaccia. While waiting, one of the chefs was eating a concoction of leftovers. It looked wonderful. My mouth was watering, and the aromas were tantalizing. Our meal was ready. Packaged well, it was now pouring and freezing outside. Heavy winds nearly knocked me off my feet on the 2 block walk to the airbnb, and then there was the dreaded door lock at the airbnb. Let me tell you, every bite of this meal was delicious. I could have pigged out on the focaccia alone. Maybe if we had eaten in, they would have brought more. Hubby and I are fairly light eaters, so we had just the right amount for us. There is an Italian name for the Italian Bean Soup. The soup was tasty.
The chicken scallopini smothered in mushrooms hit the spot. I wanted something different. Staff was welcoming, prices fair. And now I have yet another favorite spot in the Burgh. For those of you with family members in AGH, this is just across the street. A real find.