BEST Pasta Fagoli!!!! I haven't tasted it this good for 20 years since Great Granma from Sorrento made it! Found this hidden gem during Bloomfield's Italian Days and I bought quite the variety of Italian Homemade cookies that remind you of the Wedding Cookie Tables. Excellent store!! read more

Found this place living at children's hospital, everyday I just wanted to leave and go here. Never knew what the menu would be like you would just have to go and see for yourself. Something new always. My husband swears they have the best wedding soup hands down. Im completely obsessed with the carrot cake and I will never be able to go or get it anywhere else. Best carrot cake ever! The staff and owner are super friendly and very easy to talk to. Need a laugh they chuckle and make the day a little brighter. I wish this place was a little closer to home we have Maria's dinner every other night. We will definitely be back and can't thank you all enough for everything the last few weeks. Oh and the pasta spaghetti so good with the meatballs. I just want this place every day. Maria your a gem we love the babies Italian meatball Bib- Sam & Day. read more

Merante's Bloomfield - a piece of carrot cake - Gift Shops Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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We have tried this place a few times now. They offer daily meal specials. We found out that you have to go early or call ahead to reserve your order. A couple times we tried going there and they were completely out of the daily specials. Most of the entrees we have tried have been good. Lasagna, rigatoni, meatball bread, and butter chicken come to mind. We tried the turkey dinner once which was ok but small for the price. They also offer baked goods and cookies. Service for the most part good. Parking lot nearby in the back which helps you get a spot to park. read more

Merante's Bloomfield - Turkey Dinner - Gift Shops Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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Tremendous food in high demand! I've never had a bad bite of anything originating from this shop; very reasonable; staff is like family!

Biscotti biscotti biscotti!! I love this little neighborhood shop. I'm often reminded of my Nana's house when shopping here. The cookies really are to die for. read more

Delightful!! Had lunch at Merante's each day during Little Italy Days. Maria is an amazing cook! Best ever gnocchi, eggplant parm, stuffed shells and don't miss the cannoli!! Cute shop, awesome food and very welcoming owner. I'll be back for the daily specials! read more

I was introduced to this place while on a food tour last year. Went back to see what goodies they had. They just made wedding soup and it was the BEST soup I have had. Also picked up breaded butter chicken and pasta primavera. This place is amazing!! It feels like you are walking into grandmas dining room. You can feel the love that is placed in the food. They also have other gift items you can purchase. Check them out!! read more

Very rude lady that runs the place. This is only my opinion, but it seems like she is extremely selective in who she weighs it in her place of business . Once I went to get a couple of chicken wings. They were super delicious. A couple weeks later I went to get two more. She refused to sell them to me. She said you have to buy in 6. Okay I fully respect that. She told me that styrofoam container causes more than what's a chicken cost. That i did not beieve. The reason why I wanted to Wings is so my friend could try them. Her daughter will be getting married. She was hoping to buy maybe 250 chicken legs from this place. She was even hoping to consider and seeing if this later does actually cater entire meals. I have lived in Bloomfield for almost 40 years. I know a lot of the people who owns stores there. But I have never really felt welcomedin this store. read more

Delicious home cooking that tastes like your Italian Nonna's. I recently discovered Merante's while walking through Bloomfield during lunchtime. At first I thought the store was just gifts, but the delicious smells drew me inside. The back of the store is a full-blown kitchen stocked with any number of delicious delicacies. My personal favorites include: sausage stuffed peppers, ribs and liver and onions (yeah yeah I know...). The prices are reasonable and the portions are HUGE. I should also mention that the staff incredibly kind. Merante's food is made obviously made with love. read more

Best biscotti in PGH, hands down! Once upon a time, long, long ago, my former lab manager, who lives in Bloomfield, brought in some treats from this store. Specifically, he brought in a lb. of biscotti and a half dozen peanut butter cookies. Like the hungry wolves we are, my labmates and I devoured them post haste. The cookies were pliable, moist, and rich, and the biscotti was even better than Enrico's (gasp!). Quite impressed, I promised to check it out for myself sometime soon. Fast forward a year or so to this past weekend, and I finally stopped by while in the vicinity to pick up dinner supplies nearby. I ordered a half pound of biscotti ($5), consisting of double chocolate, chocolate hazelnut, vanilla, and cherry. Unfortunately, at the time of my visit, they didn't have lemon, which I tried and loved previously. I also wanted to try the chocolate torte, but unfortunately, they were unable to remove it from the mold on demand. The biscotti was as delicious as I remembered, justifying the trip. Service from the woman at the front (Maria, I believe) was super friendly and extremely apologetic about not being able to sell me the torte. I'll have to come back to try it--based on the biscotti and cookies, I have no doubt that it's delicious! read more

Need to send a gift basket to a foodie ... buy local ... buy Merante's. While taking your order you are quizzed on the recepient. Need a general Italian basket or a true Italian basket .... big difference in goodies. Highly recommend. They deliver. I have never been disappointed. read more

So everybody has been raving about Maria's Biscottis, well those claims are completely true. Especially when it comes down to their pumpking biscotti. That stuff is incredible and I also love the fact that this biscotti is doughy. Anyway, another one of my favorite things to get here is their nut rolls. We have actually bought a few nut rolls to take down with us to GA per request. I also tend to get their soups which are very convenient they sell a quart for $7 a pop. My favorites so far have been their wedding soup which has a nice fresh flavor to it (I think they put some citrus in there) and their canellini and escarole soup. Both soups are definite winners. Another thing I love about their store is that it always smells of baked goods. So yummy! They also have a few kitchen gadgets and various Italian decorations,cooking tools, and italian themed gifts. read more

This little Italian shop is absolutely adorable. I usually stop in every year during Little Italy Days, but I am planning on visiting much more often. They have a ton of beautiful, unique gifts including dolls, plates, decorations, cooking gadgets, etc. It is incredibly homey & cozy in the store- it feels like you are at your grandmother's house. The coolest part about this shop? There's a complete kitchen in the back! The smell of fresh pizzelles and biscotti overwhelms your senses when you walk in the door. I have tried their cannoli, and pizzelles and love them both. I need to try their biscotti next! They also have a freezer with homemade soups, meatballs, sauce, etc. The employees are so genuine and helpful and last time I visited they informed me they offer cooking classes- which I am really interested in checking out! read more

This review is specifically for the dinner that I enjoyed in the apartment above Merante's Gift Shop. I have stopped by here twice now for dinner, both times with a group of 8 people. The first time that we ate here my wife and I were both unsure of where to go. We hesistantly headed up the stairs next to the shop into the apartment above which thankfully ended up being the correct place! The apartment consists of a couple of rooms off to the right where you can mingle and eat your appetizers and then the kitchen a bit farther down where we have always had the rest of our meal. On both of our visits we have started off the evening with 6 different appetizers. This last time around we had meatballs, a tuscan loaf of bread covered in spices, a cucumber salad, stuffed mushrooms, roasted vegetables and a stuffed tomato. My favorite of the bunch both times was the tuscan loaf covered in spices. After you finish up the appetizers you are invited into the kitchen where the rest of the meal is served family style. First up at the table was our soup which was a minostrone genovese. Maria, the main cook, suggested that we add some red pepper flakes and some parmesan to it which gave it some extra flavor and the little bit of kick which I loved. Whenever we were finished with our soups, ricotta gnocchi was served to our table with a red sauce made with pork and beef simmered in red wine and tomatoes. What is nice about this place is that Maria is very accomodating to food allergies. Since I am not able to have red wine, they made a special bowl of the gnocchi for me with a san marzano sauce. It was really good and I loved how light and fluffy the gnocchi ended up being. Once that course was finished we were presented with a crown roast of pork on one platter and winter vegetables on another. The crown roast of pork was quite impressive and the 8 of us had a hard time finishing even half of. The vegetables were also good here and I was sad that I had filled up as much as I did as I was not able to eat as many as I would have liked. There was also some green beans with tomatoes and olives floating around which is pretty much the only item of the night that I didn't really care for. While I normally love green beans, they tasted of the olives that they were cooked with and so it wasn't for me. Of course with all of the other food on the table I didn't even really care and I know its something that I normally would not have ordered at a restaurant. The salad was served next after the main course. It consisted of apples, pecans and cranberries over Romaine and was topped with their balsamic glaze dressing. It was really good and I especially loved the large granules of sea salt (Maldon perhaps?) that were on it which helped to make it taste extra good. Last but not least was our dessert which was Chocolate LOOOOOOVE Cake. It consisted of chocolate custard, chocolate cake and chocolate Mousse. Since chocalate is the other food besides red wine which I am not able to enjoy, Maria was nice enough to make me a cinnamon cannoli for dessert. While everyone was enjoying their chocolate cake, my dessert was brought to the table and was greeted with an audible sigh from some other members of our party that they were not getting the cannoli also. As we were finishing our desserts Maria produced a decaf espresso for anyone that wanted it. It had a nice orange flavor to it and was very good. When all was said and done, all of the substantial amount of food that our group did not eat was packed up by Maria and set aside for us to take home. Everyone ended up leaving with a fair amount of it. The bottom line for me is that we will be back here again in the future. As a matter of a fact we already have our reservation made with the same group for July. Beyond that my wife and I are trying to get some family together for another time. If you are looking at trying to eat here I recommend that you book early because as of early Februrary all of the weekend days through November were already booked. The only other thing to note about this place is that it is BYOB. read more

I can't say enough about Merante's and Maria. The back of the shop has wonderful baked goods. Pies, breads and of course the best biscotti around! Though, the true treasure exists in the upstairs apartment where Maria has cooking classes and serves a 6 course meal to parties of 8-10 most nights of the week. I heard about the private parties while at a food tour of Bloomfield. I knew I needed to get a reservation but, I had no idea how difficult that task would be. We scheduled a dinner in October for the first available Friday or Saturday which was 6 months later! That's right folks, 6 months in advance! The menu changes seasonally and is posted on the website. We ordered earlier in the week so that Maria had time to purchase the necessary items and prepare our meal. The menu would typically be the same for all 8 in the party but, Maria graciously offered to allow us to split the entrees into a meat and a non meat option to allow those who don't eat meat on Fridays during lent to have another option. When we arrived, we all enjoyed the appetizers in a sitting room at the front of the apartment. The appetizers themselves were a meal- meatballs, bread, shrimp, spinach pie, stuffed tomatoes and cheese with roasted peppers- all of which were incredible. Bring along your wine as Merante's is BYOB. The next course was soup which we were served in the formal dinning room which opened to the small kitchen where Maria cooks your meal. At first it was a little awkward sitting so close to the kitchen and Maria. Imagine having dinner at your grandmother's home with 7 of your closest friends. But, Maria did a great job of giving us our privacy. We hardly even noticed that she was there. After the soup came the pasta (homemade gnocchi anyone?), then the entrees and vegetables, then the salad and last, the dessert. This was a meal fit for a king! The portions were huge! Luckily, Maria boxed up the leftovers making for an easy lunch the next day. If your lucky, you may even get to take home a little extra something such as extra sauce or a homemade truffle. Absolutely everything about this dinner was perfection. Everything (from the food to the service and hospitality) was done with the utmost care and concern to ensure a wonderful experience. I would literally come here every month if it were possible. Unfortunately, Maria is booked through the end of 2014! Not one day available in the next 8 months! My only complaint, Maria is in serious need of a clone. read more

Best wedding soup you'll ever have! Maria is such a good cook, it's always a treat to head to her bakery in the back and pick out something savory. Giant pepperoni rolls, she's amazing - I'm willing to put money down that she is the best cook in Pittsburgh!! read more

This little store, which sells Italian (Irish, and some other) decor and home-y things, ROCKS. Maria, the owner, also does cooking classes in the apartment upstairs. If I still lived in Pittsburgh, I'd LIVE there. read more

I finally was on that side of town and made it in to see Maria. Holy Cow, what took me so long?!?! I love this place! As soon as you walk in you feel like family. The shop is full of cute and decorative gifts and trinkets. There are so many to look through, and all are adorable and special. I did resist doing some early x-mas shopping, but I will be back in the fall! Now my favorite part is all the specialty Italian items that she has!! There is double 00 flour, which is amazing! Swing by and get some! You will love it! It is for pasta, bread and crusts and you will wonder how you baked without it for so long. I also found some wonderful olive oil, and sea salt. Perfect for dipping bread or finishing a salad. YUM! There are lots of great cook books and kitchen gadgets too! Maria is right there to tell you her favs and help you with whatever you need. Now, the best part.....she has a kitchen in the back of the store and is baking fresh cookies, biscotti, gnocchi, and cooking meatballs. She sells them right there in store and if you can resist, you are a better person than I am! (The peanut butter with the chocolate are amazing!) Love Love Love! read more

I love this place! Everything that I have had is wonderful. I had a Mario Hoagie and a cannoli during the Bloomfield Italy days. Delicious, delicious. The hoagie was huge. Everyone in the store is like family. This is a must stop for anyone visiting Pittsburgh. I have attended dinners and lunches and cooking classes at the store. Each is special. Each is terrific. read more

Just had there turkey dinner lunch and it was fantastic ! Folks, it doesn't get any better than this.... delicious and alot of food. !! My new favorite lunch spot, as good as grandma made ! Wish I could give 6 stars. ! read more

Just bought an Italian Wedding Cookie and almost broke a tooth it was so stale. My Grandma made those cookies and they were always so so soft and anise tasting. The cookie I bought was no where near an Italian Wedding Cookie only if was on the cookie table for a week or two. read more

I can't believe there aren't more reviews for this place... I didn't get a chance to look around the store - I went for a meal in Maria's kitchen upstairs. It really is HER KITCHEN, not a restaurant... There is only one table that seats 8-10 people. But her cooking is amazing. Lots of home-style italian favorites come out in a fabulous 6 course meal. I could have eaten just the antipasti alone as a full meal; the standout was a baked pumpkin full of gruyere, herbs and croutons... delicious. For dinner, we had butternut squash soup with gorganzola and pecans, homemade pasta with a pistachio cream sauce, veal chops and an italian vegetable medely that was perfect with everything else. Tiramisu for desert. Everything that came out was delicious and perfectly prepared - plus Maria was standing right there in the kitchen to answer any questions we had about the food or cooking in general. Wine was BYOB, and I think we went through ~10 bottles. No corkage fees... This is an amazing dinner for those who have patience. Maria is booked around 7 months in advance for those looking for a weekend date. Do like I did - make your reservation, put it on the calendar and be patient... it's worth the wait. read more

I LOVE this little shop! You would never expect to see a little Italian woman baking and cooking in the back of the store when you first walk in. The baked goods are fantastic, the women that run it are kind. I have purchased gifts for my family there for holidays, overall great read more

I love this place! My boyfriend and I went there on Saturday and it felt like coming home. Maria is so wonderful! She makes you feel like family. When she learned that my boyfriend grew up with authentic Italian food, she handed him a treat...just like his grandma used to make. It brought him to tears as he hasn't had this since his grandmother died so many years ago. I just ordered a cookie tray from her and I know it will be delicious. read more

I love this place a piece of Brooklyn in Pittsburgh. This was my second visit while visiting family. Delish biscotti and pizelles made right there. The smell is delightful. The owner has wonderful prepared and packaged food she made. Beautiful gift shop. The owner is as lovely as her shop read more

As a passport carrying Italian I was excited to learn about this shop after first visiting her sister's grocery store just 12 places down the street. I walked in to fresh baking cookies in the air and noticed many things that i normally can't get at the regular grocer. Happily I went to the back to say hello and ask about what was in the oven. I was greeted by a women who was not the least bit friendly and told me that what I was smelling could be anything. She kept asking people, can I help you? Soon I realized that maybe the back of the store was off limites? There is a cookie counter with window back there, so it looks like it is just part of the store, but by her unfriendly insistance about what I wanted, I got the sense that I was not to be there. I asked to buy one of the peanut butter cookies that that had been making... thinking that I could eat it while browsing in the store... and she quickly responded, "We only sell them by the half or full dozen." By this time, I didn't feel very welcome or even that she was interested in selling me anything. I left, and don't intend to return. read more