My 8-Course Birthday Dinner at Morcilla (Lawrenceville)

July 1, 2023, 4:45 p.m., reservation was a 2-hour block.

My first visit to Morcilla’s Spanish restaurant in the Lawrenceville neighborhood of Pittsburgh occurred on my 37th birthday. It began like any good birthday dinner should – with a bottle of red.

Now, onto the food. They recommend ordering 4-6 items (snacks or small plates) for two people. We ordered seven (in addition to the wine, dessert, and French press coffee). Check out all we got, in order of arrival:

1. Beef tartare ($18 small plate) Rating: 2.5/5 – This came with delicious chips, and the beef was pretty good, but I wouldn’t order it again.
2. Oxtail Montadito ($12 snack) Rating 4.5/5 – My first time having anything like this and I would order it again! It was so flavorful.
3. Goat Rodeo Dairy Cheese ($24 snack) Rating 5/5 – My favorite! As a lover of goat cheese, I would highly recommend this! Every cheese was unreal, not to mention it comes with the best candied walnuts and lavender honey (omg).
4. Salty Pork Bits Charcuteria ($30 snack) Rating 3/5 – This was very big (I thought it would be half the size). I wouldn’t get it again per se; I would’ve enjoyed it more if it came out with the cheeses instead of after.
5. Setas a la Plancha ($16 small plate) Rating 5/5 – Fancy name for delicious mushrooms. No doubt I would order these again.
6. Costillas de la Matanza ($26 small plate) Rating 5/5 – Pork ribs fell off the bone. Needless to say, they were excellent. The items on the side were fabulous, too.
7. Gambas en Escabeche ($12 snack) Rating 2/5 – I’m actually not a fan of seafood to begin with, so maybe the shrimp received an unfair rating.
8. Rhubarb-Pomegranate Sorbet ($11 dessert) Rating 5/5 – A party in your mouth. I would order this every time.

Check out the full descriptions on the website: https://morcillapittsburgh.com/