Aldo Coffee Company

Now Hanging From Our Store Tree

A latte with a rosette and a capp with a heart.  Latte art has made it to the world of ornaments.  We got these last night during our annual Christmas party ornament swap.

About Aldo Coffee Company

Aldo Coffee Co. is a new, Italian-style coffee bar and cafe located just south of Pittsburgh in the beautiful, vibrant community of Mount Lebanon, PA.   

Aldo Coffee Co. serves up the South Hills' richest espresso and fine coffees and teas, all from the award-winning Intelligentsia Coffee Roasters.  We feature espresso made with Intelligentsia's renowned Black Cat Blend (tm).

Our business bet is that high-quality espresso, coffee and tea served in a wonderful atmosphere will have you coming back again and again.  We spend a little more to bring you this quality at the same price you'll pay in other coffee bars. Click here to read more about why our coffee is wonderful.

While you're here, enjoy a mouthwatering panini, one of our delicious pastries, cakes or tarts or Italian favorites like cannoli and freshly-baked sfogliatelle.  All in relaxed atmosphere with jazz and world music for your pleasure.  On selected Fridays on Saturdays we invite you to join us for live music.  Check our event calendar to find out what's coming up.

We are easy to find in Mt. Lebanon: we are right on Washington Rd. between the  old Denis Theater and the municipal parking garage, across from Molly Brannigans(for those of you with local knowledge); or by coming straight out Route 19.  We are  between Pittsburgh and South Hills Village. Click here for directions or give us a call at (412) 563-1220.

We open at 6:30 am during the week,  at 7:30 am Saturdays, and 8:30 am Sundays.  Closing times vary with the season. 

Coffee Is the New Black (SM).  Come visit us and see why everyone is talking about Aldo's.

Aldo Coffee Co. is a member of the Specialty Coffee Association of America and a proud supporter of Coffee Kids,  a non-profit organization dedicated to helping children in coffee growing regions of the world.

Aldo?

If you ask Melanie how we chose the name "Aldo" for our coffee store, she'll tell you it's an old family nickname.

Hah.

Here's the real story.  We were deplaning in Auckland and my ears hadn't popped back from the descent.  Plus the roar of the jet engines was drowning out everything.  I was agitated after the 14 hour flight from LA and wanted to get to the hotel as quickly as possible.  Melanie admonished me to "Calm down."  I thought she said "Aldo", which made no sense to me.  So I yelled back, "What?"  And she yelled back, "Calm down."  And again I only heard "Aldo."

So I said to her, "Aldo?"  And she said, "What?".  And I said, "Aldo.  Why are you saying Aldo?"

At this point we were in the terminal and I could hear once again.  When she told me she was saying, "Calm down," we had a good laugh.

Then we bought a golden retriever and naturally named him Aldo.

And that's where the "family" comes in.

The Aldo Experience

Espresso shops have sprung up like mushrooms around here during the past decade.  Most of them are good at what they try to do.  But it seems most also follow a similar formula in design, menu, music and atmosphere.  Even the type of espresso beans they use.

We didn't want that.  The one thing we always wanted to achieve with Aldo Coffee Co. was to give you the feeling that you were no longer in Pittsburgh. 

Not that being in Pittsburgh is a bad thing, but for all the coffee shops that promise an genuine Italian espresso, we wanted to be the ones to provide an Italian experience.  To actually transport you six time zones East to Florence or Napoli or Verona.

Melanie's family has summered in Rome for a number of years.  During her recent visits, Melanie took copious notes about what she wanted to do when she opened her own place.  You're seeing the results.   And she and her sister took the photographs you see on our walls.

We've been gratified by the comments many of you have made during our first few weeks.  Nothing makes us happier than someone telling us, "You did it, this feels like Italy." 

The walls are brighter.  There's more light.  It's airier.  No rock on the CD player - only jazz, opera, classical and sometimes, Italian. (We finally relented to both customers and staff who wanted something "peppier" - mornings are now usually standards/jazz, afternoons/evenings may feature adult alternative, depending who's on bar). There are windows to the fields of Tuscany.  A stand up counter bar.  (Took it out late '06 - nobody was using it!  Chalk one up for cultural differences in the 'burbs.)  US and foreign newspapers.  A TV to crowd around during the World Cup (or any Steeler game).  And, in warm weather, a patio out back (now with an herb garden).

Of course, in trying to create this atmosphere, our espresso must be an integral part of the experience.  The Black Cat Espresso Blend we use is designed to work specifically with the precision (some might say 'fussiness') of our La Marzocco equipment to create the best espresso shots possible. 

Unlike overroasted and "bright" beans designed for popular latte milk drinks, Black Cat is designed for the connosieur who likes their espresso straight up or with just a little milk or touch of foam.  And if you've travelled to Italy, straight espressos and capuccinos are the way it's done.  And Black Cat also makes a fine latte if that's your drink.

We thought about what else we would do since there's more to life than just good coffee.  Rich spent most of his life between New York and Boston.  There was Wooster St. in New Haven, Arthur Ave. in the Bronx, Federal Hill in Providence, and maybe best of all, Hanover St. in Boston's North End, home of Cafe Vittoria and cannoli and ricotta cheesecake unlike any other. 

If you've been to the North End you know exactly what we're talking about.  We tasted a lot of recipes until the fillings were just the way we wanted.  We then created our cannoli bar.  In homage, our cannoli shells come from the North End. (We switched to a place in Long Island - same quality, better distribution).

Given the contraints of our kitchen space, we knew there would be a limit to what we could do.  We had to choose carefully between what we could make in-house and what we had to source.  But sfogliatelle had to be on the menu along with more "standard" bakery items.  And, if we were going to do panini, we knew we had to find the right bread and produce to create authentic panini.  Given the comments we're getting so far, we think we chose OK. 

We're not done yet. 

One of the reasons we chose a blog format for our web site was to keep our customers informed daily of what we're offering daily and what we're planning.  More importantly, we hope the social networking aspects of the blog will build community and allow you to share feedback not just with us, but with all of the Aldo family - both staff and customers.  This is as much your place as it is ours.

We thank you for supporting us so generously during our opening and we look forward to seeing you often in the coming months and years.

Ciao,

Melanie and Rich