Pittsburgh does not lack pizza. What it lacks is agreement. Thin crust, square cut, wood-fired, extra cheese, cold cheese added after the bake: every neighborhood has a favorite, and every favorite comes with someone prepared to defend it.
F&F Pizzeria entered that argument with credentials. The restaurant comes from chefs Frank Castronovo and Frank Falcinelli, collectively known as “The Franks,” whose Brooklyn restaurants have built a loyal New York following. When their Mt. Lebanon location opened in October 2025, it became F&F’s first pizzeria outside New York.
That background creates expectations, but pedigree only gets a restaurant through the door. The pizza still has to earn its place at the table.
F&F occupies the former Bado’s space on Beverly Road, combining a slice counter and visible pizza kitchen with the polish of a full-service restaurant. There is a bar downstairs, additional seating and event space upstairs, and a patio for warmer weather. The result lands somewhere between neighborhood pizza shop and proper night-out restaurant. You can stop in for a slice, but F&F gives you plenty of reasons to stay.
The menu starts with familiar Italian building blocks: focaccia, olives, arancini, salads and antipasti. Pasta and seasonal dishes expand the choices beyond pizza, while beer, wine and cocktails make the restaurant feel built for dinner rather than a quick takeout run.
Still, the dough is the reason to come. F&F uses a naturally leavened, slow-fermented dough that splits the difference between Neapolitan softness and the structure of a New York slice. The crust arrives blistered and lightly charred, with a crisp exterior and enough chew to make each bite feel substantial. It holds the toppings without becoming heavy, wet or exhausted halfway through the meal. There’s actual flavor in the crust, too. It is not just a delivery system for cheese and sauce, which matters when a pizza keeps its toppings simple.
The pizza selection ranges from restrained classics to combinations with a little more ambition. The clam pie layers fresh clams with mozzarella, Parmesan, breadcrumbs, lemon, red chile flakes, and parsley. The wild mushroom pizza uses maitake mushrooms, fresh mozzarella and Gruyère. The spicy Partanna Classico adds Calabrian chile, red onion, and pecorino Romano. Those combinations sound busy on paper, but F&F understands proportion. A good specialty pizza should still taste like pizza, not a stack of unrelated ingredients fighting over the same piece of dough.
What makes F&F particularly appealing is that it does not force diners to choose between casual and special. The food is thoughtfully made, but the restaurant never asks guests to behave as though pizza requires ceremony. Families can share a few pies, couples can order cocktails and linger, and someone sitting at the counter can grab a slice without receiving a lecture on fermentation.
That flexibility also makes the restaurant useful. F&F can handle a casual weeknight dinner, a birthday table, or a date that calls for something nicer than takeout but less formal than white tablecloths.
Of course, the price reflects the ingredients, process, and full-service environment. This is not the place to order the cheapest large pepperoni in the South Hills. The question is whether the experience justifies the difference. For me, the answer is yes.
F&F arrived with plenty of New York reputation attached to its name, but its Mt. Lebanon location does not feel like a temporary outpost or a concept dropped into the neighborhood without much thought. It feels comfortable on Beverly Road, where the mix of walkability, independent businesses, and regular foot traffic suits it.
The Franks may have brought the recipe from Brooklyn, but the restaurant has already begun making its own case in Pittsburgh’s crowded pizza conversation.
And this is one newcomer worth hearing out.
fnfpizzeria.com | 307 Beverly Road, Mt. Lebanon
