Tillie's Restaurant

First time here, even though we have driven past it 1000 times never knew it was there. Definitely an old time Italian eatery. The shaved fried zucchini was the best I have ever had, paper thin, crispy and delicious. The service was a bit slow but they were busy. I had to get the Lasagna, if you’re gonna say you have the best well, I have to see. It was the entire size of the plate, 6”x6” square loaded in sauce it wasn’t very hot, just warm but was good. In my opinion not the best but good. The bread is absolutely delicious! We will go back and try a few other items. My wife had the stuffed Manicotti and her’s was piping hot and delicious she said. We both had plenty to take home for another meal. We also had the wedding soup and that’s was great, hot and the little meatballs tasted like sausage- yummy.

The bar experience was great before getting sat for dinner in this well established authentic Italian restaurant. The service was excellent, the server was very polite and well knowledged about what was on the menu. The fried zucchini is excellent and the trio of lasagna, chicken parmesan, and ravioli was the best! The sauce is superb as I make my own occasionally

the hot roast beef sandwich and fries with gravy weren't too good as it had no taste to it at all. bland, very bland. the spinach, feta quiche pie was delicious. my wife always loves their fried provolone cheese appetizers. my wife got the san Pellegrino sparkling water. she loves that kind of water. wish we could go to Tillie's for my wife's birthday next Thursday but no money and suffering everyday. financially and also with medical health issues. my wife has epilepsy and everyday I fear I am going to lose her coz there is absolutely no cure for her epilepsy. she extreme high risk refractory stage. her body resists any and all medications for both seizures and for epilepsy. she gonna be 43 next Thursday and suffered 2 heat strokes as we have to walk everywhere and even to food banks. no vehicle and no help......

Excellent portion sizes. Could technically take half home if you could manage to stop eating. Very attentive staff even when they are busy. Prompt refills before you even have to ask… but they do to be sure you want a refill. Great fresh bread but I’d prefer the butter to not be cold/ hard.

I think we can all appreciate the review inflation that goes on these days. Many people give 5 stars to any place that doesn't commit any egregious errors and we all feel some peer pressure to follow along. Then you get to a real place deserving of 5 stars and realize there is nowhere to go. There is not a 6th or 7th star to give and that, in this case, is a disservice to the excellence that is Tillie's We were recommended this place by a gluten free friend of ours who let us know she "makes an exception for Tillie's." She was correct. I don't think I've ever been more satisfied by a pasta meal. According to our server, the fresh pasta is made mostly by a lady who has been doing it for 30 years but also a 90 year-old lady who comes in once per week to make certain pastas. I don't know these individuals, personally, but I hope they know I love them. The meal started with bread and very fresh salads with homemade dressing (at least the blue cheese). They were of a good size and the bread was very fresh. But then-- the pasta. I got two (giant) meat raviolis with meat sauce and a meatball and my wife got the homemade spaghetti with vodka sauce. The giant ravioli were stacked and then there appeared to be a layer of cooked meat/soffritto drenched with red sauce that delivered every element one looks for in a classic red sauce. The stacked ravioli with meat on top almost approximated a lasagna, with layers of amazing pasta, beautifully seasoned meat filling, more pasta, and then the lovingly cooked meat layer I mentioned earlier. Even with the sauce, it was quite evident this was cooked for a long time and got some good color-- very much a Bolognese base. The meatball was delicious in its own right, but was almost superfluous among the embarrassment of riches already present. My wife's fresh spaghetti was cooked to perfection and the vodka sauce nailed the creamy mouth feel and nuanced flavor notes characteristic of the style. This dish is how she judges an Italian restaurant and, having tried dozens, ranked this among the very best. Lastly, my wife finished with a Cannoli which was both beautiful and delicious. Then the bill came and I couldn't believe my eyes as to how reasonable it was. I felt like I went back in time to 2005! We cannot wait to come back and try some of the other fantastic sounding items on the menu. What a hidden gem in the greater Pittsburgh area.

Four of us at dinner there tonight and Taylor was our waitress. She was very busy when we got there because she had a large table which was not a problem for us because we were not in any hurry. We had an appetizer salads and dinner and I had dessert. Our dinner was delicious as always. Tillies Is my favorite place to eat in McKeesport when I am back in town. My favorite dish is the gnocchi, but I just ate there yesterday and had those so today I had the cheese ravioli, which is just as delicious

Food was excellent. I was surprised to see it so busy at 4:30 on a Monday. We couldn't even get in the door when we first arrived and had a 20 minute wait.

Small and not fancy with great quality food at a moderate price. Their specials are always delicious. This is my cat. Her name is Cat Benatar. She hasn't been to Tilly's personally, but once I gave her a leftover shrimp and she loved it.

Well, sadly have no photos of our meals. However, I'm gonna start by saying that the food was awesome. Our waiter was Michael, he seated us, and kept us very happy for our entire stay, suggesting a Long Island Iced Tea.... and I caved. Yum! Perfect! Such a great experience. The bread was next...fabulous! Let me say this, we are not locals but, If you have a favorite Italian restaurant in your hometown, the family favorite, been consistently awesome for years, this is its rival. Pleasantly surprised from the moment we entered the place. Couldn't have predicted such an awesome and abundant meal. Lobster Grilled Cheese sandwich ( not one, but two) served with tomato bisque. And manicotti with meatballs, large enough to bring half home. We are good eaters. It doesn't come home with us unless, one; it's delicious and two; it's such a generous potion we can't possibly finish. Needed a container to take half of the very large portion we were served. So delicious, and I am headed back to the field to tell all the parents at the girls softball tournament that I know a great place to eat when the girls wrap up their wins!!

Finally tried this hidden gem, and it was no surprise why they were sending people away at the door for being booked full tonight! Decided to get takeout, parmioli and Alfredo , and both were incredibly delicious and fresh! Pasta was undeniably homemade. The portions were huge! The only reason 4 stars is because service was not entirely friendly. Looking forward to trying more on the menu.

We stopped in for lunch today and had a great time. This is not a fast dining experience. This is fresh, real food made to order and it is worth the wait. We had the Chicken Parm on a cheese ravioli and a Rueban with fries. Everything tasted fantastic and the service was excellent.

Was craving red sauce the other day. Tillies's is our go to Italian. The food never disappoints lol. My favorite is the chicken parmioli which is a piece of chicken Parmesan topped with a giant homemade cheese ravioli. Also love the regular chicken parm with a side of homemade spaghetti or gnocchi. The service is always good. A lot of time we order takeout and it's always ready as promised. When you dine it, it feels like you stepped back in time to an old school Italian restaurant. They have a variety of booths and tables. Not much has changed inside, it's not fancy but the food quality is always great. I consider it a staple restaurant, somewhat of a hidden local gem, that consistently serves up good quality food.

The best way I can think of to describe Tillies is consistently delicious. My favorite remains to be their homemade pasta or lasagna with their awesome red sauce. Chicken parm (which is also a favorite) comes with or without mushrooms and is served crispy with red sauce. Our service is always top notch. Definitely my favorite old school Italian spot in the area!

My family ordered large 3 pizzas for take out. Which came out to be almost $60. The pizzas have a slightly thicker homemade crust. Which was different. And the sauce from what we could tell, because there wasn't much, tasted good. But the amount of CHEESE was absolutely ridiculous. And we didn't ask for extra. There is a thing called too much cheese. And this was it. One pizza had half mushroom. The amount of mushrooms was insane. Granted the mushroom eater loved it. And once it got room temp, blah, it was even worse. Their pizza may be incredible to some folks. We just don't seem to be them.

Love your sauce. And homemade spaghetti.. but you need to get homemade bread. Some kinda bun!!

I have Patronizing this restaurant for years I came here as a child played in the basement with the owners children. I love this restaurant great Italian food, best homemade pasta in Pittsburgh. You can get the sauces to go by the court highly recommend this restaurant we've had parties here we've had events here I love it.

No pictures unfortunately, but I finally ate there after several recommendations. A long but worthwhile drive from my house in Carnegie to McKeesport. Dinner was salad, bread, ice tea and fettuccine Alfredo for $21. Amazing food and price. The only down side was we had no silverware and waitress was very busy. She was very apologetic though and very kind. I'll definitely be back. Thanks

Old school diner vibes. Great food and service. I'm looking forward to trying more menu options.

Always the best Lasagne! Nice people, good service and great chicken Marsala! Also last time I was there I had gluten free pasta. Fresh salads too!

Today was my daughter's birthday and she was unable to go out. So I decided to get takeout from our favorite restaurant, Tillies! First time and last time getting takeout from here!! First thing I ordered they didn't offer it for takeout, even though it was on the takeout menu. Called my daughter to order something else, another no!!! To top it off, I got hung up on!! I'm so mad I don't even want to go in the restaurant again!! I did get a great dinner at Luciano's down the street!

So me and my wife had dinner here for out one year anniversary...the meatball was good... the wedding soup was delicious. The gnocchi was amazing really good never had gnocchi before but it was excellent... the chicken parm... it was good not great the breading was more of a dry breading and not flavorful, chicken was nice and moist for the most part just the way they fried it and breaded it i wasn't a fan of... the original sauce wasn't bad I've had better... again nothing a was bad just not what i prefer... I've had bad chicken parm before and this isn't it... also the service was excellent and the restaurant def had a vintage vibe... would go back again as i wanna try their giant ravioli... i will be back

While you may feel you're stepping back in time when entering this restaurant, that's a good sign of a phenomenal Italian restaurant in Pittsburgh! I stopped by for lunch on a Monday and they were extremely busy! Several large parties, but the staff did an awesome job. I started with wedding soup- my absolute favorite and a Pittsburgh staple. Tillies' is one of my favorites! I also had the chicken marsala. The portion is huge. The sauce is delicious- less wine tasting and more of a gravy consistency. But their noodles O.M.G! So fresh and delicious!

Oh my gosh where do I even begin? The Gnocchi's are so good Gnocchis are everything I'm drooling while typing this

Food was very good. Our server was courteous and very attentive.heard about this place for years .

We've been going to Tillie's since college (25 years ago). The place has not changed, and frankly that is a good thing. The sauce is always recognizable w/ a hint of green pepper? The home made pasta is worth the 40 minute drive. Don't sleep on the salad that comes with your entree, it's a great side salad. The booth seats are still vinyl, the decor is the same and the food and service never disappoints.

always ahead great service and food at tillies. got a to go order this time - steak sandwich no pepper, sweet potato fries were ordered. what I got when I opened my order - sandwich with peppers and regular fries. a bit disappointing.

I have been coming here since I literally learned to chew solid foods. When I moved away from Pittsburgh and came back, this was always my number one choice for food. I have never ever had a bad meal here, nor have I experienced bad service. My latest trip to Tillie's was no exception. I arrived around 6 on a Friday night and there was a wait. We ended up grabbing a few beverages from the bar as we waited for a table. I typically always get the handmade gnocchi as it's the only place I've had good gnocchi outside of Italy! Tonight was no exception for that. Food was delicious as always and our service was fast and friendly. I couldn't ask for a better experience on a busy Friday night. I can't recommend this business enough. Seriously in my top 10 favorite restaurants ever.

I rarely leave a bad review, but this experience warrants it.Our food was cold. The sauce is extremely acidic, some of the worst I've ever tasted. Everything was fried. One member of our party ordered shrimp and crab gnocchi. There was no shrimp in his dish. When he pointed this out to the server, she brought him a bowl of cold shrimp. It took a long time to receive our food. I will never go back to Tillie's again.

If your of Italian decent GO! You'll love it! It was in a questionable area, but you'll be ok. Doubtful you'll clear your plate but take home is an extra treat for the next day.

Nothing quite tastes like home like pasta from Tillie's Restaurant. This Italian restaurant is THE place in Pittsburgh for a home cooked vibe. The space at Tillie's Restaurant is pretty vast. I do remember a time in history when you had to wait for quite some time to get a table because of its popularity. but today, you are able to socially distance yourself from other guests. While the decor may be in need of a slight facelift, there's a certain amount of 90's nostalgia in the feeling in Tillie's Restaurant. As for the food. There's no better Italian food anywhere in Pittsburgh. Period. The sauce Tillie's Restaurant serves has a slight green pepper zing to it. It is smooth, unless you order it with ground meat or mushrooms. It has the perfect "cooked all day" flavor that you can only get with love. The homemade noodles are THE bomb. So good. They're thick and have an interesting texture. I always order homemade noodles with mushroom sauce. But on the rare occasion that my eyes are bigger than my stomach, I go for the lasagna. Holy cow is it big and full of flavor. It's next to impossible to eat an entire serving in one sitting. And the chicken parm is just as large.

Tiillie's is the best kept secret in McKeesport. On Fridays during Lent, this restaurant offers great fish dishes at a great price. I had the crab stuffed fish with green beans, rice. Delicious and hot food. The love potion drink was good with vodka. We had reservations and immediately were seated upon arrival. The kitchen was backed up so our mozzarella sticks came out during dinner. Apparently they forgot. The restaurant is dated but the atmosphere was quaint and romantic.

The best Lasagne around. huge portions. Friendly staff. Good family restaurant with take out

The atmosphere was vintage 70's and that's not a criticism, just a statement of fact. Retro chic, if you will. But you don't come here for the ambiance, you come here for the "like Nana used to make" homemade Italian food. There were only two of us, so we weren't able to try a lot of different items on the menu. But what we did get, we loved. We chose the fried zucchini appetizer, which came with a horseradish sauce and a marinara sauce. Both were good, and the zucchini was sliced thinly lengthwise, lightly fried to perfection, crispy, and not the least bit greasy. Perfect. The dinner salad was just right, with mixed greens, cucumber, grape tomatoes, , red onion, some olives, and a big fat pepperoncini. Served with thick slices of Cellone's Italian bread. Check. But it should be about the entrees, and wow! My date chose the lasagna. Firstly, it was a huge hunk of lasagna, with hefty layers of homemade pasta, meat, and cheese. It was smothered with their "plain" tomato sauce and was absolutely delicious. It would have been enough for both of us. I chose the homemade spaghetti with the "plain" tomato sauce and a meatball. I only ordered the meatball so I had some protein on my plate and to compare it with my homemade meatballs. It was very passable but not as good as mine. Not complaining, just saying. But my spaghetti was delicious. The homemade noodles were perfectly cooked and smothered in that sauce. But that sauce! It transported me to my childhood. Tasted nearly identical to the delicious sauce that my Italian mom made every Sunday. Fantastic! Our server, Loretta, was a real sweetheart, very attentive and timely with water refills. Would we come back? Absolutely! For a homemade old-time Italian meal, this is the place!

Hard to find better Italian food anywhere. Nice, casual, clean surroundings, though, a bit dated. Wait staff is polite, professional, and on the ball no matter how busy. Try the manicotti. You won't be sorry.

If you're looking for authentic Italian this is the place. I have been coming here for 20 plus years and it's always consistently great! I love their homemade pasta. You can tell they have pride in their quality of food. The sauce is tasty. With the pasta you get a soup or salad. I usually get their wedding soup but changed it up and got their side salad with their house Italian. It was so fresh! The service is always great and you are always well taken care of. It's an old Italian feel inside which is something you don't get now a days.

As always Tillies didn't disappoint They have a sign they are short on wait staff but we didn't notice a difference because service was exceptional We ordered extra food to take home giving us a chance to taste test The minestrone was home made and amazing Then we split the crab grilled cheese and oh ... my .... God it was amazing I highly recommend it The trio with lasagna, gnocchi and ravioli was just as good but I've had it before so it wasn't as shocking to the palate as the crab grilled cheese I highly recommend this place The price and quality is outstanding

Tillie's is an amazing authentic Italian Restaurant. I would recommend the wedding home & homemade gnocchi old school italian restaurant! Amazing!

At first glance, I was excited to try this place. It gave off vibes of little coal-town Italian restaurants left from the '70s, like Felicia's in Monessen or Meloni's in Uniontown. The menu had a lot of options and, most important, had the two items my daughter wanted for her birthday dinner: wedding soup and gnocchi. The soup was the first indicator that something was up. It tasted watery and lacked any flavor punch. We ended up table seasoning a hefty amount with salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese. The bread was fresh, but the butter packets were very cold, and I had to massage them for a minute to get spreadable butter. FYI, take a handful of butter packets to thaw at room temperature. Then replenish your thaw pile throughout your serving hours. -Restauranting 101. Then the entrees came. I opted for Veal Piccata. They gave me one small round piece of veal that was no bigger than a hockey puck in circumference. They did give me a large side of gnocchi, but I would have sacrificed that size for more entrée. I know inflation is real, and the price was low, but you should still serve enough of your entrée not to be dwarfed by the side dishes. Even offer a larger size if need be. Then I bit in, and the line from Soprano's immediately popped into my head; "the veal is like rubber." The taste was good, but the meat was chewy. My daughter took ONE bite of her gnocchi and turned away. At first, I was worried she wasn't feeling good. This is not her style at all. I've seen her rip through plates of pasta I've reheated in the microwave as I've cringed from afar. For her to turn away a plate of fresh gnocchi?! So then I sampled it. The sauce hit me right away. They advertised it as Tillie's famous PLAIN tomato sauce. Plain is an understatement. This tasted like the smell I get from an open can of plain tomato paste when I make my homemade gravy. No flavor other than base tomato. No garlic, no seasoning, and it is very sweet. Then I chewed the rather large "gnocchi." Their style is to roll pasta cylinders and cut them near penne size. This creates the problem of undercooking. The center of the gnocchi was undercooked, and you could feel the gritty texture. It now made sense that my daughter turned it away. The real nail in the coffin was the water. Once I picked the top layer of pasta away, I was left with a bowl of tomato water. Learn to drain your pasta properly! Cut your gnocchi size in half; they will cook faster and retain less water. My wife had chicken parm with GF noodles due to a food allergy. The chicken and noodles were "ok" to her, but she also disliked the sauce's plain nature. The atmosphere was pleasing. The place looks like a 1970's restaurant that hasn't changed much in that span. Some visible damage to the décor but nothing to take you out of the mood. The restrooms were modernized and clean. The service was satisfactory and friendly. Our waitress was still wearing a mask as of 11-2022. I was hoping this was for customer benefit rather than because she was fresh off the rona as she appeared to be the only one. No judgment. Welcomed as it is the time of year many people are getting sick. The food was a deal breaker. I can't recommend it. There was a sign at the door to please excuse service as there are staffing deficiencies. I would give it another chance if the table service sucked and the food was excellent. This was not the case. I could throw together a better meal with frozen pasta and can sauce from a Dollar General.

The food here is amazing. Absolutely fantastic. I always get the tour of Italy so I get to try a little bit of everything. Always good and the ambience is traditional Italian. Can't wait to go back!

Tillie's restaurant is part of McKeesport's story. Very classic and elegant looking spot were many used to go when they were children. Food's quality is similar to how Nonna would've done it.

I enjoy going to Tillie's occasionally. The price is right and the food is decent. No problems with service. It can get packed and a little loud sometimes but overall is a pleasant place to eat.

The family Italian restaurant is going and still not bad in my eyes Great salad's you can find something for everyone esp the Italian food‍

My family and I have been coming here now for the past few months about once a week, and we really enjoy coming here. One of the most positive things I can say is that the service has been spectacular every time we have come. The food, for the most part, has been great, too. We've had some issues, but they were handled swiftly, and without any problems. I can't hold that against them, though, because everyone has a bad day every once in a while. Who can complain about a place that normally does a great job any other time? Plus, as I stated, they handled it. So now, the fun part: recommendations. I will start by saying that when it comes to sauce, I am a meat sauce fan. I have NEVER been a fan of marinara, or plain red sauce. Tillie's is one of the only places where I have no problem ordering the plain sauce--it's that good. I was a bit leery when I read that they were known for it, before we started coming here. Well--this time, the word on the street really was true! It's awesome! Pair the red sauce with their homemade noodles, and its a win-win! Big, big, big, big fan of their "Milanese". The Chicken one is so good...that I can't even find words to describe it. I crave it, to say the least. They bread the protein in a parmigiano cheese and paprika coating, and cover it half and half with their ridiculously good red sauce, and a garlic butter sauce that is so good I have been found to be scooping it off of the plate and eating it when nobody is looking. Ugh.. just writing the review is making me hungry. We've also found their soups to be great. While their wedding is good, as is their pasta fagiole, I found the one they do with spicy sausage to be AMAZING. They've only had it once since i've been there, and I pray each time we walk in that they have it again. It's another thing that I crave all the time... While I find them to be extremely pricey, we all really like their ravioli, too. They are big, but I don't think 2 of them cut it for dinner. I'm always left hungry still, and wanting more. I've also found the Marsala to be very good. It's not the "best" i've ever had, but its really good! We found the fried cheese to be "okay". I was not really impressed with the "Parm". It may have just been a bad day for it (as this was the visit we had issues with). I found the breading to be entirely too thick and just not tasty. It was dry, and hard as a rock. Again, though, this was our "bad visit", that they made right with us. I will have to be adventurous in the future, and order it again, just to see if it was just a bad day. I've read others say the Parm is good, so I will take the risk and will update accordingly, when I can break myself away from ordering the Milanese each time I go... I also am not a fan of their Tiramisu. I found this to be very dry, and just not what I am accustomed to. It was almost like what is normally the delicious mascarpone, was really thick, and tasted like cream cheese. It was on the level of I probably would not order again. I just didn't like it... Overall, though, there are so many things here that are so amazing. We continue to go back, and I look forward to eating our way around their sizable menu!

Food was ok. Service good Very busy restaurant. Limited parking. Decor was nice.

Excellent food! Mangiamo!! Great prices and friendly staff! Let the wine flow The ambiance Feels like a home in Italy

I love this restaurant. I love the trio- chicken park, gnocchi, ravioli... there are different items to choose. Delicious homemade sauce. Homemade pasta----- actually make their own spaghetti noodles--- melts in your mouth !!!

I stopped by with my sister and daughters for lunch. My youngest daughter and I ordered the lunch portion of Homemade Spaghetti with tomato sauce and meatballs, and my sister ordered the Chicken Filet - Parmigiana style. My eldest ordered the fettuccini alfredo. My favorite food we had that day was the salad - the house dressing is delish. I also loved the homemade tomato sauce and meatball. The homemade pasta was a bit overcooked, so next time I will try regular pasta - but even so - I really loved it. The Chicken Filet and Fettuccini also got high marks from our table. Tillies really puts you in the mind of someplace you might have eaten in the 50s or 60s - and I mean that in a good way. It was the decor with the music and just that good homemade italian food vibe. I can't wait to go back.

Great restaurant, could use a refurbished but the old time feel is great. Truly a hidden gem in the Pittsburgh suburbs.

The Ravs haven't changed and so good!! Very large; hard to eat more than 2 but order 3 so you have leftovers, and their bread is very good too.

Tillie's is the definition of consistency. Always a great meal and always perfect portions. I'm a huge Italian food snob. Their red sauce is amazing, either the meat sauce or marinara. Their meatballs are huge. The chicken parmigiana is fantastic. Their small antipasto is enough for two. Prices are adequate. Highly recommend for a solid Italian meal.

No taste red sauce. Kinda dirty and most of the waitstaff might care less if you are there or ever come back. Out of their specials within an hour of opening.

Delicious Italian food! The lasagna is great! My favorite dish is the calamari parmigiana!

Great reputation and customer base. It should be called Tillies Italian Restaurant. I'm not a big pasta person. A little pricey, but the people that drive all those cars in the crowded parking lot don't seem to mind. Doing something right. Pretty big and roomy with full bar. Not my cup of tea, so we won't be back anytime soon. Good place for groups of any kind.

Be careful if you go to Tillies with 8 or more in your group. They will not give you separate checks! And that with NO warning - just the check placed on the table with no prior warning. My church group goes here all the time and all of a sudden, we have a "new policy." Well, if in fact you have a new policy, inform your patrons from the beginning, so they know. We had 4 couples. Three of us always pay with credit cards and do not carry much cash. Needless to say, we will not return. The sad part is that we live near here and like to support local, family run restaurants!

I was impressed with how good the food was. Highly recommend!! Homemade food and huge portions!! Lots of authentic Italian options on the menu. My husband got the trio where you pick from a variety of choices. I had several bites of his lasagna it was that good. They have a layer of beef in the lasagna that was unique. I got the chicken Milanese which was moist and excellent. The wedding soup was just ok. I would suggest Caesar salad because the dressing was out of this world. ( I picked at my husbands) Their sauce is very good and a little sweet.

Group of seven for Mother's Day lunch. Made reservations last week. Place was very crowded. Very nice staff. Restaurant was fairly loud - hard to hear one another. Special menu for the holiday - broad assortment. Not sure if the product was homemade - seemed orefabbed. Tasty however the sauces were very bland. I was so disappointed. My mother ordered the Parmesan crusted chicken, it looked amazing and tasted even better. Again, the service was great and food wasn't bad - it just lacked flavor. Something I was expecting from a place that has been open for 57 years.

I've lived about 3 miles from this place for over 8 years and never stopped by. This was the day to change that. This is a very old school type of place and when I went the crowd was very "mature" and that is saying something as I'm no spring chicken myself. There was music playing in the background but I couldn't make it out over the talking. They should turn up the volume just a smidge especially if they are playing Dino, Frank, Lou Monte, Louis Prima and the like. I ordered the classic trio of fettuccine alfredo, lasagna and chicken parmigiana with a caesar salad. I topped it off with tiramisu. I ordered the most stereotypical Italian American food to see if Tillie's had the basics down pat. Here is my report. The marinara is perfection! Simple, yet flavorful and tasted homemade with a nice crimson color. I'm not big on lasagna in general but I did enjoy this one. There was a welcomed crispness to the edge that was just right. I felt that the meat to cheese ratio could have been higher. The chicken parmigiana was well executed, the chicken was moist and not greasy. They will ask you if you want mushrooms. I went with it but in hindsight why, just why?? Next time I'll sans the shrooms. Now for a huge disappointment which heavily affected how many stars I elected to give. The alfredo sauce was TRASH! Can we please have a moment of silence for an Italian restaurant that does not know how to make alfredo?! It wasn't thick but instead slightly runny, lacked flavor and I'm thinking also Parmesan cheese, heavy cream, butter, salt, white pepper and minced garlic. So what was it made out of, who knows. Moving on to the tiramisu, eh it was okay. Some of the lady fingers had dry spots and a bit of graininess. All in all I will come back to try some of their other offerings. If I want fettuccine alfredo I'll make it myself or go elsewhere.