Goose R.

Extensive menus. Beautiful plates. Great service. Delicious There was an hour wait. It's a little noisy for an old fart like me but it's a cool vibe for the young kids. No parking. Still. One of the best restaurants I have been and I will totally come back again.

Olivia S.

An amazing restaurant. We went at 8 on Friday and had a 20 minute wait for two people. You order at the counter and then the food is brought to your table. This was incredible polish food and all vegan. Ambiance was cozy moody yet light.

Elizabeth X.

Innovative and delicious vegan food. The fried pierogies and spaetzle were my favorite, but the schnitzel was also very good. The bean soup was also good. I thought the potato dumplings were okay--the dumplings didn't really absorb the sauce and just tasted kinda like bland mochi or gnocchi. The desserts (carrot tart and rye cake) were not that good--I recognize that it's probably quite difficult to make those desserts without butter or milk. I also got the gin cocktail, which was fantastic--the puree really made it delicious. We had a reservation for Saturday 6 PM but the restaurant was accommodating when we called day of to push it back 30 minutes. Interesting format where they seat you, but you have to go up to the bar to order and "close out" your tab, but we didn't mind and were able to order quickly. The food also came out really quick. There's a cute outdoor space/garden in the back too, with some candles.

Sujal M.

Bloomfield area of Pittsburgh was not one I explored much when I lived there many years ago. But there was one place I went to there that I had to return to when I returned for a visit. Apteka. This was perfect for my wife, who is vegan. An all vegan Eastern-European eatery. Great weather added to the ambience. Plenty of plants in the background. We had a foursome with my friend and his husband. Apteka offers a service where you place your orders at the bar, and they come bring the food to you when it's ready. We started off with Hungarian fried bread (Langos) and then followed it with Salatka ziemniaczana. Potato salad with greens. Entree we had the pierogis. I mean, we Had to, back in Pittsburgh. Only thing missing was the cookie table but the dessert was great as well. Everything was comforting and filling. Plenty for us two. They had a special collab beer with 2 Frays, a brewery that is really solid. Was just starting off when I was leaving Pittsburgh 5 years ago and now has been pretty popular in Bloomfield. Overall, Apteka offers fine dining, inspired dishes with a vegan twist, and is a must. Reservations are a must as dining is limited to the weekend.

Ulyana K.

I haven't been to an all vegan restaurant in a very long time, so this was a super cool place to be. Fantastic vibe in there as well, cool lighting (although something from up above kept falling). It's a highly acclaimed place for a reason. I got to try their beet soup (borscht), tea, potato pancake, and rice pudding dessert. The menu changes decently consistently I believe, and I did visit a little while ago, for notice. The food was very tasty. Huge potato pancake that was cooked perfectly with a nice topping of what I can only describe as vegan sour cream and some sort of very flavorful vegetables. I quite liked it, surprisingly tasty and creamy topping. Now the borscht, which I tend to be picky with, was just okay. The number one detractor for the borscht was the salt level. The food is just far, far too salty (the pancake was pretty salty too). Other than that, quite good. Love the side of rye. The dessert was very good. Surprisingly light. Came with a little caramelized baked fruit on top (apple/pear, something like that). Rice was reasonably creamy and very flavorful. So good! All in all, a nice spot for a nice dinner. Especially great for vegans. However, the food did taste too salty for my liking.

Della S.

On a short visit to Pittsburgh my friend insisted that we come here at least once. Even though there are still so many other restaurants I want to try in the city, I plan to come back every time I find myself in Pittsburgh again. I was so impressed by how delicious everything was (and trust me-- we ordered a lot), even as a non-vegan! The menu changes seasonally and I visited in mid-November, so I'm not sure how many of these items will still be around. We started with the Barszcz Ukrainski ($9)/borscht, which was smoky, savory, and comforting at the same time. Admittedly I haven't had a lot of borscht in my life, but I hope that every bowl I have in the future will be this good. We also got the Smazona Dynia w Ciescie ($11)/battered fried squash. This was a massive portion and the batter was so delicious that I did not miss having meat at all! I loved the nutty, almost bitter flavor that the charred pumpkin seeds added to the dish, and it balanced so nicely with the sweet plum sauce. Even though we had other dishes coming, I couldn't stop snacking on this dish (and probably ate too much). I couldn't come here without getting an order of their pierogi, so we went for the fried Smazone Pierogi ($20). The filling was so delicious and I also loved the slaw that came on the side. The vegan double fat added a lot of creaminess! The final dish we ordered was the Kotlet Selerowy ($22)/celeriac schnitzel. Again, I was super impressed! Every slaw it came with had a separate flavor profile and the celeriac was fried to the perfect crisp. The slaw added a lot of freshness to the overall dish so that it did not feel too heavy even though I was eating a fried dish. We chased the dishes with a pot of their wild tea ($6). I can't remember which one we picked (not the black tea), but honestly it just tasted like green tea to me. It kept us warm since we sat in the outdoor covered patio, but definitely did not stand out to me the way the rest of the dishes did! I hope it's clear that I really enjoyed my experience here. The wait is totally worth it, and I highly recommend anybody to check this place out!

Karen H.

We caught the last weekend of Apteka's annual vegan junk food pop up, Crapteka, this past weekend and it's something I look forward to every year! People line up ahead of time but it moves quickly and they give you a time to come back so you don't have to wait in line the whole time. The inside has a bar area, some smaller tables in the front section, and some larger tables in the back section. They do take Apple Pay. The fries with the fantasy mayo were a must, the burgers were so flavorful, and I dream about their sunflower seed milk shakes. The cocktails were perfectly balanced and delightful and I expected nothing less. Their burnt almond torte is my new favorite in Pittsburgh!

Vinnie R.

Apteka was such an interesting and enjoyable experience. One of my girlfriends invited me to dinner and I am so glad she did. It is a Central and Eastern European restaurant that serves all vegetarian food, which made it even more fun to try something different. When you first walk in, the ambience immediately stands out. It almost smells like wood burning or pinecones, which sounds random but was actually really cool and added to the whole vibe of the place. Once we sat down, it took us a little while to go through the menu and really understand everything, but after that we went up to the front and ordered multiple plates to share. I honestly think that is the best way to do it here so you can try a variety of dishes. Everything we ordered was really good and it made for such a fun group experience. Our servers were super sweet and kind. They answered all our questions and even took pictures of us so we could have memories from the night, which was really thoughtful. We were seated toward the back near the door and it got a little stuffy, so we asked if we could crack the door for some air. Our waiter was totally understanding and agreed it was warm back there, which we really appreciated. Overall, we had a great time and I definitely plan on coming back. It was a unique dining experience and we already talked about returning together as a group.

Tammy L.

Apteka is one of the more unique restaurants in Pittsburgh because everything is vegan and made with uncommon ingredients. The cuisine is eastern European and they source a lot of their ingredients locally/regionally. You order upon walking in and get seated afterwards. Such a great vibe when you walk in and it's definitely a place you need to lineup for in advance or make a reservation. I've never had the same thing twice (except for Crapteka!) because they rotate their menu so often and have such unique offerings. Probably my favorite time of the year is when they have flowers in stock to make a variety of fun dishes, like sunflower, ice cream, or grilled sunflower head. Their most popular dishes include their pierogies, which they are very well known for. All of their salads are incredible and the flavors are just unreal. They have amazing cocktails, and nonalcoholic drinks made in house. Also a super family friendly restaurant which I love and they have an outdoor space in the warmer months that is just gorgeous and blooming with flowers in the spring/summer.

I visited Apteka on a busy Friday evening around 8pm with 3 others and was almost immediately seated without a wait! They have an interesting way of ordering where you order your dishes before sitting down at the table so come prepared with what you want to eat. Since most of their dishes are meant to be eaten family style, they recommend that you order a couple dishes to share. We ordered the fried pierogis, Faszerowane Pomidory, sour pickle soup, and the Ikra i Lepinja. For dessert, we got the Szarlotka. I rate fried pierogis a 4.5/5 because they were really good but definitely not better than other pierogis I have tried. The tomato dish and the soup were 4.8/5. The bread paired so well the creamy tomato and the soup was just incredibly hearty. I would definitely reorder these items! The eggplant dish was also really yummy so I rate it a 4.7/5 but I don't think I would reorder it. Finally their dessert was a 4/5 for me! For some reason the texture of the meringue was just a little off for me. Overall, the food was good and just super warm and comforting. I imagine their food would tasty even better in the winter time with the snow! One thing I would recommend is to sit inside the restaurant and not outside. Outside there is hardly any lighting to the point that we were using our phones as flashlights to see the meals in front of us. However all in all, I think everyone should try Apteka, they put a lot of love in their food!

Brenda Y.

This is my first time having this kind of European cuisine and it was definitely a great experience! I have never tried any dishes that were like these and it is crazy that it is all vegan. It is definitely worth trying out and getting a bunch of dishes to share and sample with friends or family. There's also a great indoor and outdoor seating area with great decor. The kitchen works very fast and the food almost came instantly.

Theresa W.

We had an amazing meal at Apteka, in celebration of Mother's Day. The food is worth 5 stars but the unnecessarily long wait gets 4 stars. I don't see why one of the many online check in or reservation systems couldn't be used. Our wait totaled 2.5 hours. That said, the food is pretty amazing. We were seated outdoors in a candlelight tent which was pretty cool. Staff were friendly and the food came quickly. I'd go back but only if I can lineup before everyone else ;)

Austin G.

Apteka is worth the wait and there's usually a wait because it's that good. Growing up in Eastern Europe, I was intrigued by a vegan Eastern European restaurant, but Apteka nailed it. Walking up on a Saturday in May around 5:15pm, there was a line, but we only waited for 20-25 minutes before snagging a table for three. Here's our experience. 1) Experience: Their system is a little different than other restaurants. Once you get to the front of the line, you'll order at the register. You can either close out right away or start a tab. You're given a table number and escorted to an open table inside or on their back patio. Whenever you want to add to your tab, you go up to the register again. 2) Food: The menu changes and is written on a massive parchment paper as you walk into the restaurant. Everything is vegan and inspired by Eastern European cuisine. Once seated, the food comes out as it's ready. To feed three of us, we ordered the potato and sunflower dumplings in carrot and sunchoke sauces, potato salad, potato dumplings with creamy mushrooms, stuffed cabbage, and chocolate cake. Every single dish was full of flavor and executed well. Dishes we'll crave are the potato salad, dumplings in carrot and sunchoke sauces, and the chocolate cake. The only dish we didn't love was the cabbage roll, but it was still executed well. 3) Drinks: Don't sleep on their wine list. They also have drinks like kompot and housemade sodas with unique flavors like poppyseed and black pepper. 4) Space: It's a simple restaurant with appealing design. The tables are the right size. The bar seating is also recommended. 5) Service: Everyone was helpful and attentive.