This spot has been consistent every time we have shown up. If you love bread, the coconut bake is a…read moremust try. You can order it with avocado or sun dried tomato, and it is topped with fried mushrooms that add texture and flavor. You also get a choice between spicy vegetables or plantains. I always choose the vegetables. We have tried the roti as well, which can be filled with your choice of ingredients. The curry chickpeas with potato were excellent and full of flavor. The banana bread is made without eggs (right?) and still has a sweet glaze that makes it hard to pass up. They also offer vegan chocolate chip cookies for anyone with a sweet tooth. A great option when you want a flavorful meal without cooking after a long day.

One of the most unexpected meals I had in Pittsburgh was at this unique eatery. I was spending the…read moreafternoon strolling the North Side from the Andy Warhol Museum to the Mattress Factory. I noticed this spot on Google Maps because the idea of Trinidadian vegan fare appealed to me after gorging at Primanti Bros. the day before. It was a cute, bright space and fortunately not crowded. The menu looked tempting with unique dishes like Buss Up Shut (pull-apart bread with fillings) and Coconut Bake (traditional Trini bread). I decided to order the $15 Bowl of Coconut Rice with the choice of three toppings and a sauce. I went with okra, pumpkin, and stir-fried mushrooms.with a side of mango chutney (Photo 9). It was a delightfully housemade melange of Caribbean-style flavors. I've had similar West Indian food before, and this was definitely one of the fresher executions. Although intrigued by the Tamarind Ginger Drink, I decided to order the $4 Iced Coffee to wet my whistle (Photo 6). This led to my quick indulgence of the $3 Key Lime Cookie (Photo 8). If I lived in Pittsburgh, I'd be coming here often. Making Caribbean food vegan and delicious is no small feat. FOOD - 5 stars...really fresh tasting Caribbean food that happens to be vegan AMBIANCE - 4 stars...a small spot but comfy with Trinidadian art SERVICE - 4.5 stars...attentive TOTAL - 5 stars...uniquely unexpected find in Pittsburgh RELATED - Exploring Pittsburgh? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://yelp.to/qN_tq21lnL

This Illy Philly is out on a dinner date in the Southside, and I've always wanted to experience…read moreEssence for their vegan and Caribbean fare. It was a Saturday and the restaurant had a nice ambiance. They don't have their liquor license yet, so it is BYOB! I wish I'd known because I would have definitely brought a bottle of wine! The server greeted me with a smile and knew the menu. She made the suggestions of the Fried Dumplings ( you can get them steamed) with spinach and tofu, and it was sooo good!!! Delicous!!! My date ordered the Buffalo Cauliflower, and it was definitely hot, but good. For dinner, I ordered the Black Bean Bowl, which was a rice bowl packed with black beans, grilled veggies, and corn with a cream sauce, but that is not quite what I got. It was rice and beans, mixed, corn with no cream sauce, broccoli, and two plantains. The rice was not too savory, the broccoli was a bit bland and there was no cream sauce on the corn....sad face. I will definitely give this place another go to try their other dishes because the Dumplings were so good. There is off street parking, the service was really good and next time I'm bringing some friends. A couple bottles of wine and a palate ready for some Caribbean vegan goodness!!!!

I went to Essence for Mother's day brunch during Chef Earl's popup and even though it didn't have…read moregreat ambience due to the restaurant being completely empty, it had great food and service! We got the fresh juices, pineapple ginger apple and the mango one and both were super fresh and tasty. For appetizers we got the spinach sambosa and the no crab cake. The sambosa was great with the sauce and the no-crab cake was tasty but didn't hold its shape together. I really loved the jollof rice, falafel burger, and the ful madammas. Everything was vegan and really good. Even my mom loved it! Would recommend coming here and trying out some of everything! The waitress was really attentive and gave lots of recommendations and tips on what to get!

Having heard about this establishment, and not admittedly in a rush because we aren't…read morevegetarians/vegans - we finally got to try the Sunday brunch.....and it was excellent! Probably one of the quirkiest places in South Pittsburgh - fronted by a thrift and curiosity shop - it's rather easy to miss given the off-the-beaten path location. Anyhow, we had an excellent experience. The brunch had several options - we opted for the seitan "pot roast" and the mushroom pasta. Both were great - ample portions and flavorful. The salad buffet was great, offering a bunch of options, all of which were pretty tasty. I didn't try the dessert section, but it was also pretty large. Overall, possibly the fairest deal on a meal you can get in the greater Pittsburgh region, while still keeping things healthy. Tables are arranged where it's communal, so you end up meeting other folks in a close environment. The walls are adorned with all kinds of artwork, there's no shortage of things to look at. Lastly, I saw some people on a certain social media platform had some critiques of the menu development method - it's all a bad opinion, this is a legacy business in our city and deserves even more of the positive attention they currently get.....support this place!

I've been going to The Zenith in the South Side for years now, and honestly, it is the definition…read moreof a Pittsburgh staple. The layout is wonderfully chaotic; half of it is a restaurant and the other half is a packed antique shop and vintage clothing store. You're literally sitting at a mismatched table surrounded by creepy old dolls, retro lamps, and racks of 1970s jackets while you wait for your food, which is just the coolest vibe. The service matches the aesthetic...it's laid-back, totally unpretentious, and run by folks who just let you do your thing. But let's talk about the food, because it's some of the best vegetarian and vegan comfort food you will ever eat, hands down. I always crave their Seitan Reuben (and I'm not even vegan), which is so perfectly savory and messy, and if you go for their famous Sunday brunch, you have to load up on the sesame peanut noodle salad and grab a slice of whatever vegan cake they have out that day. It's affordable, incredibly quirky, and I'll keep coming back forever.

Amazing experience from start to finish. Loved the ambiance - felt high end without being stuffy…read more My husband and I got 2 very interesting cocktails- one was like a spicy dill margarita and one was a dirty martini with a black pepper/curry taste to it. The dirty martini was fairly pungent and strong so not sure I would get it again but I'm also not big on dirty martinis so probably just the wrong choice on my part. But the food was the star of the show. We ate so many good dishes- starting with the rainbow platter. Loved the baba ghanoush and the roasted cauliflower - those were my favorite of the 7 dishes on the platter. We also ordered the labneh, hummus with chicken and lamb shawarma, and the kafta kebabs (rolled up in some sort of tortilla) which were all fantastic! If we come back (which we will) I would just order the baba ghanoush instead of the rainbow platter, all the other dishes we ordered, and maybe one additional plate. I felt like I didn't really need the Israeli salad (tomato and cucumber) or the pickled cauliflower and radish that came on the rainbow platter. The hummus was SO soft and fluffy. This was some of the best food we've had in Pittsburgh. After having lived in a Philly for 4 years, we know good mediterranean/lebanese food and I'd be surprised if you can find better in Pittsburgh. Service was also very good.

Beautiful space! We came in without a reservation on a Wednesday. It was busy, but not crowded. We…read morewere sat quickly and enjoyed the romantic date night atmosphere. We got drinks and 4 mezze / small plates. I liked my kiss my anise cocktail. It's rye based and was peppery and lightly sweet. My husband's cocktail was slightly sweeter and smoky. We shared four plates. I thought the stuffed grape leaves were a little slimy, but otherwise delicious. The Pierogi peppers were the most interesting item for me. They were pierogi filling in a sweet pepper with crispy onion on top-kudos on that dish! Out other two plates were the seared ahi tuna which had a nice savory crust and the chicken souvlaki, which was pretty standard. Our server was friendly and pleasant. The space was beautiful. Would highly recommend coming here for cocktails and small plates, the pizza at other tables looked pretty tasty too!

Fantastic food and extremely kind and awesome staff! If you're in Pittsburgh, it's 100 percent…read moreworth a stop in

A quick, delicious gluten free lunch!! Stopped on our way to…read morehotel & grabbed some empanadas for lunch Ordering was quick, we found a table & they quickly brought us our food The empanadas were HOT, crispy and the flavor was so intense - I wanted to try all the flavors because they were so good but I held off until next time!

Woman at the front taking orders (white, middle aged, brown hair) is rude AF. I'm holding my phone…read moreout ready to pay and she just says "Nooo! NO!" I'm sorry? Who the fuck are you talking to like this ?????? "I have to push a button" Yeah ok, I'm not a dog, you don't just say "NO" to me. RUDE AF!!!

Pretty good pizza at an affordable price!! Not to mention it's wood fired!!! I was hesitant, but…read moreafter a bit a COAXING, it was really good.

We've been meaning to try Bae Bae's for a very long time and I'm bummed that we didn't try it…read morebefore it's latest reinvention under the Bar and Supper Club banner. I wouldn't really call this a supper club to be honest but the place definitely carries a house music bar vibe and the back bar area and seating is very dimly lit, perfect for cozying up and enjoying a drink late night. The ladies' room was so dark, I mistook it for a storage area because I could only make out a white ladder in the corner that was being used as cute shelving. The place is seat yourself. Our waiter was not super friendly and didn't offer to give us napkins or anything when our wobbly table caused our drinks to splash all over the place. The cook served our chicken with a big smile and happy interaction and we really loved his personality. The bartender also stopped by to bus our table and he was very pleasant as well. We enjoyed the perfectly fried small plate cauliflower with the plum sauce and the fried cheese/garlic wonton bites with the sriracha mayo spicy dipping sauce. The fried chicken breast on the large plate was slightly overcooked with a maple gochuchang sauce that was very bland. We were so thankful that the large plate fried chicken came with a side salad to offer some respite from the heaviness of the fried dishes. It would have been great to have some side acidic or fresh vegetable options like Kimchi or something. Maybe we tried the wrong dishes and there are other not fried things that are delicious? The dirty martini cocktail was just so-so, not really much flavor at all, but the mojito was very good and refreshing. It's probably a good late-night place for a bite and drink.

Love this place!! Hidden gem in downtown pittsburgh. Only thing is I feel like their hours are a…read morebit all over the place

I was introduced to Veggies N'at at a Garfield Community Farm fundraiser. Their food is absolutely…read moreamazing. The chef changed his diet in 2017, on a path to eating more healthy foods. Everything on the menu is connected to mindful eating, loving and appreciating yourself, and improving your health and the way you feel about yourself. That sounds pretty heavy, but I recommend that you try it. It may not change your life, but at least you can appreciate how delicious it is, and how vibrant and healthy you feel after eating it. All the ingredients are fresh and healthy, you couldn't ask for anything more. Bottom line, it tastes fantastic.

I visited them last August while attending the VegFest and like many other places I've enjoyed over…read morethe years that I have yet to review I am just now getting around to leaving them one. So, actually a guy at the information booth was eating something from here and I asked him where he got it from because it looked very good and he recommended them to me. So we headed their way. Tbh: Every place that we wanted to eat at had a line 25-50 deep and we were super hungry and their line was only like 5-7 people deep which was a blessing. First off, the service in general was kind of crappy, but I understand as it was a hot and very busy day and from what they told my gf at the time they were getting low on food as well and only had a couple items that were left from the menu. After deciding what we wanted which was one of three things my gf at the time ordered us the Mac and Cheese and a container of ranch to take home while I looked for a place for us to eat. So after they handed her our food we headed over to an area with tables and chairs to eat the Mac and Cheese. I must say we both thoroughly enjoyed every single bit of it and my gf at the time isn't even vegan. So that says a lot! I highly recommended it :) FYI: The person who took her order also forgot to give her the container of ranch she paid for. I wasn't made aware that she purchased it until afterwards because my gf at the time wanted to surprise me but they didn't give her a receipt so she had no proof. Oh well, you live and learn, sadly! The vibe on this day was on point so we let the little things go in regards to the crappy service and the shorting us of an overpriced container of ranch fall to the wayside and continued on with our wonderful day, smiling and enjoying the amazing festival and area. If I decide to stop by your food trailer again this year at the festival or whenever I am somewhere you are posted up in front of, I hope you make up for your mistakes from last year because that's the right thing to do.