APTEKA

"So yes, Pittsburgh is a total meat town, but one of the recent and refreshing restaurant trends is how many more excellent vegan places have opened. The best of them by far is Apteka, a great sit-down spot in Bloomfield that serves plant-based spins on Central and Eastern European dishes. Start with a bowl of comforting celeriac soup with layers of crispy buckwheat, some tender stuffed cabbage with mushrooms and preserved tomato, and always get one (or more) orders of potato pierogi that are served with a light czarna salsa. They also have a full menu of homemade fruit and herb cordials and tinctures, and there’s no better way to wrap up a meal here than with a shot of their dark tart cherry liqueur." - elaine zedack, quayla allen

"So yes, Pittsburgh is a total meat town, but one of the recent and refreshing restaurant trends is how many more excellent vegan places have opened. The best of them by far is Apteka, a great sit-down spot in Bloomfield that serves plant-based spins on Central and Eastern European dishes. Start with a bowl of comforting celeriac soup with layers of crispy buckwheat, some tender stuffed cabbage with mushrooms and preserved tomato, and always get one (or more) orders of potato pierogi that are served with a light czarna salsa. They also have a full menu of homemade fruit and herb cordials and tinctures, and there’s no better way to wrap up a meal here than with a shot of their dark tart cherry liqueur. " - Elaine Zedack

"Apteka launched from a pierogi pop-up night and has expanded into a full Central and Eastern European focused restaurant. Apteka is all vegan and boasts bold enough flavors that you won’t feel like you’re missing out. The pierogies are a popular item that go beyond the traditional potato and cheese or potato and onion versions: there is a wild mushroom stuffed pierogi and others with potato and cabbage. They also have a great wine and cocktail list." - Dani Janae

"the restaurant most rooted in modern Pittsburgh cuisine, Apteka, is a vegan spot."

"Apteka’s owners Kate Lasky and Tomasz Skowronski have changed the game with an entirely vegan menu. They stuff thick, rough-hewn pierogies with smoky greens; ferment nuts to make creamy yogurts and sauces for tartines; and forage with Skowronski’s Polish parents for chanterelle mushrooms, which they pickle and serve as zakaski, a delicious spread of naturally leavened dark rye bread, fermented beet tops, and mushroom paté. The result is a menu of complex, earthy, meat- and dairy-free takes on everything spanning East of Berlin to Siberia, from traditional Eastern European stews enriched with beer broth to the ingenious gołabki, mushroom-stuffed cabbage. It’s one of the best dishes at Apteka: bundles of cabbage leaves filled with porcini and cremini mushrooms, smoked peppers, and herbs and swimming in a tomato broth. The whole thing is topped with an unbelievably dairy-like “double fat cream,” a rich yogurt made of cashews and almonds cultured with bacteria. It was both intriguing and nostalgic, with the type of comforting richness and complexity that you expect from a hearty stew." - ByAllie Wist