Vegan
Beer/Wine
European
Polish
Central and Eastern European cuisine focused restaurant and bar, opened here Feb 2016. Had sprouted from a monthly pop-up called Pierogi Night. Contact via email for reservations and questions: aptekapgh@gmail.com. Open Fri-Sun 5:00pm-10:00pm.
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4606 Penn Ave, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, 15224
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Last update on 20 Jan 2023 by Guest
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Added by chk49 on 12 Apr 2016
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95 Reviews
First Review by jswiss
greenlily
Points +108
Just fantastic - Edit
Went here for birthday dinner and had a wonderful experience. We waited about 20 minutes to put our names down, then maybe 15 more to get a table. Once we ordered, the food arrived within five minutes. The potato dumplings with rye crumbs are one of the best bites I’ve ever eaten. Also had the onion and cabbage pie and the celeriac schnitzel; both very good but slightly less mind-blowing. The drinks are also amazing and made with in-house syrups.
Read morePros: Warm atmosphere, Creative menu
Cons: Slightly disorganized seating/ordering process
Guest
SabrinaJaffe
Points +623
Amazing - Edit
Great food and atmosphere! We ordered two small plates, two big plates, and two drinks. Everything was delicious. We will definitely be back.
Read morePros: All vegan
Guest
KaleSnail
Points +71
Vegan Slavic Food: One of the Last Frontiers! - Edit
As soon as I found out there was a vegan restaurant based on Slavic cuisines, I absolutely had to go! Partly because I myself have a Czech background, but also because it's one of the few types of food you almost never see being made vegan. It's admittedly not the most naturally vegan friendly, and seems to be in a grey area of sorts: not familiar to most Americans but also not "exotic" enough to be deemed interesting. All in all, Apteka has an excellent take on Slavic food: almost all of the dishes are fairly traditional in composition, and make vegan through the unintrusive substitutions of cashew cream for dairy and suchlike. We went for the pierogies, a staple of Slavic cuisine and also strongly associated with Pittsburgh, and couldn't have been happier with the fairly straightforward preparation, paired with some very attractive plating that elevated the experience just enough. Celeriac schnitzel was a nice twist on a basic dish and a great way to highlight an under-served vegetable and bring some lightness to a fried dish. And although we didn't order them there were definitely some more daring items on the menu as well, including whole sunflower heads! (I always love to see actual plants on the menu at a vegan restaurant, especially since "apteka" means "drugstore" or "pharmacy.") We also really enjoyed the dessert option of the cream cake with sour cherries; probably much prettier eaten in house but still delicious with a nice hearty texture. I really wanted to give this place a full five stars based on the amazing food alone, but sadly there were other factors I really disliked. Namely, Apteka's ordering system is a complete mess. Rather than get seated at a table and ordering with a waiter, you have to queue up at a one person ordering station to order everything. This is tedious and slow and honestly feels kind of patronizing; even if they think most customers are going to need a lot of help understanding unfamiliar dishes on the menu, waitstaff can explain things at tables instead of bottlenecking everything behind one person! We were there on a busy Saturday night and the wait was substantial because of this. When we expressed worry about it, the host assured us food would come out super fast to make up for it, but this wasn't really the case at all, and we were quite upset about being lied to. It's also small inside, very loud, and dark, so not pleasant to sit down in. I suggest you order takeout to avoid these issues!
Read morePros: Great Renditions of Slav Classics, Attractive Plating, Dessert Made In House
Cons: Confusing Ordering System, Loud & Dark Ambiance, Very Busy / Wait Times
Guest
recycledstar
Points +287
My favorite restaurant - Edit
Apteka is my obsession. The food, service, variety, quality, everything. When traveling to Pittsburgh it is a must. Try everything you can!
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2024-08-25
Pros: Everything is amazing , Service is great, Love the space
Guest
GrayHorwitz
Points +2008
Excellent and unique fine dining (for a price) - Edit
Amazing, creative, and locally and/or intentionally sourced, apteka offers a dining experience that is rare and worth it for special occasions. The back garden seating is lovely and service was thoughtful and kind.
Read moreGuest
ElissaBVegan
Points +3008
Great if you like Polish food - Edit
I wasn’t sure what to expect…
Read moreI found the food to be pretty salty and oily, but interesting.
Pros: All vegan
Guest
Dannywood
Points +44
Excellent excellent excellent - Edit
Wow holy [censored].
Read moreIncredible food,
amazing service,
Guest
greenbluegray
Points +1473
NYT calls it one of the 50 best U.S. restaurants - Edit
The NYT rating was from 2022, and that was ALL restaurants, not vegan ones. I might not even have noticed that there was no meat. The dishes were all hearty and amazing. Order a bunch of plates to share, and as everyone says, get the pierogies. We loved the soft ones best as well as the incredible cabbage rolls. There are no reservations for small parties, so come early since you might have to wait in line. Everyone was so nice, and the wine list was unusual and delightful. Good iced tea too. We had excellent recommendations for a few bottles to take home. It wasn't hard to find parking on the street, but we were there early (on a Friday). I cannot imagine who would not enjoy this food which is fancy yet earthy. with a casual modern atmosphere. I agree that it is an experience not easy to find elsewhere. Well done Pittsburgh~
Read morePros: Homey earthy food beautifully presented, reasonable prices, helpful kind service
Cons: It is several hours away, lol
Guest
SharonR
Points +2902
Rich Eastern European Foods - Edit
This restaurant is a whole experience. They're only open Friday through Sunday, so I think everybody and their mother tries to get in those 3 days.
Read moreDespite the appearance (and food) of an upscale restaurant, there's no dedicated server per table. You order up front and they really take their time (if you need it) to walk you through the menu, the wines to pair with it, and so on. This has pros and cons. If you happen to get a slow group in front of you, you're in for a whole lot of waiting (the couple in front of us took about 20 minutes, which I'm assuming and hoping it's not the norm). The pro is that if you want to add anything at any point, you don't have to wait to catch the waiters attention, and when you want to pay the check, you're good to come up too.
Food: it's HEAVY. Central/Eastern European foods. Lots of cream and fried bread. I say this as a lover of these things. Just order accordingly. We got the fried bread, pierogis, nettle soup (as our "healthy" option"), Zakaski (a platter with several pickled vegetables, lentils, smoked parsnip), and cake. I'm not a dessert person, so ymmv, the cake was good, but everything else was better.
greenbluegray
Great review!
Read moreGuest
VeganMusicMan
Points +241
Wow. Wow. Wow. - Edit
Apteka. WOW. So awesome to find a vegan restaurant that not only has great food, but feels so special. We showed up 15 minutes before opening and there were already 20 people in front of us. And everybody was excited to eat there. We had the house made black pepper soda, celery seed soda, Zakąski (pickle plate), Szparagi (asparagus sautéed in black pepper, vin, mint, lemon, onion), Smażone Pierogi (a variety of pierogi), Kotlet Selerowy (celeriac cutlet), and Żytnie Ciasto z Powidlami (rye flour cake with oat crème, plum, apricot). Everything was amazing, we were stoked with each serving. Everything wonderfully spiced, sublime condiments, and more. If you’re in Pittsburgh, we really recommend this place!
Read moreGuest
ponchoswindow
Points +730
Had everything- want everything again. - Edit
I went several months ago and haven’t stopped thinking about how good the dessert was. My table split several small dishes and we each had our own entree (mine was the best). Not sure what I ate, sorry. Regardless, we each left feeling full and satisfied. Satisfied in the way where you’ve had all the right flavors and portions of healthy foods in your diet and it all tasted perfect.
Read moreGuest
MelissaNoe
Points +33
Don't question it just GO - Edit
The food was AMAZING!! Pierogis were phenomenal and the best dish to me by far was called Langos. A fried bread with some sort of deliciousness in the middle.
Read moreGuest
BorderlineSavage
Points +56
Amazing! - Edit
Absolutely fantastic! The food is delicious, and the drinks are also excellent. Don’t sleep on the desserts - we ordered a couple and shared them and they were a perfect ending to the meal. Service is outstanding.
Read morePros: Delicious food, Wonderful service, Beautiful presentation.
Guest
hrn126
Points +573
one of my all time favorites - Edit
stopped here my first time in pittsburgh and fell in love so much that i decided to move here. this place is incredible. i would eat here every day if i could.
Read moreGuest
moshow
Points +98
Best thing about Pittsburgh! - Edit
Casual dining with quick turnovers but magically serve the prime dishes. From beginning to end, everything is fresh and full of surprising flavors. Vegan Comfort food never tasted so good. Reasonable portions too. Foraged leaf tea-sumac was great and they make there own sour cherry cordial.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2024-03-20
Pros: Casual , Freshness , Desserts are life-changing
Cons: Wish I lived closer
Guest
TheresaJGD
Points +130
Great all around - Edit
We ate so well (and so much) we nearly couldn’t walk out! Don’t be afraid to sit out back in the cozy tent area. Heaters made it comfortable. Totally recommend the bark tea, pickle plate, golden borscht, and everything else we ordered. We loved the ice cream ball for dessert. (How do you get the seeds onto the ball?) Staff were so friendly and calm. I attribute it to 🌱’
Read morePros: Exploring new flavors, Calm, friendly, organized staff, The care you can taste in the food
Guest
amorgb
Points +18
Love! - Edit
Wonderful food & environment! The celeriac schnitzel is amazing!
Read morePros: Sałatka Polska, Nalewki, Poppyseed cream pączki
Guest
BDuffy
Points +20
100% vegan restaurant and loved it. - Edit
Cool concept with how you are seated and how you order. Unique inside - loved it. Food was delicious, staff was nice and super efficient. Would go here again and again.
Read moreGuest
BobKennedy2019
Points +48
Great food - Edit
Great creative food. Been there many times and can’t wait to get back.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2020-06-20
Pros: All vegan-all the time
Guest
Eidolon
Points +408
My Pittsburgh Favorite - Edit
I wish I had got to dine in, but was able to get pick up twice which also seemed to be quite the feat. I hadn’t had a lot of this cuisine prior to changing my lifestyle, but I ordered a lot of the offerings during my visit to the city and it was all fantastic and comforting. #Veganuary
Read morePros: Fantastic food, Great customer service, Quaint restaurant
Cons: Place is wicked popular for good reason and small, Was difficult getting a spot even for take out
Guest
EvaliseDexter
Points +394
Never disappoints - Edit
Ive been here atleast 5 times and it is by far my favorite restaurant in pittsburgh!! Extremely long wait times to get in though. There is usually a line out the door.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2024-01-03
Cobwebs64
To be seated, or for your food?
Read moreEvaliseDexter
@cobwebs64 to be seated
Read moreGuest
daalai
Points +1703
Delicious but pricey - Edit
Excellent food and I will definitely be returning. This is a high end restaurant. The portions were smaller and more expensive, but it was still worth it. We ordered the pierogis and kluski slaskie. Must go place in Pittsburgh!!
Read moreGuest
gwild
Points +1596
Made from scratch - Edit
This place was so delicious we went a few times on our trip to Pittsburg. New York Times named them as one of the top 50 restaurants in the US and I can understand why. We had the Smazone Pierogies $18 and the Kluski Slaskie $18 and both were outstanding! The fresh dill paired perfectly with the potato in the Kluski Slaski. The pierogies were far better than any we’ve had before.
Read moreAnother day we tried the Kotlet Ziemniaczany, a stuffed potato and buckwheat patty which was surrounded with a generous serving of cooked greens.
Everything was freshly made from scratch.
There was a line down the street to get in but it was worth the wait.
Once you make it in the door you order at the front and take a number to a table. Then they bring your food out. There were still crowds of people outside waiting to get in when we left.
Updated from previous review on 2023-07-22
Pros: Outstanding flavor, Fresh made from scratch
Cons: Huge lines to get in
Guest
foon
Points +699
Best meal ever? - Edit
Everything here is amazing—especially the weird sounding stuff. Let go and go nuts.
Read moreGuest
GoodNewsVeg
Points +407
Good for Eastern European Food - Edit
Excited to try this place while we were in Pgh for a night. Given all of the hype (national!), our expectations were high. Eastern European food is not our favorite, but as vegans, how could we resist? Rated as one of the Best Restaurants in the U.S. by the NYT last year. We were hoping it would wow us. The food was good, especially the sauces (better than "real" sour cream) and slaws and bread. The staff was friendly, competent, and efficient at moving a lot of people through and keeping them happy. The vibe was groovy. No reservations -- we showed up to stand in line at 4:30 pm for a 5 pm opening. If you are dying for potatoes and pierogis and fried food, definitely worth the wait. If not, it's a fine one-time experience. Cocktails were good. We were told the desserts were amazing, but after all the potatoes and pierogis and fried food, we just couldn't do it.
Read moreGuest
lulumcc
Points +205
Amazing - Edit
Delicious, unique food. The line was long but well worth it and the restaurant is very organized in regards to waits and quick service too
Read moreGuest
johnfaison
Points +30
Best ever - Edit
Pretty much the perfect restaurant, fair price too
Read moreGuest
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