Pittsburgh's culinary scene is blossoming with options for health-conscious diners. From fast-casual spots emphasizing fresh, natural ingredients to upscale restaurants thoughtfully accommodating dietary needs, the city offers a diverse range of choices. This guide explores some of the best healthy restaurants in Pittsburgh, highlighting their unique offerings and commitment to quality.
Roots Natural Kitchen: Fueling Your Body with Flavor
Roots Natural Kitchen, founded in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2015, brings the concept of tasty, natural food to a fast-casual setting. With a focus on bowls that are filling, nutritious, and flavorful, Roots offers a variety of options to suit different tastes.
- The Boss: A grain bowl designed for balance.
- The Mayweather: Combines pesto and lemon tahini dressings.
- The Apollo: Mixes Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flavors for a light and lemony experience.
- The Tamari: A savory grain bowl featuring a miso ginger dressing.
- The Cobb: An American classic.
Roots Natural Kitchen uses Roots rice, a blend of signature-seasoned black and brown rice, in its savory grain bowls. The restaurant's emphasis on natural, filling, and nutritious food makes it a great choice for individuals and groups alike. Using the app to skip the line and pre-order makes it even more convenient.
SoFresh: Catering Healthy Options to Pittsburgh
SoFresh is a healthy restaurant specializing in catering delivery throughout Pittsburgh, including Shadyside on S Highland Ave near East Liberty. Catering to offices, homes, and events, SoFresh offers a menu that includes hot grain bowls, crisp salads, flavorful wraps, cheesy quesadillas, and premium proteins. All meals are prepared from scratch daily and delivered directly to your location.
Cafe Momentum: More Than Just a Meal
Cafe Momentum stands out with a mission as sincere as its food. The restaurant embraces rolling cohorts of 15 to 19-year-olds impacted by the criminal justice system, providing paid, hands-on training across front and back of house. Thanksgiving is a time to come together, and Cafe Momentum helps make that a little easier.
Read also: Healthy food access with Highmark Wholecare explained.
Fine Dining with a Focus on Freshness
Eddie V's
Eddie V's in Pittsburgh is known for its top-notch approach to healthy dining. Reviews highlight the quality and freshness of the food, with particular attention paid to accommodating food allergies. The restaurant offers a vegan entree and is able to accommodate other dietary restrictions. With an ever-changing array of seasonal seafood and prime center-cut steaks, you're sure to find something that fits your dietary needs.
Fogo de Chao
Fogo de Chao in Pittsburgh is known for its high-quality cuts of meat roasted over an open flame. The restaurant also features a salad bar with a variety of options. Many dishes are gluten-free, making it a great choice for those with dietary restrictions.
Vallozzi's
Vallozzi's has a rich history, starting with Helen Vallozzi selling homemade pastas out of her home over 50 years ago. The restaurant opened in Latrobe, PA, and later expanded to downtown Pittsburgh. Vallozzi's Pittsburgh has received the Wine Spectator Magazine's Best of Award of Excellence and is the only Italian restaurant in Pittsburgh to receive such an honor. The restaurant can host intimate dates, family dinners, business meetings, or larger parties in its banquet room.
Unique Flavors and Experiences
Kaya
Located in Pittsburgh's Strip District, Kaya offers a casual, island-inspired dining experience. The restaurant serves both traditional island dishes and American favorites with an island twist. Tropas (tropical tapas), sandwiches, and entrees are made with local ingredients and bold flavors. Kaya's tropical cocktail list provides a vacation in a glass.
The Vandal
The Vandal is a laid-back neighborhood restaurant in Lawrenceville that focuses on intently seasonal food and cocktails. The small, ever-changing menu ensures that you are experiencing the most exciting food. With respect to simplicity and execution, they highlight the awesome product from their local purveyors with minimal "fuss."
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Casbah
Casbah, a neighborhood restaurant and wine bar located in Pittsburgh’s East End, offers a broad menu focused on northern Mediterranean-inspired cuisine from Italy, Spain, France, and Greece that emphasizes local ingredients. All meals start with warm, house-made bread from Eleven’s kitchen.
Butterjoint
Butterjoint is a bar and restaurant in North Oakland with a welcoming and eclectic atmosphere. The menu is a mixture of familiar Pittsburgh foods and French bistro classics, with seasonal classics that come and go throughout the year. They put care into their vegetarian dishes, making their own tempeh, falafel, and veggie patties from scratch. Menu items change frequently and reflect relationships with local farms and breweries.
Soba
Located in Shadyside, Soba draws guests in with plush comfort and gentle mystery. The cuisine draws inspiration from China, Japan, South Korea, and Thailand, while also incorporating elements from other Southeast and South Asian cultures. Soba offers a seasonal cocktail list with both classic and contemporary offerings.
Cucina Alfabeto
Cucina Alfabeto is a seasonally inspired Italian restaurant proudly serving the vibrant Northside of Pittsburgh, just steps from the historic Mexican War Streets. They are committed to sourcing the freshest organic produce, wild-caught seafood, and ethically raised meats to create a 100% scratch-made, ever-changing menu that celebrates the best of each season. Located inside the home of the celebrated nonprofit City of Asylum, guests often enjoy live music, poetry readings, and literary events.
The Rebel Room
The Rebel Room, located in Downtown Pittsburgh, is a neighborhood bar and restaurant offering guests a new take on American fare. The inviting atmosphere is punctuated by The Rebel Room’s eclectic design inspired by the rebels who made Pittsburgh what it is today.
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