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.


114 Reviews

First Review by jswiss

Shawna_01

Points +240

Vegan
06 Jul 2019

Seriously Amazing Stuff

If you haven’t been here, you really should.
Hands down the most decadent dinner I’ve had in so long, and a cooking inspiration.
I’d easily make the 5 hour drive for a day trip just because the food was so good.

Pros: Quick service , Friendly , amazing food

Cons: Loud music , Tight tables

AndyAnderson

Points +38

Vegan
29 Jun 2019

Amazing!

This is really an amazing restaurant, all vegan. If you thought Polish food was all potatoes and kielbasa, you’ll be surprised by the varied menu and creative takes on traditional dishes. A beet and yogurt chilled soup for starters, potato dumplings with braised greens and a lima-bean sauce, pierogis filled with sauerkraut or smoked cabbage, served with beet chutney and cucumber salad — all delicious. Several items are gluten-free. Beer and wine are available. Pleasant staff.

Pros: Excellent food, Creative menu, Friendly environment

Cons: Order at the counter.

veggie666

Points +725

Mostly Veg
22 May 2019

Great

I love the bar. Staff is great. My favorite is the vodka cocktail & all the desserts lol

jddungan

Points +42

Vegan
24 Apr 2019

Amazing pierogies!!!

Amazing food and atmosphere!

GJS

Points +203

Vegan
21 Mar 2019

Nice food, nice concept

The food was really tasty. One of the few vegan eastern European places i know. The portions are on the smaller side and the interior is not very beautiful.

Pros: Good food , Dishes are well thought through

Cons: Interior design does not have a lot of flair

Paigecs

Points +1075

Vegan
15 Mar 2019

Outstanding

Among the most perfect vegan places I've eaten. We had the pierogies, celeriac schnitzel, and salad #2. Subtle, flavorful, and utterly unique.

Pros: Every thing was perfect

Cons: None

barnyardbob

Points +436

Vegan
18 Dec 2018

Fancy, Hip, Delicious

If we hadn't gone there with my wife's aunt and uncle, we would have been the oldest, least cool people in the building. We tried some pierogies, a puree of beans, and an apple tart. Everything tasted amazing and was beautifully presented. You order at the counter, so it was all served very quickly as well. Would definitely go back.

Pros: Great atmosphere, Great food

Cons: Loud music

ciarakehoe

Points +33

Vegan
18 Dec 2018

Apteka is the best

My favorite restaurant

Pros: AMAZING food., Great atmosphere , Good bar

gsteiner

Points +384

Vegan
10 Dec 2018

Outstanding Vegan in PIttsburgh

We had a terrific all-vegan dinner. Appetizer plate, stuffed cabbage, drinks, and two excellent desserts. Staff was very attentive but not cloying. We ate at several vegan establishments over a two-day period, and this was our favorite.

Zach1776

Points +30

Vegan
24 Nov 2018

Must try

You must try this if you’re ever near Pittsburgh. Hands down best restaurant in the city, vegan or otherwise

veganfeminist

Points +300

Vegan
01 Nov 2018

Awestruck at the vegan food

We just had the pierogi, kanapki, and placki.
As someone who’s been to Poland every year and had my grandmas cooking , this place is amazing and delicious.
Do come here , especially if you’re looking for vegan food with a Polish twist.

Pros: Amazing options , Delicious food , Great homey vibe

hell0angela

Points +428

Vegan
04 Oct 2018

Vegan polish food

I came to PA for a work trip and decided to make it fun by going to Apteka. I am polish and have been vegan for 11 years and this is the first vegan polish restaurant I found. I ordered several dishes so I could try them all and they were all spot on! I generally love cooking more than eating out but this place is to die for. Fresh, flavorful food.

Pros: All vegan!, Reasonable prices , VEGAN POLISH FOOD

Ras

Points +32

Vegan
17 Sep 2018

Wow!

One of the most unique culinary experiences in the city. The flavors and textures set this place apart. Not to be missed if you are in Pittsburgh.

Pros: Potato dumplings are sublime , Cool outdoor garden seating , Great vibes

Cons: Not close enough to my house

XOXO

Points +2078

Vegan
12 Aug 2018

Add GF dessert please!

Only 2 GF options, but they were so freaking good!! And the place is amazing. Arrive early, it gets crowded.

Cons: Need to are more GF options, Add GF dessert please!

davestudley

Points +64

Vegan
20 Jul 2018

Awesome

Great food, great vibe! In town for a wedding, found Apteka on HappyCow. Would eat here a lot if I lived in Pittsburgh

Vitaliya

Points +77

Vegan
28 May 2018

Amazing!!

The food was delicious! The atmosphere was superb! Restaurant is clean and the menu is simple, yet plentiful. You order up front, pick a table, and the food comes to you. For any vegans in Pittsburgh, or traveling through, this place is a must! Even my non-vegan boyfriend who loathes sour cream actually liked the topping on the salad! Will definitely be coming back!

Pros: Whole menu is vegan, Clean, Relaxing atmosphere, Food is made with love and you can taste it

Cons: Parking may be difficult to find during rush, Closed Monday & Tuesday, plan ahead

oyybia

Points +27

Mostly Veg
08 Apr 2018

best fancy place

My partner and I went here for our first date and we keep coming back it is amazing!

Pros: all the things

Cons: kinda a wait and loud on weekends

Livyanna

Points +34

Vegan
05 Apr 2018

Unique and tasty!

This place was amazing! The atmosphere is very eclectic with the ordering set up, music and decor. The food was fabulous. We had the potato pancakes and perogies. The presentation was beautiful and all the accompaniments were very tasty. The cocktails were delicious too!

Pros: Excellent food., Nice vibe.

BrianSpako

Points +26

Vegan
01 Apr 2018

first timers

This was an amazing meal on Easter! Great food and great beer! Service and ambiance was spot on. I highly recommend this place for the coolest vegans or ones who want to be for a night! ;)

tarpar

Points +24

Vegan
09 Feb 2018

Unique and delicious

Incredibly delicious and unique vegan food. I didn’t recognize anything on the menu (except pierogies) but everything I have ordered has been out of this world!

nlevine94

Points +1187

Vegan
26 Nov 2017

Delicious, Unique, a Culinary Trip

Such an awesome menu, very unique. Can’t go wrong with anything on it. Friendly service too. Gets very busy so plan ahead and be ready to wait at least a few minutes.

Pros: Great menu!, 100% Vegan

MartinLyons

Points +197

Vegetarian
18 Sep 2017

unique and bohemian, I rhapsodize

Great menu, really unusual, delicious, healthy, appetite stimulating, and super cool, comfy setting ... A truly different vegan restaurant, a real plus to any city's culinary offerings. And very reasonably priced too!

GenevieveJackson

Points +38

Vegan
03 Sep 2017

perfection

I'm incredibly lucky to have visited this place so many times. I recommend everything. I love the atmosphere. One of the best aesthetics of any restaurant I've ever been to.

Pros: everything is delicious

Cons: I don't get to go everyday.

ywoolf

Points +21

Vegetarian
31 Aug 2017

Orgasmic Herbal Multifaceted Odyssey

We found Apteka via Happy Cow and were a bit apprehensive due to the awful flash photography photos. We double checked on Yelp and also found over 130 raving reviews.

Apteka is situated in a residential area nestled between two houses. We nervously walked in and immediately were put at ease with the hip vibe. A huge chalkboard menu and a super helpful and friendly hostess guided us through the menu.

We decided to sit in the backyard patio and were served our food within 5 minutes of ordering.

We ordered two cocktails, perogies and two salads which were all amazing with interesting combinations and complex and harmonious flavors.

The décor is clean lined. Polished concrete and wood with white walls. Lighting is perfect.

Highly recommended.

gabgiotto

Points +16

Vegan
12 Aug 2017

Casual atmosphere and delish vegan food!

Apteka was exactly what I expected: free-spirited and delicious! It is an awesome little nook in Bloomfield with an all vegan menu and a casual indie atmosphere. The service was speedy, and the servers were very nice! There are gluten free options too! The only critique is that the food did not come in order of the usual appetizer then entrée.

Pros: casual and relaxed atmosphere, great food, great service

Cons: only a few gluten free options, hard to figure out how to order, food did not come in order

nafanc

Points +1615

Vegan
03 Jun 2017

Fun, fresh, flavorful

This is the best meal that I've had in recent memory. I came here with two friends, and everything on the menu looked so good that we were compelled to order one of everything.

And we didn't regret it. Every dish was brilliant. I especially enjoyed a cold potato, yoghurt, and lingonberry bowl and the fennel terrine. These were utterly exceptional. That said, all of the other dishes were phenomenal as well.

The food is surprisingly cheap given the quality of ingredients and preparation. I'd be pleased to get these dishes as part of a fancy schmancy tasting menu, yet I was able to get them instead in the comfortable, inviting environs of Apteka at a fraction of the price. This place is truly remarkable. I'm hope to come back soon.

Pros: Fresh, Well-balanced, Unique

ecoRDN

Points +1275

Vegan
14 May 2017

Apteka is AMAZING!!!

Polish cuisine makes great use of grains, millet, rye, & wheat. Pungent, aromatic and dense flavor palate, using nutmeg, juniper, mace. Old spice cupboard flavors that taste like something ancient, respected. A feast as homage to an old way.

Earthy flavors, deep browns. Cold weather & dead leaves, crisp frosty airs inspire appetites of starches and root vegetables. Hearty, hefty portions reasonably priced. A treat for the cold-weather season, indeed!

ecoRDN chose the Tartines to start. Like crostini or bruschetta, tartines are open faced sandwiches prepared on Apteka‘s grainy house-baked rye. Carrot pâté with pickled cucumber, radish & dill, sweet garlicky toothy bites, polish salad with pickle, celeriac and potato, reminiscent of sweet chunky heavy mayo salads of picnics past. See Apteka’s daily menu for alternating varieties.

The Horse & Pepper jumped right off the page, a sandwich boasting a huge slab of fried veggie pâté served on a hulking crust of baguette holding hands with sweet pepper sauce, crispy cabbage salad, black garlic butter & spicy peppers. The pâté resembles tempeh, in a traditionally set terrine cut into a massive rectangle & cooked to a nice crisp bark. Earthy, rich, and filling.

O M -effing- G, Apteka’s Pierogi are the Apis Patella!!! Heavenly wedges stuffed with a mix of smoked potato or a mash of mushroom and sauerkraut, underneath a sweet nut-based rich mayo-like yoghurt sauce that tasted like sweet pickle relish, creamy & perfect accompaniment along with the beets and fried cabbage, make it rain with chives. Non-nut options available upon request. The smoked potato pierogi is DIVINE. Smoked potato + parsnip+ turnip greens, a salty woody mash mixed with the carrot-like parsnip & mild bitter turnip greens. The mushroom & sauerkraut provided a perfect balance, earthy deep mushroom flavor marries so well with the pungent aromatic bite of the sauerkraut. A guaranteed umami face explosion!

For dessert we chose the Tarta Jablkowa (apple pie) w/ tart cherry compote. The buttery pastry soaked up the sweet spiced pureed apple, like the consistency of loose pumpkin pie,. A melange of fall aromatics underneath super tart port-y cherry compote, those cinnamony sweet browns, all that good time spice! The buttery flaky pastry is plant-based, as are all the options at Apteka. Another great place to visit where no-meat/no-dairy gourmands need not worry and go all-in for a memorable feast perfect for the cold time of year!

ecoRDN.com




Updated from previous review on 2017-05-06

Pros: Polish Plant-Based, Artisanal cocktails for those who imbibe, ALL VEGAN EVERYTHING




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