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CLOSED: Quiet Storm
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3
Closed
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Vegetarian
Vegan-friendly
Lacto
Ovo
American
Catering
Breakfast
Vegetarian cafe serving coffee, breakfast, lunch, dinner, and Sunday brunch. Uses dairy and eggs; vegan items are marked on the menu. Casual atmosphere. No American Express card. Reported closed to HappyCow Nov 2013, and seeking a new location.
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5430 Penn Ave, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, 15206
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Last update on 05 Nov 2013 by Guest
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15 Reviews
First Review by shellydwaytobe
PennsyltuckyVeggie
Points +442
Palette Pleasing - Edit
Quiet Storm generally has a diner feel to it with a hodge podge, artsy, retro twist. The staff are friendly, accurate and know their vast menu backward.
Read moreThe first time we visited we couldn't resist ordering the Cheesy Snake Sandwich and a cup of the Tomato Florentine Soup. The vegan pimento cheesy spread was nice and that is where I had the pickled onions last and couldn't get them out of my head!
The portions are generous and prices are rock bottom for some of the fastest veggie food I have ever had served to me.
Kids are welcome and readily accommodated with high chairs and menu choices. The all vegetarian menu has icons to choose from, v= vegan and gf = gluten free.
Ask for the password and you can hook up to some free Wi-Fi as you try some of their awesome coffee concoctions listed on the big board over the counter.
On our second visit we purposely went hungry and ordered a variety of good foods. We starting with the Chilled Orange Soup. I don't know what I was expecting, maybe something with a weird orange juice concentrate flavor but this summery chilled soup was a delight! The fresh orange flavor brightened up the carrot puré just enough to keep us dipping our spoons in as we smacked our lips enjoying the subtle flavors. The little bit of salt and oil suggested a light vegetable broth but the flavors were so well balanced!
We also split a Graham St. Tofu Sandwich on wheat with Spicy Mayo and a short order of the Buffalo Style Tofu Tenders with Vegan Ranch (both pictured above in slideshow). The acidic scent of spicy Buffalo Style sauce assaulted my nose as the Tofu Tenders made me start to lick my lips. The zippy sauce coated 3 super firm planks of tofu that were seasoned in a way I was glad for the ranch dip and cool veggies to balance it out. Take note that the tenders are oven "fried." The mini portion was just right for us to split as a second appetizer.
The Graham St Tofu is Quiet Storm's signature sandwich, named for the side street upon which we have always found free parking. Everything came together; from the pickled onions that teased me into making them to the wonderfully thyme seasoned roasted tofu cutlets and the fresh tomato and greens, they all danced on a pleasing wheat bread and dressed themselves in the spicy mayo. A side of corn chips and well balanced salsa made this enough of a meal by itself and we had a hard time finding room in our happy bellies to try it all!
Full review here:
http://wp.me/p1GQWj-4U
Pros: ALL vegetarian, lots of vegan options, excellent food
Cons: not for everyone's gramma
Guest
Nick Kyriazi
Points +239
Quiet Storm has closed - Edit
Quiet Storm has closed as of October 27. They are looking for another location.
Read moreGuest
Mikemotorbike
Points +143
burritos - Edit
I got the Fez burrito here and it was amazing. I think I ate it as slow as possible to enjoy every second of it. I don't live in Pgh so I can't frequent this place but if I ever have to come back on business again, I will return. That burrito was so good. Dang.
Read moreUpdate: 3/24/13: Ok, I can't stand it anymore, I've lived in town for 6 months and been here a dozen times. The restaurant is dirty, the service is crap, and the food is very hit-or-miss, with a success rate for me at about 25% of the time.
Last time I went, I got the southern comfort plate which I said vegan. It came out with mac 'n cheese, which the server noticed as soon as he put it on the table. So he immediately apologized and took it back. I got the plate back 5-10 minutes later with no mac 'n cheese, except under the stuff next to where it was. I appreciate them not wasting food, but it would be nice if they were more thorough or just got the order right in the first place.
[censored] up my order has happened multiple times. Food coming out not cooked has happened multiple times. We rarely get checked in on at our table, which means rationing water.
I wanted to love this place. It's in my neighborhood. I'm vegan. I come from a small town where there was one place that had 2 items I could eat. This was supposed to be my turnaround for availability. I wanted to scream, I have arrived! But I can't. Even if the food was more predictable, the service is still terrible. I'm no longer a customer. They'd have to do a lot to get my confidence back.
Updated from previous review on Sunday March 24, 2013
Update 10/1/2013:
You can tell from my review above that I have a love/hate relationship with this restaurant. I went there a few weeks ago and had a great time actually. I think the country burrito is the best thing I've ever had at a restaurant here in Pittsburgh.
Sadly, Quiet Storm is CLOSING this location after brunch on October 27, 2013. As of today, there is not a new location picked out, however, at Ava in Oakland they will be serving a few of their dishes.
I, for one, hope the new location comes with a duster and servers that give a crap. Then maybe I'll change my rating!
Pros: vegan markings on menu, decent food
Cons: hit or miss, service
Guest
kzollman
Points +123
Eclectic menu, reasonably priced - Edit
I regularly go to the Quiet Storm for a weekend brunch. While enjoy their lunch and dinner options, I find the brunch to be the best they have to offer. The food is consistently very good with a wide selection of different dishes inspired by different cuisines.
Read moreThe place is both a restaurant and a coffee shop and it has an independent coffee shop vibe to it. The furniture and art is eclectic and might seem cheap to those more accustom to fine dinning establishments. The staff is friendly and helpful but not cloying.
Pros: Brunch, Selection, Price
Cons: Out of the way
Guest
macmantrl
Points +165
Awesome food - Edit
The food here is delicious. They have a menu with a large variety of options, so I always try something new every time. Their tofu buffalo wings are especially good. The atmosphere is great too, if you're into the indie, retroish diner type thing.
Read moreGuest
Jenny Lemons
Points +40
Large cafe, large delicious menu - Edit
I came here with my father and stepmom. Each of us ordered different dishes and were all completely satisfied with our delicious food. I highly recommend the caesar salad with crispy tofu! All the dishes were healthy and filling. I will come here again!
Read moreThe also have a large lounge area attached to the cafe where you can use their wifi, read or play their games :)
Pros: wide menu options, teas/lemonades/shakes/espresso), outstanding service
Cons: decor is frumpy
Guest
·X·
Points +18979
Quiet Storm - Edit
I didn't really care for Quiet Storm too much... because the food and service just wasn't up to par. Perhaps I ordered the wrong thing, but then again, everything on the menu should be one of the restaurants finest. The VHF (vegan home fries) came with smashed potatoes (they're just that, potatoes that have been slightly smashed), tofu, and vegan meat. You also have a choice between the vegan red pepper mayonnaise and their homemade vegan queso. I tried both, and neither were great...the homemade queso was actually terrible and had a funny taste. Overall, the food was pretty average and uninspiring.
Read moreGuest
aeclarke
Points +114
So Good - Edit
We stopped by Quiet Storm for a late lunch while on vacation in Pittsburgh. The food was excellent. I had the cheese steak and my husband had a peanut tofu wrap, both were served with chips. Everything was great. If I had any complaint it would be that I didn't see on the menu that my cheese steak had mayo on it. I'm not a big fan of it, so had I see that I would have asked for it without. Other then that great place!
Read moreGuest
abbajen
Points +136
Good food, large portions - Edit
Quiet Storm usually has a couple of specials, but for the most part, their menu is unchanging. They can adapt all the food for vegans. The portions are very large - probably enough to feed at least 2 people. I really like their quesadillas, but I would not recommend anything with their scrambled tofu, as it is very dry and flavorless. Also, be careful when ordering tea. Despite it's coffeehouse affiliation, they seemed surprised when I sent my tea back because they hadn't put it in a tea bag. (I really didn't want to drink tea that had gone bitter due to overbrewing.)
Read moreAnother plus of this restaurant is their commitment to using local food.
I would be avoid this restaurant after dark because it is in a bad neighborhood.
Pros: Uses local food, Can make dishes vegan, Accepts credit cards
Cons: Restaurant is kind of dirty looking, In an unsafe neighborhood
Guest
mattucks
Points +39
the goodness - Edit
i'm not from pittsburgh but frequent the city and quiet storm is always a sunday morning brunch stop. the right amount of deliciously simple food with amazing coffee...and siracha on the table.
Read moreGuest
christopher byron
Points +106
a great place to go - Edit
Quiet Storm is a great place to go if youre in pittsburgh. It has a very cozy vibe to it. Its a great place to grab vegan milkshakes and play board games with friends. I usually play battleship when I go
Read moreI don't find the food very tasty but it is good. Everything I've ordered there just seemed very bland. You do however get relatively larger portions for the price.
I would definitely recommend coming here.
Pros: atmosphere, big dishes, vegan shakes
Cons: bland food, slow service
Guest
fondducoeur
Points +1167
Yummy Food - Edit
I went to Quiet Storm the last time I visited Pittsburgh, and plan on going there every time I'm in the area. We had brunch and it was delicious. I had their black and gold breakfast that had amazing scrambled tofu, black beans, potatoes and onion gravy. My fiance had something similar and we were both impressed. Remember to bring cash.
Read moreGuest
vegannomad
Points +39
um!!!??? microwave!!!???? NUKED FOOD!!!! WHAT!!? - Edit
Ok, so I'm literally sitting in the Quietstorm while I'm writing this(most likely for the last time) me and my fiancé moved from New York City to Pittsburgh a short three months ago and have visited the Quietstorm nearly weekly since we arrived. The food is actually quite tasty but today I was shocked to find out that most of the food served at the Quietstorm is Nuked!! I mean, I'm not one of those vegans that thinks microwave will give you cancer (cell phones are more a threat) although I choose not to use them myself because any idiot that does any research at all can find plenty of information that supports the fact that microwave literally destroys most if not all the nutrients in food. Why eat it if it doesn't help you? Why eat it if you're vegan or vegetarian for health reason? Why support a so called restaurant that serves things you can make at home without a microwave?? It's just sad. I have worked as a vegan/vegetarian chef now for over 5 years in New York City, Massachusetts and Hawaii. I've also travelled extensively over the past 15 years and have enjoyed vegetarian fare around the country and NONE OF IT WAS MICROWAVED. The Quetstorm is never busy either, there just simply isn't a strong vegetarian community in western Pennsylvania, so there is no reason that the food need to be nuked when it can come out just as fast by other mean (not that it comes out in a timely fashion now ). The Owner, Jilly, seems to be incompetent in hiring people that actually know how to cook and it is very lame that they are using microwaves in there junk food restaurant without letting their unsuspecting customers know of it unless they get suspicious and ask like I, did hey!? What do you expect from a visually unhealthy womyn that isn't vegetarian herself, nothing less than a business person infringing on a growing market with no real interest in providing anything but a façade. Word to the wise.
Read morePros: tasty food
Guest
pepperka
Points +93
best coffee ever, best scrambled tofu in the world - Edit
Inexpensive high quality vegetarian food with vegan options for almost everything. The staff is familiar with the entire menu and all options, which as all vegans know is great news. The scrambled tofu is not to be missed--I've searched 3 cities looking for its equal and found none. (they may have started calling it 'golden tofu' recently, ask your server if you go) Also, they have the absolute best coffee I've ever had. Lots of free parking and on a bus line.
Read moreOn the downside, the servers are nice but super inattentive and the neighborhood can be a bit sketchy at night. But go during the day and be prepared to have a casual meal and you will not be disappointed.
Pros: super vegan friendly, scrambled tofu, inexpensive
Cons: inattentive servers
Guest
shellydwaytobe
Points +20
clean air please - Edit
The food was alright but the place was kind of grungy and gave me the feeling they were unsanitary. There is also smoking allowed pretty much allowed throughout. So, don't go there expecting clean silver ware and clean air.
Read moreCons: smoking, noisy
Guest
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