Vegan-friendly
American
International
Buffet
Vegetarian cafe and eclectic antique gallery and vintage clothing shop. Features a weekly changing menu, an extensive herbal tea menu, and live events some evenings. Sunday is brunch buffet. Open Thu-Sat 11:30am-9:00pm, Sun 11:00am-3:00pm. closed Mon-Wed.
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86 S 26th St (at Sarah St, in the historic South Side), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, 15203
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Last update on 08 Aug 2023 by Guest
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38 Reviews
First Review by Nick Kyriazi
ecoRDN
Points +1254
Brunch at Zenith - Edit
Zenith Tea Room is an eclectic mash-up of antiques, pop-art and meat-free food, located on Sarah Street between 25th and 26th, two blocks from East Carson. On Sundays Zenith offers their famous vegan friendly brunch from 11 am until 2:30 pm. They do serve eggs and dairy but also have multiple plant-based options, and the buffet is 100% vegan, including an ENTIRE TABLE of CAKE & PIE! (Let that sink in…)
Read moreThe food at Zenith is fun but inconsistent. Some of the sweeter dishes were way too sweet. The black bean salad was fresh but the salt was heavy-handed. However, the experience isn’t about the cuisine so much as the atmosphere and having a shared moment with friends and family in a visually engaging environment. And the price is unbeatable, $11.50 gets you brunch with bottomless coffee!
The only real flaw with Zenith’s system is that you must order an entree to get the brunch, and unfortunately all the POP and food-fun happens in the buffet. The entrees aren’t fully realized, they’re typically stodgy without as much pizzaz. We get it, the idea is to stuff the patron with the entree and they won’t eat as much of the all-you-can-eat buffet. But this could conversely lead to food waste, as most people like us are there for the buffet salads, fresh fruit and cake. The entree is secondary and we end up eating way too much so we don’t waste the food.
But as we mentioned before, the Zenith buffet is where the magic happens! A nice balance of salads, grains and pulses. Vegan picnic foods like traditional macaroni and potato salad. The spinach strawberry and sesame seed salad was lovely, as well as they the tossed chop-salad with fresh green grapes. The cold peanut noodles are a favorite of ours, perfectly executed toothy noodles in a rich peanut sauce. Lovely sweet and salty!
The cherry pie is alway a go-to, we love it. Sweet tart cherry filling, summer aromas, fresh and luscious. The best part of a good pie or tart is in the bottom crust after it becomes oversaturated with fruit. Toothy, luscious and chewy. Indeed!
The chocolate lavender cake was really interesting. We were unsure how that would turn out, but it worked really well. The lavender was understated and married nicely with the spongy dark cake. Well done!
ecoRDN.com
Pros: All-Vegan Dessert Table, All-Vegan Salads for Brunch, Quirky Decor
Cons: Food inconsistently prepared, Too much white bread, Brunch entrees sometimes stodgy and unrealized
Guest
KarlaFeeley
Points +35
We love the Zenith - Edit
My boyfriend and I have eaten here several times. The atmosphere/decor is great. The staff (I guess it's family owned) is super nice. Now we went on Valentines day for the buffet and it was so crowded that we had to share a table with 4 random people, which I'm not gonna lie, we were upset about, considering that it was valentine's day) but it WAS nice that we didn't have to wait long for that reason. The next time we went we did not go for brunch. Everyone is always saying go for Sunday brunch but I disagree! The regular menu is reasonably priced and I don't like buffet style dining that much anyway even though the brunch was very very reasonably priced. When we went a Saturday morning the grandparents had a little toddler bring our check
Read morePros: nice staff, cool building, good prices
Guest
KtSully
Points +16
Awesome - Edit
My mom and I started going there once a week to try something new. Have not been disappointed yet! Very delicious. Staff is also super friendly and I happen to love all the antiques and things in the dining area.
Read morePros: Great food, Different options weekly, Nice staff
Cons: None
Guest
Mikemotorbike
Points +143
Appropriately Named Restaurant! - Edit
I thought I reviewed this already. I like this place, it's good. The atmosphere is fantastic. It's an antique/2nd hand store along with a restaurant. When you enter the store, walk straight back and you will enter the restaurant. You'll be in the back seating area so if you don't immediately see someone, sometimes you have to walk to your left and hook around to get to the kitchen enterance where you can typically flag someone down. It sounds complicated but it's not. Bottom line I guess is there's no host/ess with a nice little stand.
Read moreI agree with the other reviews, the food is only slightly above average. However, the menu changes frequently and there are always delicious cakes available. Actually, the cakes make this place have delicious food.
The atmosphere alone should entice you to come here. It's one-of-a-kind. If you are a vistitor, you have to try this place.
Pros: unique atmosphere, excellent prices, friendly staff
Cons: not stellar food (but not bad either)
Guest
FoodAndLoathing
Points +294
Cool place that's worth checking out, but ok food - Edit
I've only ever been to Zenith for brunch, when it is buffet style for sides and dessert, and you order an entree for $10. It's a really good deal, but none of the food I've ever gotten there has been notably tasty. The desserts are 100% avoidable. I would not recommend saving calories and/or room in your tummy for them. It's all these slices of little round cakes that look cute but taste more or less the same and are kinda moisture-deficient. Sometimes I'll pick an entree that I like, like their white bean hummus wrap, but that's vegan 101. I would not order their pancakes or French toast, theirs made me a bit angry. I wanted to march in the kitchen and show then how easy and inexpensive it is to make great vegan pancakes! Everyone is bound to find a buffet side or two or three they are into.
Read moreFrankly, although the food isn't amazing, it's still worth coming here, and I wish I'd gone for dinner there before I moved away. It's just such a cute, cool place that will brighten your spirits. Also, hungry? Plenty of food, plus coffee or another beverage for $10 - can't beat that! I think this place used to be totally vegan, but at some point they added dairy milk and a cheese plate for dinner for whatever reason. Possibly chicken's eggs too. Lame, but all their sides and desserts are vegan, at least, as well as all but a few entrees.
Guest
Hippie Mama
Points +23
The place to be in the Burgh - Edit
If you've never had Zenith's Tofishy sandwich, you haven't lived! They call it vegan crack--and with good reason.
Read moreThey have great teas (both hot and iced), eclectic recipes, and a very funky, fun atmosphere.
Their Sunday brunch is a vegan wonderland. For a very reasonable price you get the vegan buffet (which includes an entire *table* of vegan desserts), an entree, and your choice of tea.
Pros: Vegan cakes, Excellent food, Fun atmosphere
Guest
SLC
Points +113
Fantastic - Edit
Let me first say that this is a place that makes you feel like you are in San Fransisco or Berlin. It's simply awesome, different and delicious, and I forgot: not expensive! You will definitely end up eating something you haven't eaten before and you'll love it. One of the places I take all visitors to.
Read morePros: great vegan food, prices, excellent tea and coffee
SLC
Unfortunately I have to revise my review after 2 very unpleasant visits to the Zenith. The first time was at their Sunday brunch which I am a huge fan of. The entree I ordered were tacos which I did not like at all but everybody else's food was good and the salad were as fantastic as ever. We went back for dinner on a Friday and I ordered their mushroom stew. It was absolutely horrid. My husband tried it, too and said he'd never eat it. After these 2 meals I wonder if the cook even samples his food. What made me really angry though is that not only were we never asked if everything was alright, but when I said I did not want a box and returned the entire (!) meal she pretended it didn't happen and charged us the full price. Sorry, 2 really bad meals and bad service..... I am very disappointed. I would still recommend the brunch because there are so many good salads to choose from and their sandwiches are good. So I think you'll be fine if you stick with that.
Read moreGuest
abbajen
Points +136
Interesting food, nice staff - Edit
Zenith is a bit difficult to find as it isn't on a main street and it looks like an antiques shop from the outside (it is both an antique store and a restaurant). You can park for free here, though. The menu changes weekly, and all of the food can be prepared vegan. The best thing I've had there is the Toficken Sandwich. They also have a very impressive tea list. Sunday brunch is awesome, but you need to get there at opening time or you might be waiting for a very long time. Also, the buffet tends to run down about halfway through.
Read morePros: All food can be vegan, Staff is nice, Tea list is amazing
Cons: Hard to locate, No credit cards, A bit dingy looking
Tazzled
Just a heads up about one of your tags - it says "no credit cards", but they do take them. They also have no problem splitting your bill, which is awesome!
Read moreGuest
fondducoeur
Points +1167
Absolutely Delicious Brunch - Edit
I had Sunday brunch at Zenith's and was really impressed. For 10 bucks you get to choose one of around 5 entrees on that day's menu (I had almond waffles with blueberry topping), unlimited trips to the all vegan salad bar, and a drink. The salad bar was amazing...different pasta salads, lentil salads, stuffed grape leaves, all kinds of desserts, etc. I enjoyed this part better than my meal (in fact next time my fiance actually plans on skipping the entree and just eating from the bar).
Read moreThe atmosphere is very unique. It's an antique store, so there are plenty of things to browse and look at while waiting for a table. Also, all of the servewear/decorations are antiques, so that is kind of cool. They will seat you at a table with other people as well, so I guess be prepared for that, but I thought that was kind of fun.
Enjoy, I highly recommend!
Pros: great food, cheap, great atmosphere
Guest
The Veggie Cook
Points +1201
Very Interesting - Recommended - Edit
The Zenith is a very unique kind of vege restaurant. Actually it's way more than a restaurant. It's also an art and antique gallery plus a vintage clothing shop! I love the changing menu. There is always something different to try. And the herbal teas by the pot is great (choose from a huge selection). Very easy going and interesting place to visit. Highly recommended when in Pittsburgh.
Read moreGuest
Nick Kyriazi
Points +239
Sunday buffet advice - Edit
The buffet opens at 11am. Come before 11am or after 1pm. If you don't get there early enough to get a seat, you may as well come back in two hours, as no seats will be available for that long as people gorge themselves.
Read moreGuest
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