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90.5 WESA reporters look at food issues in the region, including access, school lunch programs, food history, culture and more. Check our collection of stories below.

Vegan Pittsburgh Wants To Help You Find Your Next Meal

Ryan Loew
/
90.5 WESA

Pittsburgh’s reputation as a meat and potatoes kind of town is changing. As more diverse cuisine becomes popular, even the most old-school mom-and-pop sandwich shops are expanding their menu options for all dietary needs.

Vegan Pittsburgh is a project of Voices for Animals that is making it easier for people looking for vegan food to connect with options by way of a website and decals in restaurant windows.

There are more than 31 locations in Pittsburgh that offer vegan and vegetarian options, which are marked with a Vegan Pittsburgh sticker in the front window and are listed on their website, VeganPittsburgh.com.

"The restaurants that we have involved with the project right now are incredibly diverse," said NikiPenberg, one of Vegan Pittsburgh's creators. "We have some places that are essentially bakeries, we have an Indian restaurant, All India, in Oakland. We have a restaurant called Casa Rasta in Beechview ... There's pretty much something for everyone."

Here's a map of Vegan Pittsburgh-approved restaurants and bakeries:

A few of the places listed on Vegan Pittsburgh's site aren't on the map, so here are a few more to check out:

  • Jonathan's Foods is a booth located inside Schwartz Living Market. The food is entirely vegan, gluten-free and uses organic ingredients. Jonathan serves hummus wraps, veggie burgers and quesadillas.
  • Randita's Organic Vegan Cafe in Saxonburg offers an entirely vegan and organic menu, and they also cater and have a food truck.
  • Vegan ABC runs a booth at the Pittsburgh Public Market in the Strip District. They use non-GMO and organic vegetables, and all of their products are vegan. They offer barbeque pulled "pork" sandwiches, buffalo "chicken" and "chicken" salad, which are all available as sandwiches or salads.

For those who are starting a vegan lifestyle, Rebecca Gilbert at Pittsburgh based YummyPlants.com says her nationally recognized website can also help.

"We have a really great database of information for how to start eating vegan,"  says Gilbert "We've got some great resources in terms of nutrition information, health tips from doctors, where you can get your protein, alkalizing foods, just really good information about how you can make it easy and workable in your life."

Have you found any vegan- or vegetarian-friendly restaurants around Pittsburgh? Let us know via Twitter at @esspgh.