Every restaurant featured here is excellent in its own right, but they stand out for being especially accommodating to diners with food allergies, intolerances and other dietary restrictions. All offer menus marked with gluten-free and vegetarian or vegan options and notes on their websites about how to best inform the kitchen of any restrictions. As a general rule, it’s best to give restaurants a friendly heads up with as much lead time as possible.
Allergen-Sensitive Eateries in Pittsburgh
Fig & Ash
514 East Ohio St, North Side
At this locally-inspired, seasonally-focused restaurant, the menu changes often, but the team’s dedication to accommodating food allergies and intolerances is a constant. Local sourcing and from-scratch cooking means that the staff is well-informed on all of the ingredients within each dish, so you can feel confident about what you’re eating. Reserve a spot on the charming patio.
A chef at Fig and Ash serves up two dishes from the kitchen.
DiAnoia’s Eatery
2549 Penn Ave, Strip District
At this friendly, husband-and-wife-owned Italian spot in the Strip, you can order any pasta dish gluten-free, and upon our last visit, there were plenty of dairy-free entrée options and delicious, fresh salads on offer. Be sure to check out the bakery case as well, where you’ll regularly find gluten-free cookies and other delicious allergen-friendly sweets.
EYV
424 East Ohio St, North Side
EYV is an acronym for Eat Your Veggies, and at this farm-to-table restaurant, diners are encouraged to do just that. The menu is clearly labeled with options that are vegan and gluten-free. Recent offerings included creative takes on classics such as Beet Wellington and Beer Battered Codiflower. Don’t miss the vegan, gluten-free ice cream for dessert.
Feast
5513 William Flinn Hwy, Gibsonia
We recently discovered this gem in a Route 8 strip mall. The kitchen is from-scratch, and there are marks on the menu for those with dietary restrictions. On a recent visit, we sampled the vegetarian fried olives, the gluten-free house-made potato chips, the vegetarian and gluten-free cauliflower and potato croquettes with tamarind chutney, and the gluten-free beef cheek cottage pie.
Fet-Fisk
4786 Liberty Ave, Bloomfield
Chef Nik Forsberg’s pop-up dinners earned him a spot as a James Beard Award semi-finalist for Best Chef Mid-Atlantic last year, without a permanent restaurant space. At press time, Forsberg was preparing to open his brand-new restaurant in Bloomfield. It features Nordic-inspired dishes focused on fresh seafood and from-scratch sides such as French fried potatoes, rye focaccia and cheese and rice dumplings. Alert the staff of any dietary restrictions, and they’ll be happy to direct you to an existing dish, or modify dishes so they’re safe.
Emily’s Mediterranean Turkish Grill
5560 William Flinn Hwy, Gibsonia
This unassuming, casual eatery features some of the city’s best Mediterranean cuisine. As of press time, the kitchen used only olive and pomegranate oils, so it’s a great spot if you have a soy intolerance or allergy. The grape leaves with pomegranate oil, silky hummus, baba ghanoush, and falafel are all delicious, and there are gluten-free and dairy-free kebab options on offer.
Mic’s Market
537 Beaver St, Sewickley
This micro grocery, features breakfast burritos, a hot bar, tonics, smoothies and lots of hard-to-find organic and allergen-friendly dry goods. It was opened recently by wellness guru Michaela Blaney, formerly of Los Angeles. The eatery caters to all dietary needs, including vegan, keto, paleo and more. A recent hot bar menu featured chicken, flax and quinoa meatballs, Yukon kale mash, and lemon and dill jasmine rice.
Story by Liz Fetchin of Octofree / Photography by Laura Petrilla
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