this place has a good vibe as soon as you walk in. music, cute dining area. friendly service too…read more but the food... amazing! mofongo, birria tacos, pastelillos all had so much flavor. and the tres leches cake was so creamy and delicious. will definitely be eating here again!!

I really couldn't wait to try this place, and our lunch was quite good! Didn't totally line up with…read morethe hype/praise, but it was definitely good and we want to return and try other things. The unassuming old bank building is easy to find. Street parking behind it wasn't tough. There's a warning on the front door that this is a "takeout" establishment -- but there were plenty of tables. You can totally dine there! If you want alcohol, then definitely get your food to go. This is another place that has sadly gone person-free at the front with an ordering tablet. You lose so much in the lack of warm greeting, lack of assistance with ordering, etc. I don't like this tech trend! Setting that aside, we were able to order fairly easily. We had to fish around in the menu to find descriptions --- the print-outs and overhead menu had no details. The food: I had -- and would recommend -- the Flava Bowl with shrimp. That bowl was so packed, the lid almost didn't fit! Roughly 10 medium-sized sautéed shrimp over rice & peas (you get a choice of that or maduros or rice), with perfectly-cooked plantains & sautéed onions and red peppers. I had them add avocado. A good add, AND --- I sprinkled on some of their house made green hot sauce, a nice citrusy bit of heat. My husband was less high on his dish, the plantain sandwich- aka, the Jibarito with pollo ala plancha. He said it was quite dry, but it got better as he got some of the sauce (not sure what it was). It took 30 minutes to get our food, but the poor guy in the kitchen was totally alone fixing all of these orders (cooking, packing them up)! He was so apologetic; we felt bad for him. Our meal was good, though. The place clearly has a lot of heart. We'll definitely be back. Gotta try the mofongo.

Cilantro & Ajo is a Venezuelan street food restaurant. They have multiple locations, but my friends…read moreand I visited the Lawrenceville location. Parking is a little tricky because it is street parking only, but we got lucky with a spot right out front. Ordering is super easy and efficient. They have menus up front where you order, and then you sit down and they bring your food to you. I've never tried Venezuelan food so this really was a great experience. I wanted to try it all. Here's what I ordered: [Brown Lemonade]: Tasty and different than your average lemonade [Plaintains]: Sweet with queso fresco [Arepas]: Mine had chicken & gouda and was absolutely delicious. Soft and flavorful. [Empanadas]: These were really tasty. I really loved the beef with the peppers & onions. My friends really loved their papallon bowls, and overall, the experience was really great! This was such a unique experience with unique food. I will be back!

One of my go-to spots in Pittsburgh. I've never gotten anything bad here…read more The yucca fries remind me of childhood and their maracucha arepa always hits! I love that the southside location also has some grocery items and South American candies available to purchase.

We came here to celebrate our anniversary, and we had a wonderful experience! The food was amazing…read more My favorite was the birria--the beef was incredibly tender and had a rich flavor. The sauce that came with it was also delicious! They kindly made the sweet potato fries without salt for our baby, and she loved them! The service was excellent. Our waiter was friendly, very knowledgeable about the menu, and was able to tell us which dishes did not contain tree nuts. There is only one dish on the menu that contains peanuts. He also kindly brought a plastic cup with a lid for our daughter, which we really appreciated. The atmosphere was great as well. It becomes even more romantic and perfect for a date with candles in the evening. We visited on a Sunday afternoon and were able to easily find a table without waiting in line. I would especially recommend this restaurant to people with tree nut allergies because they have many menu options that do not contain tree nuts.

Kaya was absolutely fantastic! We visited on a busy holiday weekend Saturday night without…read morereservations and expected a long wait, but they were incredibly accommodating and immediately seated us at the bar. They also offer both indoor and outdoor seating, which was a nice touch. We started with the Pineapple Mango Tomatillo Salsa and both ordered the Grilled Mahi Mahi Tacos. Everything was perfectly seasoned and absolutely delicious. The salsa and tacos had the perfect balance of sweet and spicy flavors without either overpowering the other. One of the best meals we've had in a long time. Highly recommend Kaya!

In a long forgotten mall. But it's worth finding. Forget…read morethe ambiance. Let's talk food. It's excellent. And great friendly service. These people want you happy with their food. It's truly excellent

Excellent flavorful food. The best I try in Central Pa. Authentic Dominican flavor. Friendly staff…read moreand clean environment.

One of the most unexpected meals I had in Pittsburgh was at this unique eatery. I was spending the…read moreafternoon strolling the North Side from the Andy Warhol Museum to the Mattress Factory. I noticed this spot on Google Maps because the idea of Trinidadian vegan fare appealed to me after gorging at Primanti Bros. the day before. It was a cute, bright space and fortunately not crowded. The menu looked tempting with unique dishes like Buss Up Shut (pull-apart bread with fillings) and Coconut Bake (traditional Trini bread). I decided to order the $15 Bowl of Coconut Rice with the choice of three toppings and a sauce. I went with okra, pumpkin, and stir-fried mushrooms.with a side of mango chutney (Photo 9). It was a delightfully housemade melange of Caribbean-style flavors. I've had similar West Indian food before, and this was definitely one of the fresher executions. Although intrigued by the Tamarind Ginger Drink, I decided to order the $4 Iced Coffee to wet my whistle (Photo 6). This led to my quick indulgence of the $3 Key Lime Cookie (Photo 8). If I lived in Pittsburgh, I'd be coming here often. Making Caribbean food vegan and delicious is no small feat. FOOD - 5 stars...really fresh tasting Caribbean food that happens to be vegan AMBIANCE - 4 stars...a small spot but comfy with Trinidadian art SERVICE - 4.5 stars...attentive TOTAL - 5 stars...uniquely unexpected find in Pittsburgh RELATED - Exploring Pittsburgh? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://yelp.to/qN_tq21lnL

This spot has been consistent every time we have shown up. If you love bread, the coconut bake is a…read moremust try. You can order it with avocado or sun dried tomato, and it is topped with fried mushrooms that add texture and flavor. You also get a choice between spicy vegetables or plantains. I always choose the vegetables. We have tried the roti as well, which can be filled with your choice of ingredients. The curry chickpeas with potato were excellent and full of flavor. The banana bread is made without eggs (right?) and still has a sweet glaze that makes it hard to pass up. They also offer vegan chocolate chip cookies for anyone with a sweet tooth. A great option when you want a flavorful meal without cooking after a long day.

Food Excellent and Tasty. Service a little Slow…read more Ambient is okay. Employee friendly and helpful.

What's not to love about a place that has a large commercial charcoal rotisserie! Located in an old…read morePizza Hut but once inside you wouldn't know. Seating area is plentiful and clean and there were numerous customers enjoying their lunch. I had the Pollo Saltado. Flavorful charcoal rotisserie chicken, French fries, rice, red and green onion, sauce! A great combination. Service was helpful and attentive, order at the counter and for dine in they bring it to you. I wish I lived closer! Will definitely stop anytime in the area.

It is dangerous living so close to Pabellon, as their food is so good. My kids LOVE the "chips and…read morecheese". Their naked burritos are amazing and I love the Pabellon burrito which has the plantain in it. The service is always fast and I've never had items missing or wrong in my order. Highly recommend!

Placed a curbside pick-up order, followed the given instructions, and waited for a while before…read moregoing in to ask for our curbside pick-up order. It was pretty dead in the actual restaurant itself, but honestly, I was looking to get in and out, so I can't speak to the ambiance much. The chips had something insanely odd going on with them. The chips tasted and smelled like they had some type of cleaning solution/product on them - something was just off. I was scared to eat anymore after realizing what was making my mouth taste sudsy (minus the bubbles). Then I was hesitant to eat the other foods that were fried because I wasn't sure what would have made the chips taste like that. Was it the chip itself, was it something in the oil that wasn't fully cleaned out, was it residue in the bag - I have no clue. But either way, the taste just lingered, so there was an underlying, sudsy taste to anything I ate afterwards. I do think the other items were fine, but can't be 100% certain. The flavor and quality of the food overall was okay. As for the dipping churros, we received neither of the dips that were supposed to come with them. We just got plain churros, which were an option, and several dollars cheaper, but we ordered the dippers. Bit of a disappointing experience.

The pescado looked amazing! I had to take a picture of it, so I didn't forget to try it next time…read more I ended up getting some empandas to go, beef and chicken. The chicken empanadas go crazy! definitely recommended 10/10. I also had the tres leches cake and flan, and they were both delicious. I'm so excited to have this lil gem in our neighborhood! It is tucked away tho, so make sure to let your friends know it visit!

The food is delicious and the people are friendly and warm. I absolutely love this place. I am…read moregoing to recommend to everyone I know.