WESA has partnered with TABLE magazine to share some of their coverage of Pittsburgh's food and dining scene with our listeners and readers. Welcome to the first installment in this series, from TABLE's "How to Pittsburgh" issue.
(Click the play button above to listen to a conversation between WESA Morning Edition host Priyanka Tewari and TABLE editor in chief Keith Recker.)
The love affair Pittsburghers have with pierogi can be traced back to the city’s Polish heritage. No matter how many food trends come and go, these comforting dumplings continue to be a culinary staple in the Steel City. Just how popular are they? The Pittsburgh Pierogi Festival has become a recent annual tradition, local print shop Commonwealth Press sells a Pierogi Pillow, and the Pittsburgh Pirates feature a Great Pittsburgh Pierogi Race during every home game, where humans dressed as various flavors of the popular dumplings compete in a 280-yard dash.
Our unofficial “favorite food” lives large in our imaginations and on our dinner plates, evidenced by the delicious hometown choices below. We include the reigning Pierogi Fest champs here… even though they’re from Detroit.
Apteka
4606 Penn Ave.
Try the Pierogi z Ziemniakami, boiled potato and cabbage pierogi, at this all-vegan Central- and Eastern European-focused restaurant.
Butterjoint
208 N. Craig St.
Butterjoint’s pierogies have been well-loved by locals for years. We recommended the pierogies with kielbasa, featuring greens, caramelized onions, pickled beets, sauerkraut, and sour cream.
Church Brew Works
3525 Liberty Ave.
Pair your pierogi with a delicious draft beer in this former church-turned-brewery. Try their traditional potato- and cheese-filled dumplings or splurge on one of their newer creations, like a buffalo chicken pierogi sauté, tossed with beer-braised chicken and celery in a zesty buffalo cream sauce.
Pierogies Plus
342 Island Ave.
This beloved McKees Rocks takeout spot creates its pierogi dough and fillings from scratch every day. Grab a hot plate of one of their sample platters, featuring traditional pierogi and other Polish delicacies like haluski, or, if you’re planning a party, special-order a large cold order of more unique offerings, including a wide variety of dessert pierogi.
S & D Polish Deli
2204 Penn Ave.
Catering is key at this Strip District deli, featuring traditional Polish potato and cheddar pierogi that’s frozen by the dozen or, for the ultimate host, a full-size pan containing four dozen of the dumplings ready to be refrigerated and reheated at home.
Pietrzyk Pierogi
1429 Gratiot Ave.
Detroit, MI 48207
Wait, what is a Detroit wholesale company doing on a Pittsburgh pierogi list?! Don’t blame us. In a city full of delicious dumplings, attendees at the 2022 Pittsburgh Pierogi Festival named this Detroit joint as the best pierogi in town. While they’re admittedly delicious, we’re hoping locals step up during the next festival in 2024 to bring the crown back home.
