No turkey? No problem: Pittsburgh’s best vegan & vegetarian Thanksgiving options

Spare the turkey and still serve a decadent and delicious meal by ordering from one of these veg-friendly restaurants.

It may be traditional to serve turkey on Thanksgiving, but that doesn’t mean it’s necessary. The real focus of the holiday has always been eating a meal surrounded by loved ones. And according to one recent survey, nearly half of folks in Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey don’t even like turkey.

Maybe you’re serving a veg-friendly Thanksgiving because you don’t eat animals, maybe you’re changing up your menu this year and dropping the bird, or perhaps you’re serving a few vegetarian or vegan guests who’ll need a meatless meal. It’s easy to do so in Pittsburgh, where you can pick up everything you need for a vegetarian or vegan Thanksgiving at a handful of Greater Pittsburgh restaurants, stores, and caterers.

Check out the meatless feast options below—and be sure to order by the noted deadlines!

1. Yumzio Bistro – Greensburg

The omnivore-friendly restaurant in downtown Greensburg, Yumzio Bistro, has taken a break from in-store service, but the restaurant is still offering its popular vegan Thanksgiving menu for pre-order. You can order a full meal for $16 a plate, which includes vegan chicken breast, gravy, and two sides: Roasted brussels sprouts, green beans, broccoli, a vegetable blend, or parsley potatoes. Signature sides are available for a $2.50 upcharge and include: stuffing, green bean casserole, or mashed potatoes and gravy. For $4.50, you can add two croissants and a salad. Sides and signature sides are also available in large portions à la carte. Finally, Yumzio’s vegan desserts have always shined, and the Thanksgiving options are no different. You can grab apple, cherry, or pumpkin pie, pumpkin chiffon pie, or the Pa. favorite pumpkin roll.

How to order: Call, email, or text Yumzio with your name, number, and order.

Deadline to order: 4 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 21

Pickup: You’ll schedule your pickup time when Yumzio confirms your order. Pickup windows TBD, likely Wednesday, Nov. 27 and the morning of Thanksgiving (Nov. 28).

Photo courtesy of Yumzio.

2. Sprezzatura – Pittsburgh (Highland Park)

Italian café Sprezzatura is not a vegan restaurant, but vegan and vegetarian dishes are hidden (in plain sight) among its Thanksgiving menu pre-order options. Not only can you eat meatless, but you can also plan a meal with Italian flair made by this woman-owned restaurant. The prettiest dish may be the vegetarian stuffed squash: The restaurant states that it is a “gorgeous side dish [that] can almost be your centerpiece” … but we think the orange squash stuffed with red gems of cranberries, green brussels sprouts, and mouthwatering candied walnuts could absolutely serve as a centerpiece. If the squash is indeed kept as a side, you can also serve Sprezzatura’s vegan or vegetarian lasagna as your centerpiece. Other vegan and vegetarian options include sesame glazed carrots (vegan), stuffed shells (vegetarian), caramelized onion strata (vegetarian), Calabrian cauliflower (vegan), cannellini beans and greens (vegan), as well as lots of desserts, including a vegan pumpkin pie.

How to order: Order online.

Deadline to order: Sunday, Nov. 24

Pickup: Thanksgiving between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.

3. The Zenith – Pittsburgh (South Side)

South Side’s The Zenith bills itself as the city’s oldest vegetarian restaurant, and it’s been serving its No Turkey Vegan Holiday Rescue Kit for more than a decade. The $21 “kit” includes a single serving of homemade seitan with stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans almandine, zesty whole cranberry sauce, and curry yam soup. For dessert, you’ll feast upon a slice of pumpkin spice cake. The meal comes in foil containers so you can easily pop the food into the oven to warm.

How to order: Call the restaurant Tuesday through Saturday between noon and 7 p.m.

Deadline to order: Wednesday, Nov. 20

Pickup: Wednesday, Nov. 27 between noon and 6 p.m.

Photo courtesy of Zenith.

4. Moodz Company – Pittsburgh (South Side)

South Side vegan comfort food restaurant Moodz Company is offering an all-vegan Thanksgiving catering menu for pre-order. You can order full pans of the Black-owned restaurant’s signature fried oyster mushroom wings, vegan fried fish (made from eggplant), or vegan oxtails with gravy. Sides include vegan mac and cheese, yams, stuffing with vegan sausage, roasted potatoes, kale, and brussels sprouts. The wide variety of desserts includes pies (apple, pumpkin, or sweet potato), peach cobbler, and many different flavors of cupcakes. You can also order a full holiday package that serves 10 for $375; the 10-person feast includes a full pan of a main dish, three half pans of sides, 32oz of gravy, either rolls or cornbread, and your choice of dessert.

How to order: Call or email the restaurant.

Deadline to order: Sunday, Nov. 17

Pickup: Inquire with restaurant.

5. Veggies N’at

Pittsburgh’s favorite plant-based food truck, Veggies N’at, is offering its vegan Thanksgiving menu via single serving platters as well as à la carte. A $35 single serving plate includes a slice of mushroom and beet wellington or a slice of lentil loaf as well as servings of whipped truffle potatoes, fennel and herb quinoa stuffing, broccoli casserole, and mac and cheese. Dessert is a sweet potato casserole pop tart provided by Sharayah’s Plant-Based Treats. If you’re feeding a crowd, you can also order any of these options—plus a raw carrot cake—in full or half catering platters.

How to order: Order online.

Deadline to order: Saturday, Nov. 23.

Pickup: Wednesday, Nov. 27 between noon and 2 p.m. Delivery is also available.

Photo courtesy of Veggies N’at.

6. Viridis

Pittsburgh restaurant Viridis closed its doors a couple years ago, but it’s now back to serve us more delicious vegan offerings. While you can order lunch food at the restaurant’s new spot in the Strip District, you can also design your Thanksgiving menu Viridis-style by making a holiday pre-order. Each dinner kit can serve between one and four people, and one serving contains four slices of seitan turkey, two brioche rolls, a side salad, as well as 8 ounce containers of vegan mac and cheese, herbed stuffing, mashed potatoes, mushroom gravy, green bean casserole, and cranberry sauce. A single serving is $30.

How to order: Order online.

Deadline to order: Inquire with restaurant (or order ASAP!)

Pickup: Wednesday, Nov. 27 between noon and 6 p.m.

7. East End Food Co-Op – Pittsburgh (Point Breeze)

The East End Food Co-Op is the city’s local natural foods grocery store. The unionized store also has a full-service catering department. For Thanksgiving, the co-op offers à la carte sides and main dishes, including vegan and vegetarian options. You’ll order each dish by the half pound or the half quart. The co-op will be making mushroom barley soup, harvest pumpkin and leek soup, baked tofu “turkey,” mushroom walnut loaves, mushroom sage stuffing, mushroom gravy, ginger apple cranberry sauce, and vegetarian or vegan pies. You can order the pies—which include pumpkin, maple pecan, and apple—whole or by the slice. Finally, don’t miss the co-op’s cheese plates for appetizers. There are both vegan and vegetarian versions.

How to order: Order online.

Deadline to order: Sunday, Nov. 17

Pickup: Tuesday, Nov. 26 and Wednesday, Nov. 27 between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m.

8. Whole Foods – Pittsburgh (East Liberty)

You should order from the above local restaurants. Their food is unique and delicious, and you should support small, local businesses. But just in case you missed the ordering deadline for all of the local Thanksgiving food and you’re stranded in East Liberty starving for meatless options, you can also order a vegan meal for two at Pittsburgh’s location of the Whole Foods chain. The $39.99 dinner package includes a puff pastry main dish stuffed with mushrooms and root vegetables, roasted fingerling potatoes, green beans, roasted butternut squash, mushroom gravy, and pumpkin curry soup. You’ll need to order dessert separately; the grocer offers a vegan pumpkin pie.

How to order: Order catering online.

Deadline to order: Tuesday, Nov. 26

Pickup: Between Friday, Nov. 22 and Thanksgiving.

This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.