Lawrenceville Now Home to 14 Sustainable Pittsburgh Restaurants
In 2016, Lawrenceville Corporation partnered with Sustainable Pittsburgh Restaurants to support the restaurants in our neighborhood already on the fast track to implementing creative sustainable practices. Ten of Lawrenceville’s best restaurants were or are involved in the program including Franktuary, The Pittsburgh Juice Company, B52, Senti, Smoke BBQ & Taq
ueria, Kaleidoscope Cafe, Tender Bar and Kitchen, Spirit, Kickback Pinball Cafe, and 52nd Street Market. What are the perks, besides making our neighborhood more ethical, healthy, and clean? Program participants are eligible to receive grants from $500-$5,000 for sustainable efforts, get the chance to meet with other vendors who seek out like-minded partners, and are featured in publications like Table Magazine and Pittsburgh Magazine.
In the last 6 months, 6 additional Lawrenceville restaurants have joined the program, including REED&CO, Burgh’ers Lawrenceville, Allegheny Wine Mixer, The Abbey on Butler Street, The Vandal, and Banh Mi and Ti. Read more to learn about each restaurant’s sustainable practices and download the program postcard to leave at your favorite spot in the city.
REED&CO
4113 Butler Street
REED&CO offers healthy grab-and-go foods highlighted by premium, cold-pressed juice and innovative, healthy beverage from a culturally relevant and welcoming cafe. REED&CO is committed to transparency of product and process and to the customer lifestyle through a holistic approach. Using funding from the Sustainable Pittsburgh Restaurant program, REED&CO purchased an alkaline water ionizer. The adjustable PH setting of this machine allows the cafe to soak grains and nuts for better tasting menu items that will have a longer shelf life. The water can also be used with other sustainable cleaning products in an effort to remove harmful chemicals from cleaning. Free ionized water is also offered with purchase; REED&CO lives up to their name and gives back to the community with clean, healthy water.
Burgh’ers Lawrenceville
3601 Butler Street
For years, owner Fiore Moletz was dreaming of a burger joint that was healthy and locally sourced where the kitchen roots were deep in technique….Burgh’ers will always be about “the experience of great food and drink”—organic not ordinary, quality not quantity, fresh not frozen, local not commercial, unique not usual, friendly not formal, passionate, not half-hearted. Burgh’ers has also started brewing in house. The restaurant composts all food waste through its own employees who take it home for their gardens for fertilizer. For example, when a head of romaine is cut, the bottom is saved and put into a chicken feed bucket which feeds the owners chickens that supply the restaurant with eggs. When using pickles, the ends get pulverized to make the restaurant’s “special sauce”. Nothing goes to waste; even egg shells are used to supply the owner’s chickens with grit. Read more on their sustainability profile here.
Allegheny Wine Mixer
5326 Butler Street
The Allegheny Wine Mixer has been a Lawrenceville staple since it opened in 2012. The menu boasts locally sourced cheeses, house made meats, and toasties. Owner Jamie Patten’s commitment to sustainability extends beyond the menu. AWM regularly donates to the Center for Creative Reuse and hosts regular fundraisers. The bar purchases its power from American Power and Gas using sustainably sourced power; Electricity is also either wind or solar and gas is from a non-fracked source. Read more on their sustainability profile here.
The Abbey on Butler Street
4635 Butler Street
The Abbey has blended boundaries through the collaboration of baristas, cooks and bartenders, each offering the best of their respective crafts to create dishes and drinks that are both dependably inventive and comfortingly familiar. The Abbey sources locally and supports fellow Lawrenceville businesses; they serve beer from Hop Farm, Full Pint, Roundabout and Grist House as well as coffee from Commonplace. Many items are made in house (including spirits, shrubs and cold brew), and they grow their own herbs. Read more on their sustainability profile here.
The Vandal
4306 Butler Street
The Vandal is a hyper-seasonal cafè in Lawrenceville offering lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch. The Vandal’s commitment to sustainability is multifaceted; the restaurant composts with Steel City soils, uses natural cooling techniques in place of air conditioning, fundraises with local organizations like Planned Parenthood and Best Buddies, and are involved with several local farms and community gardens. Read more on their sustainability profile here.
Banh Mi & Ti
4502 Butler Street
Kellie (Ti) and Tuyen (Mi) have always dreamed of opening a Vietnamese cafe and when they moved to Pittsburgh, Kellie knew Lawrenceville had to be the spot for their food and concept. Banh Mi & Ti was created, a small cafe that serves traditional Vietnamese banh mi. Their signature banh mi, “The Viet Special” includes our homemade mayo, pâté, pork roll, ham, and head cheese. Other items on the menu includes rice bowls, bubble teas, Vietnamese coffee (they use Cafe du Monde brand) and sugar cane juice.
