The 5 Most Mouth-Watering Spots To Get Pierogis In All Of Pittsburgh, Per Locals

Ask five different Pittsburghers where their favorite pierogi place is, and you may very well get five different answers. These Polish dumplings are sacred in the Steel City, a scrumptious reminder of how important Eastern European immigrants have been to local culture and cuisine, and pierogi-lovers know what they like. Plenty of people will answer the question by saying, "My grandmother's kitchen," while others will cite churches and cafeterias from their youth. This is a city that hosts an annual Pierogi Festival, after all, and one of its most beloved baseball traditions is the Pierogi Race — where mascots dressed in pierogi costumes and sprint around PNC Park between innings.

So what does this mean for visitors? How do you pick a place, or even three places, during a long weekend, when there are so many options? The pierogies themselves are pretty consistent; they're shaped from unleavened dough, stuffed with cheeses, meats, or potatoes, then boiled and (often) fried. They're typically served with sour cream or caramelized onions, but you'd be forgiven for just picking one up with your fingers and munching on it like a miniature Hot Pocket. Beyond that, pierogies lend themselves to little variations: What if you tried an offbeat stuffing? What kinds of meats or greens could you add to the dish? Each place has its own style, especially where homemade pierogies are concerned, and Pittsburgh chefs love to riff on tradition. Case in point, these are five Pittsburgh restaurants well worthy of the Michelin Guide, according to foodies.

So, where do you start your pierogi journey? We've picked out five of our favorite pierogi joints in Pittsburgh, based on local food publications, personal experience, and community consensus on Reddit. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it should give you a tasty start.

Standing on a quiet stretch of Penn Avenue, Apteka is an attractive Eastern European cafe with an industrial-style interior and youthful following. To the surprise of many who might associate Slavic cooking with sausage and cream, Apteka is also a vegan restaurant, so every ingredient in these pierogies is plant-based, including the fillings. Plates include the Smazone Pierogi, with sauerkraut and mushroom or smoked carrots, potatoes, onions, and cabbage slaw, or the Pierogi z Ziemniakami, which includes a smoky czarna ("black") salsa.

Apteka is located in Bloomfield, a popular area for artists and young professionals, and the elegant presentation gives the place a trendy, upmarket vibe. Lots of online reviews direct foodies to Apteka for its atmosphere, meatless entrees, and wine shop, and local blog Discover the Burgh describes it as "a booming local favorite." The menu showcases a variety of other delights, like Placek Ziemniaczany po Wegiersku (potato pancakes) and Gołabki (stuffed cabbage). Others might suggest this as a secondary option, as Apteka isn't your "classic" Polish-American experience.

Sometimes, you don't even need to actively seek out a pierogi — it must just come right to you, thanks to the bright red-and-yellow Pittsburgh Pierogi Truck. The Steel City has a long history of vehicle-based street food, a phenomenon that has only grown in popularity in recent years. The Pierogi Truck offers the kind of down-home cooking that this city was built on: haluski, stuffed cabbage, and yes, pierogies. For such a small kitchen, the variety of pierogies is impressive, from potato and cheese to beef, mushroom, and sauerkraut.

The Pierogi Truck moves around quite a bit, planting itself at parking lots, local events, and small businesses across the city, so you'll have to keep an eye on its Facebook page. You can buy pierogies in batches of 3, 6, or 12, or you can order a "Polish Platter," which combines the dumplings with other Polish staples. One of the niftiest options is to purchase frozen pierogies, which you can defrost and fry whenever you have a hankering.

Butterjoint is one of those hip gastropubs that have popped up across Pittsburgh in recent years, and if you like pub food made well — and beer to match — check out this spot. A lot of folks come here for the burgers (including veggie burgers) and sandwiches, which are reason enough to drop in; others seek gourmet items, like the Faroe Island Salmon and Lamb Belly. But Butterjoint serves several pierogi platters, from a casual side dish with sour cream to a full meal with sausage links. As one Redditor put it in a Pittsburgh pierogi forum: "Butterjoint has some ridiculously amazing pierogies."

Butterjoint is located in North Oakland, adjacent to the university district but a few blocks away from the University of Pittsburgh's busy heart. The thoughtful atmosphere and higher prices make this place more popular with young professionals than with undergrads, and the patronage is eclectic. Polish specialties aside, Butterjoint offers a well-stocked bar, a daily happy hour, and funky art and decor.

The Strip District is one of Pittsburgh's most famous destinations, especially for foodies. Once full of brick industrial buildings and smoky loading docks, Pittsburgh's vibrant Strip is now full of ethnic eats, converted warehouses, and unique markets. There is no better showcase of the Strip District food scene than S&D Polish Deli, which opened on busy Penn Avenue in 2008. What began as a purveyor of imported Polish goods later expanded to include a kitchen turning out house-made pierogies and other specialties. You can order the Pierogi Platter for yourself (including a dozen dumplings), or you could feed a family or office with a catered Pierogi Pan. In a local Reddit thread simply called "Polish Food," many users recommended this spot. "S&D Polish Deli in the strip is the real deal," wrote one. "Not much for ambiance but the food is legit and a good deal."

A bonus to this location is its proximity to Polish Hill, a neighborhood founded by Eastern European immigrants in the late 19th century. This hillside community is mostly residential, but the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church is among the most beautiful sacred spaces in Pittsburgh — with some services held in the Polish language — and many residents hold strongly to their roots. From S&D, the middle of Polish Hill is a (steep) 5-minute drive.

Locals rave about Pierogies Plus, a cozy little takeout spot in McKees Rocks that popped up frequently when Redditors discussed the best options in town. Built into a former gas station, Pierogies Plus serves very traditional dumplings made on the premises. Owner Helen Mannarino grew up in Poland, where she helped with a family restaurant, before moving to Western Pennsylvania and opening her own business in 1991. The space is small but busy, functioning much like a deli for people on the go. Many swear by the pierogies' tastiness and authenticity, and they often come for other Polish favorites, like kielbasa links and haluski pasta. Most of the sampler platters are a little over $10 and will satisfy most appetites.

Note that McKees Rocks is about 5 miles downriver from Downtown Pittsburgh and most easily reached by car. It's technically just beyond the city limits of Pittsburgh and qualifies as a suburb, but few visitors will tell the difference, and a dozen hot-sausage pierogies are well worth a few extra minutes. If the dough doesn't agree with you, no problem: Pierogies Plus has a whole gluten-free menu. As one user put it on Yelp: "I wish I could give this place 10 stars. The pierogies are perfect. So many good choices. Plus the ladies who work there are so sweet."

The establishments in this list were selected through a process that involved researching reviews from respected sources and visitor accounts from sites like Reddit, as well as first-hand knowledge. (The author lived in Pittsburgh for many years and greatly misses the Bloomfield Bridge Tavern.) Sources consulted include Table Pittsburgh author Emma Riva's 2025 article on the subject, as well as community outlet NextPittsburgh, via writer Michael Machosky's 2024 coverage on the region's pierogi offerings.

Location was a factor, as all of these pierogies can be found within Pittsburgh or extremely close by. Many Pittsburgh first-timers stay near the revitalized bustling Downtown and won't have to travel far for any of these. The locations also represent a range of styles and business configurations; you can buy their dumplings prepared or frozen, from a supermarket aisle, an old-school deli, or a fancy restaurant.