Udipi Cafe

"This suburban Indian restaurant is one of the region’s oldest vegetarian establishments. The bustling dining room at Udipi resembles a neighborhood diner, but instead of plates of eggs and hash browns, it’s an assemblage of dishes from southern India’s Tuluva-Mangalorean and Andhra cuisines. The main draws are dosas, fermented rice, and lentil batter griddled into yard-long crepes stuffed with potatoes, onions, and other ingredients. Sambahr (lentil and vegetable soup), deluxe thali platter, and chili padoka are among other favorite dishes." - Melissa McCart, Hal B. Klein

"It’s not easy to find South Indian vegetarian dishes in Pittsburgh. This is why we love Udipi, a casual spot that’s about a 20-minute drive from downtown. The gobi manchurian alone is worth filling up your gas tank, as you’ll get a huge plate of perfectly roasted cauliflowers tossed in a sweet, tangy Indo-Chinese sauce. Pile into the red leather booths with friends and order one of their 21 dosa varieties, filled with things like potatoes and spicy Andhra chutney or some okra bhindi masala—our favorite of the 18 curries that pairs perfectly with the city’s puffiest bhatura bread" - elaine zedack, quayla allen

"When you walk into Everyday, you'll see a lineup of their staff hand-pulling fresh noodles behind a window. We would definitely watch this daily if they set up a livestream, but we're also here all the time—and so is everybody else in Squirrel Hill. There may be a bit of a wait to sit down, but stick it out, because pretty much everything here is delicious. Start with the wood ear mushroom and garlic-marinated tofu skin appetizer, and then tack on some hot spicy wonton noodles that are piled with cilantro and scallions. While the noodles here are excellent, it’s the soup dumplings that keep us coming back, specifically the classic pork and the shrimp and loofah ones. After you eat, explore one of the bookstores on Forbes Avenue, and hit a post-lunch matinee around the corner at the Manor Theater." - Quayla Allen