Tin Front Cafe

So here’s what I like:
Décor–
It’s artistic, eclectic and original.
Staff–
Friendly, eager to assist, upbeat and genuinely seem to love being there.
Food–
THE FOOD!
I adore the arugula salad (minus the pecans). It’s fresh and full of flavor.
Fried egg with provolone and arugula sandwich may sound basic and it’s a simple food but the taste explosion in my mouth is anything but basic. The way the cheese and warm egg mesh with that first bite is nothing short of delightful.
Other foods that I dig–
Apple and grilled cheddar cheese sandwich (probably my fave) and the pear/​Swiss grilled sandwich=to die for!

How did it take so long to find out about this place?! Beautiful warm inviting comforting feel, I did not want to leave to return to work, but felt refreshed to do so! Recovering from an URI, the young lady helped me choose a nice smooth ginger tea. Just had to have some quiche which came with a fabulous salad! Spoke with the wonderful owner„ shared my love for the place. Next time I’m allowing time to shop a The Annex cookery next door!

I want to make it very clear what you’re walking in to. This is a vegan restaurant. I was very unclear what this was before I went in so don’t expect any meat or big greasy dishes. With that being said, this being my first vegan dining experience, it made me want to do it more often, everything was fantastic,
The location is on 8^th Ave in Homestead. It’s charming, welcoming & clean. They have indoor and outdoor seating, if it’s summer I suggest sitting out back.
The food. Dear lord baby Jesus it was awesome! We got the peas and greens siracha quesadilla and if I just ate that I’d be stuffed. Something about the legumes and greens that really makes you feel full. We also got the black bean burger and my only gripe was I wish it was a bit more solid, it was a little mushy, but it’s still a ⁹⁄₁₀ black bean burger!
I also got a Bloody Mary and the mix is made in house, you could tell. Refreshing at 2:00pm!
If you’re looking for a light meal in the day and you’re vegan or even not, Tin Front Café is a good choice!

Had a very good lunch here. The Griddled Pear and Smoked Swiss Grilled Cheese was excellent. Also greatly enjoyed the Vanilla Java Porter beer. Would like to definitely visit again for the food & drink, but… Only downside was need for odor control. There was a musty smell near the inside front entrance and a continued unpleasant smell in the building during meal — possibly from the table mats, but I did not want to put my face close to mat to smell it. If anyone knows the proprietors, please pass this along. Otherwise, I would have given 5 stars.

Oh man so good. This place is a gem in the rough. Don’t go to Bar Louie. Come to this place. I came down here on a Tuesday and it was empty. Ridiculous. Risotto stuffed portobellos was delicious, as was spinach salad. Awesome old fashioned and delicious wine selection. Five stars. Don’t be a corporate drone. Support you mom and pops.

I decided to explore homestead as I’m not very familiar with that part of town other than the mall at the waterfront. I’m also not a big fan of malls, so was looking to explore the neighborhood vibe.
My overall impression is that it’s a sleepy and quiet borough with a lot of beautiful churches. 8^th street has a few shops and restaurants, but what stood out to me was the blight.
Truth be told I landed at this restaurant because I was looking for a coffee shop to charge my phone while getting a small bite to eat. When I walked in, there was another party wrapping up their meal, but the restaurant was largely empty. My server was really nice and pointed me to a few things on the menu I could try. I settled on the spicy spinach quesadilla. I liked the sound of spinach, mushrooms and cheese. I also ordered a cup of coffee.
The quesadilla was A-​okay. It was very cheesy, so if that’s your thing, you’d love this dish. The coffee wasn’t great at all. First it came luke warm and the size of the cup was rather small. I didn’t bother to bring it to my server’s attention.
I like the concept of a vegan/​vegetarian restaurant, but probably wouldn’t return to this location.

The Tin Front Café is one of my favorite restaurants. I’ve tried the broccoli/​cheddar quiche, spinach/​swiss quiche, smoked swiss and pear sandwich, and the summer squash omelette. I’m a vegetarian, and it’s really great (and frankly unexpected) to have a vegetarian restaurant just five minutes from my house. Everything I’ve has has been really really good. The food takes a while to get to the table, so this really isn’t a quick lunch, but it’s worth the wait. Definitely check out the brunch. Last time I went, there were spicy potatoes, chili (SO SO GOOD), and a couple different muffins to choose from along with the entrée.

A very unique place! Great food, a nice wine selection and friendly staff! The outside area is very quaint! Looking forward to sitting on the patio this summer for a Sunday Funday

Wow, what a great find in Homestead!
Bobby and i were shopping in the Waterfront. It was freezing and we just wanted to warm up with some coffee before heading home. I know there is a coffee shop in target, but im not a fan of that chain’s coffee (tastes like a burnt bean if you ask me) I usually prefer smaller coffee shops and trusted Unilocal to help me find one. Tin Front Café was recommended and just around the corner.
What a cute little shop! Tin Front Café offers food, booze and (delicious) coffee. I ordered a chai with soy since i’m watching what I eat. My boyfriend ordered a caramel Latte. The taste of tin fronts latte was amazing. Ellie informed us they use special beans (forgot where she said they were from) The result was a bold yet rich and smooth latte.
I checked out their food menu which had unique options as well as plenty of vegan and gluten free options. Ellie also mentioned that there is a store next door. We had to run but no doubt we will be back. Loved it!

I cannot say enough about the Tin Front Café. They have a limited menu and a bit of a long wait for the food, but it is worth it. Nice casual atmosphere. Daniel and Ellie are wonderful. I wish them all the best with their establishment. This is a true gem of a place and the food is all homemade and delicious. Must visit. will be back again and again. always check Allegheny county health department website for this and any other establishment you are dining at

I drive past this café almost everyday, and I somehow never noticed it! My mom learned of the café through living social so we decided to dine here for lunch on a weekday. We had a wonderful experience overall! The interior is very cute and the bar is beautiful. After a long time of deliberating because the entire menu looked delicious, we ordered our grilled portobello sandwiches and looked around in the cute little shop attached to the café while we were waiting for our food. Before we knew it, our food was ready and the sandwiches did not disappoint! Although I loved what I ordered, next time I think I will have to try one of their salads. They all sounded so fresh and tasty! Not only were the food, the service, and the atmosphere all on point, but the prices were also pretty reasonable for the quality. I can’t wait to try their dinner or brunch next!

Continuing our losing streak, we had a disappointing brunch at the Tin Front Café. Now, I know that Pittsburgh can do vegetarian, having gone to Quiet Storm a couple years back. Alas, they have gone to the great carrot juicer in the sky, so we decided to check out Tin Front for a Sunday brunch. I will say this: their baked goods are more than reasonable, but you don’t go out to brunch for the cookies.
I got the mushroom gorgonzola omelette and Heather and got the apple-​brie French toast. The omelette was a lumpy affair of huge blue cheese pieces and a couple slices of mushroom. I took out some of the cheese chunks and put them on top of the salad, which otherwise consisted of limp mixed greens with cranberries and shaved carrots. I tried to round it out with the chili, but that was just too tomato-​y.
The homefries were cayenne-​spicy without having much flavor, and the coffee was weak. The French toast, made (bafflingly) from baguette, had not been in egg very long, and therefore trended closer to plain old toast.
The bloody mary was good with the house-​infused horseradish vodka, but it did not justify the trip. I appreciate that there is a certain intrinsic value to a vegetarian restaurant, but this one didn’t do it for us.

Great food, simple with a complex twist to ingredients
Good location
Nice patio space
Excellent atmosphere

I’ve only been to Tin Front three times, but every time I’ve been there I’ve been satisfied. The first two times I got Mac n cheese. I always try my boyfriends food and he had some kind of squash ravioli that wasn’t my style, but I could see other people liking it.
Today I went for the brunch buffet. You get to pick one entrée and can go to the buffet for sides. My boyfriend and I shared spiced pear pancakes and a slice of broccoli cheddar quiche. My friend and her boyfriend got the spinach quiche and the pear pancakes. The quiches were delicious, filled with tons of cheese, and cooked perfectly. The Bloody Mary’s we ordered we only $ 5 but we paid the $ 1.50 extra for the horseradish infused vodka (and it was well worth it.) The bloody’s were smooth and very refreshing.
The buffet area had: a selection of muffins, cookies, and bread in one area, fruit and salad in the next section, and a hot area that had very flavorful (maybe a tiny bit too spicy) potatoes and vegetarian chili. I thought everything was awesome and I ate way too much.
The place is also adorable, clean, and has very friendly and professional staff. If you’re in the waterfront homestead area and want something unique/​vegetarian/​generally healthy, Tin Front should be a place you check out.

Just hit the Tin Front for the first time. Food was very good, Broccoli Frittata with crusted cheese was pretty amazing, Friend had the 4-​Cheese Mac n Cheese and was happy as well. We started with house salads, an arugula mix with cheese, cranberries and house balsamic — extremely fresh and tasty.
The bar is certainly extensive, although we opted for soft drinks.
There are a few tables out front and an adorable outdoor garden area that we chose, rain-​be-​damned, to occupy.
It was a very pleasant meal on a rainy Thursday night and we agreed that there is much on the menu left to explore!

Adore this place. It’s super out of the way for me, but it’s worth it. The atmosphere is a mixture of diner and artsy. The service is good, and the food and alcohol are reasonably priced. The best part? Everything is vegetarian, with vegan and gluten free options also available.
Favorite items:
4 bean chili
Mac and cheese
Quiche
Peas and greens
I’m hoping to find time to go back there to try more things! So far only been for dinner a few times. Always delicious. It goes to show that Southern food can be healthy and veg friendly!

Wonderful food served in a charming ambiance. I took my vegetarian friend here, and was delighted to see so many vegetarian options to chose from. We experienced great service. The Tin Front is a great place for a quiet conversation and enjoying unique food. The Chili with mashed potatoes was an unusual treat, and it turns out it is a traditional Italian recipe. Their vegetarian Chili won an award, which is a high honor in my book.
They have some quirky modern sculpture on the patio, which all adds to the charm. What a fun place for food and conversation!

Another example of a comfortable, quality dinning establishment that happens to be on the other side of the tracks from the Waterfront. They have a one page menu catering exclusively to the vegetarian nitch. Don’t get me wrong, I like a burger or steak just as much as the next guy. But I also enjoy carrots and tomatoes too every now and then.
Today, beings that it’s been cold and rainy all day, I was in the mood for some chili and a beer. I stopped into the Tin Front and got a bowl of the Four Bean Chili. It took about five minutes from the time I ordered it to be placed in front of me. It was delicious and the Penn Dark Lager that I ordered complimented it well.
My only complaint with the chili was that the cheese (optional) that was on it was very stringy. I had to wrestle with it using a slice of bread on every spoonful. It became very annoying.
The only other thing I don’t like about this place is the bar stools. They’re too low for the bar and you feel like a little kid sitting there.
Those are only two minor knit-​picks. Really, the place is an enjoyable establishment worth stopping for. The staff is super nice, the ambiance is subtly romantic and the small selection of beers are all quality. I also noticed how impeccably clean it’s kept.
If you’re in the mood for a meatless meal, give the Tin Front a try.

I am so very disappointed with my visit to Tin Front Café today. So much so, in fact, that I am writing my first review.
My friend and I stopped in for a late lunch. After an incredibly awkward exchange with a woman who we weren’t even sure worked there, we were sat. The same woman, who we now know to be our waitress, brought us water and a menu. We sat for fifteen minutes, watching her sit at the bar and chat with another gentleman. After getting her attention, we gave her our order, which amounted to two cups of butternut bisque and two grilled sandwiches. Twenty minutes later, our soup is up. The chef rings a bell and our waitress is nowhere to be seen. After some time, the man sitting at the bar gets up to bring us our soup. We ask for silverware, we ask for napkins– he brings them to the table after searching behind the bar reluctantly. We still aren’t sure if he worked there.
There is a hair in my friends soup. We wait, still no waitress.
She comes back into the room and looks at our full bowls. This is after another ten minutes. She approaches our table and says, «You can’t finish your soup?» to which I reply, «There is a hair in her soup.» She asks «Where?» and we point, still floating in the bowl. She then says, «I don’t see it. You must have better eyes than me,» as she proceeds to take the bowl to the bar and find her glasses to search for the hair. Working in the service industry our whole lives, we are both mortified. She comes back to the table with the bowl and tells us she found it. No apology, no other acknowledgement, just «Well, what’s wrong with your soup then?» I explained I wasn’t interested in my soup after finding the hair. I explained I would gladly pay for it, it just wasn’t appetizing to me anymore. She disappears again.
At this point, we have waited an hour for two grilled cheese sandwiches and have been treated like we weren’t supposed to be there. When she reappeared, she called to us from the kitchen window, «Don’t you want your sandwiches?» as the bell rang. She brought us our lunch, and said «Remember when I told you it was shift change?» We were so confused what that had to do with us, or the hair in our soup, or her general rudeness. At this point, we were both very uncomfortable, so I went to the bar to request our check and a couple of boxes. She proceeded to tell me that they make everything fresh and that’s why it takes time, and asked «Have you ever been here?» I told her that I had been here quite a few times and couldn’t wait to bring my friend in, but that this was unlike any other experience I have ever had.
It was the single most awkward encounter in a restaurant I’ve had. We don’t particularly care about the wait for the food, it was the fact that we were treated so poorly, as if we were inconveniencing the employees by supporting their business. Needless to say, I will not be visiting or recommending the Tin Front Café in the future.

Great shot, easy to find just the right plate for any appetite. We had Black bean hummus
Spinach salad w shaved beets, apples, almonds, and Gorgonzola.
Black eyed peas & kale w ginger and onion.
Ratatouille over polenta. Butternut squash lasagna. Sounds like a lot of food but the small plates were perfect sized for good appetites.
The menu changes frequently and there seems to be something for everybody.