Mi Empanada: What’s Vegetarian Editorial Review

Mi Empanada in Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood genuinely marks its vegetarian and vegan items, not just tolerates them. This Argentine empanada shop bakes several fillings in a dedicated vegan puff pastry and calls them out as vegan on the menu, which puts it ahead of most meat-forward restaurants that only offer a vague cheese option.

What’s vegetarian and vegan at Mi Empanada

Three vegan empanadas anchor the plant-based side of the menu. One is steamed spinach with caramelized onions and a vegan bechamel, wrapped in that vegan puff pastry. Another is slow-cooked butternut squash with corn, sweet bell peppers, and onions. A third combines sweet potato with black beans, hand-chopped spinach, cilantro, and a touch of cayenne. All three are made in the same vegan pastry shell, and the restaurant’s own descriptions specifically flag the vegan bechamel and vegan puff pastry rather than leaving you to guess.

How to order

Order the spinach, butternut squash, or sweet potato and black bean empanada by name and you’ll get a dish built to be vegan, not a meat filling with the meat removed. Mi Empanada also does catering, so if you’re feeding a mixed group, these three flavors are an easy way to cover vegan guests without a special request. Pair them with a side salad or one of the shop’s South American pastries if you want a bigger meal.

What to watch out for

This is a small kitchen that also fries and bakes meat-filled empanadas, so if cross-contact is a hard limit for you, ask how they separate vegan dough and fillings during prep. The vegan selection is limited to those three flavors, so if you’re looking for a large vegan menu rather than a few well-made options, this isn’t that. Everything else on the menu, including the non-vegan empanadas, sandwiches, and sides, is built around meat or dairy fillings, so outside the three labeled vegan flavors you’re not going to find a broader vegetarian section to fall back on. Plan your order around those three empanadas specifically rather than expecting flexibility elsewhere on the menu.

Is Mi Empanada worth it?

Yes, especially if you want vegan food that doesn’t taste like an afterthought. A 4.5-star Google rating across hundreds of reviews backs up what the menu promises, and reviewers specifically call out the vegan empanadas as standouts rather than a checkbox item. For a quick, honest vegan meal in Pittsburgh, this is a solid stop. Mi Empanada has been open in Lawrenceville since 2020, built around a stated focus on Argentine cuisine and honest cooking, and the shop cooks with olive oil rather than seed oils and makes its dough fresh daily, details that matter if you’re paying attention to how your food is actually prepared. Beyond the empanadas, the counter also sells sandwiches, sides, and locally sourced South American pastries, so there’s room to build out a full meal or grab something to go. The shop is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9am to 9pm and Sunday from 11am to 7pm, closed Mondays, and it takes catering orders if you want the vegan empanadas for a group rather than a single visit.