Hub caps on the ceiling, gas pumps in the dining room, license plates decorating the wall...
The room filled with the smell of barbecue ribs, burgers, pork burritos, and...vegan seitan wings?
What is this mystical place?
It is none other than Pittsburgh's own Double Wide Grill.
I first met the DWG at the sweet age of 8, where I was enthralled to find tacos, fries, chicken wings, ribs, and pork burritos all in the same place. Eight years later, and a little more "picky" (healthy is a better word), I have returned to the Grill for a greater appreciation for it than I had as a kid.
This restaurant is a blast from the past, not that I really know what the past is (I'm a 90's kid! And barely, I was born in '98!)...
But honestly, this place has the decor of an old school diner, with all kinds of nick-knacks lining the walls and the ceilings; anything from license plates to hub caps to old pictures to gas pumps to bottle caps can be found all around. I love the feel of the place!
Another great feature of the South Side Location is of course the culture. There is always a new band or artist performing at DWG.
There are two locations, one in Cranberry, PA, the other in the South Side. They are both relatively the same, although the South Side location is usually busier and the service is usually better. But the Cranberry location is great if you don't want the crazy-city-busy-loud kind of thing.
For my review, I went to both locations. Let's first take a look at Cranberry:
First, the menu is huge. You could go there 50 times and never order the same thing. And, for all you fellow vegans or vegetarians, there are two full pages of foods...sweet!
The room filled with the smell of barbecue ribs, burgers, pork burritos, and...vegan seitan wings?
What is this mystical place?
It is none other than Pittsburgh's own Double Wide Grill.
I first met the DWG at the sweet age of 8, where I was enthralled to find tacos, fries, chicken wings, ribs, and pork burritos all in the same place. Eight years later, and a little more "picky" (healthy is a better word), I have returned to the Grill for a greater appreciation for it than I had as a kid.
This restaurant is a blast from the past, not that I really know what the past is (I'm a 90's kid! And barely, I was born in '98!)...
But honestly, this place has the decor of an old school diner, with all kinds of nick-knacks lining the walls and the ceilings; anything from license plates to hub caps to old pictures to gas pumps to bottle caps can be found all around. I love the feel of the place!
Another great feature of the South Side Location is of course the culture. There is always a new band or artist performing at DWG.
There are two locations, one in Cranberry, PA, the other in the South Side. They are both relatively the same, although the South Side location is usually busier and the service is usually better. But the Cranberry location is great if you don't want the crazy-city-busy-loud kind of thing.
For my review, I went to both locations. Let's first take a look at Cranberry:
First, the menu is huge. You could go there 50 times and never order the same thing. And, for all you fellow vegans or vegetarians, there are two full pages of foods...sweet!
Every single time I go to the Double Wide Grill, I get a full order of the seitan dry rub Cajun wings. They are made fresh each day and are served with carrots, celery and cucumber, with either ranch or blue cheese dressing. I eat them plain with the veggies. So delicious. You could just end the review here with those little cubes of perfection.
I should give a quick shoutout to another appetizer, the wood grilled veggies! Oh my. Veggies never tasted so good. Healthy, delicious, and I don't have to cook? I'm in!
I should give a quick shoutout to another appetizer, the wood grilled veggies! Oh my. Veggies never tasted so good. Healthy, delicious, and I don't have to cook? I'm in!
 Wood Grilled Veggies |  Seating Dry Rub Cajun Wings |
The service was great. Our waitress was so kind, and there were three people tending to us, filling up our drinks, bringing us napkins (we really needed those!), asking if we needed anything, etc. It wasn't overbearing, either.
I ordered the TV dinner. The DWG TV dinner is your choice of 2 main dishes with three sides. There are several options. The sides are always amazing and there are many of those as well. The TV dinner filled me up so much! I ordered the tofu and vegetable skewer made in homemade bbq sauce, Caribbean coconut tofu and the sides were the vegetable of the day, refried beans, and garlic vinegar coleslaw. I loved everything, but the Caribbean coconut tofu needed more sauce.
I ordered the TV dinner. The DWG TV dinner is your choice of 2 main dishes with three sides. There are several options. The sides are always amazing and there are many of those as well. The TV dinner filled me up so much! I ordered the tofu and vegetable skewer made in homemade bbq sauce, Caribbean coconut tofu and the sides were the vegetable of the day, refried beans, and garlic vinegar coleslaw. I loved everything, but the Caribbean coconut tofu needed more sauce.
DWG TV Dinner
In past TV dinner orders, I've had the wood grilled portobello, which is an outstanding dish all on its own, marinated in some delicious sauce, and I've also had the barbecue pulled seitan! So delicious. Vegan paradise. Other sides include fries or vegan fries or sweet potato fries, mashed potatoes, cornbread, and red pepper rice.
I also ordered my favorite dish, Meatless Mushroom Stroganoff, with gravy on the side and red pepper rice, to go. It was so great for lunch the next day.
The stroganoff was voted Best Vegan Dish in Pittsburgh! What an honor!
 "Best Vegan Dish" Award |  Meatless Mushroom Stroganoff |
Border Patrol Veggie Burger Onto my mom's order. For the record, she's not only my mom, but she is my absolute best friend AND she is also my volunteer guinea pig for trying new foods!
She was game to try the "Border Patrol" veggie burger without cheese on a vegan roll, with the works of tomato, lettuce, pickles, avocado and jalapeños.
On the side, she had vegan sweet potato fries. The fries are served with a sweet cinnamon sugar sauce, but we don't eat it as it contains dairy.
Mom honestly said the burger was a tad dry, but "The avocados are so bomb!" She just added their homemade bbq and it was instantly better. On a scale from 1-10, she rated it a 7.
Mom also added that she thinks the DWG has a 'rustic' theme, eccentric in a good way...kind of like Quaker Steak and Lube or Outback Steak House in regards to the license plates, bottle caps, and gas pumps. You can sit and eat in the 'trailer', too! We decided to describe the place as so:
Mid-90's rustic hippie theme. All at the same time. But who knows. We're crazy! You have to go see this place for yourself if you're ever in the 'Burgh!
She was game to try the "Border Patrol" veggie burger without cheese on a vegan roll, with the works of tomato, lettuce, pickles, avocado and jalapeños.
On the side, she had vegan sweet potato fries. The fries are served with a sweet cinnamon sugar sauce, but we don't eat it as it contains dairy.
Mom honestly said the burger was a tad dry, but "The avocados are so bomb!" She just added their homemade bbq and it was instantly better. On a scale from 1-10, she rated it a 7.
Mom also added that she thinks the DWG has a 'rustic' theme, eccentric in a good way...kind of like Quaker Steak and Lube or Outback Steak House in regards to the license plates, bottle caps, and gas pumps. You can sit and eat in the 'trailer', too! We decided to describe the place as so:
Mid-90's rustic hippie theme. All at the same time. But who knows. We're crazy! You have to go see this place for yourself if you're ever in the 'Burgh!
Vegan Chili Anyways, back to the important part of the restaurant: The Food!
When I visited the South Side location I had a great experience..
As always, I had the seitan wings. The wings are available in 6 different possible sauces/rubs. Three are vegan! The bbq is great but I like the Cajun dry rub best. Before going vegan, I had their spiciest sauce, tearjerker, and loved it. It set my mouth on fire!
I also had the bowl of vegan chili. The chili was so good! I've had the chili in the past, but the most recent chili is the best one yet!
In past visits, I've had the cal-a-forn-i-a salad, without the avocado, and with their house made cilantro-lime vinaigrette. DWG has many salads with 9 topping options and 9 dressing options!
The prices are fairly reasonable, the meal is well prepared, delicious, plated nicely, and the service is great.
For my dinner, I had a Vegan Gyro. The gyro was okay, but I ate the inside and not the soft pita wrap. There was bbq seitan, lettuce, a homemade sauce, pico and hot sauce. I wasn't full after this. However, the Gyro really was the only thing I've eaten at DWG that I wasn't satisfied with.
When I visited the South Side location I had a great experience..
As always, I had the seitan wings. The wings are available in 6 different possible sauces/rubs. Three are vegan! The bbq is great but I like the Cajun dry rub best. Before going vegan, I had their spiciest sauce, tearjerker, and loved it. It set my mouth on fire!
I also had the bowl of vegan chili. The chili was so good! I've had the chili in the past, but the most recent chili is the best one yet!
In past visits, I've had the cal-a-forn-i-a salad, without the avocado, and with their house made cilantro-lime vinaigrette. DWG has many salads with 9 topping options and 9 dressing options!
The prices are fairly reasonable, the meal is well prepared, delicious, plated nicely, and the service is great.
For my dinner, I had a Vegan Gyro. The gyro was okay, but I ate the inside and not the soft pita wrap. There was bbq seitan, lettuce, a homemade sauce, pico and hot sauce. I wasn't full after this. However, the Gyro really was the only thing I've eaten at DWG that I wasn't satisfied with.
The cornbread (not vegan, but pre-vegan, I loved it) is great, the soups and chilis are homemade, there are many burger and sandwich options that can be made into wraps, there are a ton of appetizers, 9 homemade dressings, different salads, a vegan/vegetarian menu, and really something for everyone, with great service all for about $15-20 a person! Where else can you get a meal like that?
Overall, I would give this groovy restaurant an 8/10. The place is always busy as can be and has two awesome locations with great service. The menu is so variegated and you can honestly never run out of options, whether you opt for the vegan wings, a steak, Caribbean tofu, pork burritos, rice balls, bbq pulled seitan or a huge salad, not to mention the countless side dishes.
Try the DWG if you're ever in Pittsburgh, you won't be disappointed!
-Gigi Balsamico, Founder of www.VegansSaveTheWorld.com
To find Gigi's biography as well as her first article for Foodie Friday click HERE!
Overall, I would give this groovy restaurant an 8/10. The place is always busy as can be and has two awesome locations with great service. The menu is so variegated and you can honestly never run out of options, whether you opt for the vegan wings, a steak, Caribbean tofu, pork burritos, rice balls, bbq pulled seitan or a huge salad, not to mention the countless side dishes.
Try the DWG if you're ever in Pittsburgh, you won't be disappointed!
-Gigi Balsamico, Founder of www.VegansSaveTheWorld.com
To find Gigi's biography as well as her first article for Foodie Friday click HERE!
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