Bitter Ends Luncheonette Review – Fresh Flavors in Bloomfield

Published by Angie. Last Updated on April 22, 2022.

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Note: Bitter Ends closed permanently in April 2022.

You may have seen the Bitter Ends pop up at the Bloomfield Farmers Market on Saturdays in the past, but now they've got their very own storefront in Bloomfield.

With farm fresh ingredients (straight from their own farm) and everything made from scratch including bread and pastries, soups, and sandwiches, we haven't been this ecstatic about a restaurant opening in a while.

Luncheonette Offers Healthy Dining in Bloomfield

Bitter Ends Luncheonette in Bloomfield

Part of our excitement is due to the chef's, Becca Hegarty's, connection to Bread and Salt Bakery.

Like many food-loving Pittsburghers, we were devastated when Bread and Salt closed, but the bread Hegarty is baking up here is crusty, toothsome, and very reminiscent of the bread there.

Bitter Ends Luncheonette is a diner-style setup with a long, narrow building with the open kitchen on the left and a few small tables on the right. The menu is somewhat small with pastries, soups, and sandwiches, but it suits the restaurant's concept and space.

We started off with some sweets including donut holes and a maple donut. The donut holes were impressively light and fluffy on the inside with a good crunch on the outside.

They tasted like they were made from whole grain flour which was an interesting twist.

The maple donut was also delicious and was topped with an almost buttery maple glaze made with Pennsylvania maple syrup.

Bitter Ends Luncheonette in Bloomfield

With our sugar fix complete, we moved on to healthier dishes like the vegetable soup. It was surprisingly hearty and savory given that it was vegetarian. Super thin slices of potatoes, turnips carrots, and herbs gave texture and freshness.

Of course, it was served with some of their crusty whole grain bread.

Bitter Ends Luncheonette in Bloomfield

We also tried the veggie sandwich and the potatoes, both of which were revelations.

The potatoes were smashed hunks cooked up crispy on the griddle and covered in butter, onions, and herbs- who knew that fried potatoes could taste so fresh?

Bitter Ends Luncheonette in Bloomfield

And last but not least, we dug in to the veggie sandwich which was made using more of their brilliant bread.

The bread was slathered with pumpkin puree that kept things creamy and saucy. A slew of crunchy veggies like lettuce, radishes, and carrots topped it off.

I never would have guessed that such fresh flavors could be coaxed from winter veggies, but Bitter Ends Luncheonette is proving it can be done, and done beautifully. And it makes us even more excited to return in the summer to see what they do with the height of summer veggie bounty.

Bitter Ends Luncheonette was located at 4613 Liberty Avenue in Bloomfield and closed in April 2022.

For more healthy dining options in Pittsburgh, check out Onion Maiden or Apteka– two great vegan restaurants in the city! For a non-vegan option, check out honeygrow in East Liberty!

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