The Vandal is a modern cafe located in Lawrenceville that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The small restaurant has a clean and minimalistic feel with simple colors that really put the main focus on the food. The room is bright and open, as there are only around 8 tables and 6 counter seats. Although there is limited seating, the food is definitely worth any wait.
The brunch menu at The Vandal had a wide selection of great food.
The Vandal has a hipster vibe to it and customers can get coffee to go or sit down and enjoy breakfast, lunch, or dinner on weekdays, and breakfast, brunch, or dinner on Saturdays. I went to The Vandal on a Saturday, anticipating a lunch menu; however, I was given the brunch menu. Although I was disappointed at the beginning, the amazing food soon turned around my disappointment. The brunch menu ranged from a fried chicken sandwich to classic eggs to tea cakes. Selecting was hard, but it is hard to go wrong with any dish on the menu.
The lattes we had were some of the best we have ever tasted.
To drink, I had a chai tea latte, which rivaled some of the best lattes I have ever had. There was a significant layer of sweet, spiced foam. The drink was not too sweet and there was a good flavor of spices. It was the perfect temperature and was a great addition to my meal. My mother had a latte, which also rivaled some of the best lattes she had ever had. It had significant foam and a cool design on top that made it picture-worthy. The taste was super smooth and we got some lattes to go. As our starters, we got the tea cake and the rice pudding. The tea cake was topped with a whipped cream and oranges and had an almond batter. The cake melted in our mouths and the almond did not get lost and was a strong flavor throughout the dish. It was very light and fluffy and the oranges added a change in flavor to the cake and whipped cream. The presentation of the dish was clean, but the main focus was on the tea cake. The rice pudding was amazing. It was topped with apple jam and crushed hazelnuts, which were a great combination. The pudding was smooth and not runny. The pudding itself was not too sweet and the apple jam added a nice touch of fruity sweetness to the pudding. The starter was the perfect amount and was not too much that it overwhelmed us. From this first impression, we had high hopes that were met with the main dishes.
The tea cake and rice pudding were amazing. I highly recommend both of them.
For my main dish, I got the soft scramble that came with chives, ricotta, rye bread, and an arugula salad. At multiple restaurants, I have gotten useless side salads that are just there for filler and add nothing to the dish. However, this was not the case. The salad tasted great with the eggs or rye bread and it added something to the dish. The flavor of the eggs was really good and I could taste the chives that were in the eggs. The portion size was very generous and I could not finish it all. The presentation was clean and simple but the dish itself was not as plain. The toast, salad, and eggs all tasted good together, and the different combinations of eggs, toast, and salad added variety to the dish. Overall, this dish was great and I would recommend it to anyone. For my mother’s main dish, she got the red potato hash with onion, squash, brussel sprouts, jalapeno, and sour cream. The dish had a slight kick to it because of the jalapenos, but it was nothing too spicy that overwhelmed the overall taste. The potatoes were cooked perfectly and were soft and not too starchy. It was a good portion of food that was easy to eat. The brussel sprouts in the dish added variety to it by mixing up the textures so potato was not the only taste or texture in the dish.
The wait staff at the Vandal was very kind and they kept the food moving. Although we had multiple servers at the beginning, the servers became consistent and we got in and out of the cafe quickly. We did not have to wait long for our drinks or our food and everyone was nice about us taking the time to pick out what we wanted.
The Vandal is located in Lawrenceville, which is a very popular destination for restaurants and shopping. I would recommend The Vandal to anyone, really. There was something on the menu for everyone (although the gluten free, vegetarian, and vegan options seemed limited). The food and feel of the cafe were great and well worth any wait.
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Location: 4306 Butler St, Pittsburgh, PA 15201
Telephone: (412) 251-0465
Hours: 8am – 9pm (Wed-Sat), 8am – 2pm (Sun)
Accepts: Credit cards, cash
Parking: Street
Pricing: $$
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