On Monday morning I woke up before the sun to head to Logan Airport for a 7:00am flight to Pittsburgh, PA. A few hours later when I arrived at my company's office in Pittsburgh my co-workers were ecstatic to show me their city and more importantly, to take me out to eat!
After a productive morning we zipped up our winter coats and headed out onto the snowy streets of Pittsburgh. The office is located in an area called the Strip District and the ladies had selected a lunch place just a few streets away called Kaya.
Kaya is unassuming from the outside. Though it has a gold awning, it doesn't look like much.
When you open the outside the door, you are greeted by a second door and this one is shimmering gold. How pretty!
As soon as we opened the golden door, I felt like I'd been transported. Kaya was beautiful. It had Mexican flair and decor, but not in that corny, mariachi/sombrero kind of way.
The right side of the restaurant was a long bar. In addition to the tequila stacked behind the counter, the bar itself was very fun. It was mosaic tiled with green, blue and yellow tiles.
My favorite part of the bar was the stools! The skirts on the stools look like just like the hems of all the Flinstones costumes!
We were seated on the left side of the restaurant, in the very front table in the window. Before we even sat down, I noticed the design on the table.
Our waiter came right over to deliver us menus.
Kaya made it very easy for me by marking every vegetarian option with the letter "V." I would say one third of the menu is vegetarian. It was such a pleasant surprise to have so many delicious choices!
As a group we decided to start with the chips and mango salsa.
The mango salsa was a vibrant yellow, juicy and so refreshing.
The chips were a mix of potato and taro and I found myself fishing for the taro chips. I love those purple speckles!
Between the four of us, we sampled many menu items for lunch.
To the right of me, a co-worker ordered the grilled salmon salad. She said the fish was cooked perfectly, but that the salad advertised Romaine lettuce and it felt like she got a bowl of Iceberg.
Across from her, another co-worker ordered the crispy fish tacos. I could see from all the way across the table how fantastic they looked.
She said the fish was crispy on the outside and layered perfectly with the veggies and sauce on the tortilla.
The salad on the side was dressed nicely and she ate every last bite.
Across from me, a co-worker ordered the jerk pulled pork quesadilla which came with sweet potato fries and conch soup. Now this is a lunch!
Though we were in a Mexican place, I decided on the veggie burger. The burger came in a dramatic presentation:
I couldn't wait to cut into this puppy! Take a look at what was inside:
In addition to the veggie patty, tomato, avocado and Cotija cheese, the burger also had a sunny side up egg!
This was one of the best veggie burgers I've ever had. That egg elevated the burger up a giant step above others I've tasted.
The side of sweet potato fries had the perfect ratio of crispy to sweet.
Though Kaya doesn't look like much from the outside, on the inside, it's a Mexican, food paradise. The space is gorgeous, the servers are attentive and the food is out of this world.
Visit Kaya for yourself at 2000 Smallman Street in Pittsburgh, PA. You can also follow them on Twitter, @Kaya_Pittsburgh.
