A visitor to Honeygrow, the recently opened fast-casual spot in East Liberty, is apt to be greeted by a chorus of “Welcome to Honeygrow!” from the staff members working in the bright, open kitchen.
Honeygrow is a relatively small chain that combines the fresh-ingredients spirit of Chipotle with the convenience of a Sheetz MTO kiosk. The ordering interface plays soft-focused drone footage of Pittsburgh neighborhoods while it waits for customers to put it to use. On the wall is an old-school number board, like one might see in a train station, displaying all the order numbers currently in the process.
Vibrantly colored chalkboards hang on shiny white-tile walls, showing off menu items as well as a complete list of the locally sourced ingredients and where they come from. Local purveyors include: cucumbers and kale from Wexford Farms (Wexford), two different honeys from Draper’s Super Bee Apiary (Millerton), cheese from Sommer Maid (Pipersville), and lettuce from Yarnicks Farm (Indiana).
At these kiosks you can order freshly made juices, stir fry, salad or honeybar (fruit, honey and other toppings like yogurt and granola). I indulged in a stir fry, made with red coconut curry sauce. I added chicken as my protein, atop egg-white noodles, plus vegetables (sprouts, edamame and mushrooms) and pickled cucumber as garnish. My honeybar contained yogurt, blueberries, strawberries and bananas with wildflower honey and granola.
Honeygrow is a convenient, relatively quick spot to pick up a tasty, healthier fast-food choice for lunch or dinner.
10:30 a.m.-10 p.m. 105 S. Highland Ave., East Liberty. 412-450-8524 or www.honeygrow.com
