Just as the average Pittsburgher much prefers the taste of a cold IC Light over, say, that of a late vintage California Chardonnay, so too does the Steel City prefer meat over, well, no meat. But vegetarians, and even vegans, need not despair: Pittsburgh is also home to a reasonable number of quality, vegan and veggie-friendly eateries.

The Zenith (86 S. 26th St., 412/481-4833, www.zenithpgh.com) on Pittsburgh’s South Side is not only a vegetarian restaurant but also an antique shop and an art gallery. Certainly try the hugely popular Tofishy tofu sandwich, and don’t miss the always-packed Sunday brunch (11 a.m.–3 p.m.), with its ever-rotating menu.

The formerly all-vegetarian Hunan Kitchen (5882 Forbes Ave., 412/422-7188) in Squirrel Hill still offers a decent selection of meat-free Asian dishes. A word to the wise: Steer clear of the tofu.

Any of the area’s four Mad Mex (370 Atwood St., 412/681-5656, www.madmex.com) locations are happy to veg-o-fy practically anything on the menu; the truly hardcore can even request soy cheese and soy sour cream! In fact, the entire family of eateries owned by the Big Burrito Restaurant Group — which includes Kaya (2000 Smallman St., 412/261-6565, www.bigburrito.com/kaya) in the Strip District and Casbah (229 S. Highland Ave., 412/661-5656, www.bigburrito.com/casbah), Umi (5849 Ellsworth Ave., 412/362-6198, www.bigburrito.com/umi), and Soba (5847 Ellsworth Ave., 412/362-5656, www.bigburrito.com/soba) in Shadyside — are quite good about catering to non-meat and -dairy eaters.

While meat is in plentiful distribution at Pittsburgh’s only Ethiopian restaurant, Abay Ethiopian Cuisine (130 S. Highland Ave., 412/661-9736, www.abayrestaurant.com) in East Liberty (near Shadyside), vegetarians will find more than enough options on the menu to keep their jaws busy as well. Abay is also a great place for groups.

A number of cafés and coffeeshops in Pittsburgh serve vegetarian-friendly cuisine, including Oakland’s Kiva Han (420 S. Craig St., 412/687-6355 and 3533 Forbes Ave., 412/697-3391, www.kivahan.com) for snacks and sandwiches, and the Quiet Storm (5430 Penn Ave., 412/661-9355, www.quietstormcoffee.com) in Friendship, which offers a full menu and a fantastic Sunday brunch. Also try the café at the East End Food Co-Op (7516 Meade St., 412/242-3598, www.eastendfoodcoop.com) in Point Breeze for great soups.