Conflict Kitchen

Such an awesome concept! I visited Carnegie Mellon for the weekend and was told that this place was a must try. At the time I went, Iranian good was being served.
I got the Jujeh kebab (chicken). The kebab came with steamed rice, mixed pickled vegetables, fresh herbs, tomato and onion. It was very flavorful and the portion was perfect for what I wanted at the time. Loved that they have complimentary black tea. It helped me stay warm while I waited for my food.
Wished that this place had an indoor dining area, would have made it that much better.
Overall great experience and if I’m ever back in Pittsburg, I will be making a stop here.

I like the concept of this place. Despite America constantly being in conflict with other countries (when is it not???), it helps to remind ourselves that people with their own identities and delicious cuisine live there too. That being said, I don’t know if they represented the current country (Iran, as of the date of this review) well.
I’ve been to quite a bit of middle eastern kebab places and they really do a good job with their portion sizes and the rice (which I think was tahdig). For the price, they were a bit skimpy on the portion sizes. Two of us got the Kabab-​e Kubideh and one Kookoo-​e Sabzi and it seemed like we were getting small appetizers instead of dinner portions. The kababs itself were good, and the Kookoo-​e Sabzi ok. It says on the website that the rice is just steamed rice so I’m not sure if it was supposed to be tahdig. If it was just steamed rice, it definitely was underdone. It hurt my teeth to continue eat it. If it was tahdig, then it might’ve been a bit ill-​prepared. I might want to try this place again when they have a different country, but it was a pretty average first impression they had on me. In summary, the concept is great but the execution (food) could be better.

Update: This year’s Persian food is actually much better and closer to the real one. The Ash is very delicious and although Kabob torsh is a bit raw and hard to chew on, it is really really delicious! Big improvement!

I was interested in the idea of eating foods from countries with which we are in conflict. On the day that I visited, they were serving foods from Iran. For my main entrees, I ordered the kookoo-​e sabzi, which I give 3 stars, and the kabab-​e torsh, which I give 5 stars. I also ordered the halva dessert, which I give 4 stars although it almost tasted like nothing, and the sharbat beverage, which I give 3 stars for tasting sour/​bitter. I waited a long time to receive my food from the counter, because many customers were ahead of me in line, and the cooks cooked the food fresh.

I just attended an event catered by Conflict Kitchen — the current iteration is Iranian food. I love the concept, and I’m so glad I finally got a chance to try some. I’ve never had Iranian food outside of a friend’s house… there don’t really seem to be many Persian places around, now that I think about it :/
They really do their homework about the cuisine — this spread was on point, right down to the mysterious bowl of chopped herbs that has a place at every Persian meal. I had the Kookoo-​e sabzi, a frittata with herbs and walnuts. I think the herb/​egg ratio was a little high, and it wound up feeling kind of soggy (although that could be related to the fact that it was delivered and not served fresh). The walnuts are a delightful added bit of texture. The rice was delicious (I love middle eastern rice), and the zeytoon parvardeh (think marinated antipasti olives but with a middle eastern twist) is amazing! Major props for pitting the olives.
This review is a little incomplete since I have no way of assessing price/​portion size, but I was very happy with this meal! Given the chance, I’d stop by the actual place in person.

I love the idea of Conflict Kitchen. It’s a great place to grab a quick meal for a reasonable price, but I didn’t love the food. The rotating menu is a nice change. I don’t live in Pittsburgh but if I did I would probably have to try the new menu each time it changed. They were serving Iranian food when I stopped by. I ordered a beef kabab dish and walnut-​pomegranate marinated olives. The olives were amazing. I found the beef kabab to be completely overcooked and charred. I could only eat half of it. The rice was also bland and overall it was kind of a small dish for the money. Even though I wasnt pleased with what I ordered that day, I would still come back and try something else. I think it is quality food and an awesome idea all around.

[WARNING: Visitor from St. Pete, Florida in for a short visit]
GREAT IDEA BUT A BIT HYPED = Essentially, this is an order-​at-​the-​counter restaurant where the menu completely changes every week or so. The dedication of the staff to be creative and learn new styles that often is pretty impressive.
CASUAL ENVIRONMENT AND FOOD = Remember – this is ordered and picked up from a window aka food in to-​go containers… so don’t expect the best plating nor anything too elaborate. Casual food. With that in mind, it was difficult for me to be WOW-​ed by my dishes (Native American during my visit). My Venison Stew was simple and comforting in flavor BUT what my restaurant-​spoiled mind saw was a watery stew with not enough chunks inside. The sweet Bread was tasty addition with great texture and subtle sweet flavor. I can’t deduct much points for the food though because I’m no Native American food expert – a watery Venison Stew may have actually been authentic?
AS A WHOLE = Great idea and judging from other reviews and photos, it seems they do justice to the countries they represent. There’s no tables, but feel free to join the throngs of students picnicking and studying in the neighboring park.
Note: As someone with many allergies, a mention of common triggering ingredients would be much appreciated to the menu board. And perhaps a phonetic showing of how to pronounce the dishes?

The Cuban food this time around is ok, not amazing, but ok. I was expecting something different due to the hype. I could not order the beef dish since it was sold out. That should have told me to maybe wait for another day to try my luck. I purchased the pork dish and it was underwhelming. I do not know if it was just me but there was little flavor. The dish had pork and then rice and beans then a side salad. Since everything was thrown into a box together when I got to my seat it was all jumbled. The pork was mixed with the salad and the juice from both went everywhere.
I went back to the stand and asked for some hot sauce. That really helped the dish. Overall I was not thrilled with what I got for the price.

I heard about this booth and wanted to try something different.
It was Cuban food month. They have a video playing of an Obama impersonater talking about the Cuban conflict. They also had a free poster pamphlet about the conflict.
I already ate somewhere else so I decided to get a side dish. I ordered the plantains with a lemon garlic sauce and the Majarete which is corn pudding with cinnamon and nutmeg.
The food is fresh and made well with authentic flavors.
I personally didn’t like the plain tasting plantains or the combo of lemon and garlic.
I would like to come back and try some of there flavorful entrees instead of just a side dish.

Unique spot to grab a quick meal. They change their menu periodically to highlight the food of a particular culture, and they have videos playing to teach you a little about the peoples while you wait for your order.
It is not a restaurant but just a take-​out counter out in the park, so you order, wait about 5 minutes, and find a place to picnic or grab a table under the large canopy nearby. When we visited, they were offering Cuban food and going by cocina conflicta. They had 4 entrees, two drinks, two desserts, and a few sides to choose from. I went with the pork, which came with rice, beans, and a side salad. The food is not spectacular but definitely solid for fast food, and reasonably priced. We enjoyed our meals and would love to come back when they change up the menu.
Bonus points for $ 1 bottled water.

Right now, Conflict Kitchen is offering Cuban food. If you are wondering about their menu, it’s all listed on the website. Once you order the food, you can grab one of their pamphlets that explain the history of Cuba and its relationship with the US.
I got the Tostones– smashed green plaintains that are fried. They come with a side of Mojo sauce, which tasted like oil, vinegar, lemon and tons of garlic! I also got a side of hot sauce that was available on the counter. I also ordered the Ropa Vieja– stewed shredded beef vegetable stew. It came with a side of their Cuban Salad with Mojo sauce and Congri: the salad base was cabbage which I like, and Congri is their rice and beans, except in this Cuban version, the rice, beans, and veggies are cooked together. All components were equally flavorful.

I love the food here! The menu changes every month depending on the country that they are representing. So far I’ve only had two types: Cuban and I can’t remember the other one but it was something with a lot of flat bread.
For their Cuban food, I love the whole menu! My favorite side is the sweet fried plantains and the empanadas. The staff is very friendly and prices are pretty reasonable. When it’s nice, I like sitting on the tables under the trees. Absolutely love this place!

Their cuban menu options are plentiful! And I love the concept of the place a lot. Great service and it’s very scenic sitting on Schenley lawn.
However, the actual food quality was lacking. I went at 5pm and I got the empanada picadillo and the meat was cold inside. I was really let down. And it says there was raisins and olives in the mix, but I did not taste either.
I must say though, I have been here before and the food was amazing. So maybe it was just this one time.

This is such a unique establishment on the large mall of the campus of UPitt. From what I heard, this restaurant or food shack was established by a professor as an interactive statement piece of art to raise awareness of countries that are in conflict with the U.S. The cuisine changes often and when I went, the country was Cuba. I had a tray of Tostones — twice fried plantains with mojo sauce and I got some hot sauce. My friend ordered the stewed okra on top of rice with mojo sauce. I loved my Tostones and was so surprised at the 8 pieces I got for 3.75 $. My friend also loved her dish! The mojo sauce was delicious! It was vinegary with a kick of garlic and chili peppers. I also really enjoyed the hot sauce — whatever it was made of, it cleared out my sinuses! What an awesome place to eat and try plantains for the first time!

The food is not as good as I was hoping that it would be, but it was still very good and the message makes it 4-​stars. There is a lot of effort into making it a full cultural experience, which is very cool. The aqua fresca was also amazing, and only $ 2 for a small cup. The staff was also very friendly and knowledgeable about the food items. The concept of the restaurant is so cool, and I can’t wait to see what kind of cuisine they serve nexxt.

Not only is the food outstanding, but the message is even better! No matter what we disagree about, we can reach each other as human beings on some level. To introduce cultures that we are in conflict wit through their food. Brilliant!
Ending this week is the middle eastern flavor of Palestine.
Outstanding! Next week Cuba!!!

Boyfriend and I came here after he did extensive research about where to eat while planning my surprise trip to Pittsburgh. We came upon the stand without any line, which was extremely lucky because right after we stepped up to the counter about 10 people were lined up behind us. They currently have a Palestinian menu (although we were told they would be switching to Cuban sometime next week) which was perfect because Boyfriend loves Middle Eastern food and I just love good food in general. After ordering we were given a poster with interviews the CK staff conducted with Palestinians both here and over seas — very cool!
He ordered the Schwarma sandwich and hibiscus drink, I ordered the Kofta and potato platter and the lemonade, and we got the hummus to split. We sat down at one of the nearby tables in the sunshine with a view of the park and people-​watched for about 10 minutes until they called our names. Soon, we had delicious, fresh food in front of us. The hummus was cool and delicious — topped with chick peas and olive oil and served with a warm, flat bread. I pried open my plastic container and saw big squares of kofta swimming with potatoes in tahini sauce. Absolutely delectable. No gristle at all. Just flavorful, juicy meat. Boyfriend opened his sandwich and saw that he got falafel instead of the ordered Schwarma. Did he love it? Yes. The wrap was stuffed with perfectly crispy falafel, pickles and tahini. But it wasn’t what he ordered. A little disappointing. This combined with the fact that the drinks were just okay gives what I would consider otherwise a perfect place to eat 4 stars instead of 5.

Delightful little place to get some food outside of your comfort zone. Came here on a beautiful Saturday morning for an early lunch and got some great Palestinian food. They hand out some interesting reading material while you wait: interviews of people that live in conflict zones (conflict with the U.S.)

I think the previous reviewers did a great job with explaining the overall concept of the place, so I’ll skip that part.
The food was just okay and portions kind of small, but the unique concept compensated for all that. I had the pleasure of trying Venezuelan options offered at the time, which I was not very impressed with. However, the purpose of Conflict Kitchen is to educate and raise awareness, and I think they did a wonderful job with that. Service is incredible with super friendly staff. I highly recommend for the overall experience, not necessarily for the quality of food.

A lot of Unilocalers already discussed the concept of conflict kitchen so I will keep mine brief– the idea is that they only serve food from countries in which the us is in conflict with. Each time they change their featured country they have educational sessions and performances as well.
The country I experienced was Venezuela. I ordered the tequenos with their house made fresh avocado salsa– oh my godd. Incredible. The order came with three and it cost me $ 3.50. They were basically cheese sticks wrapped in a crisp pastry — they are fluffy and filled with delicious melted cheese. The fresh avocado salsa went so well with the tequenos– they complimented each other wonderfully. I can’t wait to return while they still feature the Venezuelan cuisine and try their other amazing meals– the twice fried plantains with their avocado salsa sounded epic, as did their featured deserts. The only downfall to conflict kitchen is it’s take out only– although, it is located in scheleny plaza, so there are plenty of small tables as well as a grassy area to picnic :)

Yo probé su intento de «ropa vieja», pero no me gusto mucho… carece de sabor. Por otro lado, el agua fresca esta buenísima.