Anthos Bakery & Café — Restaurant in Castle Shannon

To Άνθος είναι νόστιμη! Really, really delicious. My wife and I have been looking for a bakery like this for the past 2 years in Pittsburgh and found it. Easy 5/5. I'd recommend this place to anyone as a top spot to visit here in the Pittsburgh area. I work at a place that gets a lot of visitors, and this place is now on my shortlist for anyone who comes to Pittsburgh. But locals should absolutely visit Anthos too!

Lengthy review below: We placed an order online somewhat later in the day (about 3pm, they stop taking orders at 3:30). They were out of a few items and a member of staff called to sort things out with us, but unfortunately Uber Eats had some glitch or bug and our order cancelled after a long wait. We decided to just make food at home, it was after 4 at this point.

But a little later, a friendly and apologetic person with a Greek accent called next, very sorry to hear our order fell through. They recognized we were a new customer and wanted to make sure our first experience was a good one. They offered to give is a discount on our first order, but I told them it was not a problem and I understand. I promised we would order again, eventually.

2 days later we did, this time earlier in the day (enough to try the breakfast menu too). We made sure to order a feast.

We ordered the olive fougasse, apricot danish, chocolate brioche, sourdough loaf, yogurt bowl, and croque madame.

To our surprise, not only did they send a note but gave us a free cheese fougasse and apple tart as well.

And even more to our surprise, every single item was outstanding.

The fougasse is quite special. This may be one of the best I've had, it is not only authentic but absolutely gorgeous. And it was still hot when it arrived. This is a masterpiece and a wonderful gift to Pittsburgh. I worked at a bakery for years and know when something is made with real finesse. It has that gentle crunch and perfectly fluffy, stretchy texture you'd expect. Immaculate. I can't find a fault in it.

The apricot danish beats out La Gourmandine's abricotine as my favorite apricot pastry in Pittsburgh. I could eat this every day. Just perfect.

The chocolate brioche was heavenly. One of the regular breads we still make at home is brioche, simply because it is so hard to get one that lives up to the standard we are looking for. The gluten development was flawless. Just immaculate texture. The crumbly, crunchy sugar on the exterior and the heavy, rich chocolate chunks throughout make this piece something we are sure to get again and again.

The yogurt bowl is everything my wife wanted and the croque madame was so good we had to fight over it. We can't wait to try their lunch items now! And these two items were what sealed the deal for us. A good bakery is, of course, a rare and special find. But one with good breakfast and lunch offerings is what we have been looking for since moving here. In San Francisco, Chicago, and Seattle, we had grown to love this kind of bakery-brunch combination and sorely missed them since moving to Pittsburgh. But now we've found our favorite place!

I highly recommend coming here, to literally anyone in the area. And since it is so close to the transit stop, folks in the city and all along the south lines should give this...

Update 04/18/2023. Anthos keeps getting better with each return. Fresh, flavorful, and always the right mix of great food, friendly service and making the extra effort. I had a 'Newbie" with me today ,and they modified their quiche of the day to meet his dietary requests and no sacrifice in the savory flavor and appeal. He also went the extra step and had one of their fantastic gluten free cookies. I will be back this weekend, 04/22 to introduce 2 more "Newbies"who will become regulars.

I had an excellent lunch at Anthos, their 'Anthos' salad and cup of the most delicious chicken soup. Ann had souvlaki and I was salivating, Alan and Barb both had Moussakas and they were saying it was if not the best they had it was in the top 3. Everything was fresh and wonderful. It is a very relaxed and warm atmosphere, very Mediterranean- European. Hell the bathroom was so simple and nice I could live in it. You need to strategize your timing though. Hours are 8A -4P Same for weekends. On weekends they have Breakfast and Brunch overlapping and then Lunch. Barb thought some items were avail for lunch, but they were only Brunch which ended as we arrived at 2PM, so her friend Alan had to get something instead of the French Toast. Three orders were coming out as we arrived at 2P and they looked fantastic. They also had Brunch 'Specials' from 8A-2P, Lunch is 2P-4P. And menus can change. Sandwiches &Toasts are all day 'upon availabilty', so you know what they have that day was what they could serve fresh and to their exacting standards. I had wanted Spanakopita, but they were sold out. Everything is made fresh each day, so some in demand items go fast. The Bakery items looked wonderful, but I need to cut back sugars and carbs. But next time there I may say F-it It is counter order and they bring the food to you, service was excellent and they will explain the dishes when folks have questions. So it is SOOOO worth it to navigate the over- lapping meal options, but everything is so good you will want to go back again. I...

Initial breakfast experience - Had a breakfast sandwich with egg, bacon and avocado. My companion had mushroom toast with a truffle leek sauce. She shared some of her Mushroom toast with me. To summarize, both were excellent well crafted meals. The taste of both was stellar.

Another update.... Been back a few times, have ordered Avocado Toast with poached Egg and the Eggs Benedict. Both were awesome five star quality! I should also note, the cappuccino is one of the best I have had anywhere.

Been back multiple times for the Avocado Toast with the addition of a poached egg on top and a Cappuccino. Both continue to be 5 star quality every time! Have also had a Chicken Salad sandwich and a Shrimp Salad, all were excellent! Avocado Toast and the Eggs Benedict are the best I have had anywhere! Well done Anthos! 👍👍

Another update - Went back for Lunch in March 2024. Ordered pastitsio. It was super good! The best pastitsio I've had! I will go back just to have it again. It was hearty but at the same time light and airy. Taste was stellar. I would 100% recommend this dish.

Update from 10/12/24 - My 75 year old mother and I split a Croque Madame. To summarize, it was stellar! My mother and I had stopped in late morning on a Saturday, we both agreed it was a stellar brunch choice. It almost tasted like a ham sandwich and an eggs Benedict had a child. There was a nice tasty small salad served as a side too.

Lastly, I just saw a "Best of Pittsburgh" article in the Pittsburgh City Paper 10/24. Anthos was rated as the best Greek restaurant in Pittsburgh. From my many experiences here this accolade is very...