Diversify your palate with these Pittsburgh restaurants

Apteka on Penn Avenue in Bloomfield.

Sick of the superfluous surplus of chicken on Forbes and Fifth? Hop on a Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus and pretend you’re boarding an international flight. Close your eyes as you tap your Pitt ID and imagine the bus driver is a TSA agent glancing at your passport. Settle into your seat with lavish legroom and disembark at one of these Pittsburgh restaurants worlds away from Oakland.

Cobra | Japanese, Bloomfield

Warm up your vocal cords with Japanese cuisine at this steakhouse and karaoke lounge. Cobra serves up Japanese yakiniku barbecue with an elegant menu of beef, pork and seafood dishes. Polish off your plate by singing a song on stage.

Girasole | Italian, Shadyside

Girasole, Italian for “sunflower,” presents pastas and proteins from classic Italian cookery. Get your fix of carbs with selections of ravioli and rigatoni or graduate to meaty entrees of chicken, fish and veal.

Gaucho | Argentinian, Downtown

Anyone who’s been to Argentina knows it’s a country that loves meat — their national dish is asados, a style of grilled meat. Gaucho Parrilla Argentina brings this enthusiasm to Pittsburgh with steak, pork loin, chorizo and seafood, all seared and served in a South American style.

Apteka | Eastern European, Bloomfield

If you’ve had your fill of meat, stop by Apteka for Central and Eastern European traditional cuisine with a vegan twist. Get your fill of potatoes, beets and cabbage. Taste Ukrainian beet borscht, Polish pierogies and other favorites, familiar and foreign.

Morcilla | Spanish, Lawrenceville

Morcilla, named after the Spanish name for blood sausage, gathers a blend of Iberian meats and cheeses. Snack on small plates of jamón serrano and beef tartare or take a dip in the Atlantic for bacalao and mussels. Oh, and of course, there’s morcilla.

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