We pull the car up next to a strip of grass alongside a sidewalk and peer at the house beside us. It’s a red brick two-story on the corner of the street, surrounded by a white picket fence and a tiny circle sign that says “The Epochary Inn circa 1824” in purple lettering. Our home for the night? A fully vegan two-bedroom inn, opened in 2022, in Ambridge, right outside of Pittsburgh.
It’s a quiet Saturday afternoon, nearly 5 p.m. As I walk up to the fence and look at the small backyard, I simultaneously feel like I’m trespassing, yet like I have arrived somewhere comforting and familiar. We knock on the back door. Instantly, a man wearing a neatly pressed all black outfit swings it open.
“Welcome! Zac and Madison?” William Douglass, the inn’s co-owner, asks with a big, genuine smile on his face.
In October 2022 Douglass and his now wife, Epochary Inn co-owner Elizabeth Herein, got married in the inn prior to its opening.
As the door shuts behind us, the light dims, and suddenly, I feel transported. The world inside the house is nothing like I could have imagined from the outside.
The owner leads us up a simple brown, wooden staircase that squeaks lightly beneath our feet as we climb. There’s a tiny hallway area between two bedrooms, fully stocked with a basket of vegan snacks, including bags of chips, granola bars, instant oatmeal packets, and fruit cups. A refrigerator of assorted juices, and a kettle for making coffee or tea, with several vegan creamers is nearby — all complimentary.
The whole inn screams paradise to me as a lifelong vegetarian. But it is Suite Paradiso, the room in which we stay, that transfers me to a bygone era of elegance and quaintness. I am reminded of the elaborate bedrooms I have seen at mansion museums in Boston and Charleston.
A giant canopy bed is the center of attention. While old-fashioned in color scheme, the bed meets modernity with a remote that moves the bed up and down, and has a massage function. Other elements of the bedroom include a divan, large mirrors hovering over a sofa, a low table adorned with glass candle sticks, and a small table for meals taken in the bedroom with fancy glass goblets and empty glass wine bottles. The room is ornately decorated with antique paintings and designs, a fireplace, and a bathroom nearly bigger than the bedroom, complete with a clawfoot tub, white robes, and slippers.
The Epochary Inn is situated in a historic district, formerly known as Old Economy. There, members of the Harmonist Society, a religious group, settled. As celibates, it wasn’t long before the community died out. Today, preserved elements of their lifestyle can be seen throughout the small town in the church, schoolhouse, and homes of Harmonist Society members — including the Epochary Inn, a 200-year-old restored Harmonist home.
After a short walk around the quiet neighborhood, we return to the inn’s dining hall for dinner. Since we had to make food selections several days in advance of our stay, no decision making is needed that evening. The dining hall, connected to a lavish living room, is filled with a long table covered by a white tablecloth, gold plates, giant candelabra, striking white napkins at each setting, and a bowl of fake grapes. My boyfriend and I are seated on tall brown chairs at a two-person high top by the window, and appear to have the space to ourselves that night.
The food is fresh and filling — so much more than I expected. First, salad with options for dressing and a side-bowl of delicious croutons. Then, a full loaf of bread, warmed, with vegan butter. The bread may be the star of the show. The inside is soft, the outer edges crunchy.
For the main course I chose vegan meatloaf made out of chickpeas, carrots, celery, onions, and breadcrumbs, coupled with gravy and homemade mashed potatoes. The service is impeccable. We are at a gourmet restaurant for two. The owner is our waiter — he checks in on us, makes light conversation, brings us the meal, and plays music in the background. Since everything is vegan, we don’t have to ask questions about ingredients or worry that we won't be able to eat anything. The next day, we’re greeted with a breakfast of cake-like cinnamon sugar vegan donuts under a glass serving dish.
If you’re looking for a staycation, a quick weekend trip, a short adventure, a one-night getaway, or just a unique experience you’ve probably never had before, I can’t recommend the Epochary Inn enough. From accommodation to food, combined with the unique history of the area, the inn is sure to provide the dreamy change of scenery that anyone needs.
