Top 10 Vegan-Friendly Pizzerias
The following post was originally published by Amy Cook on The Veg Cooking Blog. Click here to view the original post.
Remember the days when going out to eat pizza with friends meant that, as a vegan, you were staring at a wall while everyone else chowed down on slice after slice of pies loaded with cheese and meats? Luckily for vegans, those times have passed. It’s now easier than ever to find vegan pizza options in almost any city. It’s so easy, in fact, that I’ve put together a list of the Top 10 Vegan-Friendly Pizzerias in the U.S., and the winners are …
1. Pizza Luce: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Pizza Luce in Minneapolis carries a plethora of pizza options. With its wide array of vegan mock meats—including mock duck and two different kinds of mock chicken—as well as two types of soy cheese and all your favorite veggies, you can put together almost any pizza your brain can imagine. Not in the mood for pizza? Grab one of the several vegan entrées, such as Mock Chicken Parmigiana or the Mock Muffuletta.
2. Pizza Pi: Seattle, Washington
Pizza Pi in Seattle doesn’t just have vegan options—its entire menu is vegan! Not only is the pizza tasty, there’s loads of variety. Mock meats range from pepperoni to Canadian bacon to veggie sausage, and veggies include sundried tomatoes, artichokes, and capers, to name just a few. Pizza Pi also carries vegan calzones, a wide range of sandwiches, and vegan desserts.
3. Gianna’s: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
A favorite when in the City of Brotherly Love, Gianna’s has enough options to make any vegan happy. From its wide range of mock meats (sausage, beef, bacon, ham, chicken, and pepperoni) to its interesting list of veggies (broccoli rabe, anyone?), Gianna’s has it all. And it gets extra credit for having vegan sandwich options, including a vegan Philly cheesesteak.
4. T.J. Scallywaggle’s: Allston (Boston), Massachusetts
T.J. Scallywaggle’s has an all-vegan menu that is even fun to read. With lots of specialty pizzas named in honor of “Captain Jazelda,” in addition to your standard fare, T.J. Scallywaggle’s is sure to bring out the pirate in you. It also has a bunch of tasty subs, calzones, salads, entrées, and desserts—all vegan!
5. The Pizza Research Institute: Eugene, Oregon
Don’t be fooled by the name! This restaurant is much hipper than the words “research institute” imply. However, with all the one-of-a-kind pizzas on the menu, you would think that there really was a staff of food scientists in the kitchen. One standout is the 3P—pears, potato, and pesto.
6. Slice of Life: Sebastopol, California
Slice of Life in Sebastopol (near San Francisco) is a fully vegetarian, and mostly vegan, restaurant with a huge menu. It includes not only pizza—such as the Cheeseless Wonder—but also other Italian options, as well as Mexican and traditional American dishes too.
7. Mac’s Pizza Pub: Cincinnati, Ohio
Mac’s Pizza Pub is a lively college hangout in Cincinnati. When winding down after an exam (or skipping class!), locals enjoy Mac’s vegan pizza, which is topped with fresh veggies and gourmet vegan mozzarella. But veggie students aren’t limited to just pizza at Mac’s—the pub also offers a Boca burger.
8. Bella Pizzeria: Norfolk, Virginia
The hometown pizza favorite of PETA, Bella’s makes a delicious pie, piling plenty of soy cheese on top of a tasty New York-style crust and, if you like, topping it off with classic veggies. In the mood for something a little different? Try the white pizza, which skips the tomato sauce and uses an olive oil-garlic blend as the base under loads of soy cheese.
9. Pizza Fusion Franchise
With 23 locations across the country, Pizza Fusion is definitely the biggest vegan-friendly pizzeria. As a company that prides itself on being “green,” Pizza Fusion’s got the right idea by giving the option to get vegan cheese on any pizza, because the best thing we can do for the environment is to go veg!
10. The Rudyard Kipling: Louisville, Kentucky
The official pizza place of frontline warriors against Kentucky Fried Cruelty in Louisville is The Rudyard Kipling. The restaurant offers a super-duper healthy crust with more grains than you can shake a breadstick at. Word has it that you can even get polenta on your pies. Also, be sure to check out its famous Vegan Rudyard Burger.
Did I overlook an awesome pizza joint in your neck of the woods? If so, tell us about it!
August 20th, 2008 at 10:52 am
Girl, let me tell you, I live for pizza, I can not wait to visit some of those places. My city doesn’t have any specific vegan pizza restaurants. I get Papa Jones and Pizza Hut without cheese all the time which is cool and tasty but unfortunately not totally jazzz as it should be.
August 24th, 2008 at 10:02 am
Austin’s Pizza in Austin, TX, has tons of yummy veggie toppings like artichoke hearts, broccoli, and the usuals, plus you can always substitute soy cheese on your pizza for a nominal fee. They also have fabulous, fresh salads! 11 locations in the Austin, area.. and they deliver!!
August 24th, 2008 at 6:33 pm
Galactic Pizza in uptown Minneapolis has so many delicious vegan options! All my non vegan friends would recommend the vegan cheesecake for dessert. Yummm.
August 25th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
The new owners of Pizza Pi have really turned the restaurant around. It’s probably one of my favorite vegan eateries in the city now.
Also, there’s a pizzeria in the Capitol Hill area of Seattle called Juliano’s that offers some delicious vegan options as well (vegan cheesy bread…)
August 25th, 2008 at 4:36 pm
Viva Herbal on 2nd avenue in NYC!! Awesome!
August 27th, 2008 at 8:46 am
where in canada are the top ten places?
August 27th, 2008 at 11:20 pm
City O’ City in Denver, Colorado can make you the most amazing vegan pizza you have ever tasted! They have a variety of choices that range from sauces, to veggies, to fake meats galore! My favorite is a build your own with apricot sauce, cashew ricotta, pinapple, bbq tofu, vegan pepperoni, and vegan sausage. Its sweet, salty, creamy and completely cruelty free! Its on 13th and Grant and they also have a sister restaurant on 17th and Emerson (Watercourse Foods) and a vegan bakery area next door. You can’t beat it!
August 30th, 2008 at 2:06 am
So ecstatic to see Pizza Pi made this list, they really made a lot of great changes! They aren’t the only great veg*n food in Seattle though, check out VegSeattle.com for Pizza Pi + more!
August 31st, 2008 at 9:23 am
Vic’s Pizzeria in Olympia WA has the best crust ever- white or whole wheat. Both are chewy, crispy, kind of salty and garlicky. The menu is not entirely vegan but they offer vegan calzones, daily vegan slices and you can build your own pizza using their several vegan sauces and great ingredient selection. They also offer a selection of locally made vegan desserts.
September 17th, 2008 at 12:08 pm
I just now turned vegan and It’s been kind of hard on me trying to find things to eat. Are there any pizza places in North Carolina that are Vegan?
September 29th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
Vinnie’s in Williamsburg, Brooklyn always has amazing vegan pizza options. They offer such wondrous pies as vegan black bean chili pizza, vegan bbq chicken pizza and numerous others. They use vegan cheese and meat substitutes, as well as fresh vegetables to make even omnivores’ mouths water (or so I’ve been told). They also make some great “rolls” like the vegan pepperoni roll and they carry Vegan Treats.
I moved from Williamsburg recently and miss Vinnie’s the most!
September 8th, 2009 at 5:46 pm
Leona’s in the Chicago area is one of my favorite places for veggie pizza with their blend of soy cheese, thick or thin crusts, and creative toppings from braised or flame cooked tofu to roasted garlic and all the regular vegetables and combos you can think of too. They also have vegan kabobs, sandwiches, soups, and more! Last I heard there are 5 locations in Chicago and suburbs. Best I have been at is in Oak Lawn, IL. SUPER AWESOME EATING! I moved 99 miles from the nearest one :(, but I always make a stop whenever I am in the vicinity.