I decided last Thursday to start 2009 off right… with pizza! I was never really into soy cheese or meat substitutes in the past, but at some point, every vegan needs pizza. So what’s a Washingtonian to do? Hit up one of the many pizzerias that serves soy cheese, of course!
On Thursday I was going to see Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind in Chinatown, so I decided to try Ella’s for the first time, since I recently sent a vegan friend there on the recommendation of VegDC. And hey, it’s across the street from the Gallery Place Metro, so how much easier could it be? We had the melanzane and the bosco pizzas with soy cheese (they use Follow Your Heart here). I can never get FYH to melt like that at home, but it was perfect; even my lacto-ovo dining partner was impressed. The crust was fabulous, thin, slightly crisp, but delicate– Neapolitan-style, says the menu. Didn’t try any of the small plates or beers, but you can check out the menu online to see the other offerings.
I’ve also had some tasty offerings at Moroni & Brothers, which I found cruising through Petworth last spring just by happenstance. And what luck! They serve Teese on any pizza or panini on the menu (and interestingly enough, they also serve traditional Salvadorean food, so I wonder if they’d make a vegan quesadilla or pupusa). Their pizzas are great, with a thin crust and several nice veggie combinations– I had the parma last time I was there with eggplant and sweet peppers. Their website says soy cheese coming soon, but I promise it’s already there! If you haven’t tried Teese yet, you must! It’s a great melty soy cheese (the pic above is Teese).
Lastly, I can’t neglect to mention Pizzeria Paradiso. The Georgetown location is a pain to get to (and a bigger pain to park, if you drive), but the ambiance is nicer than the Dupont Circle location. Still, the food and drink is great at both, although the Dupont location’s beverage menu is not nearly as extensive as the Birreria in Georgetown. Their specials are often vegetarian (and vegan, if you substitute the soy mozzarella, obviously– they also use Follow Your Heart soy cheese), or you can choose from a few good options on the regular menu. As expensive as some of those beers are, the prices on their pizzas are right about in line with the other restaurants I mentioned above.
Next up, I’m going to hit Pete’s APizza (I love that name!) in Columbia Heights, since I spend practically all my time there these days. I don’t know what the heck New Haven style pizza is, but I love the look of their a la carte toppings and their happy hour specials. These pizzas are large 18″ pizzas, not individual pies, so bring a troupe of your vegan friends to share with you.
Do you recommend any other delicious pizzas in the area that I should trek to try? I’ve experimented with my own homemade pizzas with varying success, but I’ve never tried any of the commercially-available vegan pizzas out there. Any honorable mentions?
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Definitely recommend Pete’s. They have a spinach and fried eggplant pizza with ricotta that’s an easy swap (at no extra charge) for Teese. The owners of this place were initially very resistant to carrying soy cheese (because they think it tastes bad), but I think they’ve had good success with the stuff — as I see them at various veg fundraisers around town periodically.
be sure to also check out the vegan cheese pizza listing on VegDC.com!
http://www.vegdc.com/restaurants.php?type=pizza
and check back often for more listings as we continue to reach out to new places, encouraging them to add vegan options to their menus!
Dishonorable mention: Busboys and Poets. The pizza I got there was made with tomato sauce (not actual pizza sauce). Ketchup would have been an improvement.
I like the place for its mission and local vibe, but I have no idea how they won VegDC’s “Best Vegetarian Food and Drink”.
@binklesworth – Oooh, good to know. I actually did see BB&P on the VegDC list of pizza places (thanks Erica!), but have never tried it. I think you typically do better at a pizzeria where the crust and sauce tend to be of higher quality, which is why I haven’t had pizza at Asylum yet either.
I finally got a chance to make my pizza last night came out very well and was delicious!
OMG….drrroooollll……
@Tim Meinberg -i can attest to that–really tasty!
something important to remember–always make sure that the brand of soy cheese is actually vegan. i feel like a dumb rookie veg but didn’t do that not too long ago and only later found out it wasn’t vegan. i just didn’t think to ask–i was so excited by the whole “soy” word.
@Tim Meinberg -
That looks incredible! What brand of soy cheese did you use??
@megan -
Good call, Megan! That’s the reason I never really ate soy cheese way back when, b/c everything in the mid 90s had caseinate in it or just tasted vile (Vegan-rella, anyone?). I was really pleased this time around to try things like Teese and FYH. Technology! It’s a good thing.
For all of you in Suburban MD (PG or Montgomery) I suggest coming to Everlasting Life Health Complex. On the weekends, Sister Tsanuah makes an incredible vegan pizza (TO ORDER). Call 301-324-6900 on Friday evenings or Saturday morning. My husband and I took one to a children’s birthday party last weekend. The meateaters LOVED it and are asking to place their own orders; of course, the children didnt know the difference and enjoyed it just the same
Echo the sentiment on Busboys and Poets….poor imitation of vegan pizza
Check out RedRocks Firebricks Pizzeria. They just added Teese, vegan cheese from the Chicago Soy Dairy, to their menu. RedRocks is in Columbia Heights just two blocks from Sticky Fingers Bakery.
For mor info visit: http://www.vegdc.com/search.php?q=redrocks&x=0&y=0
For a nutritional analysis of Teese, Sheese, and Follow Your Heart:
http://soulveggie.blogs.com/my_weblog/2009/02/follow-your-heart-dont-eat-follow-your-heart.html
You’ll be stunned at how much fat is in these essentially soymilk and oil products.
FYI, Mark
HEY!!!! Why has no one mentioned whether or not the CRUST is vegan? I want to know how you know the crust is vegan!! I don’t know how it usually works, but when I went to Trader Joe’s and looked at their pizza crusts, they weren’t vegan. And the only vegan pizza I’ve had was really thin and crispy crust. So I am worried that you haven’t checked the crust.
Washington Deli has the best Vegan Pizza in town, also sold by the slice all the time. Give it a try!
Washington Deli
1990 K St., NW
http://www.washingtondeli.com
Good fresh Pizza dough contains no dairy at all.
Washington Deli
I used the Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet Mozzarella.