Vegan Pizza At Picazzo’s

After reading several of my reviews from Italy and here in Phoenix, something you may pick up on quickly is that I love pizza.  Funny thing is I HATED it as a kid.  I remember my parents being flabbergasted by my choice to avoid pizza.  Obviously I’ve overcome that aversion and have since fallen in love with the pie. With that being said, you shouldn’t be that surprised that this week I’m sharing another vegan pizza experience with you.

As with almost all of my restaurant finds I happened upon Picazzo’s Organic Italian Kitchen via Yelp and VegGuide.  They drew me in with their focus on organic and gluten-free options. There were also several reviews of people being able to choose vegan cheese for their pizzas.  However, with multiple locations I was unsure if all locations offered the cheese.  I finally came across the review of someone who was able to choose a “Create Your Own” option so I thought we’d give it a try.  If worst comes to worst I’d just go cheese-less as usual.

The Picazzo’s we checked out is located on Bell Road in Surprise, AZ.  It was very easy to find in a new, modern looking strip mall. When we arrived we found ourselves entering a bar area that then made it’s way into a full dining area. With top to bottom wall windows it was plenty bright.  The restaurant ambiance wasn’t the your typical pizza pub as it was a bit more clean and upscale with art and all.

From first glance at the menu I was concerned.  There was no “Create Your Own” option, let alone vegan cheese listed.  Speedy thinking lead me to ask our waiter who non-chalantly said, “Yeah. Soy cheese is available and you can build your own.” Whew! He gave me the order sheet to fill out on my own.

Our small pizzas soon arrived and were gobbled up.  No complaints from either D or myself.

Unfortunately I have some negatives, which normally isn’t the case with my reviews.  But you know I keep things real, so here they are:

The waiter was for lack of better word, different. I can’t put my finger on what the deal was but the whole situation felt awkward.

Why isn’t the soy cheese listed on the menu?  If you have it, offer it.  Not to mention, I’d like to know what vegan cheese they use, just for my information.  Unlike regular cheese there is a vast different between vegan cheese options….trust me on this. I still have no idea what brand they use.

Same thing with the “Create Your Own” option.  If you have it, make sure you offer it or make it known that it’s available.

Lastly, the price for the pizza was crazy expensive.  I am willing to pay a higher price for vegan options and a quality meal, but $30+ for two 10 inch pizzas and one soda.  A bit much, right?