I could never give up cheese, is what many non-vegans might tell you, but the city of LA might be able to change your mind. I’m Eunice and I’m going to show you five must-try vegan pizzas in the LA area and some of their stories. Let’s check them out. Tucked away in the heart of California’s iconic Venice Beach on the corner of Oceanfront and Market under a large neon pizza sign, you will discover a secret all-vegan pizzeria that many people don’t actually know is vegan. Let’s meet Jesse the owner and hear his story. Hi guys, how you guys doing? My name is Jesse Amaro, the owner of Love Amaro Pizzeria. I’d like to tell you about my journey into this pizza world. It started back in 2018 and I started in the pop-up world in Riverside, California. Worked my way up to like Crestline and did like other cities like Los Angeles, San Diego, Las Vegas. We got this pizzeria at the end of May. And how the journey started was I was a pizzeria guy that was doing pizza for everybody. So I was doing regular pizza, gluten-free pizza, vegan pizza. And then one day I seen this really cool documentary called Earthland, explaining kind of why we should all kind of go vegan for the right reasons. And ever since then I dedicated my life to become a full vegan pizzeria. And since then we got Best of LA Times. I also compete in the International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas, which we get to compete against the whole world. So that’s our journey and this is what we love to do here. Jesse makes his own dough every day and lets it rise for the perfect texture. His newest addition are the deep dish pizzas, which he forms the dough in a large square pan like this margarita. Then he adds his nut-free, allergy-friendly vegan cheeses, a delicious tomato sauce, and it goes into the 500 degree oven for round one. For round two, he then adds more vegan cheese around the edges, lots of basil, and goes back in the oven. And while that’s baking, he makes a cheese tomato sauce to finish off the top of the pizza for a mouth-watering experience. So now it’s my turn to order mine. All right, so as you can see, the pizza has arrived and it looks absolutely delicious. You guys, it is incredible. The crust on this is to die for. You will not believe this is vegan cheese. This is why a lot of non-vegans don’t know it’s actually vegan. All right, so when I was seeing him making those, my mouth was drooling. So enough talking, let’s try this. I’m gonna go with the classic margarita first, because that’s how I like to tell how I like something. I don’t want it hiding behind a bunch of flavors. So, cheers. Oh my god, this is so good. I’m sorry, I’m just gonna take another bite. You guys, the minute you look at that crust, and you just see how fluffy and spongy it is, you can’t resist but just take another bite, and another bite, and another bite. Incredible, but we’re not done. You can ask for a variety of flavors here, and he has a carb lover, aka the mac and cheese pizza with vegan pepperoni. You guys, you know I’m a carb lover, so let’s try this. Listen, if you were to try just the mac and cheese by itself, it’s incredible. It’s super cheesy, and flavorful, and it’s not dry, and it’s just, oh my gosh, these are like fluffy pillow heavens, okay. You can’t go wrong with anything here. He also has New York style pizzas, that’s what most people know him for. I didn’t even know he had these deep dishes until a friend of mine told me, and I was like, I’m sorry, what? He has deep dish? And there is jalapeno poppers, my friend. Look at this thing, it’s massive. Okay, wish me luck. Oh my gosh. Oh my god. This bread is to die for. It’s not just jalapeno inside, there’s mac and cheese in here. It’s a mac and cheese jalapeno popper, you guys. He’s won at the LA Times best pizza competition. Not vegan pizza, best pizza, which means he beat all the other pizza areas. Something I wanted to talk about is like, okay, let’s say you’re not vegan. You’re probably wondering, why should I even eat vegan cheese? Like, why would, why, why? Something to know about cheese is it’s also very addictive, which is why a lot of people always say, like, why would I, I can’t give up cheese. I can’t imagine myself giving up cheese. I’m sure if you’re vegan, you’ve heard that all the time. There’s a reason for that. There’s a protein called casein found in cheese, and it’s an addictive property, which is what makes cheese so addicting, which just makes it hard to let go of. Dairy in general is inflammatory. It can affect our bodies in different ways, and it’s high in fat and cholesterol. Vegan cheese, I’m not gonna say is low in fat. It’s lower. It can still be high in fat because sometimes it has a coconut oil base, you know, but it has no cholesterol. Our bodies naturally produce its own cholesterol, so there’s no need to be getting that extra cholesterol from external sources such as dairy. So something to just keep in mind, and like, if you have skin problems or inflammatory problems, giving up dairy can sometimes really help that out. So if you don’t wanna give up pizza, you don’t have to. There’s vegan cheese options, and they’re incredible. You won’t even know that this is vegan cheese. I cannot wait for you guys to try this pizza, so you better make sure to give it a try. Next, I headed to Little Tokyo, where you can find a taste of New York in LA. Okay, so I am at the prime pizza location in Little Tokyo. You guys, if you’ve never been to Little Tokyo, it’s a vibe, so I highly recommend. This location is beautiful, but they have seven other locations total if you are in a different spot in LA, so don’t you worry. They always have a vegan option at all of their locations. At this specific location, don’t be afraid if you don’t see the vegan options so much on the menu because they got everything. They got vegan protein, they got vegan cheeses, they got it all. So this is New York-style pizza in Los Angeles, just so you guys are aware. So that’s why these pizzas are massive the size of your face, as a New York-style pizza should be. They’re 18 inches to be exact. All the dough is handmade. They have different kinds. I got a classic cheese because I always like to start with a classic cheese. I’m a purist, I gotta test it out. And then they have vegan meats by Beehive. The cheese is also by Beehive. And they have sausage, pepperoni, everything. If you’ve never had Beehive, brace yourself because they’re so good. And you guys, last but not least, they also have garlic-knot vegan. How often do you see that? Just make sure that when you ask for the garlic-knot vegan, just say no Parmesan. Other than that, they’re vegan. So let’s give this a try. Starting with the cheese, of course. And I always like putting some pepper flakes. So let’s just do that. All right, cheers, friends. The reason I like to always get just the plain cheese is because I want to taste the tomato sauce. And I want to be able to really try the crust. I like that it’s a crispy crust. The tomato sauce flavor is delicious. The cheese is great. It doesn’t melt a ton, but it melts enough, right? So that’s one thing I noticed, but… You can’t tell right now, I’m hungry. Okay, moving on. The Supreme pizza was highly recommended to me because it has a little bit of everything. It has all the veggies, the pepperoni, the sausage, the works. So I was like, all right, say no more. I have a plate here. I don’t even know why I’m not using it, but let me probably use this. Like I said, if you haven’t tried beehive pepperoni, this is so bomb. The sausage is great too. This is absolutely delicious. So let’s try these garlic knots. If you like garlic, you’re gonna love these. The marinara again. The marinara is what makes a pizza. You give me good marinara, you give me good bread, you won’t even care if there’s no cheese. The cheese is a nice added bonus, right? Especially as vegan. So highly recommend. You’ve got to come check this spot out. Put it on your list for some of the best vegan pizza in Los Angeles.
For the next pizza, I headed over to LA’s Arts District for Pizzanista. Okay, friends. I am now at Pizzanista in the Arts District. They also have multiple locations. They’re actually global. They’re in Japan. They’re in lots of different countries. So they also have a plethora of vegan options. You can get it by the slice. So keep that in mind. So one of the ones that I really wanted to try was, again, classic cheese. I’m a purist. I like to try the OG, but they have the vegan Sicilian slice plain cheese, right? Sicilian slice means it’s square. A little story about the starter they use for their dough. It’s 200 years old and it’s from Italy. If that doesn’t mean they’re serious about pizza, I don’t know what does. The pizzeria is actually owned by a pro skater. It opened in 2010. He just loved pizza and wanted to share it with the world. Most of the staff, like 95% of the staff is vegan. So yeah to the vegans. And then I couldn’t resist. They have a slice called Satan Meets Jesus. Obviously for those who don’t know, Satan is a vegan protein made out of vital wheat gluten, right? It’s just a play on words. I thought it was clever. Trust me, I’m not trying to offend nobody. And then of course you can get a vegan pepperoni. Again, size of your face. And they also have veggie pizza if you love your vegetables. And then they have garlic knots too. I love that we’re just trying garlic knots everywhere. But enough talking. The other thing I love is that they have nooch. Instead of Parmesan cheese, they have vegan nutritional yeast to put on your pizza and vegan ranch. So let’s try this. Absolutely love the flavor of the sauce. The vegan cheeses, by the way, everything’s nut free. So if you have a nut allergy, you can eat here too, which is amazing. The crust. I mean, just look at the pillow on this. I appreciate that it’s a sourdough starter that’s 200 years old. The cheese layer is delicious. Miocos is actually one of the cheeses they use. All right, let me try this Satan Meets Jesus. They have beehive bacon on here and the rest is Abbott’s Butcher’s vegan meat. And I’m not gonna lie, I wanna try some of it with their house-made ranch because why not? I’m not a ranch person, but if they make their own ranch, I gotta try the ranch. Everything else was delicious. I just appreciate that all over Los Angeles, you’re gonna see a lot of places that even though they’re not fully vegan, they care about the vegans and they’re adding vegan options. So if you’re with a group of friends who are not vegan, you know that Pizza Misa is a place that you can come to. It’s a vibe. So make sure to come check it out.
Next stop was another LA Arts District treat. All right, I am now at Prince Street Pizza, also in the Arts District, but this part of the LA Arts District gives you like Soho vibes. It’s like really cute boutique restaurants, a vibe, you gotta come check it out. But we’re here because they have one vegan option and it is a square pizza style, is how I should really say it is. It has just the crust and then the layer of cheese goes on top and then they bake it for a little bit and then they take it out, put the sauce on top, then bake it again and then they put the basil and everything. So when you get the result, this ooey gooey vegan cheese pizza with an amazing looking crust. Okay, look at this amazing pizza. Now it’s time to give this a try. This crust is so good. It’s just like melt in your mouth, soft, gooey, but slight bit of crispiness, you know, because of the crust. I will say the sauce is on the sweeter side. So just note that. But I do enjoy the cheese, I don’t mind it. Like all together, it works really well. I love the basil on top. Again, I love that this is their one vegan option. Again, it’s just cheese, sauce, basil, again, purest, I like that, that’s all I want. That’s all I want. So this is definitely worth trying, definitely worth checking out the area. I mean, celebrities come here, you’ll see the wall. So let me know what you guys think if you come try it. In the small, unassuming city of Bellflower, California, tucked in a strip mall between a donut shop and a party store, lies a pizzeria that’s making waves with its vegan menu. Let’s meet the owner and discover the story behind its success. From 2001 to 2020, I decided to open my own pizza shop. So it was very hard with the pandemic in 2020, but thank God we survived. It’s very difficult to have a business, but with sacrifice, with a lot of effort, you can get ahead. I wanted to open my own pizzeria because I knew I could do it because I already had the experience, I already knew how, so I said, I’m going to do my own pizza. And I added vegans because it’s healthier. People want to eat something different, they don’t want to eat meat, cheese, so we decided to add vegans. And that has helped us a lot because in this area of Bellflower, there’s not a lot of vegans, so customers are already knowing there are vegans and they come to buy. The majority, or 50%, are vegan customers. And I’ve been here for four years, and here I am.
Okay, I’m beyond excited because I’m here to try Pizza USA’s top five most sold vegan items. Just so you know, over 50% of the orders they get here, whether it’s in-person, door-to-door briefs, et cetera, it’s all vegan. Most of their customers are vegan. The owner eats vegan when he’s here all the time. He goes, no, I always like to eat vegan when I’m here at the restaurant. And then the employees say, they’re like, oh, I actually love the vegan options. They have more flavor than the non-vegan options. So I think it’s incredible that this is one restaurant where the non-vegan options are actually the minority sales, right? Shout out to the vegan food. Okay, but what are the top five items? We got the Chicago Deep Dish because here in Bellflower, there’s not a lot of deep dish options for pizza in general, much less vegan. So we’ve got to get the Chicago Deep Dish vegan. Then we got their traditional pizza crust with half-and-half white sauce and green one, which is a base of pesto, and it has a lot of green vegetables and herbs. It looks incredible. I love pesto, so I already know I’m gonna love that one. Then we got cauliflower wings, buffalo cauliflower wings. So if you love spicing, you love buffalo wings, you gotta get this. And the baked ziti, because if you love pasta, I mean, this was so recommended to me, and I was like, give me everything. And then, of course, we got the pesto chicken sandwich. You guys, I am starving right now. So I cannot wait to try this. I’m gonna start with the appetizers. All right, so I’m starting with the wings because you got to, fresh out, fried, let’s go. By the way, all the house ranch is vegan. Everything is vegan. There’s no regular ranch here. The flavor on that buffalo sauce is so good. It’s actually not super spicy for me. If you’re sensitive to spice, you might think it’s spicy. The ranch is so good. People here love the ranch. I’m not really a ranch person, but my friend, when I first tried it, was like, you have to try the ranch. And I was like, okay. It’s actually very good ranch. Already off to a great start. Okay, now we’re gonna try the baked ziti, you guys. This looks incredible. If you’re a pasta lover, you have to get this. Okay, cheers. I’m sorry, I’m gonna need one more bite. If you come here, you better come hungry because you’re gonna wanna try a whole bunch of different things. But before I get to the pizzas, we’re gonna try the pesto chicken. They use Gardein patties, in case anyone’s wondering. I’m a sucker for all things pesto, so pesto fried chicken vegan sandwich, I’m here for it. It is layered with so many things. Pesto, vegan chicken, avocado, tomatoes. All right, here we go. I like that they use whole wheat bread. The flavor on this pesto is amazing. I absolutely love it. It has so many good layers. It’s a nine inch sandwich, okay? So just, you know, you can make it two meals or if you’re really hungry, just eat it all in one go. Okay, so now we’re on to the pizzas. Now this Chicago pizza, I mean, look at this crust. It’s amazing. A slice is almost a half a meal in itself. You got to make sure the dough is in the perfect pan and has the perfect layer because you don’t want it too thin or too thick. It has it all right, okay? It has three different sauces. It has marinara, margarita, and pizza sauce. Vegan cheese, vegan sausage, red onions, peppers, jalapenos. Cheers. Ever since I was a kid, I used to always love deep dish because I love bread. And this is like the perfect, delicious crust and the flavors all there, it’s so good. Honestly, you can’t go wrong with it. It also has its own house-made almond ricotta that they make here. All right, we’re not done yet. We’re having these pizzas right here, starting with the green because it’s just absolutely beautiful. I’m telling you, if you love pesto, this is non-negotiable. You need a pesto-based pizza. It’s so good. Hold on, I’m taking one more bite. You can’t tell, I’m starving. I came prepared to feast because I knew what was waiting for me here. And then we have a white pizza with olive oil base, lots of delicious vegan melty cheese, house-made ricotta, and garlic, lots of garlic. Mm. Honestly, you can’t go wrong here. Everything’s amazing. They even have vegan garlic knots, vegan pesto, vegan everything. This is like vegan pizza heaven. And it’s in Bellflower, California, which if you don’t know where that’s at, it’s towards the east, right? East of LA. I just love that this is a little pocket of vegan heaven because a lot of people, like I mentioned by Pedro, there isn’t a lot of vegan options in this neighborhood. So I love that the community has found it and embraced it, and they’re giving it so much love. They come here all the time. You definitely need to check it out. If you’re visiting Los Angeles, it’s worth the drive. It’s like a 30-minute drive. It’s not that it’s far. So if you have a car, drive over to Bellflower and make sure to check out Pizza USA because you’re not gonna regret it. They have tons of other options that I didn’t even feature, but these are the top five most ordered. So make sure you enjoy. All right. So as you can see, LA has a lot of vegan pizza options. There’s still quite a few that I didn’t get to try. Another highlight, Honorary mentioned Pizzana. I really like them. They have multiple locations as well. But let me know what you guys think of these locations. If I had to choose one that I really like, at least for the deep dish, I really like Lovamaro. I’m sorry. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s the extra greasiness. Honestly, every one of these is worth trying. So I wanna know what you guys think. So I’ll catch you next time on Rated V. Bye.
