If you've never been to Vinnie's Pizzeria, I emphatically suggest that you do whatever you have to do in order to get there immediately. Vinnie's is an authentic, omnivorous pizzeria in Brooklyn that caters to vegans in a most welcoming and impressive manner. The term "vegan-friendly" doesn't even begin to cover it; they don't just accommodate, they extraordinarily impress. They carry two types of vegan cheese: Teese and Daiya (Team Daiya here); if you don't see what you like, slices can be made to order; there are vegan specials of the day; and, they even have Vegan Treats for dessert (good luck saving room).
Upon my first visit, they could not have left me with a better feeling: we were in a rush, but they didn't hesitate to explain the options and then make us individual Daiya slices on the fly. They were so delicious that my friend and I have been daydreaming about them ever since (okay, likely me more than him).
Fast forwarda year almost two years (how did that happen?!) and we'd made concrete plans to return with friends. You can order any concoction you can dream up (we saw more than one avocado-topped slice go by), but the vegan special on that day was the vegan spare tire: chopped broccoli, vegan spare rib, and fresh basil topped with vegan mozzarella cheese and hot sauce. Oh yeah. We ordered a large pie: half special/half plain, and wondered how we'd survive the 15-20 minute wait.
Since we were all just sitting around not chewing, I took the liberty of ordering (confirmed vegan) garlic knots for the booth of us. They were served with marinara and disappeared in seconds.
My Daiya slice doused with red pepper flakes and oregano.
And, the special slice: vegan spare tire: chopped broccoli, vegan spare rib, and fresh basil topped with vegan [Daiya] mozzarella cheese and hot sauce, also doused with red pepper flakes and oregano.
Both incredible!!!
Vinnie's is superb. I'm sure they could be perfectly busy running an authentic, solely omnivorous pizzeria, but for some reason they choose to be vegan-inclusive and knock it out of the park. Regardless of the fact that there is a constant crowd, the staff is impressively patient, efficient, and generally fab; our whole meal was seamlessly coordinated by a friendly, young woman who never missed a beat.
Upon my first visit, they could not have left me with a better feeling: we were in a rush, but they didn't hesitate to explain the options and then make us individual Daiya slices on the fly. They were so delicious that my friend and I have been daydreaming about them ever since (okay, likely me more than him).
Fast forward
Since we were all just sitting around not chewing, I took the liberty of ordering (confirmed vegan) garlic knots for the booth of us. They were served with marinara and disappeared in seconds.
Then I photographed some of the sights in the small, authentic pizzeria. Of course, their famous T.Hanks garbage receptacle.
And, this rendering of the Pope in a pepperoni hat.
Finally, it was time to mangia. Just looking at these photos makes me want to return immediately.
And, the special slice: vegan spare tire: chopped broccoli, vegan spare rib, and fresh basil topped with vegan [Daiya] mozzarella cheese and hot sauce, also doused with red pepper flakes and oregano.
See, they're even nice about that.
I can assure you that it will not be another two years before I visit again.
I hope they have whole wheat crust!
ReplyDeleteAlso did you see Mayor Bloomberg got kicked out of a pizzeria recently?
BYOL, ww crust would not have been authentic! That is hilarious about Bloomie: http://dailycurrant.com/2013/05/02/bloomberg-refused-second-slice-of-pizza-at-local-restaurant/
ReplyDeleteoh my gosh that looks incredible! it's making me hungry!! :)
ReplyDeleteI love it when omni restaurants pay equal respect to vegan food. So cool. We have a neighborhood Italian restaurant that has separate menus for the omni food and the vegan food. They even have gluten-free vegan! The most striking thing (aside from the fact that everything tastes great) is that the offerings on all the menus are nearly identical. No hummus wrap in sight.
ReplyDeleteoh my goodness, I could never wait two years! I have to go to Vinnie's at least once a month lol.
ReplyDeleteso good. I wish I was eating some right now!
fyi, the Daily Currant (the site that published the article about Bloomberg) is a parody new site, like the Onion.
I have to get there! I pass it a lot but have always eaten or am not in the mood for pizza. Now I will head there with a mission: that mission is to eat pizza AND those garlic knots. Sometimes I think I like garlic knots more than the pizza.
ReplyDeleteGlutenFreeHappyTummy- I'm trying not to look at my own blog b/c it's too tempting!
ReplyDeleteAndrea- You said it. Some guy on Facebook just sent me a hummus recipe b/c I was looking for vegan Vitamix recipes. I appreciate the thought, but enough with the hummus already!
Ali- It almost makes it funnier that it was a joke; thanks for cluing me in!
foodfeud- It's better than Saluggi's and Viva! Also, when is one not in the mood for pizza? I've never heard of such a thing.
This place sounds so incredible!! I have never heard of um.... Any of this in an nyc pizzeria! ( TWO kinda of vegan cheese? Custom slices?? AND they're nice?)
ReplyDeleteI am a garlic knot lover..... Finding friends to go with me this weekend
Ttrockwood(at)yahoo(dot)com
Ttrockwood
I hope everyone knows the El Bloombito pizza slice story was satire!
ReplyDeleteI can't believe you didn't take a photo of that poster I was obsessed with the entire time we were there! It really helped pass the time while waiting...
ReplyDeletePecan, I KNOW! I think it's because our heads were blocking it.
ReplyDelete