Pizza Pizza - Beamsville

4322 Ontario Street
905-687-1111

Well, Pizza Pizza is not going to be the most glamorous restaurant covered here, but it is vegan-friendly. We ordered a large pizza and I held my breath, wondering if the non-dairy cheese was going to be any good.

We did the multi-grain crust with Italian homestyle tomato sauce. My half of the pizza was green olives, mushrooms, grilled zucchini and the vegan cheese. A cool aside, when I asked the person taking my order if there was some way to denote which side of the pizza had my cheese on it, he suggested getting an additional topping on my side (which he did not charge me for), to ensure that there would be no confusion. (I didn't need to worry about differentiating the cheese in the end,...the vegan cheese looked nothing like the melty mozzarella.)

Other vegan options included:

Garden salad - Balsamic or Zesty Italian dressing
Greek salad, hold the feta, Balsamic or Zesty Italian dressing
Crunchy dill pickles
Potato Wedges
Onion Rings
Fries

Sauces:
Chipotle, Italian Marinara Dipping, Hot, Frank's Red Hot, BBQ, Italian Homestyle Pizza, Bruschetta, Sweet Chili Thai

Breads:
Tortillas, Whole Grain Dough, Classic Dough

I want to mention that looking at the menu, I can't figure out where they use the tortillas. Also, the cheese. I know you're waiting to hear about the cheese. The brand is Violife. I didn't love it; it had that faint chemical taste that I also find with Daiya products. It melted okay and tasted better when hot, but I would be tempted to try it without the cheese next time.

For me, this would be an 'in-a-pinch' restaurant option, and I would probably stick to the sides above instead of ordering the pizza next time. Having said that, if you enjoy the Daiya cheeses, you will probably enjoy this Violife cheese as well.

Hours:
Sunday to Wednesday: 11am - 10pm
Thursday: 11am - 12am
Friday and Saturday: 11am - 1am

How To Connect:
Website
Facebook
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Kully's Original Sports Bar - St. Catharines

223 St. Paul Street, St. Catharines
905-684-1771

Kully's Original Sports Bar

We wandered into Kully’s after our initial restaurant choice was discovered to be closed for lunch, so I hadn’t prepped and called ahead and mapped out a plan. That’s something I always like to do, given a chance. No worries though, Kully’s did not disappoint.

This was a just a quick lunch, and I noticed a veggie wrap on the menu that looked close to vegan. Though it listed goat cheese, I was assured that sans cheese, it was vegan. The wrap was pretty good, made with peppers, onions, roasted beets (nice unique touch), and a balsamic vinaigrette. I prefer my wraps to be warm, so I should have asked, as this is served cold. Still, it was delicious and filling. The fries were exceptionally good, obviously hand-cut, and cooked to perfection just slightly on the dark side.

Some of the other choices that could be made vegan:

Kully’s classic salad - romaine, iceberg, spring mix, cherry tomatoes, roasted red peppers, balsamic dressing - $8.99 (ask for no croutons and cheese)
Stir-fry - peppers, onions, mushrooms, broccoli with rice and teriyaki sauce - $11.49
Veggie burger - black bean and veggie patty with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle (hold the Kully’s sauce) - $11.49
 - Additional burger toppings: grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, jalapeños, banana peppers, and avocado at $0.99 each

House-cut fries - $4.49
Kettle chips - $5.99
Sweet potato fries - $5.99
All three of these come with dips, but none of the dips in the restaurant are vegan. Ketchup or vinegar are probably your go-tos.

When I called it was also suggested that the white pizza could be made vegan by dropping the cheese option. A note to keep in mind is that the red sauce for the pasta and pizza both have parmesan cheese right in the sauce and so, obviously, are a no-go.

Kully’s is a typical sports bar - “Let’s raise a glass to the game.” Though the lunch crowd on Monday was moderate, I can imagine that game days in the city are hopping. If that’s your thing (or perhaps more poignantly, if that isn’t your thing), you might want to check the schedule of the local teams, especially the Ice Dogs, to see if there is a game or not before booking your reservation.

Kully’s decor is classic: deep rich woods accented by ebony chairs and fixtures. TVs abound so everyone in the bar gets a good view of the game. Walls are adorned with the smiling faces of athletes (Wayne Gretzky, Muhammad Ali, Joe Montana, and Michael Jordan, to name a few), plus a wall-sized chalkboard near the front windows shows what’s happening every night of the week. And something is always happening here.

Hopefully, you fill up on your entree because there is no dessert option there at the present that could be made vegan. Also, they did not have any non-dairy creamer or milk for coffee or tea.

Washrooms: Sorry, didn’t need to check them out here.
Parking: Street parking, pretty busy.

Hours:
Daily: 11am - 2am

How to Connect:
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Phone: 905-684-1771

Homemade Pizza

I really wondered if I was going to have to give up pizza when I adopted a plant-based diet. I ordered pizza without cheese from our regular shop but it didn't really light a fire for me. It was just okay. Then I discovered two things that changed everything: parmesan cheese and Sensations pizza crust. Woohooo.

For starters, I found the parmesan cheese recipe on the Minimalist Baker site. She calls for cashews in her version, which I sometimes do, but most of the time I use almonds instead. We have some cashew allergies in the family, so it's easier to just use almonds. You can find her recipe here and if you haven't already checked out her recipes, do that too. I have had great success with all of the ones I have tried.

Secondly, the crust. I have to credit my mom with finding this crust at Sobey's. It's called "original thin pizza crust" and it's the Sensations brand. I checked the ingredients and all was well until I got to the dreaded "MAY CONTAIN" disclaimer, may contain milk. So I contacted the company and asked what they meant. Here is their response:

"When it comes to allergy warnings on our packages, anything used in the product will be listed in the ingredients. The "May Contain" statement you were referring to is meant to warn about cross contamination through the same manufacturing line or plant, not in the actual ingredients, as we do want to make customers aware if there is a risk for the main allergens. We hope this helps, let us know if you have any other questions!"

I know there are some people who are not comfortable eating products with this type of disclaimer. If that's you, then I'm sorry but this pizza crust isn't going to work for you. I will eat products with this waiver because I believe it to be a legal manoeuvre and not anything really to do with a plant-based diet. If that's your philosophy, then definitely pick up this crust. It's delicious.

For the pizza toppings, I sautéed some peppers, onions, and mushrooms and sliced fresh avocado on top. The parmesan was sprinkled both on the naked sauce and then on top as well. Lots of basil, oregano, salt and pepper to finish. I popped it into a 400-degree oven on a preheated pizza stone for about 12 minutes. Easy peasy with that premade crust, and oh so delicious.