March 30, 2023

Since the first pizzeria opened in New York City’s Little Italy in 1905, pizza has evolved into an American staple. I could eat pizza every week. But since I converted to a plant-based diet in 2015, I’ve discovered few vegan pizza offerings to rave about 

When I heard about Pizza Verde, a 100-percent plant-based pizzeria in Fort Worth, I jumped out of my chair with excitement.

The genesis for Pizza Verde came from Jennifer and Landon Cabarubio, who after switching to a vegan diet noticed there was a serious lack of suitable restaurants in the DFW area

“Landon and I went plant-based around 5 or 6 years ago,” says Jennifer Cabarubio. “I had taken several work trips to big cities not long after our switch and realized that these communities had tons of vegan restaurants! Almost immediately after my last trip, we started talking about switching careers to the food industry (something we'd always daydreamed about) because we felt there was a need in the market for more plant-based options.”

Although the couple had backgrounds in visual and performing arts, that didn’t stop them from jumping cheese-head first into food experimentation. Pretty soon, they were perfecting their own homegrown recipe for dairy-free mozzarella — a key ingredient that would soon become their claim-to-fame and the base for many of their dishes. 

The Bacon and Brussels pie. Photo by Andrew Ridout.

After months of taste-testing and feedback from friends and family, they felt they had perfected their vegan pizza pies. They began by doing pop-ups at local restaurants in early 2020, just as Covid started impacting businesses. 

After a rocky start, they decided to team up with long-time friend and pizza chef Marcos Quintanar and opened their brick-and-mortar location off Camp Bowie Boulevard in West Fort Worth in November 2021. They haven’t slowed down since.

Pizza Verde’s menu is eclectic and fun, offering a wide variety of pies as well as calzones with several options for toppings and fillings. 

“We have meat substitutes that are 100 percent plant-based, such as pepperoni, bacon and chorizo. And we recently launched a pizza featuring Juicy Marbles steak! Our toppings range from traditional items like pesto, sun dried tomatoes and spinach, to kimchi, potatoes, chimichurri, roasted oyster mushrooms and more,” said Jennifer. 

Toasted Bruschetta, served alongside house-made mozzarella, with a tangy and flavorful balsamic reduction, fresh basil and diced tomatoes. Photo by Andrew Ridout.

Potato Leek is their most popular pie, slathered with oil and garlic, the couple’s own mozzarella, potatoes, leeks, rosemary and lemon aioli. 

The restaurant’s atmosphere was small but both pleasant and welcoming. The friendly staff was happy to make menu recommendations. 

My friend and I dove into the ever-popular Pepperoni Pizza, loaded with generous pepperoni slices, as well as the Bacon and Brussels pie, that was a feast for the eye as well as the palate with its stripes of balsamic glaze. We had plenty to share as well as enough to take home for lunch the next day. My only disappointment about their menu was that I couldn’t try everything in one sitting.

In addition to their main dishes, Pizza Verde also offers an assortment of appetizers, including my favorite, toasted Bruschetta, served alongside house-made mozzarella, with a tangy and flavorful balsamic reduction, fresh basil and diced tomatoes. 

Fried Mozzarella is another standout as well as a crisp Caesar salad topped with croutons, vegan parmesan and black pepper. 

Fried Dough with blueberry compote, topped with powdered sugar. Photo by Andrew Ridout.

Pizza Verde’s desserts are also quite tasty, including a mouthwatering Sorbet Trio, a to-die-for Salted Caramel Gelato with pecans and cookie crumble, and last but not least, Fried Dough with blueberry compote, topped with powdered sugar. The only thing that could have made it more delicious would have been a dollop of vegan ice cream on top. Perhaps next time!

Pizza Verde is breaking new ground and it’s great to see them thriving. Visitors will enjoy a unique experience without spending a lot of dough, around $15 per pizza. It’s certainly something that we’ve needed here in the Metroplex for a long time. Drop by, order a pizza pie and share the vegan love. 

Pizza Verde is located at 5716 Locke Ave, Fort Worth, near another vegan hot spot Mariachi’s Dine-In. Read my review of Mariachi's.

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