It sounds like a massive job, but Nonna Said, an acclaimed pizzeria in Glasgow, Scotland, has done it. Every single meat-based item on its menu now has a vegan counterpart, right down to the side items.
Nonna Said wanted to make sure that vegans and vegetarians could have the full dining experience enjoyed by its meat-loving guests. So the single-unit Neapolitan-style pizzeria set out to replicate its entire menu specifically for the plant-eating crowd. No meat, no dairy, but all delicious nonetheless.
Low-gluten versions of many of the menu items are also available.
In addition to winning hearts in the famously loyal vegan segment, this bold and ambitious move has sparked widespread media coverage for Nonna Said.
“With more and more customers looking for low-gluten and vegan options, we wanted to make sure that everyone can have a great meal with us,” Adam Stevenson, Nonna Said’s general manager, told Glasgow Live. “Whether they’re flexitarian, vegetarian, vegan or have food intolerances, we’ve created a menu to suit.”
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Nonna Said’s culinary team first created their own plant-based pepperoni and then added other non-animal meat alternatives as well. We’re not just talking meat-free Hawaiian or sausage pizzas. Think vegan haggis on the Happy Highlander (along with potato smiley faces) and vegan beef on the Philly Cheese Steak pie. Think vegan jerk chicken on the Jamaican Me Crazy and a vegan version of n’duja.
“We did a lot of research into how we could recreate our original offering and have managed to source an incredible vegan pizza cheese, which is a real game changer, as well as creating a number of homemade meat alternatives,” Adam Stevenson, Nonna Said’s general manager, said in the Glasgow Live interview.
“The homemade pepperoni our chefs have made really has to be tasted to be believed, and we’re confident that this is the best vegan pizza in the country,” Stevenson added. “As well as creating vegan versions of pizzas, we’ve added new vegan street food and loaded fries, loaded nachos and loaded hash browns to our menu.”
Nonna Said opened in May 2021 and quickly made jaws drop with a limited-edition pizza called The Gold Digger made with 23-carat gold leaves and a gold-dust crust. That pie poked fun at celebrity chef Salt Bae’s notorious Giant Tomahawk Steak, which was coated in edible gold and sold for a whopping £630. The price for the Gold Digger? A mere £6.30.
Related: Alex Koons of Hot Tongue Pizza shares his recipe for vegan mozzarella
