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vegan beer crust pizza at tomato joe’s
5March 11th, 2010LA restaurants, tomato joe's
if there’s one good thing about santa clarita, it’s tomato joe’s. even with the billions of restaurants in los angeles and our very own vegan pizzeria, we don’t have anything like the thick-crusted, beer-flavored pies that come out of the scv. yes, yes, i know i have written about this before…but some food is just so damn delicious, i gotta remind you of it over and over.
tomato joe’s is located in valencia and has a surprising amount of vegan offerings. in fact, they are probably the most vegan-friendly, yet traditional pizzeria i’ve ever been to. they’ve got vegan cheese, vegan meats, and several vegan sauces available—plus, the veganocity of all items is clearly indicated on the menu.
tomato joe's pizza with beer crust, vegan pepperoni, mushrooms, roasted garlic, and vegan cheese.
whenever i go to tomato joe’s, i go for one thing, the beer batter crust. the thick fluffy bread is pure magic, and is made with hefeweizen brewed right next door at the wolf creek brewery. this crust is only available in an extra large size, but that’s the only size i’d ever dream of getting at tomato joe’s anyways. the more leftovers, the better!
on our recent pie, we got the beer crust loaded up with mushrooms, vegan pepperoni, roasted garlic, vegan mozzarella, and traditional sauce. as with everything i’ve tried from tomato joe’s, it was delicious. what’s most shocking to me, is that tomato joe’s still uses follow your heart cheese, and i actually like it! they some how defy chemistry and get this stuff not only to melt, but actually taste decent. it is CRAZY. all the other toppings are top notch as well, from the fresh vegetables to the rich sauces and faux meats. we didn’t get them on this pizza, but i also highly recommend you try the vegan olive oil sauce and the field roast sausage.
sally's secret garden (vegan): extra virgin olive oil, vegan mozzarella, fresh basil, white mushrooms, red onion, green pepper, roasted garlic.
my omnivorous parents live near tomato joe’s, so we always pick up a pizza for them when we are there. pictured above is the sally’s secret garden pizza, made vegan (yay!) with follow your heart cheese on a thin crust. of course i wouldn’t go near this thing because it was covered in bell peppers (which i hate), but my family really enjoyed it. they are big fans of the the crispy crust that tomato joe’s offers, and while i agree that it’s good, i don’t think it even comes close to the thick one flavored with beer.
except for a few tables scattered outside, there is nowhere to actually sit and eat at tomato joe’s—it’s much more of a take-out and delivery place. but even if you don’t have family to go visit in the scv, it really is worth the drive just to eat this amazing pizza. so go get some and bring it back to LA, if it can survive the car trip without being devoured. seriously, this stuff is that good. get the beer crust.
tomato joe’s
Tags: pizza, santa clarita
27732 McBean Pkwy
Valencia, CA 91354
(661) 263-8646
5 responses to “vegan beer crust pizza at tomato joe’s” 
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miss anthrope-
if you grew up in Valencia, i am shocked! Did you go to Valencia? I went.. of course when i went though they didnt offer vegan pizza down the street… but i get to enjoy it now! the only thing that i will miss in this city [moving to santa monica] is tomato joes.. but like you, my omnivorous parents are staying put in these… “little boxes on the hillside” so i will still be enjoying the best pies in l.a every chance i get!p.s, the owner is so fucking cool too, he told me that if they could, tomato joes would be an all vegan pizzeria, but they have to keep offering the non vegan stuff to make rent! how sad 🙁
but at least they’re in business!p.p.s : the beer crust is the shit.
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That beer crust pizza looks like old-fashioned Pizza Hut pan pizza of my dreams.
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It’s funny you mention how the FYH cheese actually melts and tastes good because at Mississippi Pizza here in Portland they also use FYH and it is really really good unlike anytime I’ve used it at home! Is their food service cheese somehow different? It’s strange huh?
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I love Tomato Joe’s. I periodically go to Six Flags Magic Mountain, and Tomato Joe’s is only a few miles from there. Magic Mountain is extremely vegan unfriendly, so I always leave and get Tomato Joe’s in the middle of the day. I can’t stress enough how good it is. It’s definitely the most similar pizza to “real” pizza as I’ve had since going vegan. Daiya is good (I love Cruzer Pizza for Daiya), but the magic that Tomato Joe’s works with Follow Your Heart cheese is just pure insanity. It tastes like how Pizza Hut pizza used to taste before I went vegan. Seriously… Tomato Joe’s is amazing… it’s definitely worth driving to check out.
shirley March 11th, 2010 at 09:06