We’re pretty spoiled for choice in Manchester for good pizza. So when I heard that a new pizza restaurant was opening in the Northern Quarter, replacing Dough’s old site, I knew I had to try it. Purezza first opened its doors in Brighton back in 2015, and was the first vegan Pizzeria in the UK. Since the incredible response they received, the chain have won multiple awards for their completely vegan eateries.
The pizza at Purezza is made with fresh dough that is matured for 48 hours using an organic wholegrain flour. You can also choose from hemp or Freedom (gluten-free) bases to cater to your needs. As well as this, they offer nibbles, starters, salads, desserts. Their wine list is also impressive.
For our starters, we shared three melted cheese dough balls which came in at a reasonable £5. I struggle to find a good vegan cheese but these were great – the filling was hot and oozy, really indulgent and messy but definitely worth it.
We also tried the roasted garlic and herb potatoes. If there are two foods that don’t spend nearly enough time together, it’s potatoes and cheese. These stone-baked potatoes are tossed with Italian herbs and cheese and are an ultimate comfort food, but we can’t help think they’d be even better with a Sunday Roast!
The pizza’s we opted for were ‘The One That’s Telling Porkies’, a white-base pizza slathered in melted cheddar and topped with sticky pulled porketta which has been marinated in BBQ sauce. Wild forest mushrooms and semi-dried tomatoes elevate the pizza but a drizzle of balsamic glaze push it all the way to perfection.
We also tried ‘The One And Only Parmigiana Party’ – red tomato base with smoked mozzarella, aubergine parmigiana, crumbled sausages, topped with a dusting of nutritional yeast. Both pizza’s cost less than a tenner each making them absolute bargains – even if you’re a meat eater and are just looking to experiment with vegan options, it would be silly not to try them at such a competitive price.
As for the taste test, both pizza’s were delicious. Vegan cheese can be very filling and stodgy so the tomato base pizza helps suppress that by offering a sweetness which cuts through the cheese, whilst the porketta is a very close match to the real deal.
For dessert we shared The Chocolate One, fluffy sourdough covered in creamy homemade sunflower seed chocolate spread, topped with white chocolate crumble and a scoop of coconut ice cream for good measure. Sweet, moreish and really hits the after-dinner spot.
The interior looks great, with gorgeous accents of green and pink which makes the restaurant look really modern and picturesque.
The restaurant, staff and food were great. It’s definitely somewhere to add to your list if you’re a pizza-lover. It’s also ideal if you have a big group of people with different dietary requirements as there will definitely be something on the menu for everyone.
Life In Manchester 