Pala Pizza, Lower East Side

After a couple drinks at Botanica, we were starting to get hungry. Arvind mentioned that Pala Pizza, which was just a few blocks away, had vegan pizza. How could we say no to that? I was expecting a small grab and go pizza place. It was a nice surprise to find a real sit down restaurant. Trendy, but intimate. They opened up their garage style doors to the street, which blurs the boundary between inside and outside. Hello summer dining!

We grabbed a spot at the bar, and the bartender set up fresh herbs and a candle as soon as we were seated. I was still in a cocktail mood and ordered the Allen Street Affair ($13). Unfortunately, I don’t remember all of the ingredients, and it’s not listed in their online menu. There was vermouth and a lemon peel. Strong, but tasty.
All the pizzas were in the $17 – $20 range. You can’t order by the slice. Gotta get a whole pizza to share with friends (or eat on your own). There’s a vegan section of the menu with pizzas, pasta, and all kinds of good stuff. They also have gluten free options.

Two pizzas split between three people was just right. Our first was the Broccolini pizza with sauteed broccoli, braised fennel, shaved potatoes, and Daiya cheese. The name of the pizza threw me off a little. You get classic broccoli on this pizza, not broccolini with the smaller florets and longer, thinner stalks. The fennel was tasty, and the shaved potatoes were a nice touch. More broccoli would have balanced things out more for me, but then again, I am somewhat obsessed with broccoli.Our other pizza was the Porri e Salsiccia, which I’m sure I pronounced incorrectly. Topped with veggie sausage, leeks, sundried tomatoes, Daiya cheese, pink peppercorns and hot pepper. This was a fantastic combination with a little heat. Sausage and leeks are a combination that I always enjoy. The Daiya cheese was great on both pizzas. I’m a cheese lover, and I didn’t miss the real cheese here!