The Dish: Seattle is a vegan-friendly city, no doubt. But pizza? Typically the dish is served smothered in cheese or carries names such as “Meat Lover’s.” There may not be a host of places out there for vegan pizzas (one, Juliano’s, recently closed). Rest assured, however, quantity, not quality, is all the Seattle vegan-pizza picture lacks.The Rivals:Pizza Pi, 5500 University Way N.E., 343-1415. The whitewashed brick side of Pizza Pi proclaims the establishment vegan in bold black. If you miss it, the friendly staff will remind you as you order: Everything in Pizza Pi is 100% vegan. But you could easily forget as you chomp into a St. Louis Pie. “Provolone cheese,” onion, “bacon,” “hamburger,” and green bell peppers top the thin, crispy crust. Everything on the pie meshes with the other elements; they are simple yet well-thought-out, and the toppings are generously and evenly spread over the baked landscape. You could forget you were eating guiltlessly while sampling the creamy white garlic sauce that finds a home on many an offering, including the Field-Roast-topped pie or the “Rainy Day” pineapple pie. Pizza Pi pizza doesn’t taste like Pizza Hut or one of the cheap gastro-clogging joints; it tastes like a damn good pizza.

Turnpike Pizza, 6900 E. Green Lake Way N., 708-1860. This Green Lake establishment is not purely vegan. Far from it, in fact: All the pizzas listed on their website are full of cheeses and meats except the veggie, a cheese pizza with vegetables. I had gotten a lead that the place had vegan pizza, but it wasn’t apparent until I asked. Turnpike will make to order any of their regular menu pizzas vegan. That is really cool. The crust is already vegan, and they will switch out dairy cheeses for their melting soy replacement and any meat for soy chicken. Turnpike had a thick, bready crust more akin to a delivery pizza, and their cheese was weirdly reminiscent of lasagna. The toppings were sparser–tomatoes dashed across the top after the pizza itself was baked. Turnpike delivers, and has pizzas perfect for a movie or game night where taste matters a bit less than affordability and the friends you have over. The Verdict: While Turnpike had an almost greasy, almost-the-real-thing pie, Pizza Pi’s dedication to their craft pulls them far ahead of the competition.