PIZZA REVIEW: Screamer’s Pizzeria

My search for the best pizza in New York continues….

Believe me when I say I am fully on the vegan bandwagon. I’ve already sung the praises of a vegan hot dog, vegan BBQ, vegan tuna, vegan fried chicken, and so much more. When it works (which it often does), I love it. One step closer to being meat-free.

So vegan pizza is something that could be great. And I feel like it should be easier and more successful than some of the other favorite vegan-ized dishes. Aside from the cheese (and any meaty toppings), pizza is practically vegan already.

There is one successful vegan pizza restaurant that I know of already out there. Double Zero (formerly 00 + Co.) takes the Neapolitan approach with wood ovens and Double Zero Caputo flour. It’s fancy and quite good – using nut-based cheeses.

But we certainly need a more accessible slice joint serving a vegan version of a typical New York slice. Enter Screamer’s.

Screamer’s has built up quite a rabid following since opening in Greenpoint in 2016. Since then they’ve expanded to Crown Heights and is often on the lips of vegans and hip Brooklynites. I’ve heard their name quite a few times and finally got a chance to make a quick stop at the original location.

The storefront was actually smaller than I expected. I was tempted by a few of the loaded specialty slices, but I thought, especially for this sampling, I should stick with the basics.

I can imagine they do vegetable combinations well but how do they do with a plain slice? You know, the usual dough, cheese, and tomato number.

The slice looked ok although I could see that some of the “cheese” hadn’t fully melted. It also had a strange smell that was reminiscent of stewed beans. It didn’t smell like pizza. Even without the cheese, I would have appreciated some tomato and herb aromas.

The cheese was unsurprisingly the most problematic part of this slice. They use NUMU, a brand that is made of soy beans and coconut oil. Many pizzerias swear by it as the closest option to real mozzarella.

For me, it didn’t come close enough. The “cheese” was gummy and sticky rather than stretchy. It got stuck on the roof of my mouth like a wet slice of bread. Not sure if it’s the cheese itself or the preparation of it at Screamer’s. It also seemed like at a typical NYC slice joint, this particular pizza had been sitting out for a while and was re-heated when ordered. I appreciate the tradition but perhaps the re-heating did no favors for the vegan cheese.

The rest of the slice was adequate and what I would expect from most NYC corner pizzerias. The crust was nice and crisp and the tomato sauce was a bit muted but provided a decent amount of acidity.

Cheese, of course, is the hardest part to fake. And personally, I preferred the refined nut cheeses to this soy based concoction. Although, in fairness, this opens up the possibilities to other food allergies.

I haven’t written Screamer’s off all together. But I don’t think it’s the place for a plain slice where there is nothing to cover up the absence of true cheese. I am more than willing to give them another chance where I get to try the actual vegetable toppings. Because as I said, I’m all for the veggies.

Is Screamer’s Pizzeria the best pizza in NY? Vegans might applaud it for doing its best to emulate the real thing but I think there are better options out there without the need for animal products. There is more potential here so my 6 out of10could be bumped up after future visits.