20th Street Pizza: What’s Vegetarian Editorial Review

20th Street Pizza is a vegan pizzeria in Rittenhouse, and most pies on its menu use vegan mozzarella. Mark Mebus, who also owns Blackbird Pizzeria, opened it on March 20, 2019. The shop calls its pizza naturally leavened and vegan. It is tiny, so most people order takeout.

Pizzas come round at 18 inches or square at 14 by 14. Round pies start at $29 for the Plain Cheese, which keeps it simple with tomato sauce, vegan mozzarella, olive oil, and basil. White ($33) adds garlic sauce, cashew cheese, lemon cashew ricotta, and parsley. Veggie ($33) piles on roasted artichoke, local mushroom, black olive, red onion, and sweet pepper. Popeye ($33) swaps in spinach, artichoke, smoked green olive, and a lemon pepper vinaigrette.

Plant-based meat shows up too. Pepperoni ($33) uses smoked pepperoni. Haymaker ($37) pairs Italian sausage with red onion and garlic sauce. Balboa and Drago both carry crushed meatball. Balboa adds cashew cheese, roasted tomato, pistachio pesto, arugula, and chile flakes, and Drago rides on vodka sauce.

Square pies set the shop apart. Grandma ($30) wears tomato sauce, basil, and a garlic sauce drizzle. Funghi ($37) brings local mushrooms, sweet onion, and parmesan. Hot Potato ($33) layers thin potato slices, sweet onion, hot pepper, and spicy romesco. Tomato Pie ($27) goes light with tomato sauce, parmesan, olive oil, and oregano, with no mozzarella. A Giant Calzone ($30) fills with vegan mozzarella and cashew cheese, and the tomato sauce comes on the side.

Under “Not Pizza,” you can order Baked Meatballs ($16) with three garlic knots, an Italian Salad ($13) with local lettuces, green olives, pistachios, and sourdough croutons, Roasted Spinach ($9) with cashew cheese and Italian bread crumbs, and Garlic Knots ($7) topped with vegan parmesan and parsley, with tomato sauce on the side. Drinks stay short. Think soda ($3.50), Saratoga water ($2), and Rival Bros coffee ($4). You can also buy a logo t-shirt for $20 or a ball of Organic Pizza Dough for $8.

Philadelphia magazine reported in 2019 that the shop opened with 18 seats and that Mebus built the dough with spelt and rye flour from Lost Bread Co. in Olde Kensington. The shop launched with pizza only. Salad, meatballs, and calzone joined the menu later. Before it opened, Mebus told the magazine he wanted a vegan version of the straightforward New York slice shop, the kind where people order the same thing every time.

Prices top out at $37, and Balboa showed as out of stock when we checked, so expect the menu to shift through the day. Call (215) 398-5748 or order pickup and delivery on the shop’s site. You earn two visits toward rewards when you join its rewards program. Its ordering page lists 11am to 9pm every day, though hours differ across other listings, so confirm before you go. Seating is limited. Rittenhouse Square sits a few blocks away if you want to eat outside.

Order a White pie and a Haymaker, walk to the square, and eat them while they are hot.