Chuck E. Cheese: What’s Vegetarian Editorial Review

Chuck E. Cheese works better for vegetarians than you’d guess from a chain built around pizza and arcade games. Nolan Bushnell opened the first one in 1977 pairing family pizza with arcade games, and the food menu has grown up alongside the games since then. Pizza is naturally friendly to meat-free eaters, and that works in your favor here, well past the plain cheese pie.

What to order at Chuck E. Cheese

The Cheese Pizza, in traditional or stuffed crust, is your anchor. Build a Veggie Pizza from green peppers, mushrooms, spinach, red onion, black olives, jalapenos, grape tomatoes, and pineapple, all meat-free toppings you can stack however you like. The salad bar covers vegetables and fruit, and a basket of oven-baked French Fries is vegan as served, so skip the ranch if you’re keeping it that way. For dessert, Dippin’ Dots Rainbow Ice is dairy-free, and the Gluten-Free Crust is the one crust that’s fully vegan on its own.

What to watch out for

The traditional and stuffed crusts both contain whey, a milk protein, so they’re vegetarian but not vegan. Cheesy Breadsticks and the cinnamon or apple dessert pizza carry the same dairy problem. At the salad bar, skip the bacon bits and any dairy-based dressings if you’re avoiding animal products, and use a clean spoon since the bins sit close together. Wings, nuggets, meatballs, and the meat pizzas are all out, no matter which crust you build around them.