Pizza Luce
$$ - average
American, Mexican, Italian (Southern), Pizza
The infamous Minneapolis pizza joint comes to St. Paul!
Pizza Luce has great food and a lively atmosphere, and some of the very best pizza in the cities. They're also one of the few pizza places to cater to vegans: pizza options include "rinotta cheese" and two kinds of mock duck, as well as a wide range of vegetable toppings from sundried tomatos to corn. Menu also includes vegan appetizers and sandwiches. They now offer brunch at this location on Sundays, with a few vegan options.
On Selby Avenue, just west of Lexington Avenue. Located on the north side of the street.
- Delivery
Added by Sally_K on Jan 14 07 (updated Apr 30)
Reviews
Recently decided to have try the hoagies instead of the pizza. My wife and I ordered the vegan cheesy garlic toast (they make it vegan by omitting butter). It was quite good, with the cheese melting well and the red sauce for dipping was savory. It was nicely toasted and was a great app.
The hoagies were great. I ordered the mock muffeleta which was very good and a bit spicy which was great. My wife had the mock sausage parmigiana which had a nice savory taste.
I'd probably pay the additional charge to substitute a garden salad instead of getting the potato chips that come with the hoagies since mine was a bit salty due to all the olives.
The wait staff seem totally okay when ordering things vegan. All in all a good experience at Luce's.
While I LOVE that Pizza Luce finally opened up in Saint Paul, I must say the vegan pizza is very hit or miss and more miss than hit -- at least for take out.
The spicy mock duck can range to be almost as good as Downtown's mock duck (never quite as flavorful or spicy) to horribly dried out and crispy/burned. The crust has also been an issue for me, over half the time it's undercooked so it is wafer-thin, kind of soggy and not very tasty. Once in a while, I'll get a fully cooked crust which is awesome and so so good.
The rinotta is pretty spot-on, my only complaint is the same with Downtown's Luce: the application of rinotta can range from thick and awesome to sparse and uneven.
I tried the vegan cheese bread in-restaurant once at this location, and it was fine -- gooey and melted and tasty which is all you could ask for in vegan cheese bread.
I just get the feeling that this location doesn't have enough vegan orders or vegan employees to understand the art of the vegan pizza. More than once I've encountered a completely confused response when trying to order a pizza "vegan", something I don't do except at places like Luce where the word should be understood.
Despite the lackluster food I've gotten, I go back again and again and again. Why? Because it's so freaking close to my house and even the crappiest Pizza Luce is 20-bazillion times better than any other cheeseless pizza I can get without going to Minneapolis.
Overall, I go here when I'm lazy but for what I believe is the best Luce -- Downtown Mpls still wins over all the other locations.
Pretty much all of the Luce's are the same, but I really liked the design of this one. They have a bar, and it's got a more edgy feel than the others I've been to. Our server was great about the vegan thing.
The St. Paul location of Pizza Luce just opened and I've been there twice already. Both times were quite pleasant, even though it was very busy. Be prepared to wait a while for a table. My dining partner and I happily sat at the bar where a friendly vegan comrade tended to us.
We ordered a large pizza with vegan cheese on it. Vegan soy cheese is considered a premium topping, which added well over $4.00 to the cost, but the amount of cheese on the pizza was embarrassingly small. My non-vegan friend, especially, was not impressed with that. But we both devoured a vegan chocolate peanut butter bar and wished we had each ordered our own instead of sharing one.
Until they tear the house next door down and turn it into more parking spaces, be prepared for an atrocious parking lot.
I'm looking forward to more visits to my new neighborhood Pizza Luce. I also plan to try out their pizza delivery.
tried the sunday brunch recently. for vegans, they offer tofu scramble with hashbrowns, biscuits and gravy, a portobello florentine and i think a breakfast burrito (not sure on that one). not bad. nice to have more brunch options. only sundays at this location.
too bad they play all that jazz..