Z Pizza is a pizza chain that was started in Laguna Beach, CA. The idea and vision of Z Pizza is to bring fresher, organic pizza to its consumers, with organic wheat flour, organic tomato sauce, MSG free pepperoni and additive free sausage. The also have skim milk mozzarella cheese and soy cheese as well as gluten-free crust and wheat crusts for the pizza. Z Pizza also offers unique items for toppings, such as chicken sausage, spicy lime chicken, roasted eggplant, roasted yams, and veggie burger crumbles.
I had a craving for pizza last week and I wanted to try something new in my area. I did a Google Local search for pizza places in my area, and I spotted Z Pizza over in Scripps Ranch. It was located in a little strip mall that I used to work in when I was in college so I knew the area, I just had never heard of Z Pizza before. Visiting their web site, I found that Z Pizza is a chain across the United States, currently available in 16 different states. I was surprised I hadn’t heard of them before, and their promise of fresh and organic pizza piqued my interest.
On their web site you can view their full menu as well as order online for pickup or delivery. I opted to order online for pickup. I wanted to try a few of their different creations, so I got a few of the smaller pizzas to try. I placed my order online and headed out to the restaurant. By the time I got there, it had been about 20 minutes since I placed my order. The web site told me my order should be ready in 10-30 minutes.
When I got there, I had a friendly greeting by the helpful counter guy – my order was already ready and waiting. I was pleasantly surprised by this, as I was expecting a wait.
Here’s what I ordered:
The Thai Pizza (10″ – $10.50) has peanut sauce, mozzarella, spicy chicken, red onions, cilantro, carrots, fresh bean sprouts, serrano chilies. I really wanted to try something different – I think I’ve only seen a similar kind of pizza like this at California Pizza Kitchen and I was curious. I loved the smell of the peanut sauce drafting up off of the pizza, but in the end, I just thought this pizza was okay. I wasn’t crazy about eating carrots and bean sprouts on my pizza and while I think this is a clever idea, it’s not something I would want to order again simply because I like different stuff on my pizza. It wasn’t bad, I just thought it was a bit weird.
A much more “regular” kind of pizza is the Sausage and Mushroom pizza (10″ – $9.95). They have another pizza that sounds divine to me, the Tuscan Mushroom Pizza with three kinds of mushrooms on it, but I wanted to see what the sausage was like since sausage is my other favorite pizza topping. This was much more classic pizza type and my favorite of the bunch. The sausage was good as were the mushrooms. The sauce was slightly sweet and the crust was chewy and not too crispy. A good choice.
This is one Z Pizza’s “Rustica Pizza”. What sets this apart from the other pizzas is that it’s made on a “free form crust” in an oblong shape. Has its own style of pizza box and everything! These also only come in one size, whereas the other pizzas you can order a 10″, 14″ or 18″. This is the “Chicken Sausage and Arugula Rustica” ($8.95). I liked the chicken sausage and the bits of argula on it. The chicken sausage tasted more like sausage than chicken, which I think is a good thing. The arugula gives it a peppery flavor to the pizza. The crust was good, it was a little bit crispier than the regular style of pizza. If I’m ever feeling adventurous again, I’d want to try the Pear and Gorgonzola Rustica with a friend (and another pizza in tow).
Last but not least, the “Dip ‘n Stix” pizza bread ($3.25). It’s topped simply with cheese and comes with some marina sauce on the side. Looks just like one of their small pizzas, but with only cheese on top. The bread sticks are good and warm and I liked the cheese and how it’s kind of crusted into the bread. I love bread, so this is a plus. It’s more like pizza bread than the breadsticks you get at other restaurants.
All in all, I felt that while Z Pizza has some good stuff, it’s a bit pricy. I’m sure this is because of the nature of what they sell – all organic ingredients. While I do like organic, I don’t necessary feel the need for “all organic, all the time”. I pick and choose what organic ingredients I buy at the store (such as milk – I love organic milk) but I sometimes wonder if the additional cost is really worth it. I would return to Z Pizza with a friend, and maybe decrease my order a bit and not order so much next time around. It’s also definitely a good alternative for people who need gluten-free products in their diet, so it’s nice to see restaurants that have those options for people with diet restrictions.
Z Pizza
Multiple Locations
10006 Scripps Ranch Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92131
(858) 689-9449
Thai Pizza is soooooooooo good!
Oddly, I’m not sure I’ve ever had their pizza. I’ve been to two of their Orange County locations and also the Long Beach location at Belmont Shore, and the quality is consistent among them. I’ve had the Pear & Gorgonzola Salad, which was pretty typical for that type of salad, and the Veggie Sandwich, which I liked because it has toppings like artichoke hearts and grilled onions, so it was a lot better than a typical deli’s veggie sandwich.