Pizza minus the meat (and cheese) on menu at new Modesto vegan plant-based restaurant
Plant-based eating is having a moment. They’ve got burgers. They’ve got tacos. And now, in Modesto, they’ve got pizza.
A new locally owned, all vegan pizza place, using only plant-based ingredients and toppings, is coming to McHenry Avenue. Pizzeria Halt opened Jan. 27, offering a more healthful menu with absolutely no animal products. And, yes, that means no cheese — or at least no dairy-based cheese.
Owner Sambit Duttaroy and his wife, longtime Modesto internist Dr. Priti Modi, wanted to the new restaurant to reflect their own vegan lifestyles. Duttaroy, who emigrated from India about two years ago, owned a hotel and restaurant in his native Kolkata. When he came to the States he wanted to find a way to fuse the flavors of Indian food with other cuisines.
Then he attended a healthcare conference where one of the speakers discussed the benefits of a vegan diet for general health and particularly for those with cancer. And the concept for Pizzeria Halt was born.
The result is a modest new pizza shop on north McHenry Avenue in the Marshalls shopping center, with dreams of even bigger things in the future. Duttaroy studied Italian cooking before embarking on his new project, and the majority of his staff of about 10 employees comes from the Modesto Institute of Technology’s culinary program. All of the recipes are original, developed by Duttaroy and his team.
With their menu they’re on a mission to prove vegan food can be tasty and affordable.
“We want to be educational,” Duttaroy said. “Vegetarianism and veganism is also delicious as well as being healthy.”
Just a casual glance at their specialties wouldn’t necessarily give away the restaurant’s plant-based approach. You’ll find chicken pesto pizza, steak fajita pizza and a cowboy pizza with meatballs. But instead of real chicken, beef and pork the restaurant uses commercially available vegan products from up-and-coming plant-based companies like Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat.
As for the “cheese,” they use different shredded vegan cheese products from companies like Go Veggie and Daiya Foods, which are made from largely non-soy based ingredients like potato starch, tapioca starch and pea protein. They use traditional pizza dough — which is already vegan — and make their own sauces including garlic aoili, pesto and chipotle that are used to finish a variety of the pizzas.
Pizzas start at $15.99 to $16.99 for a small 10-inch pie and go up to $20.99-$21.99 for a large 14-inch pie. A small would make a filling lunch and a large can be shared with others. You can expect the offerings to evolve over time, and with the seasons as well.
The restaurant also serves vegan appetizers like roasted cauliflower florets, garlic twists, cheesy bread twists and more ($4.99 to $5.99). The shop also offers a number of salads because there’s always that one person in your group when you go out for a couples slices who says, “You know what, I think I just want a salad.”
If you feel like eating in, Pizzeria Halt has eight draft beer taps which serve largely local craft brews and serves a selection of E.&J. Gallo-owned Barefoot Wine. The 1,160-square foot space was converted from an old takeout Pizza Guys shop and taken down to studs to create a new kitchen and small 17-person seating area.
They will also have delivery available through GrubHubs and UberEats soon.
The wall art was all created by Duttaroy to highlight the health benefits of vegan and vegetarian diets. And, if you do decide to drop by, be sure to check out the bathroom poster which cheekily reads, “I don’t eat anything that poops.”
If things go well with the restaurant, Duttaroy hopes to expand the brand to more restaurants and possibly even a franchise. But for now, he’s just focused on getting people to stop by and give his vegan pizza a try. In fact, much like with his matter-of-fact decor, that message is baked right into the name.
“I wanted people to stop at my pizza restaurant,” Duttaroy said. “I want people to stop and see what we have to offer. Vegan food can be flavorful and still be healthy.”
The restaurant celebrated its soft public opening Jan. 27, and have a grand-opening ribbon cutting with the Modesto Chamber of Commerce and Hispanic Chamber of Commerce at the restaurant Feb. 14.
Pizzeria Halt, at 3440 McHenry Suite D10 in Modesto, will be open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily for lunch and dinner. For more information call 209-622-0623 or visit www.facebook.com/pizzeriahalt.
This story was originally published January 23, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
