I miss pizza. I really miss pizza.
But there are some things about the pizza I used to have pre-celiac days that I don’t miss.
The grease. The calories. The feeling like crap afterwards.
Well…we are entering what I hope is a new dawn in the pizza age.
Pizza that is actually…dare I say…healthy.
Yesterday, I had the opportunity to try out Naked Pizza in Princeton, NJ (they have other locations as well).
They tout all-natural ingredients and offer a gluten-free option as well.
(Ironic that they have a store called Cox next to Naked Pizza. I know…real mature Gluten Dude.)
Anyway, I ordered the gluten-free pizza with spinach, sun-dried tomatoes and mushrooms. No cheese.
The general manager knew about my blog, so while the pizza was cooking, I was lucky enough to get a tour of the kitchen.
I will say this. They take their gluten-free VERY seriously.
Whoever is making the pizza must put on a special apron that is only used for gluten-free pizzas.
They have to wash their hands thoroughly before preparation.
And they need to put on disposable gloves.
This is very, very cool.
Now…it’s not a huge kitchen so I can’t say there is no airborne flour. But they did tell me that they are moving toward using a corn-flour for ALL of their pizzas, which would be so awesome for us celiacs.
All of the toppings for the gluten-free pizzas are on the opposite side of the station for normal pizzas. They use separate utensils and the prep dish is never put down during preparation.
They really seem to do all they can to avoid cross-contamination.
Are you listening Domino’s??
At the end of the day, of course, it’s all about taste.
How was it?
Awesome.
But not awesome like “this is disgustingly delicious…where’s the nearest bathroom?”
You have to have a different mindset. If you are used to the greasy slices of pizza that you grew up on, you’ll be in for a bit of a shock.
I had a handful of slices last night (and two cold slices for breakfast this morning) and I never got that full, uncomfortable feeling.
And frankly, this is the way it should be. Who wants to feel like crap after eating?
So to you Naked Pizza, I say thank you and a job well-done.
You might not win everyone over with your “healthy pizza” but you’ve made this one celiac quite happy for one meal at least.
We have one here in Cincy but it’s about 20-25 minutes away. I love their probiotic pizza. (gf of course) I also love that like Chipotle, they believe in sustainable food. Complete awesomeness and I’ve never had a problem.
Did they use a separate oven to bake it in, Dude? Or at least one that wouldn’t have crumbs dropping from above? And yeah, the airborne flour particles would concern me! I lived for a couple of weeks in a house where the wife made bread every second day, and even though she was a total neat freak, I was still very sick and miserable the whole time.
Good question. The oven has two racks and all of the gluten-free pizzas go on the top rack so no crumbs can drop on them.
And yeah…I understand about the flour.
How is the price in comparason to regular wheat flour pizza?
A very small town near me is offering gluten free pizza crusts. It’s Almonte Ontario, about 2000 people in the town. I went in and asked them how they handle cross contamination. They were very aware and explained the gloves, the seperate utensils the scouring of the pans etc they are doing as much as they can, given that they still offer wheat based in-house made crusts. Then they ASKED ME what else they could be doing! Just that small consideration was so exciting to hear. I can’t trust them to make food for my son. He’s so sensitive that the airborne cross contamination would be a disaster for him. But I did eat there with my daughters. The price was double the regular price. The crust was a rice based crust that was hard as expected. The picture you post looks like a fairly fluffy crust. It looks very tastey.
The prices seemed fair to me. You are paying a bit more than the pizza joints, but not substantially much.
The crust was good. Not fluffy though. It’s a thin crust.
Gluten Dude….
I’ve found many of the GF pizza crusts vary in taste.
Have you ever made “Bob’s” GF Pizza dough? (new to your blog, havent read everything yet)
If so, can you compare Naked Pizza’s crust to Bob’s Red Mill?
I have not tried the Bob’s Red Mill…so I can’t compare. I’ve had the Udi’s crust and made my own pizza. It’s not bad at all.
We keep a stash of Udi’s pizza crusts in our freezer at all times. It’s quicker to make our own pizzas than the time it used to take us (back in the “normal” eating days) to order takeout. The smal size actually works for us better because I don’t do cheese and like lots of veggies whereas the mister goes for a Dvine Swine interpretation covered in sausage and pepperoni with extra cheese.
“Divine Swine!” hahahaha!
I read this and got very excited to try a Naked pizza…. so, I went to their website and clicked on “where can I get NAKED?” (nice)…. but, the closest place is over 300 miles away. 🙁 Guess I’ll have to wait to “get NAKED” until I can book another trip to San Diego.
We used to have a Pizza Fusion here, which was also healthy and all organic and tasted wonderful – but they went out of business & took their Green’s gluten free beer with them. ;'(
There is also a small, family owned place on the coast that I found online that sells gluten-free pizza. It is by FAR the best I’ve tasted. We usually buy one for dinner and save one to reheat during the rest of our trip (or eat cold for breakfast!)
So far, my experience is that all gluten-free crust is thin crust… has anyone ever tried/found a thick crust gluten-free pizza?
I have also really lucked out that recently a local family owned bakery opened just down the street from me that is ENTIRELY gluten-free. The owner and her father both have Celiac and she has made a wonderful selection for us including cupcakes, cookies, bread, dinner rolls, donuts, birthday cakes (yay!), etc!! Her newest addition is a self-bake pizza. Pick ’em up, pop them in the oven at home – safe and very tasty!! Hmmmm, now that I’m thinking about it we may have to go for that for dinner tonight!! 😉
Maybe they’ll deliver Kristin 😉
Ohmigoodness, Kristin, that is great luck having a completely GF restaurant nearby! I so wish I could start one myself, just so that people like us could eat out again.
Actually, Lisa – it’s only a bakery, not a restaurant – but still!! All the wonderful gluten-free carbs you can dream of…. are a reality there. She even made her first gluten-free wedding cake a few months ago. I wish they were around when I got married!! 😉 But, I’m looking forward to a ‘real’ birthday cake for the first time in 10 years in a few months!!
Oops, saw pizza and lost my mind, I guess!
The GF Pantry pizza dough is very thick. (almost too thick)
Jules Shepherd’s pizza dough is good, so my friend reports.
I have used BRM (Bob’s red mill) and Annalise Robert’s crust and Peter and Kelli Bronski’s (GF Artisinal Cooking) crust too—and they are all good.
Gluten Free Girl has one too.
Just google away! Hope you find the right one.
I know this pizza place super close to where I live that has gluten free pizza, and it tastes DELICIOUS. like the old pizza I had before celiac disease. Also my mom makes our own pizza sometimes.. its really good. 🙂
I had it in NY, good stuff 🙂
Great review. We have one here I may have to try soon without cheese.
Glad you had a great experience and love the precautions they take.
We have one in Cape Canaveral, Fl that is a gfree bakery who also sandwiches and pizza ( The Bald Strawberry) and can do dairy free/cheese substitutes. Also organic veggies.
Glad you had a good experience, G dude!! 🙂
My concern is the shared oven and the shared pizza peel….but if you watched them make it and take it out on a dedicated peel, (I hope?) …then I guess it would work out well!!
so ……yaaaay!!
I am fortunate to live near the ONLY DEDICATED GF BAKERY and FULL RESTAURANT that I know of….in Latham, NY called Sherry Lynn’s. Pizza, paninis, mac and cheese, apple fritters, bagels, cookies and the best carrot cake walnut cupcakes ….I make a lot of my own stuff, but hers is just so good….donuts, too. (drool)
Mac’n’cheese… now I’m drooling! When I finally found some gluten free macaroni, the first thing I did was make mac’n’cheese with Cheez Whiz… didn’t go well! I thought I was being glutenized but after eating a few other processed things, I discovered that I am sensitive to soy! Now it sucks that I can’t find chocolate that doesn’t contain soy lecithin, but it’s still not as big a shock as having to go gluten free, so I’m not complaining!
Enjoy Life chocolate bars and chips and baking chunks are free of all top 8 allergens, if you need a “fix”. I use them in baking and sometimes, just nibble them out of the bag. I cannot do soy either.
Make your own chocolate truffles?
Google GF/DF truffles and you’ll find a slew of recipes without soy!
(try Living Without Magazine for example.)
No one should go without chocolate. 🙂
They were as careful as one can be in a pizza joint, if that makes any sense.
Makes sense to me 🙂 —soooo, how did you feel after? That is the key!
If it tastes good and you feel fine, then you’re in pizza heaven, dude!
No issues at all. It’s all good!
Awesome! 🙂 Simple pleasures, eh Dude? Yaaay!!!
Didja go back in and give him a big ole hug??
If you want an excellent alternative to gluten free pizza crusts made with rice flours(which many are) you may want to try the excellent recipe from rocofit below. This is a seriously tasty crust. The texture is very much like a flat bread. This is also great to dip in olive oil and herbs on the table. My wife and I have tried many many gluten free pizzas and none are better than this, which also happens to be the healthiest.
http://www.rocofit.com/2011/10/30/primal-pizza-crust-recipe/
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As I am avoiding grains right now myself (too many carbs for me–glucose issues), I use almond flour in recipes and this would make a great flat bread indeed.
But I had to laugh at the “title”— as a strict Primal/paleo would never use parmesan cheese, right? so it is “cheating” a little! 🙂
I’ve seen primal folks go both ways – the sense that I get is that a little cheese is okay as long as it is of good quality.
My wife and I probably have a diet that is 85-90 primal so we’re not too strict anyway. One thing to watch out for is using too much almond flour. I have read that the phytic acid prevents mineral absorption.
Ugh, how am I just seeing this post? I’ve been a fan of Naked Pizza since their early days as “World’s Healthiest Pizza” in a tiny kitchen behind Tulane (also before finding out I couldn’t have gluten). It’s not greasy, the ingredients are fresh, and the delivery people are always friendly. Most importantly, though, I’ve NEVER had a bad reaction to their pizza! I’m so glad to see them expanding.
Against the Grain Gourmet in Brattleboro VT makes the best GF pizza ever. Check out their website.
Best of all, you buy them frozen, bring home, add other stuff to taste, and soon your home smells like a pizzeria (in a good way).