Plant-based pizza concept among two new restaurants coming soon to Gainesville

Alan Festo, Gainesville Sun
·2 min read

A 100% plant-based pizzeria is coming to Gainesville.

Wild Pie is expected to open this spring across from Krispy Kreme on the ground floor of The Hub on Campus Gainesville 3rd Ave, 309 NW 13th St., Suite 10.

It will be the second brick-and-mortar location for the Jacksonville-based restaurant, which started as a food truck in January 2023. It held the grand opening for its first location a few miles east of the University of North Florida on Dec. 1.

The Veg Out pizza at Wild Pie is made with house-made red sauce, dairy-free mozzarella and parmesan, roasted broccoli, mixed mushrooms, roasted red peppers, sweet peppers, caramelized onions, cherry tomatoes, and extra virgin olive oil.
The Veg Out pizza at Wild Pie is made with house-made red sauce, dairy-free mozzarella and parmesan, roasted broccoli, mixed mushrooms, roasted red peppers, sweet peppers, caramelized onions, cherry tomatoes, and extra virgin olive oil.

"The plant-based pizza place (concept) seemed wide open, particularly with the growth of pizza in the fast-casual side of things," Bart Ortiz, a veteran restauranteur, told the Times-Union of the creation of the brand.

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Wild Pies are available in two sizes — 11-inch pizzas cost between $12 and $15 — and include such classics as The Meatless Lover, which comes topped with house-made red sauce, Beyond pepperoni and Italian sausage, Impossible meatballs, mozzarella, parmesan and extra virgin olive oil.

Also on the menu is the Kale Me Maybe, which is made with a creamy garlic sauce, baby kale, marinated artichokes, caramelized onions, mozzarella, parmesan, ricotta, red onion and fresh parsley

All cheese is dairy free and a gluten-free crust is available for an additional charge.

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Other menu options include salads, desserts and "Nibbles" such as roasted shishito peppers and honey miso Brussel sprouts.

D.P. Dough

A calzone from D.P. Dough.
A calzone from D.P. Dough.

Started in 1987, D.P. Dough specializes in calzones and announced in December that it plans to open a location near the University of Florida. It is currently looking for a local franchisee to run the restaurant.

“It’s an ideal situation. We’re keeping our franchise fees low for this opportunity and we’ve already invested in building the restaurant out," said franchise spokesperson Jerry Eisinger in the release. "That means the chosen candidate could step into a turnkey business… a rare situation for any franchise.”

D.P. Dough, which has about 70 locations, caters toward a younger crowd and is known for making deliveries as late as 4 a.m.

"Who else is gonna deliver you a custom made calzone after the bars close?" its website says.

The menu features 31 different signature calzones all for about $8.75 — you also can create your own — as well as wings, tots and bread sticks.

Some of its signature calzones include the Italian Zone, which comes stuffed with salami, ham, pepperoni, mozzarella, Parmesan and ricotta, the Falling Rock Zone with bacon, tots, cheddar, mozzarella and served with a side of sour cream, and the Safety Zone with mushrooms, spinach, black olives, mozzarella, ricotta and garlic.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Wild Pie and D.P. Dough restaurants coming to Gainesville Florida