• CLOSED: Pizza Research Institute

  • (29)
    11

    Closed

  • White Vegetarian
Vegan-friendly
Lacto
American
Pizza
Organic
Beer/Wine
Delivery
Take-out

Pizzeria with bar. Offers artisan pizzas made with choice of toppings including fruit, vegan cheese, and gluten-free crust option. Pacific Northwest fusion cuisine salads and soups. Music some evenings. Moved from 530 Blair St. Reported closed Jun 2019.


Venue map for Pizza Research Institute
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29 Reviews

First Review by Veganpassion

houndmom

Points +232

Vegan
11 Dec 2018

A Eugene tradition

Was in love with this place at first bite at their original location under the original owners. Have followed them through 2 moves to current location and even under the new owners. While using the same recipes, seems close, but not quite the PRI I started with, but will continue to support since their pizza is beyond compare to others. the P3 is still a favorite and amazing! (pesto, potato and pear).

Pros: Unique flavors and toppings, Cozy space

plantamy

Points +115

Vegan
13 Sep 2018

Great Pizza

My family went here a few months ago. We ordered the Marinated portabella, shallot and arugula pizza. We devoured it n no time, was delicious.

Pros: Creative Pizzas, Vegan options, Pizzas made fresh

Cons: Can be a long wait

maip

Points +74

Vegan
13 May 2018

Awesome spot!

Very cute restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating. Delicious food and tons of vegan options.

AutumnTierra

Points +1442

Vegan
04 Mar 2018

Good pizza!

PRI is a Eugene tradition. They are under new ownership, a young, vegan couple. Their vegan cheese is amazing and they have several unique pizzas. Everything it vegetarian and they have many vegan options.

Pros: Great vegan cheese. , Menu labels vegan options. , Super nice staff and owners.

CorissaMarie

Points +2921

Vegan
18 Oct 2017

Pizza Overload!

Definitely the place to go for amazing pizza, whether you're veg or not! PRI is vegetarian but has plenty of vegan options. I got the vegan garlic sauce on the pizza with spicy tofu, roasted garlic, and black olives and it was so great!

I typically eat a lot and I didn't even eat half of the medium sized pizza. So unless you want a bunch of left over's, I would get the smallest size. I went back and two of us thought we should share a large and we had leftover for days!!

PRI is pricey! My dad and I left there with a $75 bill (we did have 2 drinks a piece though). Speaking of drinks, they have a bunch of really great and different ones, so you should definitely try that out when you go.

PRI does not accept tips as that is now added into the price of the food.

Updated from previous review on 2017-01-06

Pros: Vegan choices , Alcohol

Cons: Pricey

Veg4Jay

Points +2171

Vegan
09 Jul 2017

Excellent Vegan Pizza, Great Service

Wonderful Pizza with delicious vegan options and terrific service in pleasant environment.

Pros: Excellent Vegan Food with Great Service, Pleasant Environment , Good Prices

HeyJudeOregon

Points +126

Vegan
29 Jul 2016

Tofu Cheese Substituent needs help

First time, last time. We had the vegan pizza, the basic one and only added mushrooms. As several reviewers have stated,the smoky tofu flavor completely cancels out the marinara taste so the pizza was both tasteless and bitter. Like Sizzle Pie, they want to be able to have a unique alternative tofu cheese option for vegans, but I have yet to find a good tasting tofu cheese anywhere on pizza. It was so bad I almost asked if perhaps it was a bad batch of the tofu cheese. On the plus side, I love the thick layer of spinach on every pie, and adding mushrooms meant a ton of them, so they are very generous with toppings.

Pros: Cool vibe, Cool neighborhood, Generous amount of toppings

Cons: Tofu substituent cheese is smoky and bitter, A/C not working well on a hot day

EverydayTastiness

Points +2685

Vegan
13 Jun 2016

awesome pizza

wow. number six was amazing. garlic, smoked tofu, olives, spinach, and great cashew cheese sauce. backyard patio was great and service was excellent. loved the wrapping leftovers like a cobra. another table got a duck. my friends described it as the best vegan pizza they have ever had. definitely in the top three and I travel a lot.

Pros: vegan options!!!

Cons: parking

animalattorney

Points +161

Vegan
26 Mar 2016

My Favorite Pizza Place in the WORLD!!!

Yes, the world!!! And I have traveled near and far.... I went here at least 13 years ago when it was a teeny little place where you could eat in the elevator shaft. I loved the environment back then. I also LOVED the 3 P pizza (pear pesto and potato) and the chef's vegan special. So much that I brought a whole pizza home on a plane back to SF. 13 years later, it didn't disappoint. Phenomenal. I can't say enough good things!! I would love to Eugene for this place!

alexboom

Points +34

Vegan
24 Jan 2016

Woooooah!

What a fantastic find for vegan pizza! I had the chefs special and HIGHLY recommend it to everyone. The cashew cheese was the best I've ever had. Go here now!

Earthdiet

Points +120

Vegan
18 Oct 2015

phenomenal pizza

Loved loved loved this place! We are a family of four. They have a huge selection of really unique and delicious pizzas as well as basic ones if you prefer. We had a pizza with smoked tofu, roasted garlic and black olives. Delicious!!!
Great atmosphere.

Pros: excellent taste, nice variety, unique

heathera75

Points +278

Vegan
04 Dec 2014

Great pizza and service

Good place. Friendly wait staff and neat chinese astrology
placemats as well as wifi.
Pizza was YUUUUUMMMMMMYYY!!
Updated from previous review on Saturday October 16, 2010

bitebitebite

Points +88

Vegan
02 Oct 2014

Tasty and awesome.

I love this place, even if the kinda spacey staff short change me almost every other time I'm there. Their inventive, delicious pizza combinations are awesome.

Note: it's been a couple years since I've been there, so things may have changed.

Pros: Tasty, Tasty

LizCratty

Points +80

Vegan
16 Sep 2014

Love this place!

Pizza Research is one of our favorites. Sometimes a vegan just needs a good pizza, and this is the place. Salads, too, are delicious, all inventive and interesting. Guaranteed, you've never eaten a pizza like this anywhere else.

Ladah

Points +386

Herbivore
03 Apr 2014

Woah!

Delicious, very substantial pizza. The thick crust made it so my big eating husband only ate 2 slices! We had leftovers for 2 days! I spied a pizza on the table next to us that looked interesting, I think it was on gluten-free crust and I definitely want to try that one next time I'm in town.

Pros: good pizza, good value, vegan-friendly

Cons: all the way in Eugene! :)

xrodolfox

Points +64

Vegan
05 Jan 2014

Meh

I like the atmosphere, but our two visits included poor service and pizza that was too spicy for me or the kids. Why do folks assume that vegan food has to be spicy to be tasty?
It's great to have interesting toppings on homemade style pizza, but this place did not deliver. I grew up in NY and I expect pizza to be simple at its best. This pizza was like a hippie experiment after too much hallucinogens.
Perhaps we will try it again, but it's been a swing and a miss twice in a row. There's better vegan pizza elsewhere in town for half the wait, so it may be a while until we're back.

Pros: atmosphere , homemade style

Cons: too spicy, not kid friendly food , poor service

mishaenglish123

Points +52

Vegan
11 Dec 2013

This Ain't No Pie in the Sky

This place is for REAL. In my opinion, this is hands-down the most consistent restaurant in Eugene--consistently amazing!

We have been enjoying this pie regularly ever since it opened up shop at 13th and Lawrence in its tiny location so many years ago. Now it is in its 3rd location and it never ceases to please.

It is a family-run operation, super friendly and quality people to boot. You can't go wrong with the P3 salad, vegan chef's choice pie or the spicy tofu pizza. The gluten free crust is really good and made in-house as is their vegan cheese sauce. Outstanding!

We have a vegan b and b in town, and we regularly send guests here because we know it will be a crowd-pleaser every time, regardless of whether folks are vegan, veg or omni. Makes our job as concierge a snap!
Updated from previous review on Wednesday December 11, 2013

Pros: gluten free crust

Cons: would like more organic options

TRaeCH

Points +384

Vegetarian
08 Sep 2013

Simply cannot miss

This restaurant is phenomenal. That is about all you need to know.

I managed to sample a great deal of their pizza menu. Nothing, absolutely nothing disappoints. Apples, pears, full broccoli trees - anything goes at this place and it all winds up tasting transcendent. On top of it all, their hot spinach salad - an appetizer - was spectcular.

You have not lived until having tried this pizza. Enjoy. Rejoice.

*Edit after return visit to restaurant's new location:

Having eaten here a second time I wanted to come back and add that this remains an absolute favorite for pizza. Accompanied by someone who lived in Italy for some time, they were quick to remark at how astonishingly tasty and inventive Pizza Research Institute is!

Updated from previous review on Friday June 04, 2010

Pros: The food!, Lovely, artistic ambience, Vegan friendliness

twovegans

Points +179

Vegan
15 Nov 2012

This place rocks!

This is our favorite "pizza joint" in Eugene and will surprise anyone who enters expecting a typical pizza place. The toppings are unique and varied, from asparagus to cauliflower to potatoes to spicy tofu. A favorite is the P3 pizza with Potatoes, Pesto, and Pears -- Yum! You might not expect it, but it's actually delicious! The servings are substantial with enough for leftovers for lunch the next day. Highly recommended. This restaurant is in an old converted garage that gives it a unique industrial ambiance with an old storage container serving as the kitchen. There's always great beer on tap and musical entertainment on some nights.

Pros: Unique toppings

pneuma

Points +60

Vegan
13 Aug 2012

Slice of ???

The staff was extremely good. I did have to get up to get more napkins and saw nutritional yeast in a jar so I grabbed some as well but overall the service was great.

I was a bit overwhelmed with the menu and so I just ordered the special. The special was cranberries, spicy tofu, cauliflower, and some other toppings. The cauliflower was curried and the "spicy" tofu was just like BBQ so Curry and BBQ with a variety of other toppings was not all that good. The taste of the toppings were great once I separated them. The amount of toppings was impressive! But there was so many that it took away from the pizza. I don't like the vegan option for substituting cheese. I see the "research" and creativity of it but the creamy sauce takes away from the marinara and clashes with some of the tastes and the texture becomes way to runny. It's hard to hold the pizza together.

I did also have a house salad and a dark beer with the pizza. The total for a medium pizza which I must say was at least as big as Pizza Huts large pizza, a stout microbrew, and an amazing salad with tip was $35.00. I big more then I wanted to spend but what the hell. And my son and I had enough left overs he got 2 more meals from it!

Overall, I would eat there again but I plan on getting a much simpler pizza and will most likely get a small if I'm sharing with just 1 other person. However, for the price I would much rather grab a pack of Dayia Cheese and some toppings at the supermarket for $10.00 and maybe a six pack of local microbrew and have a huge homemade pizza.

Pros: Atmosphere, Service, Variety

Cons: Too Creative, Value-Preception, Location was hard to find

CKay

Points +136

Vegan
25 Jul 2011

So far, so good..

I've tried PRI's vegan pizza a couple times and I loved it. I've always gotten my pizza to go, so I can't speak on the actual restaurant, but my experience with the actual pizza both times has been good. It does take a very long time for them to get food ready( I think last time I was in town it took an hour after we called in our order) but I've found it to be worth the wait. Hope to eat PRI again soon.

Pros: Tasty

Cons: Slow

MarkUser

Points +92

Vegan
08 Apr 2011

Oh my I sound like a broken record now.

Again, SPICE & SALT your food! Veg./Vegan food does NOT have to be TASTELESS!

This place is way way way overhyped and underwhelming. Not to mention the prices are off the charts, you can easily spend 25$ here and not get much. The vegan cheese is the worst in town other than cozmic pizza, and the regular cheese isn't much better. Has anyone heard of nicely sea salted-fresh mozzarella? It's not hard to make and would be oh so tasty on their oh-so-original concoctions. Perhaps some nice tasty cottage grove goat cheese? Too much to ask? If you dine here it is I guess.

Pros: Originality

Cons: Price, Snooty Service, Taste

MarkUser

20 Apr 2011

If you want good pizza and good vegan pizza try Pegasus. Or Ciao Pizza up by Gateway which is the best in town. Or Hideaway bakery at Saturday Market. I know my pizza, and PRI is crapola cola. Sorry if this offends you. To each taste buds their own.

kindlizard

22 Feb 2013

you seem to be the only one who needs their pizza more salty. everyone else loves it. if you have a salty disposition, there are salt shakers available. but maybe it is more to do about knowing what to order. perhaps if you go back try a sampling or something w olives since they are salty in disposition. but don't say things are tasteless all in BOLD, there is no need for that per terms

MarkUser

22 Feb 2013

It is not just the salt, it is the lack of spice as well. You can't fix TASTELESS cheese by putting some regular salt on it. Why don't you use sea salt? The egyptians used table salt for embalming, and that's all its good for. I have been here 3 times and ordered 3 different things. I try places out thoroughly before I give them a review. A ton of people agree with me on this place including a lot of meat eaters I know who shovel any ole junk cheese or pizza in their mouth and call it good. BLAND BLAND BLAND. And I only use caps when I mean it.

kindlizard

22 Feb 2013

You know your pizza and yet pegasus, where you can't even walk by without smelling like a meat house, is better? It has meat smoking as its roots. That's the kind of veggie you are, the one who likes his stuff to taste like meat. go figure. Mark, hideaway serves vegan pie? thought not. Don't let this man's anger shy you away from this place! THEY SPICE THE DOUGH!!! No one else does that, they have a ton of flavor, even if this guy eats too much meat, msg and whatever else to notice real flavor. this guy is a fake vegan. spam elsewhere

The Hungry Vegan

Points +3272

Vegan
21 Jun 2010

Slowest Restaurant in Eugene

The food here is fantastic! Where else can you get a gluten-free vegan pizza? The gluten-free mochi crust is one of the best I've had. The atmosphere is fun and funky. It is a GREAT place to go out, if you are not in a hurry. You can expect it to take 1-1 1/2 hours to get your pizza, especially on weekends. But they have a great beer selection and the miso soup is divine. If you're happy to hang out, chat and drink for a long time, it is worth it. The service is so-so, but again, the pizza is worth it.

Pros: Excellent Food, Atmosphere

Cons: Slow, Slow, Pricey

kindlizard

Points +1086

Vegan
27 Mar 2010

Updated

PRI is the best place to eat in Eugene hands down. The pies are so creative. Although they serve predominantly pizza, I don't consider it a "pizza place". It is a place where inspired food is created artfully. I cannot suggest you try this place enough.

Pros: everything!

Cons: nothing

XoDamienne

Points +54

Vegan
12 Jul 2009

Not Closed - Moved!

Just incase people didn't read the response to the below posting (restaurant closed), i wanted to make sure you didn't miss out on this fabulous place. the current address (around 5th and Blair) is correct.

Get the chef's special - 13 ingredients (at least 1 is usually fruit) arranged as a mandala and a great deal. large size has gotta be 6+ pounds.

if you are vegan, their soy cheese is smoked. (not really my thing, so i enjoy their pizzas cheese-free.)

kindlizard

23 Aug 2009

I am betting you got the smoky tofu pizza. The tofu strips were smoked, the tofu cheez is not. You likely are foregoing the tofu cheez which is delicious bc you did not like the glaze on the smoky tofu, a type of pizza at PRI.

XoDamienne

22 Feb 2013

Uh, tofu is soy. And it's their alternative to cheese. And mine definitely had no spinach in it. No need to get snippy just cause you're a fan of the soy.

Lynne

Points +47

Vegan
10 Apr 2009

The Best Vegan Pizza, Ever.

Nice people, mostly organic, always a unique pizza, and the best vegan pizza ever. We spent years in Eugene for grad school and hated to leave PRI behind. We have been back twice since moving across the country, since you can not find anything like it. The Vegan Chef's choice is different everytime, but always great. Where else will you find pizza with corn on the cob, pesto stuffed mushroom caps, roasted potatoes and apples on a pizza? I wish I could pack PRI up and take them with us where ever we land. Very filling, but difficult to stop eating, as it is so very tasty. Due to the pizza's size, it takes awhile to cook, plan to go with friend's and chat while waiting.

Pros: Amazing food, mostly organic , friendly

Richard Myers

Points +753

Vegan
12 Nov 2008

No more research is required

This place was quite the find although it was more of a takeout place with very limited seating. I had the vegan pizza and my wife had the vegetarian. They put very unusual toppings on the pizza and the taste was amazing. We should only have ordered a slice instead of a whole pizza but it still tasted great (cold) for lunch the next day as we continued on our vacation. We spoke to one of their regular customers and they never seemed to tire of the pizza. I wish we had the PRI in our city.

Pros: great taste, unique toppings

Cons: limited seating




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