PILED with what looks like Italian sausage, bacon, pepperoni, ham and turkey on a barbecue sauce base, it is a pizza that would make any carnivore weak at the knees.

Despite its appearances, Pizzarea Capalaba’s No Meat Lovers is meat-free and even the cheese, a combo of brands Motzarella and Biocheese, is non-dairy.

Owner Teaki Page said she and her husband, Phil Hancock, launched their vegan Feed the Earthlings range in March to target the vegan niche.

Shopfront sales increased 20 per cent and the demand was enough for them to open a factory on the Gold Coast to produce a line of frozen vegan pizzas, which are sold nationwide.

“It just took off,” she said.

The pizzeria also sells non-vegan pizzas.

“Vegans can come here with their non-vegan family and friends. They can all eat together and they don’t feel isolated.”

Business has been so good the couple plans to sell an extended range of vegan takeaway from early next year including burgers, pastas, and fish and chips.

“It’s vegan fast food, it’s not everyday food,” she said.

“We’re so busy we eat on the run a lot. I can’t be the only (vegan) out there who eats on the run.”

As a Wynnum Herald journalist and vegetarian I headed out to Pizzarea to taste a few of their most popular pizzas.

media_camera No Meat-Lovers: Faux Italian sausage, bacon tempeh, faux pepperoni, faux ham, and faux turkey, BBQ sauce plus Motzarella and Biocheese. Picture: JOSH WONING.

No-Meat Lovers

Putting what looked like a pile of meat in my mouth was a bit of a psychological hurdle. I’m not a huge fan of faux meat; there’s something about pretend meat I find odd.

The base was crispy and the barbecue sauce was rich and plentiful. Combining the Biocheese and the Motzarella is a great idea, because you get the tangy taste and melty texture (although it still isn’t quite as good as traditional mozzarella).

This tasted like a meat lovers pizza and eating it felt like partaking in a hideously guilty pleasure. Yummy, but strange.

media_camera Gourmet Veg: mushroom, capsicum, onion, cajun potatoes, cherry tomatoes, sweet chilli sauce, Motzarella and Biocheese. Picture: JOSH WONING

Gourmet Veg

The star of this slice was the generous dollop of rich tomato sauce (which is a special recipe from Mr Hancock).

Then it was topped with fresh cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, and sweet chilli sauce.

It also differed from most veggie pizzas with the unexpected and welcome hit of cajun spiced potatoes.

Would eat again. (Like maybe the whole pizza next time).

media_camera Typically Tropical: Pic: Josh Woning.

Typically Tropical

Chick’n and pineapple are the two main flavours of this pizza and the Chik’n tastes like chicken. (Really.)

It’s salty and sweet and refreshing, which is what you want from a pizza with the word “tropical” in it.

Omnivore Josh Woning also tried this pizza: “In a blind taste test you’d struggle to convince someone it’s not chicken,” he said.

So, there you go.

media_camera New Orleans: Chick’n, mushrooms cajun potatoes, cherry tomatoes, sweet chilli sauce, Motzarella, Biocheese. Picture: JOSH WONING.

New Orleans

This pizza vies with the Gourmet Veg for top spot on my tastebuds.

It has smoky spices from the thinly sliced, crispy cajun potatoes, mushroom, cherry tomatoes and sweet chilli sauce.

The Chick’n is also on this one and again tastes so much like meat it is a little discombobulating.

Visit facebook.com/feedtheearthlings or pizzarea.com.au