Purezza

Purezza is a British vegan restaurant brand specialising in plant-based pizza and Italian-style comfort food. The business began in Brighton in November 2015, founded by Tim Barclay and Stefania Evangelisti. Its name derives from the Italian word for “purity,” and its founding concept was shaped by the founders’ view that vegan diners had limited access to convincing Italian food, especially pizza and cheese-based dishes. The company presents itself as Europe's first all-vegan pizzeria. Its menu centres on vegan pizzas but extends to plant-based versions of lasagne, macaroni cheese, tiramisu and other Italian-inspired dishes. Purezza has also offered raw-food items, including raw cheeses and a raw pizza, alongside an extensive gluten-free menu. The gluten-free offering received a Silver Award from the Free From Eating Out Awards. Seasonal menus have included vegan Christmas dishes such as calzones and plant-based versions of roast-style dinners. After establishing its first restaurant in Brighton, Purezza announced a second site in November 2017 and opened in Camden, London, in March 2018. The Camden restaurant was substantially expanded in February 2020. The business later entered Manchester, opening a branch there in June 2021. These locations established Purezza as a small multi-site restaurant chain operating in major UK cities rather than as a packaged-food brand distributed primarily through supermarkets. Purezza has also experimented with in-house food manufacturing. In July 2018, the company received an initial £35,000 investment at a London investment-pitching event to support a vegan cheese factory, with plans to seek further funding through Crowdcube. The proposed cheese was described as free from major allergens and palm oil. According to the available reference material, Purezza no longer produces vegan cheese outside its own restaurants, making the restaurant operation its principal business focus. The brand has built visibility through culinary competitions and vegan-food awards. Its Parmigiana Party pizza entered the National Pizza Awards and the National Pizza of the Year competition in 2018. Vegfest UK named Purezza the UK's Best Vegan Restaurant in 2018, while head chef Filippo Rosato won Best Pizza from Abroad at the 2018 #pizzAward competition in Naples. Purezza's team also won a World Pizza Championship award in the Pizza Classica category with The Promised Land, a pizza using cavolo nero, tempeh, pioppini mushrooms and borlotti bean sauce, with dough infused with BrewDog Punk IPA. Purezza is distinct from La Fauxmagerie, although the two businesses became connected through ownership. In November 2023, Purezza acquired a majority stake in the plant-based cheese retailer La Fauxmagerie. In April 2025, artisan vegan cheese company Honestly Tasty acquired the La Fauxmagerie brand from Purezza. Following that transaction, La Fauxmagerie retained its name under Honestly Tasty, while the former lafauxmagerie.com domain was repurposed by Purezza as Saporia, an online multi-brand plant-based marketplace. The available material does not establish that Purezza itself changed ownership or ceased operating its restaurants.

Purezza was founded by Tim Barclay and Stefania Evangelisti, who identified a lack of substantial vegan Italian food as an opportunity. The founders chose the Italian-derived name Purezza, meaning “purity,” and opened the first restaurant in Brighton in November 2015. The business described itself as Europe's first all-vegan pizzeria, with pizza at the centre of a broader menu designed to reproduce familiar Italian dishes without animal products. The first expansion phase took the brand to London. Purezza announced a second restaurant in November 2017 and opened the Camden site in March 2018. The Camden operation was later enlarged to roughly three times its earlier size in February 2020. A Manchester location opened in June 2021, giving the brand restaurants in Brighton, London and Manchester. Alongside its restaurant activities, Purezza explored the manufacture of vegan cheese. In July 2018, it received an initial £35,000 investment at a London investment-pitching event to establish a vegan cheese factory, with a possible Crowdcube campaign intended to raise further capital. The company said its planned cheese would avoid major allergens and palm oil. The available account states that Purezza subsequently stopped producing vegan cheese outside its restaurants, so this manufacturing initiative did not become the company's primary operating model. Purezza's menu developed beyond standard pizza. It has offered vegan versions of lasagne, macaroni cheese and tiramisu, as well as raw-food products such as raw cheeses and raw pizza. Its gluten-free selection received a Silver Award from the Free From Eating Out Awards. The restaurants have also introduced seasonal food, including a vegan Christmas menu in Brighton featuring Christmas calzones and plant-based turkey-dinner alternatives. The brand gained recognition in vegan and pizza competitions. Its Parmigiana Party pizza was entered in the 2018 National Pizza Awards and National Pizza of the Year competition. Vegfest UK named Purezza the UK's Best Vegan Restaurant in 2018. In the same year, head chef Filippo Rosato won Best Pizza from Abroad at the #pizzAward competition in Naples. Purezza's team also received a World Pizza Championship award in the Pizza Classica category for The Promised Land, made with cavolo nero, tempeh, pioppini mushrooms and borlotti bean sauce, with BrewDog Punk IPA incorporated into the dough. The company was briefly associated with an unusual logistics incident in August 2019, when food ingredients for Purezza were mistakenly seized by police during a drugs bust at Gatwick Airport. The incident was reported as a mistake rather than evidence of wrongdoing by the brand. Purezza later broadened its plant-based business interests through an investment in La Fauxmagerie. In November 2023, it acquired a majority stake in the plant-based cheese retailer. In April 2025, artisan vegan cheese company Honestly Tasty acquired the La Fauxmagerie brand from Purezza. La Fauxmagerie kept its name under Honestly Tasty, while the former lafauxmagerie.com domain was retained by Purezza and rebranded as Saporia, an online multi-brand marketplace for plant-based products. The available reference material continues to identify Purezza as a vegan pizzeria operating in Brighton, London and Manchester.

• 2025

  La Fauxmagerie brand sold to Honestly Tasty

  [1]Purezzaen.wikipedia.org

  Honestly Tasty acquires the La Fauxmagerie brand from Purezza; Purezza repurposes the former domain as Saporia.

• 2023

  Majority stake in La Fauxmagerie acquired

  [1]Purezzaen.wikipedia.org

  Purezza acquires a majority stake in plant-based cheese retailer La Fauxmagerie.

• 2021

  Manchester restaurant opens

  [1]Purezzaen.wikipedia.org

  Purezza opens a restaurant in Manchester in June.

• 2020

  Camden site expanded

  [1]Purezzaen.wikipedia.org

  The Camden restaurant is expanded to approximately three times its previous size.

• 2019

  Gatwick ingredient seizure

  [1]Purezzaen.wikipedia.org

  Purezza ingredients are mistakenly seized during a Gatwick Airport drugs operation.

• 2018

  Camden branch opens

  [1]Purezzaen.wikipedia.org

  The second restaurant opens in Camden, London, in March.

• 2018

  Vegan cheese factory investment

  [1]Purezzaen.wikipedia.org

  Purezza receives an initial £35,000 investment to develop a vegan cheese factory and considers additional crowdfunding.

• 2017

  Second restaurant announced

  [1]Purezzaen.wikipedia.org

  Purezza announces plans for a second restaurant in November.

• 2015

  First restaurant opens in Brighton

  [1]Purezzaen.wikipedia.org

  Purezza opens its first branch in Brighton in November and establishes its all-vegan pizzeria concept.

A specialist all-vegan pizzeria and Italian restaurant brand focused on plant-based pizza, dairy-free alternatives and inclusive dining, including gluten-free options.

• Restaurant food · 2015

  Vegan pizza

  Purezza's core offering is pizza made entirely without animal-derived ingredients. The menu has included conventional Italian-inspired combinations and competition entries such as Parmigiana Party and The Promised Land. Pizza remains the defining product category of the brand's restaurants.

• Restaurant food

  Plant-based Italian dishes

  The brand extends its vegan positioning to Italian dishes beyond pizza, including plant-based lasagne, macaroni cheese and tiramisu. These offerings help position Purezza as a full Italian restaurant rather than a single-product pizzeria.

• Raw vegan food

  Raw-food range

  Purezza has offered raw vegan dishes, including raw cheeses and a raw pizza. The range broadens the restaurant's plant-based proposition toward minimally processed food and provides alternatives to its cooked pizza and pasta dishes.

• Special-diet restaurant food

  Gluten-free menu

  Purezza provides an extensive gluten-free selection alongside its vegan menu. The offering received a Silver Award from the Free From Eating Out Awards, supporting the brand's emphasis on dietary inclusivity.

• Plant-based dairy alternative · 2018

  Vegan cheese

  Purezza explored dedicated vegan cheese production through a factory project funded initially in 2018. The proposed cheese was intended to be free from major allergens and palm oil. The available reference material states that the company no longer produces vegan cheese outside its own restaurants.

• 2019

  Ingredients mistakenly seized at Gatwick Airport

  In August 2019, ingredients intended for Purezza's food were mistakenly caught up in a drugs bust at Gatwick Airport and seized by police. The available account describes an error and does not indicate criminal conduct by Purezza.

  Source

Read more

• 2025

  Transfer La Fauxmagerie to Honestly TastyM&A

  Background

  After Purezza's majority investment in La Fauxmagerie, the plant-based cheese brand changed ownership in 2025.

  Action taken

  Honestly Tasty acquired the La Fauxmagerie brand from Purezza in April 2025. La Fauxmagerie retained its name under the new parent company.

  Aftermath

  The La Fauxmagerie online retail storefront moved to lafauxmagerie.co.uk, while the former lafauxmagerie.com domain became Saporia under Purezza.

  Source

• 2023

  Acquire a majority stake in La FauxmagerieM&A

  Background

  Purezza sought a closer position in the plant-based cheese sector through ownership of La Fauxmagerie, a plant-based cheese retailer.

  Action taken

  Purezza acquired a majority stake in La Fauxmagerie in November 2023.

  Aftermath

  Honestly Tasty acquired the La Fauxmagerie brand from Purezza in April 2025. Purezza retained the former website domain and repurposed it as Saporia, a multi-brand plant-based marketplace.

  Source

• 2018

  Develop a dedicated vegan cheese factoryProduct launch

  Background

  Purezza sought to extend its restaurant expertise into plant-based cheese manufacturing and received an initial £35,000 investment at a London pitching event.

  Action taken

  The company planned a vegan cheese factory and considered raising additional capital through Crowdcube. It described the proposed product as free from major allergens and palm oil.

  Aftermath

  Purezza later stopped producing vegan cheese outside its own restaurants, according to the available reference material.

  Initial investment. £35,000 (July 2018)

  Source

1. 1Purezzaen.wikipedia.org