In a major loss to the DFW pizza scene, Fort Worth's acclaimed vegan pizzeria Pizza Verde is closing. The restaurant, which opened four years ago at 5716 Locke Ave., will close in the near future, with an exact date still to be announced — but probably another month or two.

"There's no great way to sugar coat it," owners Landon and Jennifer Cabarubio said in a statement. "Pizza Verde is closing. Our last day will be announced soon. We would love for the next months to be a celebration of all we accomplished the last four years, and every penny we make will go to help us pay off debts."

Pizza Verde was a mom-and-pop enterprise from the couple, who previously ran a vinyl record store but wanted to expand Fort Worth's vegan restaurant scene. They started out as a pop-up, before expanding to a full-menu brick-and-mortar with a 100 percent plant-based menu.

They were not only a one-of-a-kind destination for those seeking good-quality vegan food, they were also as good as it gets as far as pizza goes, with great dough, great crust, and innovative toppings. The restaurant earned a spot on 2022's best restaurant list by Texas Monthly, and was also a finalist in CultureMap's 2022 Tastemaker Awards for Best New Restaurant, wowing judges with their signature potato-leek pizza. The following year, they were a finalist in the 2023 Tastemaker Awards for Restaurant of the Year.

The closure is a loss not just for vegans but for pizza aficionados.

When they opened the brick and mortar location, it was during the pandemic — a period that saw many explore plant-based food. But in these post-pandemic times, people seem to be clinging on to old habits.

In recent years, DFW has witnessed other vegan restaurant closures including Italian Vida Cafe, which closed in May 2025; Mariachi's Dine-In, the Mexican-combination-vegan restaurant next-door to Pizza Verde, which closed in May 2024; Belse, the celebrity-backed vegan restaurant in downtown Dallas; and Spiral Diner, the pioneering vegan chain based in Fort Worth, which closed locations in Denton and Dallas.

Pizza Verde's location was also a challenge which befell Mariachi's, as well. That strip of Locke Avenue is convenient to I-30 but it's off the beaten path from the center of Fort Worth, and vegans in Dallas-Fort Worth seem generally reluctant to drive out of their way to support vegan restaurants.

Jennifer Cabarubio said that "Landon & I are incredibly proud of serving over fifty thousand meals that align with our morals. It's been an honor, and who knows what the future may bring."