Paladin Pie, a Dungeons & Dragons-themed pizza cart, is scheduled to open at Northeast 23rd Avenue and Alberta Street in March.
The cart, which is the brainchild of pizza chef Leo Brill and his business partner, Flynn McEchron, will serve a cross between New York- and Neapolitan-style pizza and plans to use a wood-burning oven decorated to look like a 20-sided D&D die.
The menu will range from the expected (cheese, pepperoni, vegan options) to the wild (Brill’s Mouthbreather Hot Sauce, which includes traces of pineapple and Mexican chocolate). Eventually, there may even be ice cream in flavors like cookie dough and blueberry pie.
Brill’s venture has its roots in disappointment. Early in the pandemic, he was laid off from his job at Over & Shaker. He began making pizzas for nonprofits in his backyard, calling the pop-up Paladin Pie (an homage to the virtuous D&D characters).
Brill wants the new Paladin Pie to keep that altruistic streak alive. He intends to donate a portion of the proceeds to local mutual aid group Mxm Bloc PDX, in addition to donating food to pantries and shelters.