Where to Find Desi Pizza in Austin

Gyro Hero pizza (l) and Butter Chicken & Butter Paneer pizza (r) at Promise Pizza (photo by John Anderson)

While Austin hasn't always been a haven for pizza lovers, these days there are so many options that it can be hard to keep track of all the new places popping up like mushrooms. While the Chronicle recently covered many up-and-coming local pizza kitchens, one style that hasn't gotten as much attention is that of the Desi pizza ("Des" means "country" or "land" in Sanskrit, so "Desi" means "from the homeland" of the South Asian subcontinent).

When I was growing up in the Nineties, my parents would take us back to their hometowns in Pakistan, where I would often try small pizzas offered from local bakeries (Honest Indian Vegetarian near Dell Way serves a "bhakri pizza," which provides a similar experience). As an American youth raised on Ninja Turtles and Pizza Hut commercials, I was always shocked by how no one in the subcontinent could completely replicate the pizzas of back home. These days, though, multinational pizza chains in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and India offer pies that more closely resemble a cheap pizza from an American strip mall.

At the same time, in Europe and the Americas, the Desi pizza phenomenon uses South Asian techniques, recipes, and ingredients to spice up the traditional American pizza as we know it. Originally popularized in California as well as places like New York, Canada, and London, Desi pizzerias have begun to pop up on the north side of Austin as more and more South Asians settle in the metro due to the abundance of tech jobs.

With Desi pizza, naan flatbreads, paneer cheese, aromatic herbs, flavorful curry sauce, and roasted vegetables or meats, all staples of Indian cuisine, fuse with one of the Western world's most popular culinary exports to yield an addicting interpretation. Here's a primer on places where you can explore Desi pizza the next time you're in Cedar Park, Round Rock, or north central Austin.

Mango Juice, Chicken Tikka, and Pizza Rolls: The Lunch You Never Knew You Needed

For the last four years, Promise Pizza has been owned and operated by father-and-son duo Naveed and Umer Seliya, local Pakistanis from the Round Rock area who previously ran Shalimar as well as Tempura Grill. The Pakistani influence at their new pizza spot is strong – how many pizza places in Austin sell samosas or have a dessert list that includes gulab jamun and falooda?

"We were looking to focus on the young generation and do something that wasn't already done in town," says Naveed. Umer adds, "Our menu came from our experience growing up eating South Asian food. I've seen a lack of South Asian fusion restaurants in Austin and wanted to bring something different to the area."

While Promise has plenty of food options like sandwiches, wings, stuffed mushrooms and jalapeños, pizza rolls, and cheesy garlic knots, their fusion of Desi and Italian food is what sets them apart from other local pizzerias. Take, for example, the chicken tikka calzone, which features spicy jalapeños, bell peppers, and onions along with chicken marinated with tikka masala seasoning. "All our doughs and sauces are made from scratch. Our chicken is marinated in-house," says Naveed.

Slice of saag paneer pizza at Bombay to Kathmandu (photo by Jana Birchum)

Promise Pizza's butter chicken and paneer pizzas are downright addicting. Chicken tikka pizza is the bestselling item, and the gyro pizza is one of the best in town, with spinach, cherry tomatoes, black olives, shawarma, and white sauce toppings on a pie that honestly tastes better than most gyro wraps that you get from late-night halal trucks.

"We've been in this area. We know what our family needs, and I went to school in this area," says Umer. "We've grown with the [Desi] community and they are super supportive. It even opens the door for non-South Asians to try Indian food. They've heard of butter chicken and tikka masala, then they see these pizzas and become intrigued."

From Curry Pizzas to Momos and Everything in Between

Shuvankar Pal and Pradip Rai opened Bombay to Kathmandu Kitchen in 2015 on North Lamar before taking over the old Taj Palace location on Middle Fiskville last year. "When I was in Nepal, I was working in the banking sector," says Pal. "I got a job [in Austin] working as a waiter on North Lamar. It was different types of knowledge I got from there: how to open a business, what types of food people like. I was working in a restaurant for about six months and realized I don't want to work for anyone!"

Bombay to Kathmandu's menu encompasses a wide array of South Asian cuisine, from seafood plates to staple Desi dishes like biryani and tandoori meats along with vegetarian options like dal (lentils) and aloo gobi (potato and cauliflower in a curry sauce). As their business name suggests, the owners are mindful of the Hindu culture and serve no beef on their menu while paying homage to their Nepali origins by offering dishes like chicken momos (steamed dumplings popular among the Nepali people) and chow mein.

Since moving to the new Highland location, they've added pizzas to the menu as well. "I heard about [curry pizzas] from California," says Pal. "I talked to a chef and he knew how to make it." The pies pay homage to some iconic Desi dishes such as chicken makhani (butter chicken) as well as the tikka masala pizza, which comes with either paneer or chicken as toppings. The saag paneer pizza features a savory spinach-based sauce topped with cheese and paneer cubes, and their lamb vindaloo pizza is ... well ... how often do you see lamb at a pizza spot in Austin, let alone with a vindaloo sauce?

Masala Chips and Craft Curry Pizza by Way of California

Curry Pizza House is perhaps the largest Indian pizza chain in America. Franchisees Satya Prakash Bikkina and Mahendra Kakarla opened the first Texas location in Cedar Park in late 2021. Located in a shopping center next to several other locally popular Asian restaurants, Curry Pizza House offers a near-foolproof strategy in the Austin market with beers on tap and specialty pizzas made to order.

The Desi-influenced "Craft Curry Pizzas" are the main attraction at CPH. While the Desi BBQ pizza is great, the main standouts here are the vegetable/paneer-based pizzas (which makes sense when you consider the Hindu-oriented menu at Curry Pizza House). The lack of meat on the Curry Veggie Delight pizza makes it a tad lighter than the Curry Chicken Masala pizza although they both use the same tasty curry sauce.

Half Shahi Paneer (l) and half Desi BBQ Chicken (r) pizza at Curry Pizza House (photo by John Anderson)

Some of my favorite pies were the Achari Gobhi, topped with cauliflower, onion, diced tomatoes, cheese, and white garlic sauce, and the Shahi Paneer and Palak Paneer pizzas. The former is based on a Persian-influenced, nut-based sauce with a host of vegetarian toppings and a generous helping of paneer cubes, while the latter is a slightly spicier pesto-based spinach and paneer pizza with onions, ginger, and garlic.

Hinduism's predilection toward vegetarianism means that, in 2023's fusion-oriented market, there are plenty of vegan and gluten-free options for pizzas at Curry Pizza House, including a Jain pizza, which includes no garlic, onion, or potato toppings (the Indian religion of Jainism practices strict vegetarianism and many of its adherents also refrain from eating plant roots such as potatoes, onion, or garlic).

Curry Pizza House is a great way to ease Americans into the world of Indian cuisine, while offering people who are already familiar with South Asian food an interesting new way to experience their favorite dishes presented in a different format.