Hot Pizza Brings Indian-Inspired Pizza to North Dallas

Hot Pizza opened in Dallas in early 2021, infusing Indian flavors into the world of Italian pizza. Even though it's a curious combination, it's surprisingly good. Since opening, the small spot has gained quite a large fan base of pizza lovers, Indian food enthusiasts and just plain curious foodies.
The menu at this low-key pizza spot in Preston Trail Village along Preston Road has an almost daunting number of options. There are 37 different varieties, to be exact. Menu items are separated into sections for vegetarian, paneer (Indian cottage cheese) and chicken pizzas. But that’s about all the guidance you’ll get. The menu here is quite the playground.

We tried the Ahmedabadi vegetable pizza first, named after a small locality in India. The pizza comes with a spicy red sauce base topped with a blend of melted cheese, spicy ground garlic and fresh vegetables. At first glance, it looks like a typical vegetable pizza. But just a whiff will tell you otherwise; the red sauce on this pizza is packed with flavors (and aromas) of hot Indian chili pepper. The vegetables are sauteed in various Indian spices too. If you like your pizza with a nice kick at the end, this one is for you.
The chicken tikka pizza is another hard-to-miss specialty here that comes with a spicy tikka-based red sauce and buttered protein — either chicken or paneer. It’s topped with green pepper, melted cheese and green onion for some extra flavor. For butter chicken in pizza form, it certainly wasn't bad.

Other popular options include the masala chat pizza, inspired by the North Indian street food masala chat, and the cilantro chicken pizza, which comes with a creamy garlic sauce, chicken and cilantro chutney weaved throughout.

All the pizzas come in 10-inch ($9.79), 12-inch ($13.39) and 14-inch ($16.79) sizes. Think New York Style; the large easily feeds three to four people and seems like the best value. Just make some space in the refrigerator for leftovers the next day.
For sides, order a box of cheesy Achari Bread ($4.99), a crispy garlic bread that comes with a powdered Indian pickle (achari) on top. The portion size is on the smaller side but still packs rich flavors of the Indian subcontinent. The Smacking Pesto Bread ($4.99) is made with a similar bread but comes with a spread of pesto and onions, sauteed Indian style.

Enjoy your pizza in the restaurant's small dining room or pick up to eat at home. Hot Pizza doesn't do delivery, but you can order ahead on the website. It's open until midnight on Friday and Saturday. 

Hot Pizza, 17194 Preston Road, No. 102. 11 a.m. – 9 p.m., Monday – Thursday; 11 a.m. – midnight, Friday and Saturday; 11 a.m. – 10 p.m., Sunday