Right in the heart of downtown Houston, a big grey city that certainly doesn’t smack of “cool” on first impression, is the Bombay Pizza Co., a relatively new Indian fusion pizzeria that has taken the city by storm, and is likely poised for franchise glory one day. For now, there is just the flagship restaurant, and it’s fantastic.
I wasn’t sure when I first read about Bombay whether it was going to be a stuffy sit-down type of place or not (it’s had some Food Network hype…), but thankfully it’s a classic pizzeria with just a few dressed-up touches. The menu transforms Indian classics like tandouri chicken and shahi paneer into light, delicious pizzas, and as a special bonus for my meat-free brother and travel partner that day, there are ample vegetarian options. They also rock slices at lunch.
We did a half-and-half Saag Paneer and “K’s Renee” pie. The saag paneer was classic and exotic, with collard greens added to the spinach and goat cheese finishing the cheese blend that included mozzarella and of course the paneer. Now that spinach and feta have gone from weird to ubiquitous as pizza toppings over the past two decades, it’s great to have a spicy, more complex spin on the combo.
Even better was the “K’s Renee” side, with tandouri-spiced shrimp, crab meat, peppers and goat cheese, topped with a cilantro-mint chutney. And to top it off they finish the pie with handfuls of fresh cilantro, which I absolutely love.
Note: People who don’t like cilantro - and there’s a lot of them out there - are geeks and need to get over it.
I’ve never had a pizza taste so equally savoury and like a fresh salad at the same time. The crust is light and razor-thin, providing a great template for the toppings that is even less doughy than naan bread. So good. If this place takes off the way I’m sure the owners are hoping, it’s going to blow up.
And as the icing on the cake, Bombay Pizza also has a great beer selection, with tasteful craft choices from across America. Nothing better than a crisp, bitter IPA to compliment all of the spices and textures of an Indian pizza.
