Zante Pizza & Indian Cuisine — Restaurant in San Francisco

“Indian pizza so good I saw God. Then dipped it in curry.” (Zante’s: resourcefulness, curry, and pure creative genius.)

Zante’s is the absolute bomb. Born in 1986, it's a gem of the mission district in San Francisco, it’s the kind of place you try once and then start planning birthdays around. I never had Indian pizza before Zante’s, but after polishing off a whole chicken tikka masala pizza, I had a vision of Ganesh. It's that good. The base is a crispy, golden crust with an authentic, creamy, spiced curry as the sauce, topped with tandoori chicken and herbs that belong nowhere near a pizza, and yet, it works like magic. I say that and I’m Italian. I know good pizza when I have it, Zantes is just the best. Zante Pizza & Indian Cuisine opened when Dalvinder “Tony” Multani bought an existing neighborhood pizzeria and kept its Greek name, but immediately began rolling his own dough and serving both classic pies and his family’s Indian dishes. Customers began suggesting a combination of the two, and before long Zante added its signature Indian pizzas, thin‑crust pies layered with spinach curry or chicken tikka masala sauce, mozzarella, and toppings like tandoori chicken, lamb, or eggplant. Recognized by SF Weekly as “Best Indian Pizza”. It is close to where my brother used to live, that's how I found out about it. I happened to visit him a lot that semester. You know me, I always mean business. When I go I get a full serving of chicken tikka masala curry and dip the pizza into it. It’s full feral mode: sauce everywhere, breathing optional. Add a cold Taj Mahal lager and it’s bliss. I usually end up with none to take home. I’ve gone two birthdays in a row. Zante’s isn’t fusion, it's just another day at the temple, with guaranteed...

I recently visited Zante's Pizza and I must say, I was blown away by the amazing food and friendly customer service. I highly recommend this place to anyone looking for delicious pizza and Indian fusion cuisine.

First and foremost, the food was incredible. I ordered The Best Indian Pizza- Vegetarian Half and The Best Indian Pizza with Paneer masala, and both were bursting with flavor. The crust was crispy and the toppings were fresh and perfectly cooked. The chutney sauces that were provided with each pizza added an extra layer of deliciousness and I highly recommend trying them with all the dishes.

In addition to the pizzas, I also ordered Vegetable Pakora and Paneer Pakora, both of which were crispy, savory and flavorful. The dipping sauces that accompanied the pakoras were also outstanding.

The customer service at Zante's Pizza was also top-notch. The staff was friendly and welcoming, and they made sure that I had everything I needed throughout my meal. They even took the time to explain the different chutney sauces and recommended which ones would go best with each dish.

One small recommendation for the pizzas is to add more sauce. It really makes a difference in bringing out the flavors of the toppings.

Overall, I highly recommend Zante's Pizza to anyone looking for amazing pizza and Indian fusion cuisine. Make sure to try the chutney sauces with all the dishes! Here's a breakdown of what I ordered:

The Best Indian Pizza- Vegetarian Half The Best Indian Pizza with Paneer masala (Half) Vegetable Pakora Paneer...

Only order takeout, and only order pizzas. You will be sorely disappointed otherwise.

When I order whole pies to go, they're fresh and delicious. I drive over as soon as my credit card is charged instead of waiting for their phone call. Free delivery has also worked well, and they've even tried to deliver the pizza when I specified pickup 😅

Dining in is much worse. The staff don't check on you, so get used to walking around the partition to order, ask for water, and get takeout boxes. The aloo gobi and spinach soup were solid while the tikka masala was so bland that it was terrible. Those dishes were served about 20 minutes after ordering, while our pizza took 50 minutes! The interior is plain but serviceable, while the smoke will be irritating to those with sensitivities. Expect to pay $20 per person, maybe more, which is expensive considering the service and atmosphere.

Finally for the curious, here are pizza sizes (ignoring 1 inch of crust): the small pizza is 10"≈78 in² (3.1 in² per dollar for the Best Pizza with Chicken), medium is 12"≈113 (3.7 per dollar), large is 14"≈154 (4.2 per dollar), and XL is 16"≈201 (4.8 per dollar). As for portions, assume 50 in² for a medium-hungry person, and 60-90 in² for people with...