Antepian Turkish Cuisine
Eastern Turkish food is Antepian’s specialty, which means that flavors are spicier, more garlicky, and more richly aromatic. The star “pizza” is the Antep-style etli ekmek, an enormously wide pie with an ultra thin, cracker-like crust. It’s topped with a mix of ground beef and finely chopped tomatoes, bell peppers, herbs, and intoxicating warm spices. Elsewhere on the pizza menu, choose the lahmacun over the thick, greasy pide, which lacks the beautifully browned crusts you’ll find at Lezzet.
2141 W. Park Blvd., Plano | 469-931-2200
Bay 34th Street Pizzeria
It’s no surprise that this family-owned pizzeria feels like you’ve stepped out of Farmers Branch and into a New York borough. Asip Asani and his son, Gezim, moved to Dallas from Brooklyn six years ago to take over the business from the previous owner, who grew up on Bay 34th Street in Brooklyn. Those ordering by the slice will have their choice heated up in the oven, while whole pizzas are typically made to order. Slices are sizable and a little greasy, so eat the New York way: with your hands, slice folded, head cocked.
13605 Midway Rd., Ste. 170, Farmers Branch | 214-774-9469
Greenville Avenue Pizza Company
Sammy Mandell and his wife, Molly, embrace gimmickry in their three-restaurant empire that regulars all call “GapCo,” after its acronym. Their pizzaiolos are referred to as Pizza Slayers, and they carry their pizza wheels and bench scrapers in custom leather shoulder holsters. They put pies in limited-edition takeout boxes with illustrations inside that serve as photo stand-ins. Printed on the boxes: “We think inside the box.” But underlying the gimmicks is an attention to quality that makes this one of the best pies in town, with a sauce made daily in-house and a crispy crust that stands up to transportation. And those silly Pizza Slayers? Just watch one work. Their attention to detail is mesmerizing.
1923 Greenville Ave. | 214-826-5404 | Multiple locations
Bona Pizza
Yes, the similarity is intentional. Bona Pizza was opened by Braulio Carvalho, a Brazilian who fine-tuned his pizza skills under Omar Dibe at the recently closed Cigarz Bona Pizza. Hence the tribute of its name and the heavily cribbed, Greek-influenced menu. But the offbeat combination here—from the older guy behind the counter dressed toque-to-toe in Stars gear watching the World Cup on a transistor TV to the young cashier taking advantage of a quiet moment to eat salami and tomatoes off a paper plate at the communal counter—feels entirely authentic. Order the Ardalino, a pie inspired by eggplant parm, and decline the offer of extra garlic. (The extra is powdered and you don’t need it.)
4218 W. Lovers Ln., Ste. A | 214-351-1888
Cane Rosso
The progenitor of the craft pizza craze in Dallas (and one of the city’s first Naples-certified restaurants) is up to seven locations throughout North Texas. But while the competition is thicker since Jay Jerrier opened his mobile catering oven in 2009, Cane Rosso keeps going strong thanks to offerings like the Honey Bastard, which blends mozzarella, hot soppressata, bacon marmalade, and habanero honey into a spicy-sweet pie that hurts so good.
Multiple locations: Deep Ellum, White Rock, Carrollton, Frisco, North Dallas
Lezzet Cafe
Two types of Turkish pizza are well executed here. Lezzet’s lahmacun is bigger than normal, almost the circumference of a medium American pizza, though still boasting the ultra thin crust that’s easy to fold or roll up. If you do fold it up, add in the fresh salad of white onions and parsley that comes on the side. Even better here are the pide, with their long canoe-like shape and rustic hand-folded crust. Lezzet’s specialty pide is kuşbaşılı (kush-BAH-shih-lih), made with cubed beef, onions, and peppers but no sauce or cheese. It’s meaty enough that you won’t miss them.
6869 Frankford Rd., Ste. 100 | 469-931-2033
Thunderbird Pies
If you’re not familiar with Detroit-style pizza, you might initially be surprised that sauce is laid down in stripes, on top of the cheese. The versions here are total delights. We don’t know how they get the bottom so crisp and bubbly—the secret is probably unhealthy—and we also love the way that cheese is spread to the very edges, forming a golden crust in the oven’s heat. Ingenious flavor combinations include the Luka Brasi meatball pie, a Godfather/Mavericks tribute, and the Drip Pan, which spices things up with hot soppressata, sausage, roasted mushrooms, and peppers.
7328 Gaston Ave., Ste. 110 | 469-577-1077
Pizza Leila
Up until now, Pizza Leila has been serving hearty Sicilian-style pizzas out of Sloane’s Corner in downtown Dallas. But by the time you read this, there should be a dedicated brick-and-mortar open on Flora Street. The dough is thick enough to support a variety of toppings yet still light, crispy, and perfectly charred on the bottom. The Grandma’s Square—with mozzarella, roasted tomato sauce, and basil—is simple but packs a flavor punch in every bite. A whole pizza comes with nine to 12 slices, depending on whether you decide to go halves with your choice of pie. If you’re just looking for a quick Arts District pick-me-up, they also serve by the slice.
2111 Flora St., Ste. 120 | 214-484-1395
Sam’s Pizza & Pasta
With checkered tablecloths, wall murals, sports memorabilia, a dessert case, and a long counter of by-the-slice options, Sam’s looks like the neighborhood hangout spot in an ’80s teen movie. The pizza tastes right, too. Our takeout pie had a thin layer of tomato sauce, quality toppings, and a generous sprinkling of both oregano and Parmesan. Only the crust was a bit of a letdown; it was semolina-dusted, but the edges got a little too crunchy.
601 Cedar St., Cedar Hill | 972-293-0487
Pizzeria Carina
Thin and crispy are the words of the day at this Preston Center business, where the pizzas are loosely based on Roman-style crusts. Owner Eugene Plyako is a keen baker who also makes bread loaves for sandwiches, pre-folded pizzas to eat on the go, and comforting Eastern European cheese pies. Ingredient sourcing is top-notch and many employees are Ukrainian war refugees.
6005 Berkshire Ln. | 214-774-9747
ZaLat Pizza
Khanh Nguyen opened the first ZaLat on Fitzhugh in 2015, having never cooked a single pizza. He sold pho down the block at DaLat, and, when a nearby pizza shop went under, he took over the lease. After about a year of R&D, ZaLat emerged with a New York-style pie, a 4 am closing time, and some 420-friendly risks: the Pho Shizzle, which echoes the flavors of chicken pho; the Reuben, with shaved corned beef, Swiss, and house-made Thousand Island; and the Elote, with corn, a lemon pepper reduction, and cilantro. ZaLat was among the first to use rideshare drivers for delivery and now counts 27 locations in Dallas and Houston. Eight years in, opening a takeout pizza shop no longer seems like a risk.
2519 N. Fitzhugh Ave. | 214-370-9786 | Multiple locations
Wriggly Tin
This new South Dallas bar, in a historic Quonset hut, brews its own beer and ferments its own sourdough for crispy pizzas. Flavorful crust is backed up by smart topping choices—grab the veggie supreme or a pie with mortadella, pistachios, and arugula—and pizza dough is also used to make bread for sandwiches. Everything pairs well with Black Pepper Pils and a table on the comfy patio.
1906 S. Haskell Ave. | 469-837-0491
You can’t be blamed for letting the boxes stack up on the counter anymore. Greenville Avenue Pizza Company, for one, decorates theirs with limited-edition works of art:
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