Pizza Karachi
It’s hard to single out just one restaurant at the Erin Mills Centre plaza, as this sprawling complex with dozens of restaurants and takeout spots has become a major GTA food destination in the two years since it opened.
A short walk from Matari Coffee is this halal pizza joint at 3960 Eglinton Ave. W., which founder Athar Amir describes as “Italy meets Karachi.”
“Pizza is really popular, especially in Karachi (Pakistan), just like any big city with people from all walks of life, where people bring their food to share,” says Amir.
The pizzas here are akin to the thicker, doughier, American-style pies popularized globally by chains like Pizza Hut, but with milk in the dough, there’s an extra creaminess.
Since opening the first of four locations, Amir says the three most popular pies are the spicy Mirchi Sauga, topped with chicken tikka, green peppers, roasted chilies, cilantro and onions; the less-spicy Afghani Feast, with a white pepper cream sauce, chicken tikka, red onions, tomatoes, black olives, jalapenos, roasted green chili and tzatziki; and for meat lovers, the Gosht Khor, with red sauce, beef pepperoni, beef salami, chicken tikka, minced beef, hot peppers and onion. There are also cheese, chicken kebab or beef kebab stuffed-crust options.
“We wanted to make it spicier, more flavour, which is closer to our traditional food,” he says.
Amir wants people to eat in, as the pizzeria is his throwback to the glory days of pizza buffets he visited with his family as a kid in Windsor. As an added incentive to dine in, the pies are delivered to the table by a roving robot.
“Ten, 20 years ago you used to have the sit-down pizzerias, and we don’t have that anymore. So I want to bring that back.”