A pizzeria with a spicy twist is expanding in DFW: Curry Pizza House, a national chain that does pizza with an Indian flair, is colonizing the area with its novel pizzas topped with Indian ingredients.

The chain was founded in northern California in 2013 and began franchising in 2019. They made their Texas debut in Austin in 2021, and in recent months, they've opened three locations in the Dallas area in Frisco, Little Elm, and Plano, with two more in the works: in Irving, at 7600 N MacArthur Blvd., and in Celina, address still TBA.

Pizza with an Indian twist is a growing trend, thanks to an increasing appreciation for Indian flavors, with multiple concepts having sprouted up in California. In Dallas, a similar concept, locally-grown, called Far East Pizza debuted in 2020 and currently has a storefront in Allen at 2023 W. McDermott Dr. #220. There's also a similar local chain called Fun Pizza Kitchen with two locations in Frisco and The Colony.

Curry Pizza House was founded in Fremont, California by Gursewak Gill and Romy Gill, who emigrated from India to the U.S. as children and quickly became pizza fanatics. Combining their shared love of pizza with the flavors of their heritage seemed a delicious inevitability.

“Our mission at CPH is simple: We’ve taken pizza back to our roots," Romy says. "By making fresh pizza dough daily and employing a variety of authentic Indian flavors, we’re giving guests a way to enjoy a unique take on pizza."

The chicken tikka pizza — featuring garlic white sauce, chicken, red onion, tomato, and green onion — sums up their approach of pizza topped with Indian favorites. It's also the most popular item. There's also a butter chicken pizza, another classic Indian dish, and a palak paneer pizza topped with pesto, cheese, spinach, red onion, chiles, ginger, and garlic.

But they also have your pepperoni pizza and other traditional options. The menu also features wings (marinated with Indian spices as well as traditional sauces); salads; and small plates like baked masala chips, spicy pesto breadsticks, and cheesy garlic breadsticks.

While the menu is basically the same from location to location, some locations also serve beer and wine.

There can also be variations in service, since locations are owned by individual franchisees. The location in Plano, for example, which is managed by Richard Paul, a 20-year veteran of the pizza industry, earns high marks in Google ratings, the current go-to in the online reviewing world.

"The pizza itself is really good, and the unique flavors make it a little more interesting than your typical pizza place," Paul says.