Toronto now has 'Brampton Pizza' and here's what that means

Toronto's already diverse culinary scene just got even more interesting with the introduction of a new fusion spot, B-Town Pizza, which seeks to combine the best of two worlds — pizza and Indian food.

The one-of-a-kind spot, which recently opened just a stone's throw away from Dundas subway station, offers pies featuring authentic Indian spices and marinated meat.

Far from your typical pizza flavours like pepperoni (which the restaurant still offers), B-Town Pizza features inventive options like paneer tikka pizza, tandoori paneer pizza, chicken tikka pizza, and butter chicken pizza.

The vision for the innovative pizza joint was brought to life by owners Inder Brar and Honey, whose journey into fusion cuisine began in 2014. Brar, who moved to Canada over 10 years ago, first noticed a lack of diverse food options in smaller cities like Peterborough.

"I noticed there weren't many places for Indian food or unique restaurants," Brar said. It wasn't until Brar conducted a casual experiment with a friend that he discovered the potential of merging Indian flavours with pizza.

"While at home, one of my friends and I decided to make pizza. We bought the dough from Walmart and decided to put some leftover curry on it along with some fresh veggies. It was a game changer," he said.

After living in Peterborough, Brar moved to Belleville where he began working at Extreme Pita. Inspired by his earlier experiments, he decided to keep developing his idea of creating Indian-style pizzas.

"I finally decided to make my ambition into the reality of owning my own pizza store," Brar said. Over the next few months, he went through the process of perfecting the shop's sauces, and toppings, while ensuring that all of the rich flavours were balanced out.

"What makes our pizza unique is our use of authentic Indian spices, marinated tandoori chicken, paneer, butter chicken sauce, and a perfect balance of heat and aromatics that remind you of a homemade meal back in India, but with a fun, pizza twist," he said.

Each pizza is topped with in-house-made sauces, and the dough is also prepared fresh on-site.

Beyond their traditional pizzas, the shop has also introduced heart-shaped pies just in time for Valentine's Day, as well as other Indian-Canadian fusion dishes, including their butter chicken poutine and paneer tikka poutine.

B-Town Pizza's first location opened in Brampton at 8975 McLaughlin Road South, Unit 9, and now you won't have to travel too far if you're in Toronto to taste their pizzas.

B-Town Pizza is located at 13 Elm St.