SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Friday is National Pizza Day; a day to celebrate the cheesy, doughy favorite of many foodies.
While a classic cheese or pepperoni pizza always hits the spot, ABC10 checked out some Sacramento-area restaurants laying on unique toppings from Indian-inspired flavors to a take on a breakfast classic.
Here's a look at some places to try for National Pizza Day:
Chorizo lovers, look no further than Federalist Pizza on Matsui Alley in midtown Sacramento. The wood-fired pizza and craft beer restaurant has a customer favorite on the menu called the Southside.
The pizza has its signature crust topped with pork chorizo, potatoes, fresh mozzarella, fontina, cilantro and chili oil. Plus, guests can also add on two eggs to have it brunch-style. The star of the Neapolitan-style pie is the chorizo.
"This is like a Mexican chorizo, so it's got a little grease to it," said owner Marvin Maldonado. "When it's combined with the cheese and chili oil and papas and it's on our signature crust... it is just magic."
At the heart of the restaurant is a wood-fired pizza oven that was hand built 10 years ago.
The flavors cooked inside the oven are close to Maldonado's heart. He said the Southside is inspired by his childhood memories of eating a beloved dish made by his grandmother.
"All of my aunts and uncles would come over before they started their day and went to work because we all lived in this same little small town and that's what she would make for breakfast and it's just one of those core memories," Maldonado said. "I want my grandmother's table to be your table for the day and for you to have that same experience when you're enjoying that pizza."
In addition to the Southside, Federalist Pizza also offers classic flavors like Margherita and pepperoni, as well as deep dish crust. To view their menu, click here.
Midtown restaurant Beast + Bounty serves up an eggs benedict-inspired pizza on the weekends during brunch. The Benedict Pizza, as it's called, includes bacon, potatoes, griddled onions and mozzarella. The pizza is then topped with two eggs and cooked inside the restaurant's wood-fired pizza oven. The yokes are runny, much like a classic eggs benedict.
Once the pizza comes out of the oven, it is topped with hollandaise.
"I think it's a good representation of breakfast but in pizza form," said Executive Chef Brock McDonald.
The Benedict Pizza is one of Beast + Bounty's most popular brunch items.
Beast + Bounty also offers a selection of Neapolitan-style pizzas during their dinner service and happy hour. Chef Brock told ABC10 he looks for the perfect blister and char on the crust when cooking pizzas in the wood fire oven.
"It's personally my favorite pizza," McDonald said. "It's really meant to be eaten right away."
Beast + Bounty is located in the Ice Blocks in Sacramento. To view their menus, click here.
Curry Pizza House offers craft pizzas inspired by classic Indian dishes.
While the restaurant has traditional American pizzas on its menu, they are known for curry-infused pizzas, including flavors like chicken tikka, chili paneer and tandoori chicken.
The chain got its start in the Bay Area and now has locations across California and our region, including in Folsom, Natomas, Roseville and Manteca.
The owners of the Folsom location showed us how their pizzas are made, including their most popular: chicken tikka pizza.
Instead of marinara, the pizza has a white garlic sauce topped with cheese, red onion, diced tomatoes and marinated chicken. Once it makes a trip through the oven, it is garnished with green onion and cilantro. You can find it on their ‘craft curry pizza’ menu.
"We have classic pizza, but the craft pizza is totally different from other pizza stores," said Ranjeet Ghuman, who owns the Folsom location with his brother, Sukhwinder.
The two brothers said they know these flavors and spices well since they are originally from Northern India.
To view the Curry Pizza House menu, click here.
WATCH MORE ON ABC10: Delivery drivers face layoffs as California minimum wage for fast food workers is set to increase
