SFoodie's 92: Indian Pizza from Zante

That's not pesto on that there slice.

​ Number 87: Indian Pizza from Zante Pizza and Indian Cuisine

Pizzas with Indian toppings have appeared up and down the West Coast since 1988, when Zante Pizza invented Indian pizza. But Zante's is still the best we've tried, mainly because it doesn't stop at half-measures (i.e., tomato sauce + tandoori chicken). The crust, gilded with a pinch of turmeric, is smeared with a gingery, garlicky spinach puree that we suspect originated as saag paneer. The pie is then topped with, well, whatever the cooks have in house. There will always be chopped green onions and cilantro, and if you're lucky, cauliflower and eggplant, too. Zante does cater to veg and vegan diners, but if you don't specify meatless you could receive any combo of tandoori chicken, lamb, and prawns. The downside of ordering pizza from Zante: If you call in your order, you're going to have to wait an hour to an hour and a half for delivery. (We still don't know why.) The upside: Indian pizza tastes amazing the morning after.

Zante Pizza and Indian Cuisine, 3489 Mission St. (at Cortland), 821-3949; slices at lunch, whole pies lunch and dinner.

Hungry for more? The dishes in our countdown thus far are linked below:
No. 90: Coconut Bun from Out the Door on Bush
No. 89: Brown Sugar-Black Pepper Biscuits from Little Skillet
No. 88: Porchetta Sandwich from Il Cane Russo