415-750-1313
415-626-1756
There was always a lot of pizza in the Upper Haight, but now that Indian restaurant Tikka Masala has rebranded itself as Tikka Masala & Pizza and nearby Great Indian Food also launched its own pizza, there is something of an arms race afoot. I compared slices from the two.
Aside from benefiting from garlic powder and chili flakes in equal amounts, they are different in almost every respect. Tikka Masala's quarter-pie slice is twice as large for more than twice the price ($5.38 versus $2.16, after tax) and comes with more toppings, including roasted tomatoes. I had to ask the guy to reheat it, though, because it was still limp and tepid when he served it to me.
Although Great Indian's chicken was a bit more flavorful, when it came to sauce, Tikka Masala was the winner by a mile. Great Indian's sauce was too sweet and tasted like it came from a factory — as did the cheese.
The crust was one area where subjectivity was a big factor. Neither was thin or crisp, but while Tikka Masala's just salty enough, it was also tough. Great Indian's wasn't as flavorful, but the texture was better and it had a bit of char. But for me, the dead giveaway when ascertaining mediocre pizza is the section just inside the outer edge. If it bubbled or browned (Tikka Masala), great. If some dried sauce is poking from under the mozzarella (Great Indian), we had a problem.
Both restaurants were nearly empty at 1 p.m. Great Indian is one cavernous room. The newly renovated Tikka Masala is laid out better, and has sunlight. Even if you ignored ambience as a criterion, this was a case of getting what you paid for: Tikka Masala & Pizza was the winner.
415-750-1313
415-626-1756
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