Pizza Shop Favorite Becomes the Latest Austin Restaurant Import to Invade Houston

One of Austin’s favorite pizza palaces is gliding into Houston. A sign for Southside Flying Pizza, a mini chain with four Austin restaurants, is hanging high in the Shops on Navigation strip center. No opening date has been set for this cheesy paradise just yet.

It’s a fitting locale for the pizza parlor, set up in the southeast corner of the strip. Southside Flying Pizza’s got a colorful cast of neighbors in the brick center, including 9Round kickboxing gym, Bottles Wine & Spirits, Maldives Nail & Spa, EaDo Dental, Cajun Town, Go Cleaners and Frost Bank.

The existing eateries in the area are across the street and have a more Mexican and South American vibe. Alamo Tamale & Taco and Andes Cafe are just on the other side of Canal. Alamo is a chain with tons of fans, and it’s a regular at RodeoHouston. Meanwhile, Andes Cafe is more of a hidden gem with authentic Peruvian, Bolivian dishes and more.

This marks the very first Southside Flying Pizza outside of Austin. The pizzeria’s known for its massive, hand-tossed, oven-baked Neapolitan-style pizza, with all ingredients fresh or made from scratch. On top of its original crust, Southside offers a gluten-free option.

Both crusts seem to have hit the mark in Austin, being not too thick and not too thin.

Thirty-two different toppings round out the menu, with everything from fine cheeses to tasty veggies and exotic meats.

Specialty pizzas run the gamut from meaty  — The Southsider, with pepperoni, Canadian bacon and Italian sausage —  to more animal-friendly, like the Sun-dried tomato pesto.

If a slice just isn’t your thing, you can go a little unorthodox with Southside’s Stromboli, pizza rolls and calzones. Those pizza origami options come traditional or customized.

Then there’s salads with a choice of six different dressings, like creole honey mustard and creamy Gorgonzola, classic pastas, sandwiches and apps. Think red pepper Alfredo with penne, a just-like-your-mama-made it meatball sub or spinach artichoke dip.

Southside is also into specials, with a particular pizza of the month and different daily options.

Time will tell if this Austin import is gonna fly in H-Town.