You would be hard pressed to find an authentic shawarma in Karachi. Most shawarma variants offered in the city contain an overflowing amount of mayo when they should have toum (a sauce that makes you think you are snorting garlic), ketchup when it should have pickles, and a thick pita when it should be enveloped in a thin, lightly toasted bread called saj.

But pizzas are a different story.

The city has POMO and Redbrick Pizzeria for authentic wood-fired Neapolitan pizzas, a style known for using fresh tomatoes in their sauce and having a crispy, airy, charred crust; Famous O’s for the authentic New York slice that is thinner and foldable with a more seasoned tomato sauce; Xander’s for the brick-oven pizzas; and Venti, which draws on both New York and Neapolitan techniques, is now also making a comeback. And then, of course, there are the localised Karachi-style pizzas that are known for their deep pan crusts and heavy toppings.

But what happens when a new pizza place opens in a city that has plenty to choose from?

In a city that already has Neapolitan, New York and everything in between, what does a new pizza place need to do to stand........

© Dawn (Magazines)