US Pizza

Long before the pizza chains made their appearance in the city, this place had the best thin-crust in town. The vegetarian pizzas especially - smothered in cheese and onions and with the lightest, yummiest crust anywhere. But then, suddenly, all outlets were closed down, and no more was heard of US Pizza till one tiny takeaway surfaced in Jubliee Hills.

Where it was once a popular, if slightly expensive, place for youngsters and families to hang out, now with just barely enough room for two tables, US Pizza is almost exclusively preferred for order-in. They deliver within a 5km radius, so service is restricted to the Banjara and Jubilee Hills area. But, given their redefined niche, they're doing pretty good.

The menu isn't too extensive, but a couple of pizzas are worth a special mention. American Heat is all veggie, with babycorn, green peppers, onions and jalapenos, and for a more spicy meal try the Indian Special, with tomatoes, chillies, garlic and, surprisingly enough, green peas masala.

Hot Stuff is another hit, and is topped with oriental-flavored chicken and mushrooms. For a real filler, try the Meat Special, which has lamb pepperoni, chicken barbeque, spicy chicken, chicken sausage and jalapenos, for that extra zing. If you can't quite make up your mind about toppings, get the Mambo Combo, which has Mexican, Barbeque and Oriental Chicken, together with chicken sausage. This is their most popular pizza. Apart from Deep Pan and Thin Crust, the pizzas are also available with the slightly pricier Italian hand-tossed base.

For a smaller (and healthier!) meal, try their range of salads and submarine sandwiches, of which the crisp Veggie Farmer's Brunch and Chickitza are quite good. Among the salads, they do a good job of the Potato & Pineapple and the Hawaiian Chicken. Dessert consists of the sole, but yummy, Chocolate Walnut Brownie.

Given the competition that surrounds them, US Pizza's popularity is a sure sign that they have a good thing going. Not so much because they're any cheaper than the others, but since they do have some winners on the menu.