A South London pizza parlour has rapidly become a culinary sensation, drawing food enthusiasts from far and wide who are willing to queue for hours to savour its distinctive fusion of Italian and Indian flavours.
Bombay Pizza, located in Wallington, has garnered immense popularity due to its innovative menu that seamlessly blends traditional pizza with South Asian-inspired toppings. The establishment is run by Anisa Khan, aged 26, who gained wider recognition as the runner-up on the BBC’s reality show The Apprentice.
Following her success on the programme, Anisa’s business has witnessed an extraordinary surge in demand to the extent that the team has had to pause their UK-wide delivery service. Currently, Bombay Pizza only accepts in-person takeaway orders served at their Wallington location. Staff have been working overtime alongside Anisa herself to manage a backlog of more than 500 orders.
A spokesperson for Bombay Pizza conveyed on their social media channels: “We're currently experiencing an incredible surge in demand and are truly grateful for everyone's enthusiasm. To ensure we maintain the quality of our service, we're temporarily accepting in-person orders only at our restaurant. We're receiving a high volume of emails and calls, so please bear with us if there's a delay in our response. Our small team is working hard to get back to everyone as quickly as possible. We truly appreciate your patience and understanding during this exciting time. Once things settle down, we'll resume normal service – and we can't wait to see you again soon.”
The increased attention followed Anisa’s participation in the final of The Apprentice, where she and fellow contestant Dean Franklin were challenged to relaunch and rebrand their respective businesses over 11 weeks. Despite Dean being declared the winner and securing Lord Sugar’s £250,000 investment, Anisa’s creative pitch—featuring a chickpea pizza with a dahl base under the new moniker Zaal Pizza—resonated strongly with viewers and translated into surging real-life interest for Bombay Pizza.
Bombay Pizza first opened its doors in Sutton in 2020 as a dark kitchen, specialising in South Asian-inspired pizzas. On the menu, favourites include “The CTM,” which features tandoor-grilled chicken tikka in masala sauce with red onions, mozzarella and coriander; the “Khan’s Keema Special” combining lamb, spices, peas, cheese and herbs; the vegan “Bombay Brinjal” topped with roasted aubergine, mushrooms, spinach and masala spices; and the popular chilli paneer pizza. Complementary sides such as cheesy garlic coriander and chilli slices and Bombay fries are also available.
Customer testimonials highlight the unique appeal of the pizzas, with one reviewer describing their chicken tikka masala pizza as “absolutely delicious” despite a 2.5-hour wait, while another called Bombay Pizza “an absolute gem” and praised its difference from an average pizza.
In an exclusive interview with MailOnline earlier in the month, Anisa reflected on the sudden uptick in demand, saying: “It was like hundreds of people. We had queues coming out of my takeaway restaurant and it's amazing. Also, it's amazing because one, it's great business, but two, it's nice that I've had an impact on so many people. The final weekend was just mental. I've never experienced that level of busy.”
Looking ahead, Anisa has expressed ambitions to expand the business further by establishing additional Bombay Pizza dark kitchens in high-demand locations across the country. She informed the BBC: “This will allow me to grow the business strategically, introduce our innovative menu to more customers, and build towards establishing a nationally recognised brand.”
The Daily Mail reports that with Anisa Khan at the helm, Bombay Pizza continues to draw attention from fans and foodies alike, transforming what started as a niche concept into a rapidly growing culinary phenomenon.
Source: Noah Wire Services