Restaurant Reco: The best deep dish pizza in Missisauga

With pizza being the iconic food it is, there’s thankfully no shortage of places to find good pizza in Mississauga. The city has it all, from the traditional Neapolitan pizza born in Italy, to New York-style, to deep dish (also commonly referred to as Chicago-style pizza).

If that last one is what you’re craving, I recently discovered an under-the-radar spot that serves some of the best deep dish pizza in Mississauga.

Pizza Shab, located in a plaza in the area of Dundas and Hurontario, is a fairly unassuming restaurant that you’ve probably driven past countless times — but try them out once and you won’t regret it. The Toronto-based pizzeria specializes in a variety of Persian-style deep dish pizzas that come loaded with toppings: Beef Lovers, Chicken Lovers, Angus Steak, and Veggie Pizza are just some of the options you’ll see on the menu.

The restaurant also has rolled pizzas, snack mixes (beef, chicken or both), regular fries, and special fries loaded with jambon, mushrooms, green peppers and mozzarella cheese.

THE PIZZA:

If you’re like me and want a lot of meat on your pizza, then you’ve got to try out the Beef Lovers: Angus steak strips, smoky beef jambon, Persian beef sausage, mushrooms, green and red peppers, corn, and a mozzarella cheese blend.

One bite into this pizza and I immediately regretted not having known about this place earlier — it’s that good. The meat toppings are incredibly fresh and bursting with flavour (my favourites were the beef jambon and sausage in particular). The taste and gooey texture of the mozzarella is also great, and the crust has a soft, slightly crispy texture that was perfect. Don’t let the tall crust scare you off, because this is the kind of pizza crust you’ll be more than happy to chow down.

As you’d expect from a deep dish pizza, this one makes good use of its tall size — a layer of meat toppings sit above and below the cheese, resulting in a packed pizza that’s as filling as it is delicious and has a perfect blend of ingredients in every bite. Expect both quality and quantity with these pizzas.

THE UNIQUE:

Pizza Shab is a rarity in the pizza scene, specializing in Persian-style pizzas with thick crusts, generous amounts of cheese, and Halal meat toppings. The restaurant’s name is “Night Pizza” in English, fitting for a place that’s open until pretty late (10 p.m. during the week and 11 p.m. on weekends).

THE VERDICT:

Pizza Shab is one of the best hidden gems in the city, quickly making its way onto our list of Top 5 under the radar pizza joints in Mississauga. Seek this place out for deep dish pizza done right.

1. Pizza Shab