One of Vancouver's most popular family-owned Greek restaurants is coming in hot with a new side venture: Pizza.
The Greek, which has three Vancouver locations (in Gastown, in Yaletown, and on Broadway) along with its parent restaurant The Greek by Anatoli in North Vancouver, has branched out into what might seem like unusual territory with the recent launch of its new delivery concept, Pinky's Pizza.
In Canada (and the U.S.), in the 1950s through 70s, many Greek families started restaurants that blended Italian and Greek influences, leading to menus that often featured pizza alongside souvlaki, tzatziki, and roast lamb. Pizzerias had relatively low start-up costs, making them lucrative for food-focused immigrants getting their start in a new homeland.
Some of Canada's biggest pizza brands were founded by Greeks, too.
Now Vancouver's The Greek folks are stepping in, with a simple lineup of saucy traditional pies being cooked up and dispatched out of their Broadway kitchen.
Pinky's Pizza's debut menu features five pies, all named in honour of movies, with toppings built on a signature house sauce that is the right balance of sweetness and seasoning. "The secret is in the sauce," is Pinky's slogan for a reason - it's a terrific pizza sauce that holds its own nicely against toppings like pepperoni and mushroom (The Knockout) or Pinky's Masterpiece with pepperoni, ham, red onion, green pepper, black olives, mushroom, artichoke and feta.
The meat-free version of the Masterpiece is called the Rancho Cucamonga (as a nod to Next Friday, though, rest assured, it's a real city in Southern California), while Pinky's is also offering a simple Mamma Mia with mozzarella and basil, too, if you prefer your pizza vegetarian.
Lastly, the Money Maker is a nod to Greek-Canadian pizza history. Topped with ham and pineapple, it is only fitting Pinky's has a "Hawaiian" pizza, given that Canadian Greek immigrant Sam Panopoulos invented the often polarizing pizza in Ontario in 1962.
Currently, Pinky's Pizza is available to order for delivery via UberEats and DoorDash from 4 to 9 p.m. nightly. Follow @pinkyspizza.ca on Instagram for more info and updates.
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