Dining Review: Pizza with a Viking’s daring touch
A favorite at Viking Pizza and Kabob in Glendale is the Viking pizza, made with mozzarella, kabobs, feta cheese, onions, fresh tomatoes, and feferoni peppers.
I was picking up my daughter at the Larry Zarian Transportation Center in Glendale when I saw it. “Swedish Pizza,” the sign said. Naturally, we pulled over to get some. What could Swedish pizza possibly taste like? Pickled herring? Lingonberries? Well, it might be both of those things since the Swedes apparently like toppings that would seem crazy to an American or Italian. The number one, most popular Swedish pizza in both Stockholm and at the new Viking Pizza in Glendale is the kabob pizza.
Kabob pizza is what it sounds like ... only better. Morsels of fresh-grilled kabob beef combine with mozzarella, onion, pepperoncini and a killer white garlic sauce with spices. We actually opted for the ramped-up version of the kabob pizza, their house special called the Viking ($8.99 for a medium, $18.99 for a large). The Viking has everything the kabob has but with fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, feta cheese and romaine lettuce. It’s like getting a Greek salad and a doner kabob in every slice. Yum.
The funny thing is, you automatically get a side salad with every pizza at Viking. They call it pizzasallad and it’s a simple fermented slaw made with cabbage, vinegar, salt and pepper. At most self-respecting pizza restaurants in Sweden, they put a big bowl of complimentary pizzasallad on the table for patrons to nosh on while they wait for their pizza to cook. It’s a fun tradition that owners Vartan and Juliet Nazari are continuing here in Glendale.
The Viking salad at Viking Pizza and Kabob in Glendale is made from cabbage topped with a house dressing and is served with bread.
The Nazaris moved here from Sweden only seven months ago. They’re delightful people who take great pride in their homemade sauces and hand tossed pizza dough. The crust is one of the things that makes the pizza experience really different at Viking. Vartan is reluctant to share the secret of his dough but it seems to have the slightest of Scandinavian aromas, perhaps barley malt or nutmeg? One thing’s for certain, the crust is wonderfully thin and crispy, perfect for folding over like a wrap.
My family adored the Viking pizza. They were not as enamored of the pizzasallad. I, on the other hand, liked the cabbage and preferred the Valhalla pizza. The Valhalla has grilled beef (a little chewier than the kabob beef) with pesto, kalamata olives, arugula, feta and mozzarella. It is salty, earthy and satisfying.
I’ve heard in Sweden they like chicken curry-banana pizza and tomato pizza with mushrooms, raisins and peanuts. They don’t have those on the menu at Viking but they do have the Godfather pizza with bacon, egg and paprika, the Mexicana with spicy ground beef, jalapenos and salsa, and the La Tuna with tuna, ham and onion. They all sound good to me.
Prices are very reasonable at Viking. We got two good-sized mediums for 20 bucks including pizzasallads and jalapenos. (No Parmesan, we noticed. It wouldn’t work here.) I saw an incredible-looking calzone being made when we were there. The Calzone Deluxe has kabob, garlic and onion ($9.50). Definitely going to try that next time.
There are a few cute indoor tables at this casual eatery on the corner of San Fernando Road and Cerritos Avenue in old Tropico. The music was too loud for us so we enjoyed the sidewalk tables. Next time I’m picking up or dropping off at the nearby train station, I think I’ll call ahead for a Swedish pizza at Viking.
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What: Viking Pizza and Kabob
Where: 3740 San Fernando Road, Glendale
When: daily 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Prices: Swedish gourmet pizzas, $6.99 to $18.99
Contact: (818) 547-5555
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LISA DUPUY welcomes comments and suggestions at LDupuy@aol.com.