By Daniel Paris
I have always been curious about the small strip mall restaurant, Haus of Pizza, but the name kept me from dining there. Not exactly a beguiling advertisement of fusion cuisine. Other combinations popped into my imagination, Casa de Schnitzel or maybe Sushi Diner. After noticing a banner supporting Ukraine with proceeds from their monthly (first week) Eastern European menu I decided to shed my misgivings.
Inside, I felt as if I entered a time machine and landed in my Hungarian mom’s kitchen with handmade lace tablecloths covered with plastic, overgrown plants, chachkies like nested Matryoshkas, lace wall hangings and a rolling, talking three-shelf robot server with a high Alice-in-Wonderland voice. I was hooked.
Since it was not the first week of the month, we ordered a Haus special pizza with a trio of meats, mushrooms, and onions and a Haus special salad. Our robot delivered our salad (without incident) in a large clamshell container and was covered with a thick layer of grated mozzarella cheese. What happened to the lettuce?
We scooped the salad onto our plates and found the missing lettuce along with minced pepperoncini, onion, olives, mushrooms, and tomatoes dressed in a perfectly balanced Italian vinaigrette. The salad was fresh, cold, and crisp.
Our drinks were delivered by the owner since the robot only handles food. So, I had to ask her “What’s with the name?” The previous owners were German and Italian, so the new Ukrainian owners inherited the name and added the Eastern European menu that includes Borsch (beet soup with sour cream garnish), Chebureki (meat filled empanadas), Chicken Kiev, Stuffed cabbage, pickled veggies and more.
The robot delivered our pizza which turned out to be crispy with generous toppings. Their pizza was rated in the top three in Best of the Desert 2022 and Best Carryout in 2021. I guarantee you will have a novel experience at Haus of Pizza and be able to enjoy some excellent Italian food along with, I am positive, tasty Eastern European specialties in the first week of every month.
72-795 Hwy. 111 Palm Desert, CA 92260
(760) 340-9040
Monday – Saturday 1:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Closed Sunday
