A rendering of the Pizzawala's opening in downtown East Lansing. The restaurant plans to have a soft opening in mid-February, and expand hours over time. (From agenda packet)

Pizzawala’s to Have Soft Opening Next Month

An Indian-style pizza restaurant set to open in downtown East Lansing is planning a soft opening in mid-February, according to franchise owner Sougata Roy.

The restaurant will open at 523 E. Grand River Ave., next to Peanut Barrel. Owners of the Canton-based restaurant initially hoped to open in August, however the business has experienced a few delays. 

For the soft opening, customers should expect to see limited hours to ensure sufficient time to train new employees. Roy said the hours will slowly expand over time. 

“The initial few weeks will be a lot of free sample food, hiring, training, and that kind of thing,” Roy said. 

When Pizzawala’s opens, it will feature pizza inspired by Indian cuisines. The menu features paneer tikka pizza, mango paneer pizza, butter paneer pizza and paneer korma. 

The menu also includes more traditional styles of pizza like cheese, pepperoni, veggie, supreme and Hawaiian.

There are other Pizzawala’s branches, but the East Lansing location will be unique because it will be a full-service sit down restaurant that will serve alcohol. During the approval process, Pizzawala’s representatives said the restaurant will be a needed family-oriented destination on Grand River Avenue. 

“We’re really excited, and it took a lot of effort from everyone, so we’re really excited to get this going,” Roy said.