‘Fort Worth people have been very loyal.’ So he’ll upgrade his west side pizzeria
In the vast sameness of mom-and-pop pizza-and-pasta restaurants, one standout is Hysen’s Nizza Pizza.
So Fort Worth residents freaked out last week when a construction fence went up.
Fear not, says Hysen Lushaj, from one of several local pizzeria families with roots in New York and a legacy in the Balkans.
“I finally got to buy the place, and I’m building a new one,” Lushaj said.
He and his wife, Mirsada, own Hysen’s Nizza Pizza, under remodeling at 401 University Drive. Another location is open at 3930 Glade Road in Colleyville.
“Fort Worth people have been very loyal to me,” he said. “Texas has been good to me. We’re sprucing up and we plan to be in Fort Worth a long time.”
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The family opened first near UT Arlington but sold that location in 2007 in favor of Colleyville and a former fast-food fish restaurant in the Fort Worth Cultural District, near the art museums.
“Everybody loves Texas,” he said. “It’s one of the last places left where you can reach out for the American dream. You can have a place, pay your rent and earn a salary. ... You can’t afford that everywhere.”
Now, he’s expanding the dining room in the old fast-food restaurant and improving the streetscape with better lighting.
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This year, he’s needed it.
“The people in the drive-thru kept us going,” he said.
When other pizzerias were closed, Hysen’s Nizza Pizza kept selling giant pizzas to go or family-size pasta dinners.
(Whether you need a pizza or food for an entire party, Hysen’s can sell it at the drive-thru.)
“This year — I don’t even want to think about this year,” he said.
Before construction began, the dining room had reopened and customers were deciding whether to line up or drive up for the simple, family-friendly pizzas and pasta platters.
The pizza is typical New York-style — crisp, foldable and sold in giant sizes, or as single slices big enough to make a lunch.
There’s also “stuffed” pizzas, including a popular stuffed spinach pizza, plus folded calzones and strombolis.
But Lushaj is proudest of the pastas.
The menu’s biggest seller is the ziti alla vodka.
It’s one of 20 specials selling for less than $10, or in a family-size portion for less than $20.
The other big sellers are the chicken Parmesan, grilled chicken al pesto, linguine in clam sauce and lasagna.
I’m not saying Hysen’s Nizza Pizza is worth driving past your own neighborhood favorite.
But I do hear that some customers in Fort Worth like it so much that while it’s closed, they’re going to the Colleyville location.
It’s open for lunch and dinner daily; hysensnizzapizza.com.
This story was originally published September 28, 2020 at 5:45 AM.
