EB Khan helps run and operate Beyond Pompeii Pizza in Leander with his family. (Katlynn Fox/Community Impact)
Beyond Pompeii Pizza's story starts long before the first order was ever placed.
After immigrating from India as a child, the Khan family’s patriarch, Bob Khan, envisioned a concept that would remain rooted in two guiding principles—family and community. In 2021, more than a decade after settling in Leander, the family acted on his lifelong dream of owning a restaurant.
“My father is a very big family person,” MK Khan said. “He [used to say], ‘When I [open] a restaurant, it's going to be family-owned, for families, run by family, just everything family.'”
The setup
The Khan family officially opened the pizzeria in November 2023, deciding to serve pizza as a nod to their go-to meal growing up as a family of six.
"You know, we can get a couple of pizzas, everyone sits down, [and] the evening's perfect,” MK Khan said. “We just have some great food [and] great company."
Craving pizza?
Beyond Pompeii Pizza started out serving up classic and specialty pies, such as the Margherita and supreme pizza; later the owners added other favorites like the Meat Monster, which is topped with cheese, pepperoni, sausage, turkey bacon and ground beef.
The Margherita pizza ($21.99) is made with basil tucked beneath the cheese and topped with small grape tomatoes for an herbal punch. (Katlynn Fox/Community Impact)
Along with pizza, the restaurant also offers chicken wings, cheesy bread and lava rocks, which are bread bites with garlic butter and Parmesan cheese. And for dessert, the menu showcases a selection of Blue Bell ice cream.
Unique offerings
The owners also wanted to fire up some signature dishes related to their Indian heritage, thus the Palak Paneer pizza was born. The pizza includes spinach, Indian cottage cheese, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, green chilies and a spice blend.
The Khan family is looking to continue expanding the menu in the future with additional nonpizza items.
Building the menu is a collaborative effort from the entire family. EB Khan likes to experiment with new flavor combinations, but in order to add a new item to the menu, it must be tried and tested by all members of the Khan family.
Respecting the craft
When opening the restaurant, the founding family agreed to always use fresh dough and make as many things in-house as possible, MK Khan explained. They also use fresh, high-quality ingredients when making the pizzas, Krista Khan added. She regularly travels to different suppliers to hand-check the produce and source the best products possible, which helps keep operating costs down by reducing the need to discard spoiled food.
The family-led team does as much as they can to avoid raising their prices without compromising quality, Bob Khan said.
The Khan Family runs Beyond Pompeii Pizza independently, with no outside employees or corporate involvement. The restaurant is a “true mom-and-pop shop,” run by Krista and Bob Khan and their children. (Katlynn Fox/Community Impact)
The local impact
Beyond Pompeii Pizza offers a permanent 10% discount for all first responders, veterans, active military and all school district employees. The standing discount helps recognize and support pillars of the community year-round, the owners said.
“Thank you to everyone who [supports] our community and this shop because it's the community who comes here,” MK Khan said. “The love and support that they continually show to us is the entire reason we're open.”
