Naanza Rhymes With Kwanzaa! It's Pizza, But With Naan
Naya Sunset Restaurant and Lounge is a slick, theatrical, new Indian restaurant on Sunset Boulevard, situated in LA's scrubby but gentrified Silverlake neighborhood. They serve a mashup of American comfort food with Indian ingredients and flavors on their happy hour menu.
One of Naya's interesting, inventive, stand-out, copyrighted (yes, copyrighted) dishes is their NAANZA© (rhymes with Kwanzaa, not Tony Danza).
Basically a pizza with its traditional base swapped out for Indian naan bread, the NAANZA© has a sauce foundation of buttery tomato and eggplant. Mozzarella and Cheddar cheeses come next. Finally, your choices of onions, pineapple, bell peppers, goat cheese, feta cheese, chicken, mushroom, or jalapeño top off this exotic pie.
The various toppings are nice, but what really makes this pizza memorable and worthwhile is its light, chewy, and flaky textures. The NAANZA© was probably the best of Naya's happy hour food offerings.
Part of Naya's appeal is its opulent décor. Designed by the ubiquitous Spacecraft Group, Naya is divided into two parts, with the restaurant's lobby in between them.
The bar's interior is a cathedral dedicated to cocktails, complete with dramatic, jagged arches. The dining room is a completely different vibe, full of light and airy charm, perfect for a romantic meal.