Pizza Vendor Leaving Zocalo
Hot Box Pizza will close, but southside restaurant continues.
Hot Box Pizza truck, 636 S. 6th St. Photo taken March 23, 2023 by Sophie Bolich.
Hot Box Pizza will serve its final pies at Zocalo Food Park on Nov. 2, the mobile restaurant announced Thursday morning.
After more than three years as a permanent vendor—and the April 2025 launch of its brick-and-mortar shop, Doh’p— Hot Box is shifting its focus, and its food truck, elsewhere.
“We are so grateful to have had this opportunity and for the connections that we have made throughout our years at the Park,” owners Terrell Turner and Suzanne Pham-Banh shared in an online post. “We thank our customers from the bottom of our hearts for all of the support and love you have all shown us.”
The announcement also hinted a future priorities, including a bigger emphasis on the Fernwood restaurant, 2509 E. Oklahoma Ave., and an expansion of the company’s mobile events arm, aided by the launch of an updated truck.
Hot Box first launched in October 2021, later popping up at Zocalo, 636 S. 6th St., before joining the food truck park as a full-time resident the following spring. Its marijuana-themed menu remained a constant through the years, featuring wood-fired pizzas, smoked chicken wings, cheesy garlic bread and more.
Doh’p’s menu builds on the original lineup with a larger variety of pizzas—barbecue chicken, pesto party and more—along with addition of soups, salads, sandwiches and snacks such as charcuterie boards and bagel bites. The restaurant also offers a gluten-free pizza bowl featuring sauce, cheese and toppings, but no crust.
Hot Box will remain on its regular schedule through Nov. 2, opening Thursday from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., Friday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
For more information and future updates, follow Hot Box Pizza and Doh’p on Instagram.
Zocalo has not announced an incoming business to fill Hot Box’s slot. Vendors including Sap Sap, Las Virellas, Scratch Ice Cream, Mazorca Tacos, Elevate Coffee, Grill Thrill, Modern Maki and Ruby’s Bagels continue to operate at the park.
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