The sides genuinely worth ordering are the ones that add something your pizza cannot provide on its own: a crisp salad for acidity, bread-based shareables for volume, wings for protein and spice, and a dip or dessert to finish the table. Everything else is optional. Here is the short version of what each category does for your meal:
- Crisp salads cut through fat and cheese, refreshing the palate between slices
- Bread-based shareables (garlic knots, breadsticks, focaccia) stretch the order and give everyone something to snack on while the pizza is still hot
- Wings add protein, heat, and a completely different texture
- Dips and pinchables keep kids engaged and fill the gaps between slices
- Desserts or pickled condiments close the meal cleanly, especially for parties
Hellcrustpizza's Mix & Match bundles and family-sized specials are built around exactly this logic, letting you pair a pizza with a bread side or pasta without paying à la carte prices for each.
Table of Contents
- What pizza sides are worth ordering by category?
- How to get the most value from your sides
- How do you choose sides that complement your pizza?
- Kid-friendly and party sides that keep groups happy
- How many sides should you order?
- Practical Canada-specific ordering tips
- Key takeaways
- The side dish habit that actually changes the meal
- Hellcrustpizza sides worth adding to your next order
- Useful sources and further reading
What pizza sides are worth ordering by category?
A sharp, acidic salad is consistently the most reliable pairing across all pizza styles because it cuts cheese and fat and resets the palate. A Caesar, an arugula with lemon and shaved Parmesan, or a simple vinegar slaw all work. The key is brightness: light dressings built on lemon juice or red wine vinegar, not heavy cream.
Bread-based shareables are the best value play at the table. Garlic knots, breadsticks, and focaccia are inexpensive per serving, travel well in delivery, and give everyone something to do between slices. They also double as a dipping vehicle for marinara or garlic butter. The one caveat: if your pizza is already loaded with cheese and dough, a plain cheesy bread side duplicates rather than complements.
Wings remain the most dependable protein side for delivery and takeout because they scale across group sizes and offer genuine texture contrast to pizza crust. Dry-rub wings travel better than heavily sauced ones; if you order sauced wings, ask for the sauce packaged separately to avoid sogginess on a longer delivery run.
Pasta and baked sides sit in a different category. A tray of baked ziti or penne arrabbiata is really a second entrée, not a side, so treat it that way when you are feeding a crowd rather than a couple. For a family of four, one pasta tray alongside two pizzas is a satisfying spread.
Dips, pinchables, and small starters (spinach artichoke dip, mozzarella sticks, bruschetta) work best for kids or as between-slice snacking at parties. They are interactive and easy to share without plates.
Desserts add value for family orders and social gatherings. A light finish like gelato, tiramisu, or even a fruit plate cleanses the palate after a rich meal without feeling excessive.
Quick pros and cons by category:
- Salads: Pro: best palate contrast; Con: dress separately or they wilt in transit
- Bread sides: Pro: best value per serving; Con: redundant with a thick-crust pizza
- Wings: Pro: protein and spice variety; Con: sauced wings degrade fastest in delivery
- Pasta: Pro: feeds more people per dollar; Con: functions as a second entrée, not a light side
- Dips/starters: Pro: kid-friendly and interactive; Con: can fill guests before the pizza arrives
- Desserts: Pro: rounds out a social meal; Con: often skipped for budget orders
Pro Tip: Hospitality experts flag redundancy as the single biggest pizza-side mistake. Never pair a cheese-heavy pizza with a cheesy bread side. Your sides should challenge the pizza's texture or flavour, not echo it.
How to get the most value from your sides
Bundle and mix-and-match deals almost always beat ordering sides à la carte. When a pizza chain packages a pizza, a bread side, and a drink together, the per-item cost drops noticeably compared to adding each separately at checkout. Hellcrustpizza's Mix & Match options are designed around this logic, so checking the bundle section before building your order individually is worth the extra thirty seconds.
Bread-based sides and pasta are the two best volume-stretchers for budget-conscious groups. A family pasta tray added to two pizzas can feed six people comfortably where two pizzas alone might leave a couple of people wanting more. Breadsticks cost less per serving than wings and satisfy the same snacking impulse for lighter appetites.
For the best price-per-person in Canada, prioritise in this order:
- Breadsticks or garlic knots for small groups (two to four people)
- Family pasta trays for larger groups (five or more)
- Party-size salads when you want freshness without a high per-head cost
- Wings when protein is the priority and the group is willing to spend a little more
Pro Tip: Check the Hellcrustpizza app before ordering. App-only deals and weekday specials frequently offer sides at a reduced price, and ordering directly through the app avoids the platform fees that third-party delivery services add to every item.
How do you choose sides that complement your pizza?
Start with the pizza style and your goal for the meal. A margherita is delicate; it pairs beautifully with an arugula and lemon salad or a simple caprese. A meat-lovers pizza is rich and fatty; a vinegar slaw or roasted vegetables cut through that weight far better than another bread-based side. A deep-dish or extra-cheese pizza calls for the sharpest salad you can find. For balancing nutrition across the whole meal, the fresh-and-hearty ratio is a reliable guide: one fresh component for every one hearty carb or protein side.
Use this checklist before you hit order:
- Pick one fresh contrast: a salad, slaw, or acidic vegetable side
- Pick one hearty shareable: garlic bread, wings, or a pasta tray depending on group size and budget
- Add one optional fun item: a dip, a dessert, or a small starter for kids or parties
Example pairings that work well together:
- Margherita → arugula with lemon and Parmesan, or a caprese salad
- Meat-lovers → vinegar slaw or roasted peppers and zucchini
- Deep-dish / extra cheese → sharp Caesar or a Greek salad with feta and olives
- White pizza (ricotta, spinach) → shaved fennel and orange, or a lemon-dressed arugula
Pro Tip: Always order dressings and dipping sauces on the side. A salad that arrives pre-dressed is often soggy by the time it reaches your table, and a sauce-soaked wing loses its crispness fast. Keeping them separate takes one extra click and saves the whole side.
Kid-friendly and party sides that keep groups happy
Dip-able items are the backbone of a successful family pizza night. Garlic knots, breadsticks, and pizza dips keep children engaged and give guests something to graze on while the main pizzas are being served. The interactive element matters: kids who can dip their own knots into marinara stay at the table longer and eat more happily.
Make-ahead cold sides are a practical choice for parties because they free up oven space and travel well. Pasta salad, antipasto platters, and vinegar slaw can all be prepared in advance and served at room temperature without any reheating.
For a family dinner or party, use this simple structure:
- Small family dinner (two to four people): one fresh side (salad or slaw) and one hearty side (breadsticks or garlic knots)
- Medium gathering (five to eight people): add a protein side (wings) and a cold make-ahead option (pasta salad or antipasto)
- Large party (nine or more): include a no-cook grazing option (antipasto platter, cheese and crackers, or a veggie tray) alongside your fresh and hearty sides
For ordering pizza to feed picky eaters, keep the sides mild and familiar: plain breadsticks, mild-sauced wings, and a simple Caesar are crowd-pleasers that rarely generate complaints.
How many sides should you order?
A simple rule covers most situations: one small side per two to three people, or one hearty side plus one fresh side per four to six people. For a family of four ordering two pizzas, one tray of breadsticks and one salad is usually enough. For a party of eight, two hearty sides (wings and a pasta tray) plus one large salad covers the table without waste.
| Point | Best for | Texture contrast | Value / cost-per-person | Kid-friendly / dip-ability | Delivery resilience |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salads | Balance, date night | High (acidic, crisp) | Good | Low | Low (dress separately) |
| Breadsticks / garlic knots | Budget groups, families | Medium (soft-chewy) | Excellent | High | High |
| Wings | Protein, parties | High (crispy, spicy) | Moderate | Medium | Medium (dry-rub best) |
| Pasta tray | Feeding a crowd | Low (similar texture) | Excellent | High | High |
| Dips / starters | Kids, mingling | Medium | Good | Very high | High |
Leftovers from bread sides and pasta reheat well in an oven at 175°C for eight to ten minutes. Salads do not keep once dressed, so order only what the group will finish.
Practical Canada-specific ordering tips
Packaging choices matter more than most people realise. Ask for all sauces and dressings packaged separately. Choose sturdy bread sides over delicate fried items if your delivery window is longer than twenty minutes. Cold sides like pasta salad and antipasto travel far better than heavily sauced fried items, which degrade fastest in transit.
- Request sauces on the side for wings, salads, and dipping breads
- Look for family bundle deals and weekday specials in the Hellcrustpizza app
- For vegetarian guests, slaws, roasted vegetable sides, and salads are reliable choices; ask about vegetarian pasta options when available
- For gluten-sensitive guests, confirm which sides are prepared without wheat-based ingredients before ordering
Pro Tip: If you ordered fried or heavily sauced items and they arrive a little soft, re-crisp them in an oven or air fryer for five minutes at 200°C. It restores most of the texture and makes the side worth eating.
Key takeaways
The sides worth ordering are those that contrast your pizza's texture or flavour: one fresh, acidic option and one hearty shareable covers almost every group and budget.
| Point | Details |
|---|---|
| Fresh contrast first | Always include one acidic, crisp side (salad or slaw) to cut through cheese and fat. |
| Hearty stretcher second | Add breadsticks, wings, or a pasta tray based on group size and budget. |
| Avoid redundancy | Never pair a cheese-heavy pizza with a cheesy bread side; contrast beats duplication. |
| Bundle for value | Mix & Match deals beat à la carte pricing; check app specials before ordering. |
| Hellcrustpizza bundles | Hellcrustpizza's Mix & Match and family-sized options let you pair pizza with sides at competitive prices through the app. |
The side dish habit that actually changes the meal
There is a tendency to treat pizza sides as an afterthought, something tacked on to justify a larger order. That framing is where most people go wrong. The sides that genuinely improve a pizza night are the ones chosen with the same care as the pizza itself: a sharp, acidic salad that makes the next slice taste better, a tray of garlic knots that gives the table something to do while the boxes are still being opened, wings that bring a completely different flavour register to the spread.
The redundancy trap is real. A cheese-stuffed bread side next to a four-cheese pizza does not add to the meal. It just adds weight. The fresh-and-hearty ratio, one bright contrast for every one filling shareable, is the simplest rule you can apply and it works every time, whether you are ordering for two or for twelve.
Hellcrustpizza sides worth adding to your next order
Crispy wings, a fresh salad, and a warm bread side alongside your pizza: that is the formula this article keeps coming back to, and it is exactly what Hellcrustpizza's bundles are built around.
Hellcrustpizza's Mix & Match deals let you combine a pizza with a bread-based side, pasta tray, or wings without paying full à la carte prices for each item. The Biga multigrain dough means the bread sides carry real flavour on their own, not just as a vehicle for garlic butter. Family-sized specials are worth checking when you are feeding four or more, and the app surfaces weekday deals that are not always visible on third-party platforms.
Check the current bundle deals on the Hellcrustpizza app and build your order around one fresh side and one hearty shareable. You will spend less and eat better.
Useful sources and further reading
- What to Serve With Pizza (15 worthy side dishes) — That Pizza Kitchen: reliable salad and balance recommendations
- Best pizza sides ranked — PizzaH: delivery-focused ranking of wings, breadsticks, salads, and desserts
- The best pizza party side dishes — Melissa Jane Lee: make-ahead cold sides for parties
- 30 pizza night sides — My Money Cottage: garlic knots, breadsticks, and kid-friendly dip ideas
- What to Have with Pizza Night — 7-Eleven: complementary dishes guide covering garlic knots, wings, salads, and veggie sides
- Hellcrustpizza — Canada-specific bundle deals, Mix & Match options, and app ordering