Spicy San Antonio: Infernos Scorpion Pepper Pizza

Posted on October 7, 2025October 7, 2025 by Paul White

Bottom Line: The Scorpion Pepper Pizza from Inferno’s is a true gourmet pie with plenty of heat, and worth the trip out of town.

Gourmet pizzas are pretty much everywhere these days, and most places that are baking up the pies are doing a pretty darn good job. I don’t have to drive far to find some tasty pizza that’s not from a fast food chain, but I did make the trip over to Gruene, TX this weekend in search of a particular spicy pie. Inferno’s Wood Fired Over & Spirits has been on my list for a while for their Scorpion Pepper Pizza, and as it turns out, a friend of mine was performing there with his band (the River Town Relics) over the weekend. So with the promise of good music, good food, and good beer, I made the trip.

Inferno’s (which also has a location in Boerne) has an assortment of gourmet wood fired pizzas on its menu along with quite a number of other selections as well. The Scorpion Pepper Pizza caught my eye a while back when searching for spicy dishes in the San Antonio area, and as mentioned, I had been planning on giving it a try just as soon as I got up to the Gruene area. It comes on their signature thin crust topped with marina, mozzarella cheese, Scorpion Pepper sausage, tomato medley, basil, and shaved parmesan. I didn’t notice that the Scorpion Pizza Sauce was an extra ask, so I did not get the pie with that included (but I will next time), but I did get it on the side for dipping.

Now before I get to the pizza, let me talk about the appetizer because it played an important part of the meal. We ordered the Chorizo Stuffed Jalapenos which are comprised of fresh jalapenos stuffed with a blend of cheeses and chorizo and topped with bacon before getting cooked in the wood fired oven.

These arrived at the table piping hot in a small cast iron skillet, and we risked burning our mouths by diving right in. The peppers were perfectly cooked so that they were tender and easy to cut with a fork (these were far too hot to pick up with our fingers). The chorizo was nice and meaty with a kick from the spices, and the cheese added a good sharpness. The bacon bits brought some salt and a touch of smokiness, pulling everything together. They heat did not hit right away, but after a few bites you knew you were eating something with a kick, and it lingered. I would put these above Medium on my scale and approaching Hot.

We had just finished the appetizer when the pizza arrived, and my mouth was burning, so I waited bit to bite into the pie so that I could better gauge the heat (and it was steaming hot anyway, so it needed to cool a bit). The crust is thin but not too crispy so that the tip of the slice drooped when you pick it up. If you were to attack your slice with a fork (especially while its hot), I wouldn’t fault you. The gooey cheese delivers a bit of sharpness with some pungent kicks from the parmesan shavings. That sausage is meaty and savory, similar in taste to the chorizo, and it had a nice kick. The cherry tomatoes deliver a sweet and tart pop, while the basil adds a nice herby freshness. And the crust has good flavor with a touch of yeastiness, holding everything together. The Scorpion Pepper Sauce on the side was rich with some sweetness and a bit of sour as well, and it was good for dipping the crust in.

But did this pizza deliver on the heat, you ask? Well, like the stuffed peppers, it was not a sudden assault of spice, but you quickly felt some burn. It did not deliver a distinct taste of scorpion peppers, but the heat from them was definitely present, and before long there was a fire in my mouth. Not to the point that I would go running and screaming for a fire extinguisher, but certainly enough that I felt the heat. I would put this right at Hot on my scale, and if I got the Scorpion Pepper Sauce (which had quite a kick) on the pizza, I’m guessing it would at least get to fiery. And this one has earned a place on our Spicy San Antonio list.

Inferno’s has a decent selection of craft beers on tap to cool down the heat from their spicy offerings, and we enjoyed our meal outside on their patio on a clear Saturday evening while listening to some good live music from the River Town Relics (these guys are definitely worth checking out). So it was a nice experience making it worth the drive and more than just a standard visit to a gourmet pizza joint. They also have a location in Boerne, TX, and I am hoping they open one a little closer to town at some point. If not, though, it is still worth the drive, and I definitely plan on making a return visit, hopefully in the near future.