GENIUS: Restaurant Transforms Chicken and Waffles Into a Pizza
Pizzas are pretty much synonymous with late night drunk food, but rarely do you find a pizzeria that embraces the insanity that comes with that particular clientele. Rarely, but not never.
Folks, meet Dimo’s.
A member of Chicago, Ill.’s heavy-hitting pizza scene since 2008, Dimo’s is not what you’d call quintessential. Deep dish? Yeah, you’re won’t find it here. Instead, pie slices range from the mildly adventurous, like the Buff Chick (buffalo chicken, bleu cheese, and mozzarella), to the outright shameless — Chicken n’ Waffles (mozzarella, fried chicken, melted butter, waffle bits, crème fraiche and maple syrup) and Elotes (mozzarella, corn, poblano peppers, cilantro lime mayo, parmesan, and red salt — yes, on a pizza).
Of course, for all the fun, there was a little loss in execution. Fries in the BBQ Steak & Fries were dry, and a few of the flavor combinations were more novel than tasty. Still, when it’s 3 am and you’re scarfing down a greasy pizza covered in glorious macaroni and cheese, can you really complain?
Yeah, I wouldn’t either.
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Chicken N’ Waffle
We hope in this day and age, we don’t have to sell you on the sweet and salty majesty that is chicken and waffles. A base layer of melted butter and crème fraiche completes the package.
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BBQ Steak & Fries
When you get to Dimo’s, each slice is pre-assembled at the ordering counter to await further baking. In this case, the result is fries that are already long dry since before you get to the store. The barbecue sauce helps a little though.
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Mac & Cheese
The most popular pie on the menu, the mac & cheese is smartly built on a bed of crème fraiche instead of mozzarella. Though the cheese distribution was globular and uneven, each bite still felt like the perfect drunchie cure. No complaints here.
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BBQChickenBaconCheddarRanch
Sometimes instead of coming up with a punny name, a dish is so good you you have to let it speak for itself. In this case, Dimo’s took every easy-to-grab topping and tossed it onto one pizza slice, resulting in nothing less than understated genius. Rather than competing, the flavors take turns alleviating your boredom — tart ranch stepping in when the cheese gets too rich and the bacon and chicken giving you something to chew on. Would have been my favorite by a long shot if it wasn’t for dessert.
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S’mores
Unlike other “dessert pizzas” made from cookie dough or whipped cream, Dimo’s S’mores pizza is still an actual pizza, with an actual crust and actual mozzarella cheese. Festooned with Teddy Grahams, chocolate chips, chocolate syrup, and toasted mini marshmallows, the S’more’s sweetness was only deepened in contrast to the salty mozzarella. Ugh, if only every mashup could be this good.
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Dimo’s Pizza
1615 N. Damen Ave.
Chicago, IL 60647