DOPO Pizza & Pasta has a confusing history, but let’s attempt to dive in. Once known as The Food + Drink, the pizza-tacos-waffles-margaritas concept got us through the pandemic with playful email updates and take-out food and groceries. Then, the St. Lawrence Avenue restaurant was sold last year to Coffeebar owner Greg Buchheister.
Despite the takeover, Food + Drink’s original owner, Aaron Foster, stayed on to help with the transition. The result is DOPO, a pizza and pasta restaurant with Italian roots that didn’t give up on the margaritas.
The restaurant today is trendy. There’s an Instagram-worthy wall and a quaint bar. Even the staff looks too cool to be friends with – but don’t take that wrong, they are perfectly friendly. The menu is about as modest as the space, with a bigger emphasis on wine and cocktail offerings, all of which sway Italian, too.
The food is just a few options – mostly pizzas and a few pasta dishes. There are, however, always a few specials to round out the menu.
It’s also not a place where you want to be in a rush. When you come in, plan to stick around for a few rounds and conversation—the service is languid and when the restaurant is full, which is often, it can take a while to get through your courses.
DOPO is ideal for a casual date night if you ask me. While plenty of families do dine-in, there isn’t a lot of space so kids don’t have the freedom to roam The atmosphere is probably best suited for a gaggle of friends or someone you’re trying to impress with your in-the-know, corner café (although it’s not really on the corner).
If you fancy yourself a quality cocktail, you won’t go wrong with one of DOPO’s unexpected aperitifs. The standout is a list of negronis—three varieties including a classic rendition of the favorite. There are also, however, other options. A strawberry margarita is especially sweet, and the bartenders do a few fun things with fernet if you really want to drink outside of the box.
The wine list deserves perhaps the most attention. Instead of your standard list of chardonnays and cabernets, DOPO serves exclusively Italian varietals by the glass. If you’re not familiar with any of the names, you’re in luck, as staff is happy to pour samples before you commit.
Italian wines are often more acidic and tannic than the California varietals we are used to, so be prepared for a bit of a bite on your sangiovese or rosso.
When you’re ready to order, there are a few options. Aside from the pizzas, which are a standard 12 inches, the portion sizes are on the small side, and some of the pastas are served more as starters than a full meal. Plan accordingly and consider beginning with a salad or getting a small plate for two so you won’t leave the table hungry.
Specials are sure to change, but here, I recommend giving the short list a perusal before ordering up. My favorite dish thus far was a spin on a chicken fettuccini alfredo, served in a warm and creamy sauce with perfectly cooked noodles and a hint of spice from the chili flakes. The chicken was also tender and easy to cut into, creating an overall satisfying meal.
A fun touch is if you do opt for pizza. DOPO won’t present it on one of those standard metal trays. Instead, the recycled tomato cans on the table make a great pizza stand – in case you were wondering what those were for – to hoist up your NYC-style pie or the more inventive Grasshopper (pesto, mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, arugula, EVOO and sea salt).
When it comes to dessert, I suggest you drink it. After all, it wouldn’t be a Coffeebar establishment if it didn’t serve coffee, right?
In a show of local support, the eatery also partners with Ferino Distillery to turn out some of its post-meal cocktails. What’s that saying again? When in Rome…?
Information: https://www.dopopizzapasta.com
