DOLOMITI

Hoppen Hierarchy: ★★★★

Homey pizzeria specializing in Neo Neapolitan dough

Perfect For: Lunch; Casual Dining; Date Night; Takeout

Standout Dishes: Rustica Pizza; Patata Pizza; Ham & Eggs Panino; Meatballs

At Dolomiti, it’s all about the dough.

Some might describe it as “Neo Neapolitan.” Chef Tim Maides refers to it as a cross between traditional Neapolitan dough and New York style.

Frankly, I don’t care what you call it. Just give me copious amounts of it in, whether in pizza or sandwich form.

The dough is part of the reason Dolomiti was a hit as soon as it opened its doors in late 2023. In fact, the restaurant never even announced it had opened. But after a series of stellar reviews following a few soft opening services, the masses couldn’t wait to get into this pizzeria and experience what their friends were raving about.

Despite being a new restaurant, Dolomiti’s brick walls, large wooden pillars, and inviting open kitchen give it a mature, “lived-in” feel. At the heart of the restaurant is its crown jewel, the engine that makes everything go: a giant Marana Forni wood-fired oven that the restaurant had shipped in from Italy. It was the one aspect the chefs wouldn’t budge on: they needed this oven.

The oven rotates, ensuring each pizza is cooked evenly and doesn’t have burnt or undercooked spots. Its high heat finishes each pie in about 2-3 minutes, and it adds nice char to the pizza’s underside and exterior.

But even the best equipment would fall flat without a great product, and this is where we return to the dough. The dough is chewy and bubbly liked you’d expect from a Neapolitan pie, but it has the structure and crisp of a firmer slice. As a sourdough crust, it has a salty, tangy flavor and great digestibility—you can put down an entire 12-inch pizza yourself and feel like you’re ready to go work out. And unlike strict Neapolitan pizzas, it has no flop; rather, its sturdy base gives it great structure and crunch.

The quality of the dough is best displayed in the Margherita, which uses few ingredients and allows the base to shine. A tangy, slightly sweet tomato sauce, gobs of gooey, milky mozzarella, and a healthy drizzle of olive oil not only allow the dough to star, but also accentuate its best qualities.

While the Margherita is brilliant in its simplicity, Dolomiti allows chefs Maides and Roberto Garcia to get creative and stray off the common path. Several of the flavor combinations are unusual, but one bite leaves you thinking, “Why has no one else thought of that?”

Patata: Thinly sliced potatoes lend a creamy consistency, which works very well with sweet caramelized onions and hunks of crispy, salty pancetta.
Rustica: The peppery spice of the Italian sausage melds perfectly with the gooey mozzarella, and some honey adds a hit of sugar. But the kicker is the confit garlic, which brings a creamy sweetness.

Prosciutto: Blankets of thinly sliced, perfectly salty prosciutto are draped over red sauce and topped with arugula and red onion. A giant ball of grande burrata sits in the center, allowing you to distribute its rich, thick cream at your pleasure.
Formaggi: This is cheese bread on steroids. The five cheeses—mozzarella, fontina, pecorino, aged parmesan, and housemade ricotta—meld to form a wondrous dairy experience, but it’s the bites with the ricotta and its rich, luscious mouthfeel that are best.

Dolomiti could stop at pizza and be a wonderful restaurant worth returning to again and again. But, in addition to a lineup of salads, appetizers, and desserts that highlight fellow Millwork Commons inhabitants Coneflower Creamery and Archetype Coffee, Dolomiti doubles down on the dough by using it in a way no one else in Omaha is—as a sandwich.

The chewy, lightly charred dough is folded in half and stuffed with ingredients, giving each sandwich a unique, brilliant base. The Ham & Eggs is a bougie take on the traditional sandwich, with salty, delicately sweet prosciutto and a perfectly fried egg that is happy to spread its creamy yolk everywhere. With all that dough, the sandwich could read a touch dry, but a garlic aioli adds just the right layer of moisture.

The Mortadella Panino is another great sandwich, but with an entirely different flavor profile. The inside is slathered with herbaceous pesto, filled with slices of rich, savory mortadella, and mounted with creamy ricotta cheese. It’s a beast of a sandwich and at first appears it’ll be too bready, but the dough is so poofy and cloud-like that it allows the components of the sandwich to have their say, too.

Light and digestible as the dough is, Dolomiti has some tremendous options if you’re watching your carb intake. The Meatballs, crafted with pork and veal, balance the rich, dense orbs with a vibrant tomato sauce and a healthy shaving of parmesan.

And the Citrus Beet Salad will convert any beet hater that these root vegetables can be delicious when prepared well. The beets are soft and carry an earthy sweetness that plays perfectly with the tart orange and creamy whipped ricotta. And if there’s a better Fritto Misto in Omaha, I’ve yet to have it. The breading is light and crispy with just enough salt to not overwhelm what’s inside. Olives have a briny brightness and the summer squash is tender and sweet, but the calamari, with their tender, chewy tentacles, are the star.

Dolomiti prides itself on its extensive and carefully curated wine list, and its craft cocktails could stand out in any high-end cocktail bar. The Old Fashioned is smoky and leaves a pleasant burn in the back of the throat, but also has just the right amount of sweetness.

The staff is knowledgeable and friendly, always quick to refill water and drinks and make informed menu recommendations.

There are so many great things to love about Dolomiti, from its cozy interior to the delicious appetizers and side dishes to the open kitchen that allows you to watch your pizza be cooked in that brilliant, show-stopping oven.

But whenever I think about this place, it all starts with the dough. It’s impossible to forget your first bite of this unique concoction, and it’ll keep you coming back to try the entire pizza and sandwich menu. There’s no way to get enough of it.