If you didn’t know already: There’s no such thing as too much pizza. Considering the fact that there are so many different styles, times of day to consume it and that it’s just delicious, the more the merrier.
And the newest addition to Deep Ellum is certainly more than welcomed: Olivella’s Pizza and Wine.
This restaurant first opened across from SMU in 2007, and has since been giving Dallas residents and visitors excellent, thin-crust pizza. Now people living and spending time in Deep Ellum can enjoy it on Elm Street.
Charlie Green started Olivella’s with “one of the oldest pizza families from Naples Italy,” after he met Salvatore Olivella, a fifth-generation pizza maker in New York. The family has been making this special pizza in Naples since the 1920s.
Don’t skip the sandwiches at Olivella’s.
If you remember when more places were starting to serve the delicious Neapolitan pizzas in Dallas, it was a big deal because they could get certified as serving the real deal.
“We do something that’s very different, that’s very different than a lot of places,” Green says. “We make two different styles of authentic Italian pizza … The reason I say ‘authentic’ is the family has been making this pizza the same way since the 1920s.”
It may seem similar to the pizzas that come from respected restaurants with VPN certification, but it’s somewhat different.
For instance: “We don’t flash-cook our pizza, we cook them at a lower temperature and longer, we let the pizza tell us when it’s ready,” Green says.
Green says he likes the VPN-certified pizzas (and we’ll back him up — they’re also delightful). But what has worked for Olivella’s in different areas of Dallas for nearly 16 years is what they’re continuing to do.
Their two styles include the Neapolitan and Roman. The former is the normal, thinner, chewier crust and round, serving one to two people. The Roman is the Metro, with a super thin and crispy crust, serving two to three. Pro tip: Go with a little crowd so you can try both.
There’s a variety of toppings you can get, of course, but know much is made in-house, including the bread for the sandwiches you shouldn’t skip.
The Deep Ellum location is stunning, even Green says it’s their prettiest space. There’s plenty of room to sit at the wrap-around bar, or you can sit at a low-top, where there’s even more room for that Metro.
Another welcome addition to Deep Ellum is an additional spot to get wine by the glass or bottle, and there’s a nice list here offering plenty of both. Brunch is also served Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., with $3 mimosas.
The Deep Ellum Olivella’s also has good weekly specials:
- Buy-one, get-one free Metro pizza special from 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Thursday and 3 to 4:30 p.m. Friday
- Pizza and wine pairing deals Wednesdays
- $10 pitchers of house sangria Thursdays
- Happy hour from 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
So add Olivella’s into your rotation of pizza dining in Deep Ellum, there’s enough variety to go around. This beautiful 1920s building with original brick, a covered patio and plenty of seating will offer a little escape you’ll want to return to.