Cenzo's Pizza & Deli
Pizza restaurant · Winnetka Heights Historict District ·
Thin-crust pizzas, Italian deli sandwiches, and local beers
Thin-crust pizzas, Italian deli sandwiches, and local beers
"For a family-friendly pizza spot, the thin-crust pies here are a great choice. Former Austin chef and native Dallasite Chad Dolezal opened this spot with the dream of having his own restaurant and slinging good pies. The menu is concise and focuses on classics made with high-quality ingredients. Everything is so well-prepared that just a plain old cheese pie can feel like magic. This is a place where customizing the pies is the way to go — just order what you like and, as long as the kitchen has the ingredients on hand, they will make it for you. It offers a solid beer and wine list, as well as a lunch special featuring a slice of pizza and salad for $8. Don’t be fooled by the decor, there is no Cenzo — although Dolezal has gone to great lengths with Photoshop to sell the bit. Vibe check: This is a family-friendly spot at night, so expect to see parents with kids on the patio and an extremely high volume level. For lunch, things are more peaceful, with neighborhood folks stopping in for a slice or a sandwich." - Courtney E. Smith
"An authentic Oak Cliff neighborhood joint that all the neighbors walk to opened last year. Chef Chad Dolezal, who hung up his fine dining whites and moved from Austin to Dallas to make his career his own, has quickly captured the minds and hearts of Dallas’s most avid pizza and deli sandwich lovers with his saucy chicken Parmesan sandwich (available on Thursdays), New York-style pies, and Instagram posts that are hardcore Gen X dad stuff. To match this, the playlist is strictly tunes from 1976 to 1996, after which Dolezal feels music lost something special (peep the records hanging on one wall for a sense of his music taste). By the way, don’t be fooled into thinking Cenzo is a real person, even if there are fake photos of him on the walls. Vibe check: This is a family-friendly restaurant where you’ll likely see parents out with little kids." - Courtney E. Smith
"You know what makes for a great first time meeting a stranger from a dating app? A family-friendly restaurant with bright lighting. Cenzo’s down in North Oak Cliff is that spot. It’s got pizza, which nearly everyone loves, but the menu also offers by-the-slice options, sandwiches, and salads if you and the person you’re vetting disagree on toppings (they do not offer a Hawaiian pie, so that immediate red flag is already cleared). If it’s going well, they also offer wine and beer, or you can head to Tiny Victories nearby to continue the night. If not, at least you got some pizza. The music is always on-point here, with a playlist that only spins tunes from roughly 1976 to 1996 — another way to vet your date’s music tastes." - Rachel Pinn
"This former laundromat is now the platonic ideal of a neighborhood pizza joint. Staff dole out cold Oak Cliff lagers and Italian wines while chatting with regulars who live down the block, picnic tables line the covered patio, and pizzas are named for nearby streets. The menu is divided into red and white pies, and it’s best to choose one from each category: We like the red-sauce Montclair with Italian sausage and caramelized fennel, and the texturally interesting white-sauce Clinton with lemon ricotta, calabrian chili crisp, and pistachios. If you’re still hungry, the meatball sandwich slathered in cheese and marinara makes a compelling dessert." - kevin gray
"This place was developed to be family-friendly, from the bare bones interiors to the large outdoor patio seating. While most of the pizzas have bespoke meats on them, there is a pepperoni option for picky eaters and a kids menu with a simple cheese pizza, pepperoni, or chicken strips and fries for the super picky eater. The chaperones can help themselves to a beer or wine while they hang out and enjoy a fine pizza pie and there’s a big, fenced-in outdoor area where kids can do kid-things." - Courtney E. Smith
