Since Dacosta’s Pizza Bakery opened it’s made a big impact on the food scene in Worcester. Best known for their pizza made in a Neapolitan style wood fired oven, the menu has continually evolved and now includes more appetizers, burgers, sandwiches, a long list of entrees and desserts. It’s BYOB. Everything is scratch made (you can look into the dough room and watch the pizza dough being made). The pizzas have funny names (Go Fig Yourself and Uncle Toney’s Roni’s just to name a few). The Dacosta’s Facebook page is slightly off kilter. And now they have added a huge game room filled with ping pong tables, wall murals, vintage video games, stadium seating and places to enjoy your food while you play a few games. Rumor has it bubble hockey is on the way too.
With all that, the Foodies were excited to visit Dacosta’s in January to taste, laugh and even play some ping pong.
Located discreetly on Millbrook Street, when you walk into this BYOB restaurant you might be surprised by the sheer size of the place. It’s a wide open industrial space with a cool vibe, high ceilings and big open kitchen which displays the main attraction – the brightly tiled, wood-fired, 850-degree pizza oven.
Speaking of the oven, Marc Felicio, the owner of Dacosta’s Pizza Bakery explained it weighs 6,000lbs, was built by acclaimed oven maker Stefano Ferara in Naples, Italy and can cook a pizza in around two minutes. It’s also used to cook up some of the other items included on the menu.
The evening started with some apps being ordered and passed around our group including the Arancini risotto balls, fried artichokes and a spicy, R.I.-styled Calamari. Julie commented “We started by sharing a huge order of the fried artichokes which came lightly fried, tender and served with a slightly spicy, cilantro/fresno aioli dipping sauce. Everyone really enjoyed this dish.”
From there the entrees began to arrive. Dana offered. “I had the Chicken Picatta with broccolini. The portion size was good, two large chicken breasts with a ton of capers, and the sauce was excellent. Overall, a very tasty dish I’d have again.”
“As the waitress was walking out with my Mushroom Sally pizza, I could smell the white truffle oil and my mouth instantly started watering,” said Kelsey. “This pie was topped with Fontina cheese, wood-fired mushrooms, roasted garlic and fresh oregano. I’m not lying it was the best pizza I’ve ever had,” she exclaimed.
Robyn ordered the Chicken Marsala and seemed to be very happy with her choice. “The chicken was pounded flat and very tender and was served with a very rich mushroom gravy. They easily swapped out the potatoes for the roasted Brussel sprouts and bacon for me. Excellent meal and can’t wait to go back.”
“The wood-fired chicken wings are my favorite dish on the menu. Some people order them as an appetizer, I order them for my meal,” said Joe. “They are marinated in lemon, olive oil, garlic and rosemary, then cooked crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside, outstanding!”
Stephanie’s Buffalo Chicken pizza was topped with celery, an ingredient she is allergic to and something not listed on the menu. Frustrated she picked it off and thought “the pizza was OK, not the best. But that’s not to say I wouldn’t go to Dacosta’s again’” she added.
Lynn was impressed. “I love the unique options of pizza Dacosta’s offers, they have a gluten free crust which I tried out of curiosity and to my surprise it was delicious! The wings have great flavor and are some of the best in Worcester,” she added.
Evan enjoyed his pizza adding “With handmade pizza adorning the menu from top to bottom, you will have a hard time choosing which pie to get. The pizza was delicious as the sweet red sauce seeped from each bite. The crust was thin and crispy and the toppings were fresh and plentiful.” He also commented “Dacosta’s provides a vibrant and entertaining space that can accommodate anyone from the businessman to a college student and anyone in between.”
The “build your own” pizza menu offers a Red base (hand crushed tomatoes, fresh mozzarella), a White base (herb-infused olive oil, fresh mozzarella) or a Green base (pesto spread, fresh mozzarella). Then add more cheese, protein and veggies to finish off your custom-built pie. Another interesting twist to the pizza menu is each quarter Dacosta’s will feature 20 specialty pies. The top 15 sellers will remain on the menu, the bottom 5 will be replaced keeping the menu updated with some new options each quarter.
Let’s talk ping pong. Felicio had a vision to create something at Dacosta’s that would engage people beyond just the food. A place you could hang out, enjoy the food and have a real fun experience. So in January, he opened the game room – another huge open space, with freshly painted, colorful wall murals, ping pong tables and vintage 1980’s video games. The evening we visited we were told there will be more additions to the game room. Some of our group went in and played. One Foodie seemed to get the better of everyone at ping pong…. And another set a high total at one of the video games!
Overall Dacosta’s Pizza Bakery was well received by our group and we definitely enjoyed our time there. Many diners that night talked about coming back to try new items on the menu! Dacosta’s is located on Millbrook Street in Worcester. It is BYOB and always busy. They do take out and offer delivery. Give it a try, we think you will like it.
