Restaurant Review: Dino’s Italian Pizzeria

On January 31st, my wife, daughter and I decided to celebrate my 50th spin around the sun with a trip to Dino’s Italian Pizzeria in my hometown of Bessemer City, NC.

Even though his name is in the restaurant name, Dino’s is really the work of a husband and wife duo, Dino and Meg Tsambouniery (pronounced, umm, I have no earthly idea!). They found themselves in BC after starting their careers off in the NorthEast and then in Rutherfordton, NC where they opened Tuscany Italian Grill (which won a “Best Of” from the local newspaper 5 years running!). Then, in May 2014 they arrived in Bessemer and opened their current location.

We started with theCombo Platter Appetizer, which includes Potato Skins, Fried Mozzarella, Chicken Fingers & Fried Zucchini w/Sour Cream, Marinara & Ranch. Plenty of flavor across the board. The app. came out quick, hot, and accompanied by an (addictive) basket of thick breadsticks!

For our entrées, my wife Karen had the Chicken Michaelangelo, which is Chicken Sautéed w/Mushrooms, Roasted Peppers & Fresh Spinach in a Roasted Garlic Marsala Sauce Baked Mozzarella, typically over Fettuccine.

“It was delicious, the chicken was moist and juicy and they always accommodate my substitution of veggies instead of pasta” – Karen T.

Our daughter Sarah, in what will probably be the last time she can officially order off the children’s menu, chose the Kid’s Pasta Bowl, with ziti marinara. Being the antisocial butterfly that she is, I couldn’t garner an official comment from her regarding her meal, but the empty plate leads me to believe she enjoyed it as much as a pre-teen will show evidence of in front of her parents.

And me? I went for the lasagna, with layers of pasta, ground beef, ricotta, & mozzarella
w/bolognese (Meat Sauce). Instead of salad, I went with a side of their chicken ‘n dumplings. Yes, really. It’s not on the menu but it’s amazing. However, I recommend buying it by the pint to-go to truly enjoy it. The side bowl they gave me was very light on ingredients, so I couldn’t really enjoy it as I typically do.

The lasagna was top-notch. Their meat sauce is probably the best I’ve ever tasted.

After all that, we seriously didn’t have room for dessert, but that’s why God created to-go boxes, and it was my birthday, dang it! Besides, the desserts at Dino’s are well, WELL known in these parts…

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Gaston County (@gastoncountymemes)

So we loaded up. I got a huge piece of chocolate cake, Karen got chocolate-covered strawberries and Sarah got a cannoli. BIG smiles across the board for those, which also came home with us along with the leftovers, making the next day’s lunch all set!

So, all-in-all, a fantastic dinner! A few things to add: the restaurant is on the smaller side, so for typical dinner rush hours and holidays it might be worth checking into making reservations. Dino’s can get very busy as they are quite popular on the West side of Gaston County. Also, service can sometimes be a little slower than you might expect. This is where the appetizers and very generous portions really make up for that. 

Beyond that, the hosts, servers and everyone are all super attentive and on top of their game. 

Additional info: Dino’s has a drive-thru, so it’s a breeze to call in an order and pick it up to take home. They offer catering which has also proven to be quite popular over the 8 years they’ve been open and show no signs of slowing down anytime soon! 

Bottom line: Dino’s should be considered a “Destination” dinner option for anywhere in the general area. There’s a reason their parking lot is constantly overflowing! The quality that this family-run business is serving day-in and day-out is why they are one of the regions worst-kept secrets.