Today marks the opening of Donatos Pizza on Broadway in Midtown. As Megan Seling reported last week, they're celebrating by offering free pizzas to the first 50 people in line today and free lifetime pizza to the first 10. If you're reading this now, you've probably already missed out on the free pizza, but you can still buy a really good pizza.
As a few commenters noted on the previous post, Donatos is not new to Middle Tennessee; it was formerly in Clarksville. Donatos — started in 1963 in Columbus, Ohio — has been, for years, largely a takeout pizza joint and a favorite of Midwesterners I know from Ohio and Indiana. The new Nashville location, though, marks a change in the Donatos concept to one that also serves dine-in guests and features a stylish exterior and interior and even live music. So, while Donatos is technically not new to Tennessee, this concept is. But people who enjoyed Donatos in Clarksville (and the other locations over the past 50 years) will be glad to know that the pizza is the same as they remember. But the new menu also includes appetizers such as stuffed jalapenos and chicken wings, sub sandwiches, salads and specialty pizzas unique to Nashville such as the hot chicken pizza and and vegan pizzas.
Donatos hosted a preview Friday night, so I got a chance to sample their pizza myself. I should preface my assessment by saying that I love pizza. I mean, love. Whereas some people may wonder whether Nashville — particularly Midtown, where there are numerous other pizza restaurants within walking distance of the new Donatos location — is at "peak pizza," I say, no. In fact, I would be up for some progressive dinner sort of "tour de pizza" of the area, eating a slice at each restaurant (except deep-dish, which is pie, not pizza). Start at DeSano, move on down to Soulshine, Donatos and Two Boots, and end at Mellow Mushroom.
But back to the Donatos pizza. I actually started with a salad. They have several to choose from, including the caprese that I tried. It's not the caprese salad I'm accustomed to; it's a bed of mixed greens and spinach, topped with sliced tomatoes, tomato bruschetta topping, bite-size chunks of fresh mozzarella, and sprinkled with Romano cheese, Italian herbs and a bit of balsamic vinaigrette. I prefer a traditional caprese, but their version was a lot healthier.
After my salad, I sample three of the pizzas: the vegan "It's Greek to Me" pizza (on an organic multi-grain crust), the Serious Cheese (includes smoked provolone and fresh mozzarella), and the margherita. I like the "edge to edge" toppings (even though I am a crust lover), but I will say that I thought the sauce was a little bit too sweet. However, that was only on the Serious Cheese, so it could have been that I didn't care for how it tasted with the smoked provolone. I loved the vegan pizza; the toppings were very generous. But my favorite was the margherita. Because it's made without sauce, the crust gets a little crisper. Plus, it is drizzled in a fantastic balsamic glaze. It's one of my favorite pizzas in Nashville.
I checked with other diners who reported that the hot chicken pizza was good "but not hot enough" (I think that could be open for interpretation) and that the pepperoni with its slightly crisp pepperoni edges was really good. A number of people (and long-time Donatos fans) said their favorite was, well, the Founder's Favorite, which is topped with "heritage" pepperoni, "family-recipe" sausage, shaved ham and banana peppers.
In addition to their "famous thin" crust, diners can also opt for the aforementioned vegan multi-grain crust, hand-tossed, or gluten-free. The restaurant also has a nifty soft drink fountain that lets you flavor your beverages with lemon, vanilla, strawberry, and/or cherry, and also serves wine and beer (including local craft beers). To finish up, Donatos offers cinnamon bread and Christie Cookies' triple chocolate brownie and white chocolate macadamia nut cookie.
1915 Broadway
Sunday through Wednesday, 11 a.m.-midnight
Thursday through Saturday, 11 a.m.-2 a.m.
Dine in, takeout and delivery
Online ordering available
