Depending on what door you use and when you get there, Dimo’s can be a pizzeria, a deli, a supper club, or a sit-down Italian restaurant. Splitting focus like that usually leads to compromises on quality, but Dimo’s inexplicably excels in every department. Dimo’s Italian Specialties (the door on the right) operates in deli mode from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, and switches to a dinner menu starting at 5:30 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. The deli menu is a classy mix of overstuffed grinders and flatbread sandwiches, while the evening brings an impressive selection of traditional Italian appetizers and skillfully constructed pastas.
What to order
You really can’t go wrong with the classic Italian grinder ($17). An impressively pillowy hoagie roll packed with a beguiling stratum of mortadella, soppressata, ham, and provolone, along with a garden of shredded veg doused with garlic aioli and oregano vin. Spice hounds might seek out the specifically spicy version ($20), but the base model already features a sinus-clearing pepper giardiniera.
For dinner, the rigatoni alla zozzona ($24) features a delicate tomato puree infused with guanciale, egg yolk, a hint of spice, and a conspicuous amount of pecorino cheese. Hot tip: If guanciale (cured pork cheek) is mentioned in a menu, order that item.
The arancini are an unexpected skill piece: The deep-fried balls of seasoned rice are impeccably tender within, but delicately crisp on the exterior.
Rigatoni alla zozzona. | Ben Coleman/Eater Portland
Take note
Like a lot of newer Italian places, there’s also a long refrigerator wall filled with drinks to go, as well as a small selection of take-and-bake options, frozen stock, and various sauces and specialty ingredients.
Insider tip
The pasta bowls here are small in circumference but deep enough for a portion that can feed two comfortably when paired with a salad ($16) and perhaps the crispy fried mushroom arancini ($15).
Dining and Cooking