Tag: Laura Nwogu

Underground Atlanta is experiencing a revitalization, and feeding that resurgence is Dolo’s Pizza, a hidden gem tucked away on the second floor of the historical landmark. Caribbean flavors meet NYC-style pizza in a dimly-lit pizzeria where creativity and experimentation flow freely. From ripe plantains and juicy jerk chicken topped on pizzas to charcoal pesto spread on dough and sprinkled with a bit of “magic,” co-founders Yusef Walker and Alyson Williams are creating a slice of pizza heaven.

The concept of Dolo’s began to form during the COVID-19 pandemic. Walker had been strolling around his downtown neighborhood when he came across a vacant pizzeria. The Queens, New York, native was no stranger to the delights of pizza and was certainly not new to the restaurant business; along with his brother, Walker opened Negril ATL and Ms. Icey’s Kitchen and Bar. However, the uncertainty of the restaurant industry during the pandemic helped the restaurateur and chef realize that he wanted to venture out and start his own project.  

Walker knew he wanted to create a concept that was mainly takeout, and that vacant pizzeria sparked an idea within him. After receiving advice from his family, Walker didn’t have to search hard for a partner to tackle this new venture with. He instantly recognized Williams — who had been his neighbor, worked with Walker at Negril, and also had experience working in every part of a restaurant — as the best candidate.

As an Atlanta native, Williams knew the city and its food scene in and out. Paired with what Walker called “unconventional ideas” when it came to a restaurant growth concept, the friends-turned-business partners began to do pop-ups around the city and metro area. When a vendor program for The Underground launched in 2022, offering six months of free rent, they decided to set up shop, which led to a permanent restaurant later that year. Nearly five years later, the friends-turned-business partners are slinging dough for all of Atlanta.  

“Being from New York, pizzas were the thing that resonated, and I was inspired by the pizzerias there,” Walker said. “We didn’t necessarily know what we were doing, but we had an idea of what we wanted to do. We just shook hands and said we’re going to figure this out together. We’ve been figuring out how since then.”

Williams added that although there was a learning curve in starting a business, the journey has been a fun experience. 

“Pizza is such a fun dish. Everybody loves pizza. You can get as creative as you want with it. I think that’s good for someone creative like Yusef, and you can expand on it. It’s yours; you can do whatever you want with it. We can decide to make taco pizzas tomorrow, so that’s the beauty of it,” Williams said. “It feels super accomplishing to see something come to fruition that started out of nothing. It’s super exciting.”

During the early stages of menu curation, Williams was the main taste tester of the recipes they’d cook up; Walker was a strict vegetarian. The first set of pizzas included a Chorizo creation, a garlic crema pizza with goat cheese and balsamic drizzle called Blanco, and the OG — a simple pie with marinara and mozzarella. Initially, Walker had no intention of infusing his Caribbean culture into the food. But paying homage to his parents’ Jamaican roots was something that came naturally to him, and it quickly shone through with pizzas such as the Matey with jerk chicken and honey; the Hot & Sweet topped with plantains and jalapenos; and the Black Pizza, a black pesto creation which has a recipe breakdown printed on a t-shirt hanging from the ceiling. Through it all, customers are served a pizza dough that’s light, crispy, and the perfect carriage for their inspired recipes. 

“I never really intended to put a Caribbean spin on it. I just think I can’t help it. But really, I wanted to recreate the New York essence of pizza. So in anything we make, we try to keep it pizza at its core,” Walker said. “I think some people try to do too much. I did want it to be structurally sound. I like technical things, so we have a very technical dough. That feeds that part of my soul where I get to interact with puzzles and figure things out and that.”

Everything about the way the pizzeria is set up is intentional, from the size of the pizzas and the limited seating to the fact that they don’t sell slices. They wanted to be able to continue doing popups and also make sure they had a business plan that was “pandemic-proof;” if anything significant were to happen in the world today, they wanted to know they would still be able to sell takeout pizza.  

“We don’t have huge ovens. As a traveling pizzeria, it’s extremely hard to travel with a huge oven. So, everything had to be personal. Everything about this pizza, and when people get it, is very personal. Everyone’s name goes on their box. I ask everyone how to spell their name, because this is a very personal pizza to you. It’s what you asked for. That’s very important to me, and I appreciate the personality and personal touch of the pizza. So, that has a lot to do with shaping the size and the menu,” Williams shared. 

The duo said that, in the future, they hope to add a few more things to the menu and also expand above-ground into a larger and more exposed space that will give them greater visibility to customers. Walker and Williams have created a formula that’s unique to them, and despite the name of the restaurant, they’re doing it together. With every pie, they’re melding Caribbean, New York, and Atlanta culture into one. 

“Dolo’s is special because of the creativity, the uniqueness, and its consistency. This pizza tastes like this every single day. It looks like this. I don’t know of any other places in Atlanta that are doing this with pizza,” Williams said. “It’s a New York-style pizza, but I like to say it’s like a New York, Atlanta-style pizza.”

Related