A new Neapolitan-style pizza chain is headed to DFW, bringing more authentic Italian thin-crust pizzas to both Dallas and Fort Worth. Called Midici, it's a chain from California that was founded in 2015 and is a sibling to Menchie's Frozen Yogurt. It's currently in hyper-growth phase, with more than 100 branches opening across the country.
The first local branches to open will be in Fort Worth, at the new Left Bank complex, and in Euless, at Chisholm Trail Pkwy., both opening by fall 2017. More locations are penciled in for Dallas, including one in Uptown. There's already a Midici open in Katy, near Houston, with two more set to open in the Houston area in 2017, as well as one in El Paso.
Midici observes all of the usual standards that a Neapolitan-style pizzeria observes, with the dough made from four ingredients: Italian "00" flour, water, salt, and yeast, and pizzas baked for 90 seconds in a wood-fired oven that burns at close to 1000 degrees.
The menu features vegan-friendly selections, authentic Italian gelato, a signature Nutella calzone dessert, and happy hour with wine and beer.
Serving as culinary consultants for Midici are Peppe Miele and Mario Vollera, known as the masters of Neapolitan pizza. Miele is president of VPN Americas, the American delegation of Associazione Vera Pizza Napoletana, which provides certification to pizzerias who observe the Neapolitan methods.
Running the Fort Worth opening is Michael Crain, a graduate of Texas Wesleyan Law School (now Texas A&M University School of Law), who has worked in government and real estate. He and his wife, Joanna, were living in China and decided to get involved with Midici after moving back to Fort Worth.
"We love the pizza and also the atmosphere," Crain says. "It's fast-casual and fast-dining, and yet the quality and experience makes you feel more like it's fine-dining."
All Midici branches have very tall ceilings and an open space. Each branch has an indoor olive tree, which is a requirement and makes finding the right location key.
"The idea is to create the feeling that you're dining in an open-air piazza in Italy," Crain says.
