Diggy’s Pizza digs into a new realm of flavor
January 15, 2021
Home alone, I was starving. After a long week of homework, clubs, and other extracurriculars, all I wanted was to watch a good movie and enjoy some comfort food. Although I had decided on the perfect movie, the Princess Bride if you were wondering, I had no idea where I wanted to get dinner from, especially given the fact that I had eaten at every restaurant within a ten-mile radius of my house at least ten times. However, before disappointment could settle in, my friend told me where to get dinner, a new place that completely brought my desire for comfort food to life.
With COVID-19 shutting down businesses all over the country, it is unlikely that a new restaurant will open near you. Thus, Westford got lucky when Diggy’s Pizza, a local, family-owned business that serves Detroit-style pizza, opened on Littleton Road over winter break (Dec. 30).
When my family first decided to order Diggy’s Pizza, at 4 pm on a Saturday, we realized that the restaurant had completely sold out for the evening, since it is a take-out only restaurant. Asking other customers, we heard the same; Diggy’s Pizza sells out fast. So, we made sure to order our pizzas right when we woke up the next day.
Arriving at Diggy’s Pizza at exactly our pick-up time, we received our food right away from the kind employees working that night. The pizzas and appetizer were still hot. For pick-up, although small, the restaurant offers a safe waiting area where customers can social distance from one another.
Once home, I eagerly opened the boxes. Like a classic Detroit-style pizza, Diggy’s pizzas have the authentic square shape, thick crust, and a hefty layer of cheese. From its first appearance, Diggy’s Pizza is visually pleasing. The cheese glistens over the toasty crust and the fresh toppings as well as the drizzles are mouthwateringly tempting. The only thing that we noticed right away that made us a little disappointed was the fact that the pizzas lacked enough meat.
We ordered three pizzas: Weekend at Byrnies (BBQ), Meet the Bossys (potato and bacon), and a customization (peppers and onions). The BBQ pizza ($22.00) and the potato-bacon ($20.00) are two of the most popular options on the menu. We had to customize peppers-onion pizza ($19.00) because there are no vegetarian options on the menu, aside from the cheese pizza ($16.00). We also ordered the Diggy’s Bites ($10.25), 1-pound of chicken bites, with honey mustard ($0.75). The Diggy’s Bites and soup of the day ($5.00) were the only available appetizers on the menu the day that we ordered from Diggy’s Pizza; the meatballs (N/A) and Bone-in-Wings ($11.00) were sold out.
Diggy’s has a limited menu. There are no desserts available and only a handful of pizzas and appetizers that are sold. However, customers can always customize their pizzas. Limited drinks are available, but in my opinion, they are basic and overpriced.
In terms of the appetizer, it tasted exactly how I expected. The Diggy’s Bites taste just like crispy popcorn chicken. The flavor was there, but overall, the bites tasted just like the average breaded and fried chicken-bite. The honey mustard, which we paid extra for, elevated the flavor of the basic bites.
Even though the bites only met my expectations, the pizzas definitely exceeded the expectations I had for them.
For all the pizzas, the crust was chewy and soft, while the cheese melted in my mouth.
The BBQ was my favorite. The honey mustard drizzle and BBQ sauce added a burst of tang to the dense pizza. The chives on the pizza added a subtle lightness that balances out the flavors. The potato-bacon was also quite appetizing. Although there was little meat on both pizzas, the potatoes on the potato-bacon pizza added an exciting creamy texture alongside the tartness of the sour cream drizzle.
Although satisfying, the flavors tasted almost the same for the BBQ and potato-bacon. The heavy layer of cheese and thick bread overpowered the individual pizzas’ flavors, causing the overall difference between pizzas to fade. Yet, the similarity in flavors is not necessarily a bad thing, since both pizzas tasted delicious.
The only tomato sauce (Diggy’s Red) pizza that we got was the peppers-onion one; the other pizzas were oil-based. The peppers-onion pizza’s flavors were different than the first two. The generous amount of tomato sauce added a moist element that complimented the density of the crust. One problem, which we noticed with all of the pizzas we ordered, was that the pepper-onions pizza had an inadequate amount of toppings. It felt like we only got a piece of the peppers and onions, which added a nice crunchy texture to the meal, every three bites. Also, another problem we had with this pizza was the sauce, which was a little too salty for our taste.
As for all the pizzas, the ingredients were delectably fresh.
We went into the meal thinking that we would not have any leftovers, but we ended up with more than half of the meal leftover. Each slice, because of its density, is extremely filling!
One thing to note is that Detroit-style pizza is not for everyone. I had this meal with my friend. While I enjoyed it, my friend did not. She felt that this pizza reminded her more like bread than the “normal” pizza. Thus, it is important to go into this meal with the understanding that Detroit-style pizza is different, but in my opinion, it is different in a great way.
Although there were some cons, Diggy’s Pizza is definitely a must try. The thick warm crust paired with the four-cheese blend serves as the perfect comfort food during this winter season. Also, especially with the pandemic, it is important to support local businesses!
8/10
