Oct21

casa dominick’s

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Casa Dominick’s
friendly and welcoming
just relax and be social

Dominick’s opened in 1960 on Monroe Street in Ann Arbor across from the U-Mich Law Quad. Founded by Dominick DeVarti, a WWII veteran and engineer, the rustic outdoor cafe grew from a failing grocery store and coffee shop into an iconic hub for students, townies,  mathematicians, and the early Ann Arbor Film Festival.
 DeVarti built much of the sprawling, multi-level rustic space by hand, combining old houses with a breezeway bar and sun-drenched second-story balconies. He also opened other pizza spots, including a Ypsilanti location that he sold to Tom and Jim Monaghan. He taught them how to make pizza and asked them to change the name, which eventually became Domino’s Pizza.
 In the late 1970s, DeVarti salvaged stained glass from the dome of the Michigan State Capitol in Lansing before it was discarded, installing the historic pieces in the upper level.
Also in the late 1970s, mathematics PhD student Zevi Miller spent months working out complex group problems in the basement while nursing a single café mocha all day long until he solved it.
 The walls are lined with posters from early Ann Arbor Film Festivals and historical campus moments, including the 1971 “Free John Sinclair” concert.
The spot is famous for half-gallon mason jars of house-made sangria, (made for sharing and so good), pizza, submarines, pasta with homemade sauces, and very relaxed outdoor patio seating.
 In the 80s, Dominick’s son Rich took over, greeting regulars from his makeshift office inside the original 1920s house structure.
 Rich’s son, named after his grandfather Dominick, began working with him behind the service counter/bar, keeping the seasonal open-air tradition alive.  They close by 9 pm and are ready for business the next day at 11am, rain or shine.

 

 picture below is their office and meeting space

 

‘i think we should have more coffeehouses, more cafes, more ‘third places.’

more places where people can eat, get together, that’s not work, not home,
and where they can interact with people who are different from them.’
-eric weiner

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47 responses »

  4. Looks like a great place. I can imagine some people go there every day. But maybe they don’t sit there in the winter.

    (I can finally comment on your blog again without going to Reader–yay, it’s going to be a good day!)

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  27. This sure takes me back. As a young teen, I developed a crush for a kid from Huron HS and would trek on my bicycle across Ann Arbor — westside to eastside to spend time with him and his friends.

    They introduced me to Dominicks, although I cannot remember spending too much time, if any, inside or in an area like your photo. I can only remember a small, and indiscriminate ‘entrance’… and I’m sure I just waited outside while some of them went in to do the ordering.

    We would get the same thing every time. Meatball subs.

    My crush loved them, so that’s what he would always get. As it was the first meatball sub and the last meatball sub I’ve ever eaten…. I have to say Dominick’s were possibly world famous just for that sub. :)

    After yesterdays brief look down memory lane, I know find myself firmly in 1979.
    Have a great day!

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  29. I’ve been there once or twice by a local girl. She took me everywhere around A2. Boy she was something, the one that got away. I enjoyed the whole experience of Dominick’s place, it felt like someone’s big backyard where friends go to hangout. I really liked the John Sinclair concert poster, John Lennon was the headliner. There was a local music shop (Herb David’s) that John Lennon went to for a few hours that weekend. It was a slow Saturday afternoon and just Herb and John sitting in that music shop playing guitars and talking, but that’s another story that probably could be a book or play. Long live A2!

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