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
