The Two Minute Review: Deano's Woodfired Pizza

Ronnie Ohana
19 minutes ago
2 min read

What’s the story with Deano's Woodfired Pizza?

Tucked beside the CherryTree pub in Walkinstown, Deano’s Woodfired Pizza has built a fiercely loyal local following since opening in 2022. Owner and head chef Jordan Grossman brings serious credentials to the hatch, having trained in Naples with renowned pizzaiolo Enzo Coccia, owner of La Notizia 53 – one of Italy’s most celebrated pizzerias.

Jordan told us that the flour, meats and cheeses all come from Italicatessen, a Wicklow-based company importing directly from Italy, while the sauce is made in-house from tinned Italian San Marzano tomatoes.

Is there seating/toilets?

Yep you can sit in the CherryTree's beer garden or take your food inside and order drinks.

What did you have?

The Margherita (€12.50/€10 on Wednesdays) with San Marzano tomatoes, fresh basil, Grana Padano, Fior di Latte and extra virgin olive oil was simply perfect. The tomato sauce classically tangy with a smooth sweetness, while the chewy, leoparded crust delivered exactly what you want from Neapolitan pizza, its floppy middle best folded in on itself.

Our standout was the Piazza Dante (€14) – a bianca base where the silky fior di latte and made in-house pesto melted into the peppery bite of rocket, salty black olives and sweet sun-blushed tomatoes, toasted pine nuts bringing crunch and texture to every bite. This was the one we kept reaching back for.

The Spaccanapoli (€15), with San Marzano tomatoes, basil, Grana Padano, Fior di Latte, spicy chorizo, Ventricina salami and sweet teardrop peppers is like an elevated Diavola. The salami's intense chewy bite immediately signalled quality, bringing sweet-spicy depth, while the chorizo added more richness, the teardrop peppers cutting through it all with bright bursts of sweet, pickled freshness.

On the side, garlic pizza bread brushed in melted Kerrygold butter, chilli flakes, oregano and extra virgin olive oil (€6), was made even better with the €2 add-on of Fior di Latte. Generously grated garlic gave it plenty of punch.

Nduja and rosemary tatties (€6) were on our order sheet thanks to Deano’s socials, arriving with all the golden edges and fluffy centres we'd imagined. Cooked with herbs, garlic and rosemary, before being tossed in nduja butter and topped with parmesan, these were giving spicy bacon notes in the best possible way.

We tried all four dips (€2 each) - lemon garlic aioli, pesto, nduja, and chilli honey, each clearly homemade and entirely bottleable. We'd struggle to pick a favourite.- just get all of them.

We were hoping for tiramisu, but it's only available from Thursdays onwards. Instead it was a gooey, deeply fudgy Belgian chocolate brownie (€3), and a Belgian chocolate woodfired cookie (€3), so irresistibly chewy, sweetness balanced by flaky sea salt.

Why should we go?

Because this is not your average local pizzeria. From the imported Italian ingredients and house-made sauces, to standout sides and desserts, everything here feels deeply considered and highly skilled. Each part of the menu stands confidently on its own, while working in perfect harmony with everything else, and we left wondering why isn't this isn't a fully fledged sit down restaurant. "Food truck" does not do Deano's justice.