Today, we are reviewing The Domino from Domino’s Pizza. Introduced in August 2026, this pizza represents Domino’s entry into Detroit-style pizza. Since Domino’s was founded in Michigan, many would argue this addition is long overdue for the 66-year-old pizza chain. A press release from Domino’s described The Domino as the “First Pizza Worthy of Its Name.” They also emphasized in the release that “Now everyone can enjoy their own pizza, with the toppings they want. Sharing a meal no longer means having to share a pizza.” The pizza comes in a rectangular box shaped like a domino and features the Domino’s logo.
Domino’s Pizza Inc. was founded in 1960 by Tom Monaghan and his brother Jim. They bought into a small pizza store in Ypsilanti, Michigan, called DomiNick’s. Eventually, Tom bought out Jim and expanded the business to three stores, rebranding it as Domino’s. The three dots on the Domino’s logo represent those original three stores. Today, Domino’s operates over 21,000 franchises worldwide.
I realize this assessment will prompt the question of whether The Domino is an authentic Detroit-style pizza. Some will argue that a Detroit pizza should be served with Wisconsin Brick Cheese, and that Domino’s crust is lighter than that of a classic Detroit pizza. As we assess this pie, we are not determining whether it is a Detroit-style pie. We are simply scoring this on taste and performance. We will leave it to the reader to assess how authentic (or not) The Domino is.
The Construction
For this assessment, we ordered The Domino as a straight cheese pizza with no toppings. Normal amounts of the tomato sauce and cheese were used, but there are options to vary this. A variety of sauces and toppings are available. Side dipping sauces are also available, but none were used for this assessment. Finally, there is an option to get a crust without garlic seasoning. Each pizza is cut into two pieces down the middle length-wise. Finally, we chose a well-done baked option for each pizza used for the assessment; however, each of the four pizzas (which we ordered on four separate orders) had a varying degree of well-done.
- Crust: Detroit Style with Garlic Crust Seasoning (Default)
- Cheese: Part Skim Mozzarella (Default – Normal amount)
- Sauce: Robusto Tomato Sauce (Default – Normal Amount)
- Bake: Well Done (Option)
- Length/Width: 10 inches x 4 inches
- Weight: Not Taken (*)
- Location Purchased: Stalings, NC
- Price: $7.99
- Pies Purchased: 4
(*) Due to the size of the scale we had access to, we could not take a weight. The pizza is advertised as 10 inches by 4 inches, and all four pizzas used for this assessment conformed to those exact dimensions.
The Appearance (*)
In this case, we could not get an exact picture of the toppings on The Domino. This is because all of the press photos showed The Domino with toppings, and in this assessment we reviewed it without toppings. As a result, this appearance comparison gets an Incomplete.
Comparison Rating: Incomplete
The Experience
The scoring defaulted to what was used in the 2024 Cheese Pizza Challenge:
- Crust: 2.5 points
- Sauce: 2.5 points
- Cheese: 2.5 points
- Intangibles: 2.5 points
The Domino is topped with separate layers of provolone and a mozzarella-based pizza cheese blend, with Parmesan baked onto the crust. Because the Parmesan cheese is mixed into the crust, I evaluated it as part of the crust.
Crust
The crust of The Domino is soft and pillowy on the inside, but the pizza is baked in a pan, forming a crispy exterior. The Parmesan cheese helps create the crispy exterior. The garlic seasoning adds a subtle garlic flavor, while the Parmesan cheese adds nuttiness and saltiness. In the end, that crust was the strong point of this pizza.
Because of the varying degrees of doneness, the overall crispness varied. One pizza seemed undercooked, while another had a satisfying crispness.
The crispness affected the flop of the crust. Except for the most well-done pizza, the others were too floppy and airy for my liking.
Score: 1.25 out of 2.50 points
Sauce
Domino’s Robusto Tomato Sauce is the default option, and I found it to be quite tasty. It has a hint of sweetness, along with notes of pepper, oregano, and garlic. The sauce is thicker in consistency but not chunky. If I ordered again, I would probably opt for extra sauce.
Score: 1.75 out of 2.50 points
Cheese
The standard cheese pizza uses part-skim mozzarella and provolone. The ratios were not disclosed, but I’m confident the mozzarella is the main component. This cheese seemed a little milkier and saltier than the mozzarella/provolone blend on some of the other pizzas, so that is a positive for Domino’s.
One thing I like on a pizza is the crisp bubble effect on the cheese. The well-done option should have helped here, but I found it didn’t because of the varying degrees of “well-done” with this pizza.
Score: 1.25 out of 2.00 points
Intangibles
As always, the most important intangible is whether the overall experience exceeds the sum of the parts. In this case, it’s a very small margin, but I will say yes. Ultimately, that garlic-and-parmesan flavoring makes a difference. One good thing about The Domino is that the crust is on three of the four sides of the pizza (the fourth side is where the pizza was cut in the middle). Those three sides let many bites get this crust.
If you follow the cheese pizza challenge, there are three specific intangibles I look for in a pie:
- “Orange Glow”: This occurs when the cheese melts into the sauce, blending in some of its oils and creating a distinct, orange hue. It’s enhanced when the cheese is crisp. This pizza didn’t have much of one.
- Well-defined Edge: This is achieved using the pan. We mentioned this above as being a key differentiator.
- Firm Bottom Crust: The bottom of the pizza should not be floppy, nor should it taste doughy. As I mentioned, The Domino had a mostly floppy undercarriage, despite the well-done bake.
The cheese and sauce proportions were satisfactory. I personally prefer a little more sauce than cheese. While there are options for more sauce and less cheese, the default ratios worked well here, too. Two slices will easily fill you up. Some cheese dripped, but the emphasis is on the word “slightly,” as this wasn’t a huge problem.
Score: 1.25 out of 2.00 points
OVERALL ASSESSMENT
As I stated in the introduction, this assessment isn’t about how well The Domino compares with traditional Detroit-style pizzas. I will leave that to others. The Domino is not a bad pizza. At $7.99, the two slices fill you up, so it easily meets the goal of a “pizza for one.” The pie needs to be served well done. The ingredients aren’t bad, but none of them were exceptional to put this pizza over the top. This pizza might be better with toppings, but ultimately I decide how good a pizza is based on how it tastes as a cheese pizza with sauce. It’s a pizza I might revisit from time to time – especially since Domino’s is open late and it provides an inexpensive late-night snack or dinner that can be delivered.
Summary
| Crust | 1.25 |
| Sauce | 1.75 |
| Cheese | 1.25 |
| Intangibles | 1.25 |
| Total | 5.50 |
Score: 5.50 (out of 10 points)
Value: Average
