Opening of Dion's Pizza delights pizza lovers in El Paso
Dion's Pizza, famous in New Mexico for its green chile, pepperoni pizza and ranch dressing for dipping, has opened its first location in El Paso.
The company, a perennial winner of best pizza in Albuquerque, has 28 Dion's restaurants in New Mexico, Colorado, and Texas. It started in the late 1970s.
The pizza restaurant opened Wednesday, June 12, on El Paso's West Side, at 7484 Paseo del Norte Blvd., off Resler Drive. It is open from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
Chief Executive Officer Mark Herman was excited to meet El Paso diners at the restaurant's soft opening Tuesday. Around lunchtime, the restaurant was filled with diners trying out the menu, which included pizza by the slice, subs, salads, brownies, cookies and fruit cups for dessert.
Herman said he likes the energy of the area and the high traffic of families created by all the new businesses.
"We're really excited because we've been in Las Cruces for a number of years, and we know we have a lot of people who drive from El Paso to Las Cruces, whether it's just to eat or for work or for sports and things," Herman said. "And so we feel like we have a little foothold here.
He described El Paso as a "family-oriented community," which fits nicely with Dion's mission.
"Dion's is a very much a family brand," Herman said. "We love doing things in the community, involved with youth, youth development, things like working with schools or sports leagues and our second mission as much as we love the pizza — it's employing these young people.
"We feel like we can help them get a good start in their lives, learn how to work, work as a team, show up on time. We're that stepping stone."
The El Paso location employs about 80 to 85 people.
If you're not familiar with the chain, the top sellers are the 505, which is the pepperoni and green chile pizza, and the Carnivore, which has all the popular meats like Italian sausage, smoked ham, bacon, Italian sausage and ground beef.
"We have one that is called the Special with four veggies and four meats — any of those dipped in our ranch dressing are great," he said.
If you're into specialty pizzas, Dion's offers the Hawaiian for people who think pineapple is legit on pizza, and the Santorini, which brings great Greek flavors — of Kalamata olives, tomatoes, feta — along with provolone, spinach, bell peppers, red onions, basil and parmesan together cohesively on a thin and crispy crust. No need for a salad.
One of the fun details about Dion's is its clear glass window that allows kids to come up close and see how the pizzas are made.
Herman said the feature started out on a whim but has become a favorite for kids.
"It turns out kids love to come up and watch the pizza makers," Herman said. "Sometimes they can have little conversations with them and learn how to make the pizza and see what's going on."
María Cortés González may be reached at 915-546-6150; on Twitter; eptmariacg on TikTok.
