Bites Nearby: DiMaio's Family Ristorante and Pizzeria

Tucked away in the Shoppes at Hellertown shopping center on Main Street in Hellertown is . Established in 1985, the family owned restaurant advertises dinners cooked to order and sandwiches made on their fresh homemade bread, and states that "time and quality are the best ingredients in the preparation of an exquisite meal."

Having never eaten inside before, I eagerly checked the menu before visiting. My family has ordered pizza from there in the past and loved it, but while we always mentioned going there for dinner, it took us three years to do so.

The menu offers a great mix of Italian favorites. I was happy to see that bruschetta, a seasonal appetizer, was available. Fresh tomatoes made it a delicious appetizer that was gone in less than 10 minutes, even though it was prepared with a generous loaf of their homemade toasted bread cut in half and covered with the fresh tomatoes, basil, fresh garlic and red onions.

Dinner specials vary nightly and range from Monday’s “Baked Night” with $2 off baked manicotti, lasagna, ravioli, baked ziti or cheese shells or ½ off a dessert, to Wednesday’s “Parmigiana Night” with $2 off chicken, eggplant, veal or shimp parmigiana or ½ off dessert.

Unable to decide between shrimp or clams I went with Maria’s Shrimp & Clams, which was made with shrimp, baby clams, fresh tomatoes, garlic, olive oil and wine sauce over spaghetti. There was more than enough for two meals. My husband went for the gnocchi and also brought some home for lunch the next day.

Our little guy was the surprise of the night, not only deviating from his usual order of chicken fingers and French fries and their kids menu in favor of ravioli, but also finishing them.

DiMaio’s also has an impressive selection of wraps, hoagies, calzones, stromboli and hot Italian sandwiches, such as sausage with peppers and onions and meatball parmigiana.

Then there is also the pizza, which we were familiar with. Sizes range from a 12-inch personal to their 15-inch Sicilian. Gourmet pizzas available include their white broccoli with broccoli, garlic and cheese, as well as a German pizza made with steak, black olives and hot peppers. The DiMaio’s Special is a mix of pepperoni, onions, meatballs, sausage, green peppers, black olives, mushrooms and extra cheese. 

Even though none of us had room for dessert during this visit, we were unable to resist the Chocolate Lovin’ Spoonful Cake and took a piece home with us. Their entire menu is available online if you want to plan a visit or call in an order for pick-up. 

DiMaio’s Family Ristorante and Pizzeria is located at 27 Main Street (Route 412) in Hellertown in the Shoppes at Hellertown. They are a BYOB establishment. They are open Monday through Thursday, from 11am to 10pm; Friday and Saturday, from 11am to 10:30pm; and are closed on Sundays. Reservations can be made for parties of six or more by calling 610-838-8004.