May 2025 update: Your Cinco de Mayo celebrations aren't complete without tacos, of course – and who better in Melbourne to serve up these bad boys than our very own birria heroes Dingo Ate My Taco? Once again this year, they're cranking it up a notch by teaming up with the US-style pizza geniuses (and winners of Time Out Melbourne's People's Choice award for Best Restaurant) at Deep End to serve up a birria pizza flavour explosion.
The limited-edition invention combines Deep End's famous Detroit-style pizza base (gluten-free is available, too) with flavour-packed birria to create a cross-cultural flavour sensation that sold out repeatedly during its first run in 2023. It's only available until the end of June, so don't miss your chance to try it – make a booking at the restaurant here.
Deep End Pizza's passionate head chef Paul Kasten shares, "Going into testing, we were confident our Detroit-style base would complement their birria taco toppings perfectly. While I've seen birria done on NY-style pizzas, the fluffy crust on our squares is ideal for soaking up that rich consommé. Even we were surprised by how magnificently it all came together once we topped it with their brisket, Oaxacan cheese, and signature toppings. We can't wait for taco and pizza enthusiasts to experience this fusion! And keep watching – this collaboration has inspired us to develop more dipping-focused pizzas in the future."
Read on for our original listing of Deep End by Adena Maier.
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In America, the way you like your pizza says more about you than pretty much anything else. Thin crust or deep dish? Eaten flat, folded in half, with a knife and fork or dipped in sauce? And as this video demonstrates, it can be a very contentious topic. Thankfully, we're not in America, and at this spot on Brunswick Street, you can eat your 'za however you like, sans judgement.
Deep End is a family-run eatery by American-born chef Paul Kasten and his Melburnian wife Kate Paterson. It specialises in several of the most distinct types of American-style pizzas: New York-style thin crust, Detroit-style square crust and Chicago-style deep dish. Choose between classics like cheese or pepperoni, or opt for variations with toppings like clams, pine mushrooms, brussels sprouts and roast spinach.
To amp up the heat, get some chilli salt on the side – heat levels go from level two with jalapeño to level five with Carolina reaper, for those who relish the pain. And if you like to dip your pizza in sauce – don't knock it 'til you try it – you can get ramekins of ranch, blue cheese and pepperoni sauce.
While the pizzas here are the main drawcard, you can start your night with small plates like oven-roasted chicken wings, cheesy garlic focaccia or an iceberg wedge salad. Since the deep dish pizzas require a 30-minute bake time, they're the perfect way to whet your appetite while you wait.
Deep End also boasts a drinks menu loaded with local beers, wine and cocktails, so you have plenty of options to help you wash down that 'za. Find out more at the website.