Eat This Now: Dill Dough Pizza at Guy’s Deli

Photo by Sarah Sipple

Guy’s Deli, located inside Kelly’s in Westport, proudly proclaims itself as Home of the Dill Dough Pizza™. So why wouldn’t the person at the register say it?

As someone who loves pickles and loves pizza, I have hesitated on trying this one.

In my mind, pickle pizzas (and white pizzas in general) are too salty and rich, lacking the acidity and sweetness that tomatoes provide. In my imagination, they’re laden with cream cheese or alfredo sauce, making them feel soggy and overly rich. After experimenting with a homemade pickle pizza where I could control the amount of ranch and cream cheese, the success made me more open-minded. 

So when our group of friends landed at Kelly’s on an early Thursday night, I was ready to try the trademark Dill Dough Pizza. It runs $14.99 for a 12-inch pie. 

Be it shorthand or just feeling over the bit of it all, the staff simply referred to our pizza as “dill” when reading the order back to us. It’s fine–not an actual critique–but I did find some humor in the employee not saying the full name. Especially considering the company’s use of phrases in copy that lean into the bit, like “Guaranteed to satisfy,” and “You need to get our Dill Dough Pizza™️ inside of you.”

Photo by Sarah Sipple

Guy’s Dill Dough consists of dill ranch sauce, mozzarella cheese, dill pickles, banana peppers, and dried dill flakes. I’d like to try a few more pickle pizzas to confirm my theory, but it might be the banana peppers that help this come together so well. They help provide acid, but in a uniform way as they spread the zing across the pizza, not only relying on a dramatic bite where the occasional pickle is placed.

As a drizzle on top, the ranch sauce was thin and, in some bites, imperceptible. Just how I wanted it. No single factor overwhelms here. It is pleasantly simple; just salty enough to encourage a few more sips of beer, yet not too rich to stop at just one slice. I paired mine with a Pineapple Orange Whip Quirk.

We enjoyed it so much that not only was it the group’s favorite ‘za, but we ordered a second! For whatever reason, the crust on the second pie came out thinner and slightly crispier than the first (our second order is pictured in the top photo).

This pizza is available only at the Guy’s Deli location inside Kelly’s Westport Inn, at 4058 Pennsylvania Ave, Kansas City, MO 64111.