Riko's Pizza in Dartmouth is 'not a typical, old pizzeria,' chain CEO says.

DARTMOUTH — "There's nothing like it around here," says William Medina, franchisee of the new Riko's Pizza location on Rte. 6 in Dartmouth, at the former home of Buster's and T.K.O. Malley's, 227 State Rd.

Medina, who's been running the new Riko's Pizza since its soft opening two weeks ago, says started becoming curious about the location about seven months ago, after the Barrington, RI resident spotted it during a weekend trip to his in-laws.

"My wife is Portuguese and her family all lives in New Bedford," Medina said. "So I talked to the property owner ... and I found out this place was always busy, but when COVID hit they closed and never reopened."

The new Dartmouth restaurant is the 11th location for the relatively young franchise that started in Stanford, CT in 2011, according to Riko's COO Luigi Cardillo. "And by the end of 2012, we had two in Stanford and one in Norwalk."

What's different about Riko's?

Co-founder and CEO of the Riko's franchise, Rico Imbrogno — who was at the Dartmouth location for its grand opening on Tuesday — says the chain takes pride in standing out from the crowd in terms of its approach to food and the type of experience Riko's offers.

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"It's a family-type of restaurant. All our locations have big bars, so if you're out for dinner and you've had a rough day, you can go ahead and grab a martini," Imbrogno said, noting a "warm" atmosphere, with lots of wood and stone touches. The same large bar and sports-themed glass partitions that former Buster's patrons are familiar with were kept intact, he noted. "We're more a restaurant feel; a hostess will sit you, there's a wait staff. It's not a typical, old pizzeria."

Then, there's the pizza, of course, which Imbrogno describes as "tavern style."

"It's the old tavern style pizza they used to make in the '30s and '40s — very thin; nice, sweet sauce," Imbrogno said. "The art of making that kind of pizza has been kind of lost, but it's starting to make a comeback.

"Then we have 10-12 signature salads, and any salad we make can also be made into a 'pizza salad;' we have a great selection of craft beers.... There's something for everyone."

Even with little publicity, Medina said business has been good during the soft opening period up to Tuesday's official opening.

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"We've been surprised at how many people have been coming in," he said. "It's been really great."

More about Riko's

The 7,600 square-foot restaurant features a 50' bar and 22 televisions, according to Riko's representatives. The location can accommodate up to 235 guests. It's open Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; and Sunday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

To see the menu or find more information on the new Dartmouth Riko's Pizza, visit www.rikospizza.com/dartmouth.

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Riko's Pizza opens first Mass. location in Dartmouth