SoDough Square’s UCF location prepares to open
East Orlando is getting primed for a pizza upgrade as SoDough Square‘s third location prepares to open just a stone’s throw from UCF.
When might locals be able to get a taste of this award-winning Detroit-style pizza?
“Late next week, if all goes as planned,” says founder and Motor City native Rob Bair.
SoDough debuted in Orlando back in 2022 and “cornered” the market when it comes to Detroit’s signature pan pies, becoming the Critic’s Pick for Best New Restaurant in the 2023 Orlando Sentinel Foodie Awards and racking up fans as it expanded into Winter Park with a second location.
The UCF space, located at 12226 Corporate Blvd. in Orlando, just a few doors down from Valkyrie Doughnuts in the UC Quad shopping center, will be the brand’s third, with 40 seats in roughly 1,600 square feet of space. A fourth, in Lake Mary, isn’t far behind.
Picks in pans: SoDough Square is Orlando’s Best New Restaurant of the Year
“We’re looking to have six locations in Central Florida,” Bair told the Orlando Sentinel. “The original SoDough would be our south location. We have Winter Park as central. UCF, that’s east and Lake Mary will be north. Ultimately, we’ll also have locations in Clermont and Lake Nona.”
Since getting Winter Park online, menus in the two locations have consolidated and, moving forward, will be the same at all SoDough Square shops, with each offering pizza, wings and Coney dogs, along with beer and wine. The wings, a newer option, have been selling very well, Bair says of the fried, double-breaded apps. They come in a range of flavors, wet and dry rubbed. All rubs and sauces are created in-house, something Bair says will continue to be standard, as it’s been a big part of the brand’s success.
The dough, which rises for between 24 and 48 hours, is the star of the show.
“The most important thing to me is making sure this product holds true to the city of Detroit. We will never par-bake the dough. We’ll always shred the cheese and make the sauce in-house. Everything is fresh.”
Orlando’s support, he says, has surpassed his expectations.
“I show my love through food,” says Bair, “so for me, there’s no better way to represent home than with the pizza of my childhood. To bring a piece of Detroit tradition to Orlando, to do something that’s different and creative and find that so many people enjoy it has been amazing.”
Bair says the team is toying with the idea of late-night weekend hours once the UCF shop is up and running. Keep an eye on the SoDough Square social accounts for the final word on the new shop’s opening date: facebook.com/SoDoughSquareWinterPark; instagram.com/sodoughsquare.
Find me on Facebook, TikTok, Twitter or Instagram @amydroo or on the OSFoodie Instagram account @orlando.foodie. Email: amthompson@orlandosentinel.com, For more foodie fun, join the Let’s Eat, Orlando Facebook group.
