‘A labor of love’: Iniga Pizzeria coming to DeKalb

DeKALB – A new pizzeria, brought to you by the makers of a popular Ottawa-based establishment, has found a second home in downtown DeKalb.

Iniga Pizzeria, in the former Eduardo’s Mexican Restaurant building, 206 E. Lincoln Highway, is expected to open in June.

Owner Tim Cottingim said expanding his business with a new location in DeKalb made sense.

Cottingim runs and operates another Iniga Pizzeria in Ottawa.

“We are proud of our product,“ Cottingim said. “If there’s an opportunity to expand our footprint, we are open-minded to that. This happened to be a place where the situation was accommodating for us.”

“We make our own mozzarella in-house, grind our own tomatoes. We make the dough fresh ourselves. So, it’s a process, a labor of love”

—  Tim Cottingim

The establishment’s claim to fame is its wood-fired Neopolitan-style pizza, which Cottingim said cooks in 90 seconds.

“It’s a different type of pizza than American-style pizza,” Cottingim said. “It’s much lighter. What I’d say it’s more digestible. ... We don’t use any rolling pins. So, the dough is all kneaded with hands. It’s not as dense, as if you use a rolling pin to pound it into American pizzas.”

At about 5,000 square feet, Iniga Pizzeria will be equipped to accommodate patrons with space for both indoor and outdoor dining.

Among the amenities featured inside will be a divided bar and dining space along with multiple TVs mounted at the bar.

Cottingim said the business still requires preparation before it is ready to start serving patrons.

Plans to get the building up and running as a restaurant again have been a long time in the making. The building has been vacant since the former Eduardo’s Mexican Restaurant closed in 2019 after 39 years in business.

In April, DeKalb city leaders took steps to approve a bar and restaurant liquor license for the new business, City Council documents show.

Cottingim said people generally have positive things to say about Iniga Pizzeria.

He said he looks forward to seeing how the DeKalb community embraces his business.

“We make our own mozzarella in-house, grind our own tomatoes,” he said. “We make the dough fresh ourselves. So, it’s a process, a labor of love, but I think it translates anywhere you go because it’s a great tasting product.”

When asked if he sees a crowded field of pizza place competitors as an issue for his new establishment, Cottingim said he doesn’t take issue with it.

“We’re more of a dining experience,” he said. “We’re trying to carve out a piece of that market as well. I think we have something for everybody.”

Once it opens, the restaurant’s hours of operation will be from 4 to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.