Dubai’s Restaurant Asks ChatGPT to Create a Pizza and Goes Viral With It

In a city as diverse as Dubai, blending cultures isn’t just about food, it’s a way of life. Enter Dodo Pizza, a restaurant that took this concept to a new level by asking ChatGPT to create the perfect pizza that would capture the essence of the city’s multicultural demographic. What resulted was a viral hit: a pizza featuring shawarma chicken, paneer, tahini sauce, za’atar, mozzarella, and parsley, combining flavors from the Middle East, India, and Europe. This unconventional mix might sound like a culinary risk, but according to Spartak Arutyunyan, Dodo Pizza's head of menu development, it has been a surprise success. “As a chef, I wouldn’t mix these ingredients ever on a pizza, but still, the mix of flavors was surprisingly good,” he admitted​.

The idea stemmed from Arutyunyan’s desire to create something that reflects the global tastes of Dubai, home to millions of immigrants from India, Pakistan, the Philippines, and more. When he asked ChatGPT for a recipe tailored to the city, the AI generated this unexpected fusion that resonated with Dodo Pizza’s customers. It wasn’t just an experiment for a quick social media trend—this pizza remains on the menu and continues to be a favorite.

While this AI-created pizza has been a hit, not all of ChatGPT's ideas make the cut. Among the less successful options were some strange combinations like strawberries with pasta and blueberries on pizza—clearly, AI still has a bit to learn when it comes to flavor pairing​.

Dodo Pizza isn’t the only brand using AI to break culinary boundaries. Other restaurants around the world are also experimenting with AI-generated recipes to bring fresh creativity to their menus. In the case of Dodo Pizza, it seems AI has successfully blended technology with tradition, producing a delicious result that reflects the melting pot that is Dubai​.