I read a lot of blog posts and articles about Detroit Style Pizza. Often, as I am reading, it occurs to me that the author has never actually visited most, if any, of the places they are writing about. They are just compiling a list based on research gleaned from a Google search from the comfort of their Greenwich Village or Buckhead loft apartment (this is a generalization, not directed at anyone in particular). The authors will reach out to the restaurant management or owners and request food and dining room photos adding captions like "Courtesy of Cousin Vito's Pizzeria and Taxidermy Studio," or some such place (again, fictional and no offense to anyone named Cousin Vito).
The point is, how can you really know what you're talking about if you haven't actually been there and eaten the food? As you know, I generally refrain from doing that. The restaurants featured in this post are well-known to me. Only two of the pizza joints mentioned here don't meet my "personally visited requirement." However, I include them here because I know the owners, am intimately familiar with their food and want to offer you Detroit Style Pizza options if you find yourself visiting Las Vegas, NV or Telluride, CO. Therefore, I have included Little Tony's and Brown Dog for your consideration. Besides, that's only two of the eleven restaurants discussed here. Everything else is my first-hand knowledge and strictly my own photos.
During the Covid 19 shut-in of 2020, I read a great book by Samin Nosarat called Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat. The book focuses on what the author calls "the four elements of cooking" to help you understand what makes food taste great and how each element impacts flavor and texture. It may seem obvious, but Detroit Style Pizza is an excellent case study in how these elements interact to make the perfect slice. I will come back to this.
First I want to describe for the ten thousandth time what makes a pizza, Detroit style. Sure, you can Google the definition or look it up on Wikipedia...or you can ask me.
Detroit Style Pizza Defined
Detroit Style Pizza:
- Is rectangular or square in shape;
- Bakes at a temperature of 500-550 degrees Fahrenheit, in thin metal pans (usually well-seasoned blue steel or hard anodized);
- Is crunchy, cheesy edges caused by the cheese (usually Wisconsin Brick) caramelizing against the sides of the pan;
- Uses a high-hydration dough that produces a crust that is thick, airy and crispy;
- Places sauce on top, not on the bottom.
There are variations, of course. My good friend and World Champion Pizza Maker, Shawn Randazzo (who passed away in 2020, and I was devastated), and I placed all flat meats under the cheese. Some do, and some don't. Personally, I have taken many liberties with my Detroit Style Pizza including combos and toppings I have never seen in restaurants (other than my own) including Shrimp Etoufee with Andouille Sausage and Dirty Rice, Greek Gyro with Tzatziki and still my personal favorite, the "El Taco Loui" which is a street taco pizza with marinated chicken, pico de gallo, cotija and brick cheese, pickled red onions, Mexican sour cream, shredded cabbage, fresh cilantro and lime juice (photo below). The great thing about pizza and specifically with pan pizza, is that the topping combinations are limitless.
Around Detroit, you'll find most toppings to be a little more traditional. And that's just fine with me because a simple Detroit Style Pizza slice with nothing more than Italian sausage, green pepper, mushrooms and sauce is, well, heaven.
As I mentioned in the introduction, Detroit Style Pizza is the perfect case study in the four elements of cooking:
Salt - There is scant salt in the crust, more in the sauce, some in the cheese and depending on toppings, no salt in fresh veggies to lots of salt in salt-cured meats or anchovies.
Fat - Lots if fat in the cheese and again, depending on the toppings, none in fresh veggies and lots in pork. There is also fat in the oil used to prepare the pizza pan, keep the crust from sticking and help the crust to develop that amazing crispy texture.
Acid - Long ago, someone decided it would be a good idea to use highly acidic tomatoes to make sauce and put it on their pizza. They obviously knew something about how those acidic flavors would compliment the salt and the fats. Most Detroit Style Pizza has plenty of sauce. Some restaurants and home chefs like me ladle generous amounts of sauce on top of the cheese and other toppings. This, of course, assumes a red sauce is called for in the recipe. I would never put red sauce on a buffalo chicken pizza or on my El Taco Loui. But, those pizzas have other sources of acidity like the Buffalo sauce or the pickled red onions. Again, acid is an important element that adds flavor and depth to the slice.
Heat - This is where the oven comes in. There are many ways to bake a pizza. I have three ovens that I use depending on the type of pizza I am making: Wood-fired, gas-fired and a conventional electric oven. For Detroit Style Pizza, you really just need a 550 degree hot box. Depending on the pan, humidity, number of toppings and oven temperature consistency, the pizza will fully bake in about 10-12 minutes. Heat seals the deal. It causes all of the flavors to meld together and textures to develop. Heat causes the crust to rise and get crispy, melts and caramelizes the cheese, cooks the other toppings and concentrates the flavors of the tomatoes, salt and spices in the sauce, culminating in the perfect food.
The four elements work in perfect harmony to give us this wonderful Mid-western adaptation of Grandma Passalacqua's Sicilian pizza recipe, first offered to the public in 1946. You can read all about the history of Detroit Style Pizza in every blog post or news article written about it. So, I won't repeat all of that here.
Purpose of This Blog Post
My intent with this post is to offer up information about several Detroit Style Pizza restaurant brands in the U.S. so that when traveling to cities like Detroit, Nashville, Austin, San Diego, Las Vegas, San Francisco, New York, Denver, Telluride, Portland and many others (new places opening all the time), you will seek these places out and show your traveling companions that you know your stuff. One of my favorite things to do is to see the look on people's faces the first time they bite into a good slice. By the way, all of the places on this list are good. The really good news for you is that across the 11 Detroit Style brands listed here, there are almost 50 total locations in operation or coming soon. This is great news for us fans of Detroit style pizza.
Here is my list of 11 restaurants (brands) serving Detroit Style Pizza and the cities where they are located:
- Detroit - Buddy's, Cloverleaf, Loui's, Detroit Style Pizza Co.
- Louisville, NuLu and 12 other U.S. Locations - Emmy Squared
- Austin - Via 313
- Denver - Blue Pan Pizza
- Telluride - Brown Dog Pizza
- San Diego - Angry Pete's
- Portland - Assembly Pizza
- Las Vegas - Little Tony's 2411 W Sahara Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89102
Now to the list, which is organized by city.
Detroit
Buddy's Pizza
This is purportedly where it all started in 1946 when Gus Guerra decided to start baking his mother-in-law's Sicilian-style pizza recipe in assembly line parts pans at a bar he co-owned in the Hamtramck area of Detroit. The bar was called Buddy's Rendezvous. The original is still there at 17125 Conant St. Detroit, MI 48212. There are now a total of 16 Buddy's locations around Michigan, including Grand Rapids and Lansing. While I think it is cool to visit the original Buddy's Rendezvous, I prefer the new downtown location within walking distance of Comerica Park (which is owned by the Ilitch family who own the Little Caesars franchise). I appreciate the irony. I also like the Shelby Township and Van Dyke locations to the north - they are just better neighborhoods. Just a bit more history, if memory serves me, Gus sold Buddy's circa 1951 and, in 1953 bought the Cloverleaf Bar in East Detroit (renamed East Pointe in an attempt to more closely identify the area as one of more affluent Pointes of Grosse Pointe fame). The name change is lost on me because once you cross the I-94 expressway going west on 8 Mile Rd, I'm sorry, but you're in Detroit. I don't care what you call it. Anyway, back to Buddy's.
I just love the vibe at Buddy's. In their various locations, they have attempted to re-create the décor and vibe of the original at 6 Mile & Conant. Their crust is light and airy, they use 100% Wisconsin Brick Cheese, they use plenty of sauce and they can crank out the pizzas. I also like the Antipasto salad which also features small cubes of brick cheese, sliced salami, cherry tomatoes, pepperoncini and a light vinaigrette dressing.
Loui's Pizza
To be honest, I go back & forth on my favorite sit-down pizza joint in Detroit. One visit it may be Buddy's, another Cloverleaf and still another Loui's. Loui's and I have a long association. Long before I opened my own restaurant and gave a shout out to my then-favorite pizza joint by incorporating the founder's name into the name of my own establishment in Louisville. I used to visit Detroit 3-4 times a year and would go to Loui's to buy and transport home their frozen pepperoni pizzas because they traveled well. I soon learned that I should call them in advance to make sure they had plenty on-hand. Usually, I would call a week ahead of my planned visit and the call would go like this...Someone would answer "Loui's." I would say, "Hey, this is Mike from Kentucky." They would reply, "Hi Mike, how many frozen pepperonis do you need?" I would say, "25 please." They would say, "When would you like to pick them up?" I would say, "Saturday, please." Then, "See you Saturday Mike...click." After a while, I decided driving to Detroit several times a year to buy frozen pizzas was a bit ridiculous so began a long period of research, planning and experimentation to develop my own recipes. If you read my Mexican food posts, you know that this always begins with inspiration. Loui's was mine.
I just love the family that owns and operates Loui's Pizza at 23141 Dequindre Rd, Hazel Park, MI 48030. They have always been so accommodating and their food is stellar. The vibe of this place is also amazing. There must be over 10,000 wicker chianti casks hanging from the walls and ceiling. I have put a few up over the years and they will give you a sharpie to commemorate the visit so you can attempt to locate it the next time you come in. I'm fairly certain the décor is exactly the same as it was when the building was a 1960s family diner because the bathrooms still have the exact same pink tile used when my grandparents remodeled their bathroom in the 1960s. Founder, Louis Tourtois, learned his craft as a pizza chef for Buddy's before departing to start up his own restaurant in Hazel Park. This would explain why his pizza looks so much like Buddy's and Cloverleaf. Back in the 1980s when I would visit, Louis was always there. Now his grandchildren and other long-time employees run the place.
Years ago, I had the opportunity to sit down with one of their pizza chefs to talk about such topics as cheese mix and tomatoes. I was told they used 75% Brick and 25% Monterrey Jack. I tried that mix at home and frankly, I liked that mix better than 100% brick, so that is what we used in our restaurant.
Loui's does many things well. They also have an excellent antipasto salad and if you are in the mood for some old-school baked pastas, this is the place for you. The only downside - ever - is they have limited hours of operation and Hazel Park is about a 20 minute drive from downtown. Under normal circumstances, they were closed on Monday and Tuesday. During Covid 19, they have only been open Friday-Sunday. Regardless, I will definitely be back soon.
Cloverleaf Bar and Restaurant
After Gus Guerra established Buddy's Rendezvous in 1946, sold Buddy's in 1951 and bought the Cloverleaf bar in 1953, Cloverleaf became the new home to Gus's Original Motor City Square Pizza. The original Cloverleaf Restaurant was and is still located at 24443 Gratiot Avenue, Eastpointe, MI 48021. The building burned and was rebuilt by the Guerra family, who continue to operate Cloverleaf today. There are 6 other locations around Detroit that do carry-out and delivery, but the original Eastpointe location is the only one offering in-store dining.
Back in the day, my dad would occasionally bring home a Buddy's pizza. But as the Hamtramck neighborhood deteriorated, we rarely got pizza from there. And besides, when we lived in Detroit, Cloverleaf was a 10-minute drive from our house. This is the Detroit style pizza I remember from my childhood.
My dad once told me a funny story about ole Gus. Detroit could be a rough town. Back in the 1950s, Gus placed his pepperoni under the cheese. Frankly, I think you get a better bake that way but it can leave customers wondering if the kitchen forgot the pepperoni. One night as my dad sat at the bar, he overheard a customer complaining loudly to a server that his pizza had no pepperoni. Like I said, Detroit could be a rough town and Gus would sometimes need to deal with unruly customers in a way that ensured he was understood. To that end, my dad said Gus used to carry around a small sawed-off baseball bat. As the customer got louder and louder, upsetting the server and other customers around him, Gus walked over and asked what the problem was as the entire restaurant grew silent.
The customer pointed to the pizza and said, "There's no GD pepperoni and I'm not paying for this." With the bat in one hand, Gus reached for the pizza with the other hand and pulled the cheese away from the crust to reveal a generous layer of pepperoni and said, "There's your GD pepperoni. Now, get the F@&%! out of here." The man did as he was told while he still could. Ah, customer service. In five years, I only had to throw three customers out of my restaurant and never needed a sawed-off baseball bat. There was so much you could do to knock sense into people before social media. Now customers have the upper hand whether they are right, wrong, malicious, terrorists or otherwise. My, how things have changed.
Cloverleaf is a terrific place to score some of the very best in Detroit Style Pizza. This place is also a great place to take kids. When my kids were young and we would roll into town, this was one of our favorite stops.
Detroit Style Pizza Co.
In fairness, I am biased when it comes to Detroit Style Pizza Co. (DSPC). Founder Shawn Randazzo was a good friend and Detroit Style Pizza mentor to me going back almost 10 years. I still cannot believe he is gone (2020). He, his mother Linda and his staff did more to champion Detroit Style and make it a normal part of the international pizza lexicon than any other person on the planet. While Buddy's, Loui's, Cloverleaf and others were doing their thing around Southeastern Michigan, Shawn was competing in Las Vegas and elsewhere, traveling and educating anywhere he was needed to teach other pizzapreneurs how to do it right. His enthusiasm was contagious and spirit indominable. Shawn Randazzo evangelized an entire generation of pizza makers, including Assembly Brewing in Portland, OR, also on my list. He trained me, my son and one of the partners. In fact, we were the first to go through his Detroit Style Pizza Certification Program after he became World Champion Pizza Maker of the Year. He was never too busy to take my calls or answer an email and he always made time for my staff and I when we were in town.
Although Shawn has left us, his legacy lives on. His mother and wife continue to operate the carryout and delivery location at 28630 Harper Ave., St. Clair Shores, MI 48081 as well as their consulting and supply business. You can buy special Detroit Style flour, cheese, pans and other supplies along with delicious par-baked and frozen pizzas - they ship.
Last plug for DSPC - their pizzas are the most beautiful of any on my list, including my own. This is one of the ways you become a champion. The pizza almost looks too good to eat.
Louisville NuLu and 12 Other U.S. Locations - Emmy Squared
Emmy Squared is the only Detroit Style Pizza place in the Louisville area that I know of. Hop Cat on Grinstead and Bardstown Rd also had a sort of Detroit style pizza but they are now closed. Emmy Squared hails from New York and appears to be moving west like a bunch of 19th century gold miners. I hope they are successful because I would like to see Detroit style pizza in every town in the U.S. Just like when Starbucks was quickly expanding out of Seattle and into major MSAs, even though you were in a market that could not yet get a Starbucks, local entrepreneurs were getting on the upscale coffee and cappuccino bandwagon. As they say, high-tide raises all boats. Hopefully the Emmy Squared wave will do the same for Detroit style pizza.
I will say that I have eaten Emmy Squared's pies a few times and their crust is nearly perfect. I only wish they would use Wisconsin Brick cheese because it would do two things: The overall flavor of their pizza would be improved by 100% and the cheese would not brown or burn so easily. Brick cheese tends to have a much higher moisture content than the usual low-moisture mozzarella shred used in most pizzerias. It might add a few cents to the price, but it would be so worth it. It is also my preference, but I think they could stand to add more sauce to their pies. Let me know what you think.
One of the best things about the NuLu location is that the backside of the restaurant opens up to a courtyard containing a West Sixth Brewery taproom and several other eating and drinking establishments. So, you can order a pizza, grab a table, draw an excellent pint from the West Sixth beer menu and they will bring your pizza to your table (at least they did that for me last time I was there).
Austin - Via 313
In case you were wondering, 313 is the area code for Detroit proper. Detroit natives and brothers Brandon & Zane Hunt opened Via 313 in 2011 out of a single trailer in Austin. Since I dined at the Craft Pride Tap Room trailer at 61 Rainey Street, Austin, TX in Dec 2017, Via 313 is doing so well that they have added three restaurants around Austin and according to their web site, have 3 new locations planned in Utah and 3 in Texas. Now I should be able to find good Detroit Style Pizza the next time I go skiing in Utah. These guys are doing it right with creative topping combination and excellently crafted pies. Pictured above is the Omnivore - note they use plenty of sauce. I love sauce!
Denver - Blue Pan Pizza
Blue Pan has two locations in the Denver area. I have been to the one in the West Highands area at 3930 W 32nd Ave, Denver, CO 80212, a couple of times and have sent a dozen or more folks there who gave it rave reviews. Blue Pan's owner and founder is Jeff Smokevitch (aka Smoke), a former inside linebacker for University of Michigan Wolverines. Smoke is from Birmingham, MI, a suburb of Detroit and he was a teammate of Tom Brady. He knows a thing or two about Detroit Style Pizza having won several awards in the International Pizza Challenge. He also owns Brown Dog Pizzeria in Telluride, CO where he honed his pizza chops prior to opening the first Blue Pan location in Denver. The last time I spoke with Smoke, he had elevated his status to judge in the International Pizza Challenge. Things are going well as he has opened a second Blue Pan in the Congress Park area of Denver.
Pete has some serious chops as a chef. He brings his culinary skills to the Detroit Style Pizza world by creating some really innovative topping combinations. The pizza I find the most interesting is the Coney Dog Pizza consisting of thin-sliced Koegel natural casing hot dogs, real Koegel coney sauce, yellow mustard & minced onions on his pizza - the best of both worlds!
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