What is Detroit-Style Pizza?
When people think of Detroit’s food scene, a few icons immediately come to mind such as Coney dogs, Better Made chips, Faygo and of course, Detroit-style pizza. Today you’ll find Detroit-style pizza on many menus across the country. While many restaurants have embraced its signature square shape and crispy caramelized edges, the one thing they can’t recreate is eating it where it all began in Motor City.
At Detroit Food & City Tours, we’ve spent years introducing visitors to the city’s culinary scene and whether you’re visiting for the first time or you’ve lived here your whole life, understanding Detroit-style pizza means understanding more about Detroit itself from its innovation and immigrant communities to its automotive roots.
If you’re looking for the best Detroit-style pizza, here’s everything you should know before ordering your first square.
Want to try the legendary square pizza and other iconic Detroit foods? Join us on our Iconic Food Tour and see what Detroit food is all about.
Defining Detroit-Style Pizza
You will instantly recognize Detroit-style pizza because unlike New York’s foldable slices or Chicago’s deep dish, Detroit-style pizza is:
- Baked in a rectangular steel pan
- Thick but surprisingly light and airy
- Topped edge-to-edge with Wisconsin brick cheese
- Finished with crispy, caramelized cheese around the crust
- Traditionally topped with stripes of tomato sauce after baking
The Detroit Story Behind the Iconic Square
You may know that Detroit is known for its innovation, and their pizza is no different. In 1946, Gus Guerra introduced a new style of pizza at Buddy’s Rendezvous on Detroit’s east side. He decided that instead of using traditional round pizza pans, he wanted to make pizza in blue steel automotive parts trays that were originally made for local auto factories.
The sturdy pans distributed heat evenly while creating the signature crispy crust that would become famous decades later. Gus’s wife, Anna’s Sicilian family’s dough recipe gave him inspiration for the pizza but it was the Motor City that gave the pizza its identity.
As time went on many former chefs at Buddy’s began to open other restaurants including Cloverleaf, Shield’s and Loui’s which locals call Detroit’s “pizza family tree”. And today, Detroit-style pizza is recognized as one of America’s great regional pizza styles.
Where to Find the Best Detroit-Style Pizza
Buddy’s Pizza
Where to Find It: Multiple Locations
If you’re interested in pizza history, you have to visit the original trendsetter at Buddy’s. Today, you can still visit the original location that remains a Detroit institution and it’s an essential stop because it’s the birthplace of Detroit-style pizza.
Loui’s Pizza
Where to Find It: 23141 Dequindre Rd, Hazel Park, MI 48030
Loui’s Pizza is known as the gold standard for Detroit-style pizza and it’s known for its perfectly caramelized crust, generous cheese and nostalgic dining room covered in hanging Chianti bottles.
Cloverleaf Pizza
Where to Find It: Multiple Locations
Cloverleaf’s Pizza is one of Detroit’s “pizza family tree” establishments as it was founded by Gus Guerra after he left Buddy’s. The restaurant continues to serve their original recipe and it’s one of the closest connections to Detroit pizza history.
Michigan & Trumbull
Where to Find It: 1331 Holden St #100, Detroit, MI 48202
If you’re looking for a more modern interpretation, we recommend Michigan & Trumbull as they have combined the style of Detroit pizza with creative toppings and locally sourced ingredients.
What is the Difference Between Detroit and Chicago-Style Pizza?
While both are iconic Midwestern deep-pan styles with sauce on top, Detroit-style pizza and deep dish Chicago-style pizzas are fundamentally different in shape, crust texture, cheese type, and pan construction.
The Crust & Dough
- Detroit-style pizza uses a high-hydration dough that rises into a thick, airy interior similar to Italian focaccia. The base is fried lightly in oil against the steel pan, giving it a light crunch at the bottom while staying light and pillowy inside.
- Chicago-style pizza crust behaves more like a pie pastry. It is made with cornmeal or high-fat oil/butter, yielding a rich, flaky, dense dough that presses up the sides of a round pan to form a structural basin for heavy ingredients.
The Cheese & Crispy Edges
- Detroit-style pizza has Wisconsin brick cheese (a buttery, high-fat cheese) spread clear to the edge of the pan. As it bakes against the hot steel, the cheese melts down the sides, creating a dark, caramelized, crunchy border called a frico.
- Chicago-style pizza has low-moisture mozzarella placed directly on top of the dough in thick slices or shreds. The cheese acts as a barrier to keep the wet tomato sauce from making the bottom crust soggy during its long bake.
The Sauce & Assembly Order
- Detroit-style pizza starts with the dough, then cheese to the edge, then the toppings, followed by sauce ladled in warm stripes over the top right before or after baking.
- Chicago-style pizza starts with dough pressed into a pan, then a thick layer of sliced mozzarella, then raw or cooked sausage and toppings, followed by chunky tomato sauce covering the entire top of the pie to protect the cheese from burning during a 30-40 minute high-temperature bake.
Experience Detroit One Bite at a Time
At Detroit Food & City Tours, we combine local history, architecture, neighborhoods and unforgettable food into guided experiences that show visitors why Detroit has become one of America’s most exciting destinations.
Whether you’re visiting for a weekend, entertaining clients, planning a group outing or simply rediscovering your hometown, our tours offer a delicious way to experience the Motor City.
Ready to explore Detroit? Contact us to learn more about current available tours.