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🍕7 pizza places you need to try
Halloween is this weekend, and one of the most popular dinners for the spooky night is pizza! It’s perfect because it can feed a large group, can be easily kept warm in the oven, and devoured whenever convenient.
Us Michiganders are also very lucky when it comes to pizza- we have a wide variety of styles available to us, and nothing can match our own version - the Detroit-style Deep Dish (which earned us a top 5 spot in Food & Wine’s “Best Pizza States”). So I wanted to put together a list of places that are serving up some truly unique and delicious pizza I think you should try.
Cloverleaf- 24443 Gratiot Avenue, Eastpointe, MI 48021
If you are fan of Detroit-style pizza, then you need to try the original. Gus Guerra first came up with the idea for the now famous pizza in 1946. He wanted to make a pizza similar to the Sicilian style he was used to growing up, but could not find a pan deep enough until he saw the oil pans they used in auto mechanic shops. He bought some fresh ones and developed the square pizza with the thick crust and sauce on top. He served it with his friends at the original Buddy’s location on Conant and McNichols in Detroit. They eventually had a falling out and Guerra opened his own place in Eastpointe called Cloverleaf. They are still serving up their original recipe and they’ve added a great gluten-free crust after one of their family members had celiac disease.
Amar Pizza - 12195 Joseph Campau Ave, Hamtramck, MI 48212
One of the most unique pizzas I have ever tried flavor-wise is here, at Amar Pizza. This place perfectly blends Bangladeshi flavors with a traditional round pizza. For those spice fiends out there, try their ghost pepper pizza which is topped with chicken, red onions, and cilantro. I personally loved their naga pizza,, which is basically a less spicy version of their ghost pepper pizza, but they also have a tandoori chicken pizza that you should get a taste of as well. On a non-pizza related note, get their chicken biryani. This was the first place I ever tried biryani, and I am hooked.
Tania’s Pizza - 3204 Crooks Rd, Royal Oak, MI 48073
Jason would murder me if I made this list and didn’t put on his favorite stuffed pizza, and the man is not wrong. Not quite a pizza, and not quite a stromboli, this dish walks the line and is so delicious. Instead of the thick crust you get in a Detroit-style pizza, the toppings are sandwiched between two thin layers of light, almost pastry-like crusts. They finish it off with butter and garlic on top. See the full story Jason and Tati did on it here.
Frank’s Family Pizzeria- 3144 Biddle Ave, Wyandotte, MI 48192
Get ready for a full Dine in the D at this place (Coming out Friday the 29th). If you are a big fan of the classic greasy pizza with the cupped pepperonis, you need to check this place out. It has been in business for almost 70 years and is an institution in the Downriver area. It has a thinner crust, similar to a New York Style, and their cheese blend has that right fat content to get a golden brown finish every time. They’ve also recently added their own take on Detroit-style pizza with an added rim of cheddar cheese to make the crust extra crispy and delicious.
Tomatoes APizza - Various locations
Crust, crust, crust- if you are all about the crust, then you need to try this pizza. The owner spent many months trying to perfect his favorite style of pizza - the New Haven-style. The dough they use for the crust is very wet and they bake it in a porous brick oven. The pie is only pulled out when they notice the signature leopard spotting of the crust, giving you a bit of a charred flavor, while still delivering a nice chewy bite. Their pizza has won several awards and is definitely worth a try. I recommend getting the Naples Sampler which showcases their 4 most popular pies. For the full story, click here.
Pizzaplex - 4458 W Vernor Hwy, Detroit, MI 48209
Located in Southwest Detroit, this spot is serving up authentic Neopolitan-style pizza with a side of community. Neopolitan-style pizza actually has a lot of complex rules you have to follow in order to be fully certified, which PizzaPlex is. The dough is made with 00 Caputo flour (a very finely milled flour) and the sauce must be made using San Marzano tomatoes, a particular type of plum tomatoes grown in volcanic soil in a specific region of Italy, giving them a naturally sweeter taste. There is only a couple of places in Michigan that are Vera Pizza Napoletana certified. So if you want a true taste of Italy, head here. For the full story, click here.
Big Al’s Pizzeria - 27344 Ford Rd, Dearborn Heights, MI 48127
You’ve heard the phrase, “go big or go home,” well Big Al’s Pizzeria took that challenge literally dishing up the largest slice of pizza I have ever seen. If you want a size comparison, check out me holding that slice below. In terms of eating this big slice, they often cut it up into more manageable slices for their guests. However, some brave souls like to dive into it like the giant slice it is. For the full story, click here.
Related: 6 restaurants with amazing waterfront views in Southeast Michigan