Detroit-Style Pizza Catching On

[TexasT]

This is the first that I've ever heard a pizza called "Detroit style." It kind of looks like a smaller version of Chicago style pizza but not really.

I love Chicago style though, I love my hometown's food legends. But it's true not all Chicagoians eat Chicago style pizza, we have chains like Little Caesars and Domino's, I don't like either place but they are here.

So for someone visiting downtown Detroit where would the best place be to get this pizza from? I had pizza once from a place in Greektown and liked it, does anyone know the place I'm talking about? If you are coming from the casino it's right across the street in the middle of the block.

Pizza Papalis is the one you are thinking of - it's more like Chicago style [[my favorite chicago place is Pequods in Lincoln Park, which interestingly is a mix of Chicago and Detroit. It's the thick pie-like middle of Chicago with almost a Buddy's style crust. Second favorite was Pizano's in the Gold Coast, which is straight up Chicago-style).

The best place to have Detroit-style pizza, in my humble opinion, is Buddy's. It seems to be the standard. The original one is in the city, but it's in a rougher area if that kind of thing bothers you. You can check out one in the suburbs too - Dearborn isn't that far. But I swear, the original is the best!

http://www.buddyspizza.com/locations.html

Buddy's needs to open a downtown location, for real.

[bailey]

Buddy's needs to open a downtown location, for real.

Buddy's isn't, but Shields is. Kales building... spring of 2007

[TexasT]

They are. Kales building... spring of 2006

Are you thinking of Shields? It attempting to open in Kales in '07, never got it going, and abandoned ship.

Over two and a half years ago Shield's Pizza announced their return to the city after an absence of two decades. Work began in the lobby of the Kales building, but as the months went by, numerous opening day announcements went unmet.

In June of 2008 Owner Paul Andoni addressed the delays. Apparently, construction stalled due to an issue with the exhaust ventilation that necessitated the installation of a 19-story shaft to the roof. At that time it Andoni stated that the restaurant would open by mid-September.

Nearly a year later, it is apparent that no further work has been done on the restaurant. At the begining of April the site was in the same unfinished state that it had been when Andoni made his most recent proclimation. A sign on the door states "construction has been haulted." It remains to be seen if Shield's will ever return to downtown Detroit.

http://fadeddetroit.blogspot.com/2009/04/shields-pizza-to-abandon-detroit-again.html

[bailey]

Are you thinking of Shields? It attempting to open in Kales in '07, never got it going, and abandoned ship.



http://fadeddetroit.blogspot.com/2009/04/shields-pizza-to-abandon-detroit-again.html

yes. For the record, I corrected it first. lol.

[chicagoforlife]

Pizza Papalis is the one you are thinking of - it's more like Chicago style [[my favorite chicago place is Pequods in Lincoln Park, which interestingly is a mix of Chicago and Detroit. It's the thick pie-like middle of Chicago with almost a Buddy's style crust. Second favorite was Pizano's in the Gold Coast, which is straight up Chicago-style).

The best place to have Detroit-style pizza, in my humble opinion, is Buddy's. It seems to be the standard. The original one is in the city, but it's in a rougher area if that kind of thing bothers you. You can check out one in the suburbs too - Dearborn isn't that far. But I swear, the original is the best!

http://www.buddyspizza.com/locations.html

Buddy's needs to open a downtown location, for real.

The problem is not being in a bad area because I live in an iffy neighborhood in Chicago so I'm not worried about that too much. It's just getting there, I drive but I like to depend on mass transit and in Detroit that leaves me with the bus so that's the problem I had.

This is off topic but it'd be nice if downtown and midtown Detroit were connected and that expressway was removed, I think that's I-75.

I'm kind of replying to ya backwards lol, you're right on the place in Greektown and that wasn't bad to me. In Chicago I pretty much go with Connie's, Beggar's or Giordano's. Most Chicagoians would probably say Giordano's or Gino's East for pizza.

I love the Italian Beef from Mr. Beef that place on Orleans Street is the bomb.

Then you have Nancy's, Lou Malnatti's which I hate. There is also a pizza place in the Holiday Inn on Harrison in front of the post office, that place is awful. That's Arellio's, it's not even Chicago style pizza.

[TexasT]

The problem is not being in a bad area because I live in an iffy neighborhood in Chicago so I'm not worried about that too much. It's just getting there, I drive but I like to depend on mass transit and in Detroit that leaves me with the bus so that's the problem I had.

This is off topic but it'd be nice if downtown and midtown Detroit were connected and that expressway was removed, I think that's I-75.

I'm kind of replying to ya backwards lol, you're right on the place in Greektown and that wasn't bad to me. In Chicago I pretty much go with Connie's, Beggar's or Giordano's. Most Chicagoians would probably say Giordano's or Gino's East for pizza.

I love the Italian Beef from Mr. Beef that place on Orleans Street is the bomb.

Then you have Nancy's, Lou Malnatti's which I hate. There is also a pizza place in the Holiday Inn on Harrison in front of the post office, that place is awful. That's Arellio's, it's not even Chicago style pizza.

Malnattis? Giordanos?? Dude those are tourist joints! Over a decade living in Chicago between me and my husband I don't think we ever ate there [[even when he lived in the Gold Coast), besides samples at Taste. Get over to Pequods - most Chicagoans I know list that as the best. Constantly rated the highest by Red Eye and the like. Now Pizanos was founded by one of the Malnati brothers way back in the day but it isn't on the tourist trail. Mrs. Malnati, well into her 80s, still makes the dough [[unless she died recently). Check out the original - it is on State between Delaware and Chestnut, I believe. Pizanos is usually packed so order your pizza when you put in your name for a table so it is ready soon after you sit down.

You can take a cab to Buddy's. Do you use Uber in Chicago? You can use it here now too.

I don't think I-75 is too bad. Its like crossing I-90/I-94 to get to West Loop or Greektown in Chicago. I'd walk from my place in Wicker Park to downtown on nice days too, crossing the highways in Chicago. Walkways over the highway keep it from being a hindrance to a walkable city and Chicago and Detroit both have that. Illitch, the owner of Little Caesars and the Red Wings, has said he is building a $650M "entertainment complex" and it is speculated that it will be in that open area, connecting downtown and midtown. We will see I guess.

Where are you in Chicago, Hyde Park? Humboldt Park?

[chicagoforlife]

Malnattis? Giordanos?? Dude those are tourist joints! Over a decade living in Chicago between me and my husband I don't think we ever ate there [[even when he lived in the Gold Coast), besides samples at Taste. Get over to Pequods - most Chicagoans I know list that as the best. Constantly rated the highest by Red Eye and the like. Now Pizanos was founded by one of the Malnati brothers way back in the day but it isn't on the tourist trail. Mrs. Malnati, well into her 80s, still makes the dough [[unless she died recently). Check out the original - it is on State between Delaware and Chestnut, I believe. Pizanos is usually packed so order your pizza when you put in your name for a table so it is ready soon after you sit down.

You can take a cab to Buddy's. Do you use Uber in Chicago? You can use it here now too.

I don't think I-75 is too bad. Its like crossing I-90/I-94 to get to West Loop or Greektown in Chicago. I'd walk from my place in Wicker Park to downtown on nice days too, crossing the highways in Chicago. Walkways over the highway keep it from being a hindrance to a walkable city and Chicago and Detroit both have that. Illitch, the owner of Little Caesars and the Red Wings, has said he is building a $650M "entertainment complex" and it is speculated that it will be in that open area, connecting downtown and midtown. We will see I guess.

Where are you in Chicago, Hyde Park? Humboldt Park?

Not really, Giordano's is everywhere here, there are at least 20 locations. I know where Pizano's is at, it's a decent place.

Where exactly is Buddy's located? I don't think I've ever come across that place. I liked the place in Greektown though.

The thing with the expressway is that the Kennedy/Dan Ryan is a little ways west of downtown, it seems like I-75 in Detroit is almost cutting right through downtown.

And nope, I'm in Bridgeport.

[TexasT]

Not really, Giordano's is everywhere here, there are at least 20 locations. I know where Pizano's is at, it's a decent place.

Where exactly is Buddy's located? I don't think I've ever come across that place. I liked the place in Greektown though.

The thing with the expressway is that the Kennedy/Dan Ryan is a little ways west of downtown, it seems like I-75 in Detroit is almost cutting right through downtown.

And nope, I'm in Bridgeport.

The highway is closer to the central business district but my point was more that it doesn't affect foot traffic so it's a non factor.

The same way Chicago built theirs for walkability:



So did Detroit:



Now compare that to say, my hometown of Houston, where you have to cross under a 6-8 lane highway [[dark, dirty, and wet) to get to our Midtown:





Or, also in Houston, meander through whatever the hell this is to get to another popular residential area of downtown Houston:



Detroit's highway is closer to its CBD than Chicago's [[but does not cut through it by any means), but it's still set up to be a nonfactor when it comes to being able to walk from downtown out to other areas.


Oh and Buddy's is at McNichols and Conant. You could take the bus straight there but it's a ways out of downtown. That's why I was saying they should put a location downtown. I'm not a native - only been here since end of last summer - but Buddy's seems beloved. They should come on down here!

[Spartan]

Oh and Buddy's is at McNichols and Conant. You could take the bus straight there but it's a ways out of downtown. That's why I was saying they should put a location downtown. I'm not a native - only been here since end of last summer - but Buddy's seems beloved. They should come on down here!

I don't see any way Buddy's would open a location downtown because it would take too much business from the original location. I'm not sure a lot of people would go out of their way, into a fairly sketchy area, just to go to the original Buddy's. Although, I suppose both Warren and Dearborn locations are not really that far away, so maybe it could survive it.

[TexasT]

I don't see any way Buddy's would open a location downtown because it would take too much business from the original location

Don't dash my dreams of Buddy's on my lunch break!

Although I haven't tried this Nikki's yet...

[chicagoforlife]

I don't see any way Buddy's would open a location downtown because it would take too much business from the original location. I'm not sure a lot of people would go out of their way, into a fairly sketchy area, just to go to the original Buddy's. Although, I suppose both Warren and Dearborn locations are not really that far away, so maybe it could survive it.

Well here in Chicago we have Al's Beef that has an original location on Taylor and Aberdeen in Little Italy. They have locations all over the city of Chicago and the suburbs.

[chicagoforlife]

The highway is closer to the central business district but my point was more that it doesn't affect foot traffic so it's a non factor.

The same way Chicago built theirs for walkability:



So did Detroit:



Now compare that to say, my hometown of Houston, where you have to cross under a 6-8 lane highway [[dark, dirty, and wet) to get to our Midtown:





Or, also in Houston, meander through whatever the hell this is to get to another popular residential area of downtown Houston:



Detroit's highway is closer to its CBD than Chicago's [[but does not cut through it by any means), but it's still set up to be a nonfactor when it comes to being able to walk from downtown out to other areas.


Oh and Buddy's is at McNichols and Conant. You could take the bus straight there but it's a ways out of downtown. That's why I was saying they should put a location downtown. I'm not a native - only been here since end of last summer - but Buddy's seems beloved. They should come on down here!

My point is that in Detroit it breaks up downtown from the rest of the city making it not very walkable, right in the heart of downtown it's different but it'd be nice to see downtown connected to other areas of the city and see those areas develop. I know midtown Detroit has developed a little around the hospital's and Wayne State but it's still not very well connected to any other area of the city.

In Chicago though the West Loop, South Loop, River North and so on aren't broken up by any expressway's, Greektown is but that's a smaller area around Halsted and Jackson. River North is broken from downtown by the river but I think Chicago utilizes that perfectly, then there isn't anything to break up the city going north at all.

I hate the expressway's, they take up too much land and break up neighborhoods but I can see why they are needed. The Dan Ryan sees right around 300,000 vehicles a day, I can't imagine the thru traffic going through Chicago on city streets. That massive expressway is 14 lanes wide with the red line L running down the middle it's crazy how much land that thing takes up.

Getting back on topic though, I would venture up to that area if it was really worth it. I could also drive but I don't like doing that in bigger cities, I only drive when I really have to here otherwise I take the bus or train. I only know about the #53 bus on Woodward because I've come in on Amtrak before and taken the #53 bus downtown. I imagine I'd have to transfer at some point to get to McNichols and Conant though.

Is Detroit on hopstop? If so then I could easily see how to get there on the bus. I was just in Detroit on Sunday to see the massive whooping my Blackhawks put on the Red Wings haha.

[TexasT]

My point is that in Detroit it breaks up downtown from the rest of the city making it not very walkable, right in the heart of downtown it's different but it'd be nice to see downtown connected to other areas of the city and see those areas develop. I know midtown Detroit has developed a little around the hospital's and Wayne State but it's still not very well connected to any other area of the city.

How is this in Detroit:


any more of an impediment to walking or development than this in Chicago:



Or this in Chicago:



You have to cross that ^^^ to get to the West Loop, especially its Restaurant Row at which starts on Randolph at Desplaines or so and heads west, over the highway for several blocks - it straddles the highway. 90/94 certainly is not breaking anything up, nor is the river breaking up River North/Gold Coast/Streeterville from the Loop. I think in some cities, like Houston, it does rope the city in, but that's not the case in Chicago or Detroit [[or other cities that structure their highways in such a manner).

That's exactly why it is thought that the new Red Wings arena and $650M entertainment complex is going right across 75 from Foxtown - it's easily accessible to both midtown and the rest of downtown. Walkable, bikable, driveable, easily.

Getting back on topic though, I would venture up to that area if it was really worth it. I could also drive but I don't like doing that in bigger cities,

Better not go to any major city outside of Chicago and the Northeast then...LA, Houston, Dallas, and Atlanta require cars, fwiw.

Just use Uber. It's newer here in Detroit so I haven't used it but my friends back home in Chicago love it. It must have started up out there after last summer because I don't recall hearing about it at all before I left.

[subsidized]

I was just in Detroit on Sunday to see the massive whooping my Blackhawks put on the Red Wings haha.

watch it now...