Quick answer
Detroit isn't just a pizza city — it's THE pizza city that invented its own style. The city's signature square deep-dish pizza, baked in blue steel auto-industry pans with Wisconsin brick cheese that caramelizes into crispy, lacy edges, has become one of America's most celebrated regional food traditions.
- Best overall
- Buddy's Pizza
- Top pick
- Buddy's Pizza
Top verdicts
- Buddy's Pizza: The original Conant location is the one to visit if you want the historical experience; the suburban branches use the same recipe but lack the room.
- Loui's Pizza: Cash works fastest, the dining room is small, and Wednesday-Thursday are by far the calmest nights to get a table.
- Michigan & Trumbull: Reservations or pre-orders are essential; it's a small kitchen with a focused output.
Born in 1946 at Buddy's Rendezvous Pizzeria, Detroit-style pizza uses a thick, airy focaccia-like crust pressed into rectangular pans, loaded with cheese spread edge-to-edge (creating those famous crispy cheese crowns), and finished with racing stripes of tangy tomato sauce on top. It's the inverse of most pizzas — and it works brilliantly.
But Detroit's pizza scene goes far beyond its signature style. You'll find Neapolitan pies with VPN certification, coal-fired New Haven-style apizza, Bangladeshi-fusion ghost pepper pies, and creative modern takes on the classic square. From the original 1946 Buddy's to 2020s newcomers like Michigan & Trumbull, this guide covers the full spectrum.
Area map
All 10 spots at a glance
| # | Name | Style | Price | Area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Buddy's Pizza | detroit-style | mid | East Side Detroit |
| 2 | Loui's Pizza | detroit-style | mid | Hazel Park |
| 3 | Michigan & Trumbull | detroit-style | mid | New Center, Detroit |
| 4 | Supino Pizzeria | neapolitan | mid | Eastern Market, Detroit |
| 5 | Grandma Bob's | detroit-style | mid | Corktown, Detroit |
| 6 | Cloverleaf Pizza | detroit-style | mid | Eastpointe |
| 7 | Amar Pizza | fusion | mid | Hamtramck |
| 8 | Tomatoes Apizza | new-haven-style | mid | Farmington Hills |
| 9 | Shield's Pizza | detroit-style | mid | Midtown, Detroit |
| 10 | PizzaPlex | neapolitan | mid | Southwest Detroit |
1Buddy's Pizza
Detroit-StyleQuick comparison
- Best for
- The 1946 Detroit-style original
- Strengths
- Known for Detroit-Style · East Side Detroit
- Price / value
- $$
- Why it made the list
- Buddy's invented Detroit-style pizza in 1946 — the rectangular, deep-pan, cheese-to-the-edge format that Detroit gave to the pizza world started in the original East Side dining room. Still the genre's reference point, with 4,200 reviews at 4.6 stars.
- What to order
- The Detroiter — pepperoni cooked under the cheese with the racing-stripe red-sauce-on-top — this is the dish Buddy's invented and the one to order first.
🕐 Opening hours
2Loui's Pizza
Detroit-StyleQuick comparison
- Best for
- The connoisseur's Detroit-style pick
- Strengths
- Known for Detroit-Style · Hazel Park
- Price / value
- $$
- Why it made the list
- Loui's in Hazel Park is widely considered the connoisseur's Detroit-style pick — Louis Tourtois, a former Buddy's pizzaiolo, opened his own shop in 1977 and many local pizza local consensus rate the crust here higher than the Buddy's original. 4,426 reviews at 4.6.
- What to order
- The pepperoni Detroit-style — Loui's lets the corner pieces caramelize harder than Buddy's, and that crust char is the differentiator.
🕐 Opening hours
3Michigan & Trumbull
Detroit-StyleQuick comparison
- Best for
- Modern Detroit-style at its most refined
- Strengths
- Known for Detroit-Style · New Center, Detroit
- Price / value
- $$
- Why it made the list
- Michigan & Trumbull is the modern-Detroit-style flagship — Nate Peck and Kristen Calverley pushed the genre forward with serious sourcing and a thinner, crisper version of the corner-cheese crust. 4.8 stars across 321 reviews is rare territory.
- What to order
- Whichever specialty pie the kitchen is featuring — M&T runs creative seasonal toppings, and that's where the kitchen distinguishes itself from the institutions.
4Supino Pizzeria
NeapolitanQuick comparison
- Best for
- Wood-fired Neapolitan in Detroit
- Strengths
- Known for Neapolitan · Eastern Market, Detroit
- Price / value
- $$
- Why it made the list
- Supino in Eastern Market is Detroit's flagship Neapolitan-style operation — Dave Mancini's wood-fired pies prove Detroit pizza isn't only the rectangular pan format. 2,998 reviews at 4.6 confirms it as a city standard.
- What to order
- The Margherita or a white-sauce specialty — Supino's strength is in the Neapolitan classics where the crust char shows.
🕐 Opening hours
5Grandma Bob's
Detroit-StyleQuick comparison
- Best for
- New-generation Corktown Detroit-style
- Strengths
- Known for Detroit-Style · Corktown, Detroit
- Price / value
- $$
- Why it made the list
- Grandma Bob's in Corktown is one of the new-generation Detroit-style operations — taking the rectangular pan format and dialing up the crust caramelization further than the institutions do. 4.6 across 679 reviews.
- What to order
- The Detroit-style with sausage and the corner-piece — Grandma Bob's bakes for harder corner crust than most.
🕐 Opening hours
6Cloverleaf Pizza
Detroit-StyleQuick comparison
- Best for
- The other 1946 Detroit-style original
- Strengths
- Known for Detroit-Style · Eastpointe
- Price / value
- $
- Why it made the list
- Cloverleaf in Eastpointe is the other 1946 claimant — Gus Guerra, who many Detroit pizza historians credit with developing the original recipe at Buddy's, opened Cloverleaf when he left, taking the technique with him. 4.2 across 800 reviews.
- What to order
- The classic Detroit-style with pepperoni — this is the dish Guerra brought from Buddy's, served in the second-original dining room.
7Amar Pizza
FusionQuick comparison
- Best for
- Bangladeshi-Detroit-style fusion
- Strengths
- Known for Fusion · Hamtramck
- Price / value
- $
- Why it made the list
- Amar Pizza in Hamtramck is one of Detroit's most distinctive operations — Bangladeshi-American owners cooking pizza with regional South Asian toppings on top of a Detroit-style base. 4.4 across 151 reviews from a small but devoted following.
- What to order
- Whichever specialty pie features the South Asian flavors — chicken tikka or paneer toppings on Detroit-style is the dish that makes Amar worth the trip.
8Tomatoes Apizza
New Haven-StyleQuick comparison
- Best for
- New Haven-style in metro Detroit
- Strengths
- Known for New Haven-Style · Farmington Hills
- Price / value
- $$
- Why it made the list
- Tomatoes in Farmington Hills runs New Haven-style apizza — coal-fired-tasting char on irregular-shaped pies. The 4.5 across 514 reviews puts it on the suburban-Detroit pizza shortlist.
- What to order
- The white clam apizza — New Haven's signature, and the reason to drive to Farmington Hills for it.
9Shield's Pizza
Detroit-StyleQuick comparison
- Best for
- 1937-era Detroit pizza dining room
- Strengths
- Known for Detroit-Style · Midtown, Detroit
- Price / value
- $$
- Why it made the list
- Shield's has been part of the Detroit dining landscape since 1937 — meaning a Detroit-style operation that pre-dates the formal invention of the genre at Buddy's. 4.3 across 579 reviews and a Midtown dining room with real history.
- What to order
- The pan pizza with pepperoni — Shield's stays close to the classic Detroit format.
🕐 Opening hours
10PizzaPlex
NeapolitanQuick comparison
- Best for
- VPN-certified Neapolitan in Detroit
- Strengths
- Known for Neapolitan · Southwest Detroit
- Price / value
- $$
- Why it made the list
- PizzaPlex in Southwest Detroit is Detroit's certified Vera Pizza Napoletana operation — meaning the dough, oven temperature, and technique meet the Italian governing body's strict Neapolitan standards. 4.5 across 90 reviews on a smaller volume.
- What to order
- The Margherita — the dish the Vera Pizza Napoletana certification is built around, and the right way to test the certification.
🕐 Opening hours
Frequently asked questions
What is Detroit-style pizza?
Detroit-style pizza is a thick, rectangular deep-dish pizza baked in blue steel pans originally used in Detroit's auto factories. It features a thick, airy, focaccia-like crust with Wisconsin brick cheese spread edge-to-edge that caramelizes into crispy, lacy edges. The sauce is typically applied on top in "racing stripes" rather than under the cheese.
What's the best Detroit-style pizza in Detroit?
Based on local consensus, Loui's Pizza in Hazel Park is considered the best overall, with Buddy's (the inventor of the style) and Michigan & Trumbull (the modern innovator) as close seconds. Cloverleaf, founded by Buddy's original creator, is the dark horse favorite among locals.
Is Buddy's Pizza the original Detroit-style pizza?
Yes. Buddy's Rendezvous Pizzeria on Conant Street invented Detroit-style pizza in 1946 when founder Gus Guerra adapted Sicilian-style pizza using blue steel auto parts pans. Gus later sold Buddy's and opened Cloverleaf, which many consider the evolution of his original recipe.
Where should I go for non-Detroit-style pizza in Detroit?
Supino Pizzeria in Eastern Market serves the best thin-crust Neapolitan-inspired pizza. PizzaPlex in Southwest Detroit is the city's only VPN-certified Neapolitan pizzeria. Tomatoes Apizza in Farmington Hills serves excellent coal-fired New Haven-style pies.
Is it worth driving to Hazel Park for Loui's Pizza?
Absolutely. Loui's is a 15-minute drive from downtown Detroit and is consistently rated #1 in the metro area. Just be prepared — it's cash only, there's no website for ordering, and weekend waits can exceed 45 minutes.
What's the most unique pizza experience in Detroit?
Amar Pizza in Hamtramck, which fuses Bangladeshi flavors with Detroit pizza tradition. Their ghost pepper pizza and dry fish pizza (featured on Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern) are unlike anything you'll find elsewhere in the US. Named one of the best pizzerias in America by The New York Times.
How much does pizza cost in Detroit?
Detroit pizza is excellent value. A classic Detroit-style deep dish runs $14-22 for a large pie. Individual slices at casual spots cost $3-5. Higher-end Neapolitan pies at places like Supino or PizzaPlex run $16-24. Most restaurants in this guide are firmly in the $$ range.
Can I visit multiple pizza spots in one day?
Yes — Detroit's pizza spots are spread across the metro but most are within a 20-30 minute drive. A great pizza crawl: start at Buddy's (the origin), then Supino in Eastern Market for thin crust, Grandma Bob's in Corktown for creative takes, and finish at Shield's in Midtown with a beer. That covers 4 distinct styles in one day.