MY FAVORITE
Loui's - Buddy's gets the glory, but less refined version of Detroit-style that many -- including me -- think is actually the best. It's greasier and the sauce ain't as good as Buddy's (oh, it's REAL canned), but it's the punch in the gut you didn't know you had a fetish for.
Buddy's - Yes, you have to eat Detroit-style. Thick, light, crisp-on-the-edge foccacia-like bread, tangy sauce on a thick bed of cheese, and burnt cheese corners where cheese caramelizes and becomes one with the dough in the most holy of unions. Many people say you have to go to the original location...I am fine with any of them.
Tomatoes Apizza - I can't believe you can get legit great thin-crust New Haven-style from a coal oven in the subs of Detroit, but it's true, kids. They even do a Pizza Hut-style buffet for lunch (but still just do full pies).
Supino's - It's the best New York style in Detroit and that I would be there all the time if I lived there. And it's a super cool interior in a great location. But this is for locals, not tourists.
Cloverleaf Pizza - Another chain that's 70+ years old. I rank this under Buddy's, but if I grew up eating it maybe I would prefer it because it's just classically good. And like Buddies, the new spots are carry-out only, so make sure you check before trying to crush a fresh pie.
Shield's Pizza - Everybody who grew up in Detroit has their favorite spot, but I never hear anyone call out Shield's even though it's been around almost as long as Buddy's. It's not lights out stuff, but it's probably better than 99 percent of the Detroit-style out there.
Michigan & Trumbull - Probably the best of the modern takes on Detroit-style in the city, it's...good. Ingredients feel like a step up from the classics, but it makes the pie weirdly less specific. It may not be like a leap forward, but it's still real good.
PizzaPapalis - This used to be the treat of a lifetime when I was a kid. Authentic Chicago style really meant something. But it's just okay. It's probably still better than the corpse masquerading as Gino's East.
Toarmina's Pizza - The plus: There is no pizza in the world that I've eaten more of. The minus: That was because I worked there for 7 years. I guarantee the Big Cheese, a 24-inch pizza with a pound of pepperoni and 3 pounds of cheese, still tastes good though.
This is going to be an embarrassingly long list for someone who owns 17 Detroit shirts: HenriettaHaus, Pie Sci, Mootz, Pizza Cat Max, Major Tomato, Avalon Cafe, La Lanterna, Amar, Bigalora Cucina, Grandma Bob’s Pizza and many others.
NOT FOR ME
I'm not going to get in a beef with anyone in Detroit and neither should you. But I didn't love Jolly Pumpkin or Motor City Brewing Works, and don't get Jets if you're in Michigan.