Buddy's Pizza

Buddy's Pizza

Review
About
My Take
Our Take

The square pie was born here. 1946, this building, blue steel pans, cheese pressed to the caramelized edge — every Detroit-style pizza in America descends from this room, and that fact is permanent.

The pizza being served on that fact is chain product. Buddy's scaled across Michigan and the original's pie scaled down with it, while smaller Detroit rooms carried the style forward. The birthplace deserves the plaque. The best square in town is somewhere else.

The Spot
Buddy's Pizza serves Detroit-style square pizza, and the detail reviewers bring up first is the frico crust — cheese pushed to the pan's edge so it caramelizes into a crisp, browned border around each pie. Pepperoni and ham versions, salads, and a range of toppings round out the menu.

A lot of the online conversation around Buddy's comes from visitors making a point of trying it while in Detroit, but locals recommend it just as readily as a dependable order in the city's pizza style.
THE TELLS
Nope
CROWDS2,679 reviews
RATING4.4 stars, and we don't buy it
LOCALSCalled a tourist trap, repeatedly2026
SPLITVisitors love it. Regulars don't go.2026
The Regulars
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