Buddy's Pizza: A Detroit Favorite

What could be better than Chicago-style deep-dish pizza with a side of Detroit-style ambiance? Don't answer that question. But do try Buddy's Pizza.

I first heard about Buddy's on a local Detroit news station one summer evening. Pizza always looks appetizing, but the cheese and pepperoni combo looked especially good at 6:00 p.m. (knowing that left-overs were on my evening menu). I filed the name in my memory bank and hoped that I would have an opportunity to try Buddy's some day.

Although the name was new to me, Buddy's, first opened in 1946, has long been lavished with praise and awards from local authorities - The Detroit Free Press, The Detroit News, and others - as well as from national authorities - The Food Network, king of all foodie enterprises. Since its Detroit inception, the chain has opened eight additional outposts in neighboring communities.

After a recent Sunday drive through Detroit, my famished travel partners and I needed some sustenance for the ride home. We were in Dearborn when, lo and behold, I noticed the Buddy's Pizza logo. The structure's exterior, with its primary colors and inviting patio, emerged from the blander, yuppy-ized storefronts in the area. I suggested that we stop in and try Detroit's highly touted pizza.

The interior of the building is covered in tributes to Detroit sports icons and televisions tuned to ESPN. The high ceilings, clean décor, and, to top things off, the most spacious restaurant bathroom that I have ever seen, makes this roadside stop a pleasant change from the usual cavernous, smoky pizza joints.

Pizzas at Buddy's come in either "4 square" or "8 square" sizes. The former run about $8-10 each, while the latter size runs about $15. Buddy's offers a full range of specialty pizzas, pastas, salads, and sandwiches.

My companions and I ordered two "4 squares" - one with pepperoni and green peppers, the other with pepperoni, sausage, and mushrooms. Both pizzas arrived hot and fresh, scored into four slices per pizza. The initial presentation looked promising: the perimeter of the pizza had a nice, golden brown crisp to it. The Wisconsin cheese was flavorful enough that copious amounts were not needed. The sauce stood out as another strong point; it had a bright tomato flavor, although I wish there had been more of it. The meat and vegetable toppings were adequately distributed.

Now for the important part: the crust. Buddy's crusts were crispy on the top edges, but lighter and airier than what one usually expects from a deep-dish pizza. My companions and I agreed that we prefer a little more resistance when we bite into a slice of pizza - either thin and crispy, or a little thicker and chewier. Buddy's finds itself somewhere in the middle, a pizza that can be consumed quickly without leaving a doughy knot in one's stomach. I split a "4 square" with one companion, but easily could have devoured the entire pizza.

While the pizza at Buddy's is most definitely tasty, I would not go out of my way for it. Clearly, the ingredients are fresh and it's an establishment in which the city of Detroit can take pride. But would I label it as the "best" pizza? No - that's a title I still reserve for Marion's Pizza, in Dayton, Ohio.