What is Detroit-style pizza?
Detroit-style pizza is a rectangular, deep-pan pizza with a thick, airy, focaccia-like crust, cheese spread all the way to the edges so it caramelizes into a crispyfrico crown, and tomato sauce striped ontop after baking. Born in Detroit in 1946, it's square-cut, crispy-edged, and unlike any other slice in America.
The anatomy of a Detroit-style pizza
Four things define the style: an airy crust, a caramelized cheese edge, sauce on top, and the steel pan that makes all three possible.
The crust
A high-hydration dough proofed in the pan until it's tall and open-crumbed — closer to focaccia than to any round pizza. Oil in the pan essentially fries the bottom as it bakes, so every square is pillowy inside and crackly underneath.
The frico edge
Cheese is pushed past where the toppings stop, all the way to the pan wall. There it melts, fries, and caramelizes into a lacy, crunchy border called frico — the signature bite of the style and the reason corner pieces go first.
The sauce on top
Bright tomato sauce goes on after the bake, striped over the cheese in bold "racing stripes." The crust stays crisp, the sauce stays fresh, and every slice gets that red-on-gold Detroit look.
The pan
The original pans were blue-steel parts trays from Detroit's auto plants. Seasoned steel runs hot and fast, which is exactly what the style needs: a fried bottom, caramelized edges, and a clean release when the square pops out.
A short history: Detroit, 1946
Detroit-style pizza was invented in 1946 at Buddy's Rendezvous, a neighborhood tavern on Detroit's east side. The kitchen baked a Sicilian-inspired dough in rectangular blue-steel trays borrowed from the city's automotive plants — pans built to hold small parts, not pizza.
The steel turned out to be the secret. It fried the crust, caramelized the cheese against the walls, and produced a square pie unlike anything else: crispy outside, airy inside, sauce on top. The style stayed a Detroit specialty for decades before spreading nationwide — and eventually to the San Francisco Bay Area, where Joyride Pizzabakes it fresh every day.
Detroit vs. Sicilian vs. deep dish vs. New York
The short answer: Detroit-style is the airy, crispy-edged square with sauce on top. Sicilian is breadier, Chicago deep dish is a knife-and-fork pie, and New York is the thin, foldable classic.
| Feature | Detroit-style | Sicilian | Chicago deep dish | New York slice |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shape | Rectangular, cut into squares | Square or rectangular sheet | Round, tall-walled pie | Round, cut into wide wedges |
| Crust | Thick but airy, focaccia-like, crispy fried bottom | Thick, bready, and spongy | Dense, buttery, pastry-like | Thin, hand-stretched, foldable |
| Cheese | Brick cheese to the pan edge; caramelized frico crown | Mozzarella, baked in with toppings | Mozzarella layered on the bottom, under everything | Low-moisture mozzarella over the sauce |
| Sauce | Striped on top after baking | Baked in, often over the cheese | Chunky tomato on the very top | Under the cheese |
| Bake | Hot and fast in an oiled steel pan | Oiled sheet pan | Long, slower bake in a deep round pan | Directly on the oven deck |
How Joyride makes Detroit-style pizza
Joyride Pizza's Detroit-style squares, served at seven Bay Area locations, start with a focaccia-style crust made from organic unbleached Central Valley Yecora Rojo flour — a California heritage wheat that bakes up tall, tender, and deeply flavorful.
We blend mozzarella with Wisconsin-style brick cheese — the traditional Detroit choice — and spread it to the very edge of the steel pan so every square gets its caramelized frico crown. After the bake, house marinara is striped across the top, the classic Detroit finish.
You'll find those squares across San Francisco — from ourYerba Buena flagship near Moscone Center to slice houses on Market and Valencia — plus Barebottle taprooms in Walnut Creek and Santa Clara. Gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, and vegan options are available;see our dietary guide.
Detroit-style pizza FAQ
- Is Detroit-style pizza the same as Sicilian pizza?
- No. Both are rectangular pan pizzas, but Detroit-style has a lighter, airier crumb, cheese caramelized into a crispy frico edge against the pan, and sauce added on top after baking. Sicilian-style (and its American sfincione descendants) is typically breadier and spongier, with sauce and cheese baked in.
- Why is the sauce on top of Detroit-style pizza?
- Putting the sauce on top — often in two or three stripes, sometimes called "racing stripes" — keeps the crust from getting soggy and lets the cheese fuse directly to the dough and pan. The sauce stays bright and fresh-tasting instead of baking down under the cheese.
- What is the frico edge on a Detroit-style pizza?
- The frico edge is the lacy, crunchy crown of caramelized cheese that forms where cheese is spread all the way to the rim of the pan. Against the hot steel it fries into a crispy, deeply savory border — many people's favorite bite.
- Is Detroit-style pizza the same as deep dish?
- No. Chicago deep dish has a dense, pastry-like crust pressed up tall pan walls and is filled like a pie, with cheese under toppings and sauce. Detroit-style is a lighter, airier pan pizza — thick, but open-crumbed like focaccia, with a crispy fried bottom and edges.
- What kind of pan is Detroit-style pizza baked in?
- A rectangular steel pan. The originals were blue-steel utility trays borrowed from Detroit's automotive industry, prized because seasoned steel conducts heat hard and fast — frying the bottom of the dough and caramelizing the cheese at the edges.
- Where can I get Detroit-style pizza in the San Francisco Bay Area?
- Joyride Pizza serves Detroit-style pizza at seven Bay Area locations: Yerba Buena, Embarcadero (Pier 1), Market Street, Valencia Street, and Salesforce Park in San Francisco, plus Barebottle taprooms in Walnut Creek and Santa Clara. Order pickup or delivery at order.joyridepizza.com.
Taste the frico edge
Square slices. Crispy edges. Pure joy — at seven Bay Area spots.