The crown of frico on a blue-steel square.
Detroit-style isn’t deep-dish. It isn’t Sicilian. It’s a rectangular pan pizza baked in seasoned blue-steel automotive trays — yes, originally welded by Detroit autoworkers — with Wisconsin brick cheese pushed to the edges, where it caramelizes into a frico crown so good you’ll eat it last. We’re the only place in Arcadia making it the right way.
Five things that make it Detroit.
1. Seasoned blue-steel pans.
Originally automotive drip pans from the Motor City. Ours are imported from Detroit Style Pizza Co. and seasoned weekly. Steel transfers heat differently than aluminum — the bottom comes out shatter-crisp.
2. Wisconsin brick cheese — to the edges.
Not mozz. Brick cheese is buttery, slightly tangy, and melts into a sheen. When pushed against the hot pan wall, it crisps into a “frico” crown — the best part of the pizza.
3. Sauce on top, in stripes.
Three red stripes of San Marzano tomato sauce, laid on top after baking (so it stays bright and doesn’t soak the cheese). This is the Detroit signature.
4. A thick, focaccia-like base.
The dough proofs in the pan for 4 hours so it rises into a tender, airy structure — closer to focaccia than to round pizza. Crisp on the bottom, soft in the middle.
5. It’s baked, not flame-kissed.
Deck oven at 525°F for 14 minutes. Slow and steady. The pan does the work. You cannot rush a great Detroit square — it takes what it takes.
Bonus: That corner is yours.
Eight-piece cut means four corner pieces. The corners have crisp on three sides — they’re the prize. Fight your friends for them, or order two pies and end the conflict.
Why does brick cheese matter?
Brick cheese was invented in Wisconsin in the 1870s by a Swiss cheesemaker named John Jossi. He wanted something between a cheddar and a Limburger. He used actual bricks to press out the whey — hence the name.
When it’s young (under 4 weeks), brick is mild and buttery. That’s the cheese Detroit pizzaiolos chose in the 1940s, and it’s the only cheese that produces a real frico crust. We source ours from Widmer’s in Theresa, Wisconsin — a 100-year-old family creamery that still uses original bricks.
Mozzarella is great. But on a Detroit square, mozz is wrong.
Detroit pizza FAQ
Is Detroit-style the same as Sicilian?
No. Sicilian is square and thick-crusted, but uses regular mozzarella and red sauce under the cheese. Detroit uses brick cheese to the edges, sauce on top, and is baked in seasoned blue steel. Different DNA, different bite.
How big is a Detroit square at APC?
Our pans are 8″ × 10″, cut into 8 pieces. Serves 2–3 hungry adults. Want more? Order two — they share well, and the corner pieces double up.
Do you do gluten-free Detroit?
Not yet. The pan-rise process doesn’t work with our current GF flour. We’re testing. Sign up for the dough drop and you’ll be the first to know when it’s available.
What’s the deal with “cup-and-char” pepperoni?
Old-school natural-casing pepperoni curls into little cups when baked, holding pools of pepperoni grease and crisping at the rim. We use Ezzo Sausage Co. pepperoni out of Columbus, Ohio. It’s the right kind.
Why are there no Detroit-style places in Arcadia?
Honestly? Because it’s hard. Pans are expensive, dough takes 6 hours of attention, and brick cheese isn’t sold at Restaurant Depot. Most places shortcut it. We don’t. That’s why we exist.
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