Pizza styles from other areas have been popping up in our neck of the woods.
This week after shoveling what seemed like tons of wet snow, we treated ourselves to a decadent Detroit pizza from Diggy’s at Brickhouse in Chelmsford Center. We hadn’t sampled one before because these pies are made only in a limited number every Wednesday. Take a peek at that crackly crisp crust, courtesy of lots of gooey cheese.
I hadn’t known that cheese gets layered directly atop the crust in a Detroit style pie, which helps to form that oh-so crisp crust. While the tomato sauce is meant to be dolloped on top, our pizza arrived with an extra generous layer of sauce that caramelized deliciously in the oven. This is one very rich pie, so we have leftovers.
And while South Shore bar pizza isn’t a north of Boston thing, we’ve been happy to discover that South Shore pizza features on the regular menu of Epigram Brew Co. in Tyngsboro. Edge-to-edge cheese and crisp crust are characteristics this thin pie shares with the much thicker Detroit pizza. Another path to cheesy and crispy indulgence.
I’m curious to know if others are encountering delicious examples of regional pizza styles from outside the area here in MA.
The best Detroit pizza I’ve had in MA so far is from Volo in Swampscott. They have a pie with double pepperoni and hot honey that’s nearly perfect. (Tip: Ask for extra honey; I think they go a bit too light with it by default.) Sounds like I need to get to Chelmsford for a comparison. Thanks for posting on this!
Most of the pizza in our area is mediocre at best, crap at worst.
A Detroit-style pizza place that opened a year or so ago is the only bright light. I was surprised how much I liked it, having never had it before and being pretty solidly in the Neapolitan crust camp.
Ours makes a dill pickle ranch pizza that is out of this world, and their vodka sauce pie is also great. Fluffy, crispy crust, crispy cheese on the edges, and high quality toppings.
Diggy’s is a neighborhood sports bar with so many TVs. Nice folks though.
BTW, I need to find out if a person can reserve one of their Wednesday pies. They only had 4 available at 6 PM, right at what seems to be peak family dinner hour. Our server said the dough is made in-house for Detroit pizza, which might account for the limited-ness.
I don’t know when we can next make it there on a Wednesday, but I’m making a note.
(I don’t know if it’s this thread or the migraine that motivated me to order pizza for lunch; Big Al’s in Tyngsboro, taking over the space formerly occupied by the Brazilian pizza place 266. They’re our current go-to for delivery.)
We like the Detroit-style pizza from Avenue Kitchen in Somerville. The white broccoli rabe is excellent (according to me) as is the pepperoni (according to the rest of my family). They also distinguish themselves by having excellent salads - we love a salad with our takeout pizza and many pizza places’ salads are afterthoughts at best and translucent iceberg at worst. The Avenue kale avocado and Caesar are both worth ordering.
I like Avenue a lot too. Really good food, plus a nice beer selection.
The place I mentioned above is basically no atmosphere, 100% takeout, but I think the pizza is slightly better than Avenue’s especially in terms of crust texture, and I give them bonus points for being some of the nicest restaurant people I’ve talked to, anywhere. (Not sure if that counts )
On the topic of other pizza styles, there’s an Indian style place I’ve been meaning to try, Pizza Grove in Groveland. (Near Haverhill.) Chicken tikka masala pizza sounds amazing to me. Anyone try this place?
Nicest people totally counts and I love having a new place to add to the list. We’re not up that way much, but always happy to have a pizza destination. Thanks for the tip!
Two more Detroit-style options in different parts of GBA:
Square Mfg Co on Route 9 in Natick, not far from the mall. Takeout only, but it’s good (at least it was when I could eat it) and they offer weekly and seasonal specials. I liked the salads too.
Citizen Crust at Patriot Place in Foxboro. Avoid on game days, but otherwise it’s excellent pizza.
At the opposite end of the crust spectrum is the very thin crust offered at Sweet Tomatoes in Needham and Newton.
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