Detroit-Style vs Deep Dish Pizza: What’s the Difference?

Detroit-Style vs Deep Dish Pizza: What’s the Difference?

Detroit and Chicago both claim a heavyweight spot in the world of thick-crust pizza. Hungry Howie’s serves up both Detroit-style and deep dish; you can order whichever craving wins the hunger battle. Or, better yet, stage your own taste test and order both!

 

What Is Detroit-Style Pizza?

Detroit-style pizza got its start in the 1940s, when clever bakers turned steel pans from the auto industry into the perfect vessel for pizza. That industrial heritage gave us a bold, rectangular pie that’s been a Motor City classic ever since. If you’re searching Chicago vs. Detroit pizza, it’s a classic American story.

 

What Makes Detroit-Style Pizza So Unique

Detroit-style pizza isn’t shy about making its presence known. The crust is thick and airy, like focaccia but with a bit of an edge. Cheese goes right to the rim, which melts into crispy caramelization against the steel pan. It’s baked in a rectangle and often finished with stripes of sauce drizzled on top after the bake, its signature flair!

 

Order Detroit-Style Pizza at Hungry Howie’s

 

What Is Deep Dish Pizza?

On the other side of the Midwest, Chicago invented its own legend: deep-dish. First served in the 1940s, this pizza is as much an architectural feat as it is a meal. Think layers of toppings, then cheese, then chunky tomato sauce baked into a golden, high-walled crust. 

 

Deep Dish Pizza Signature Features

Deep dish has no fear of gravity. With toppings and cheese, thick tomato sauce, each slice is a fork-and-knife event. The crust is dense and buttery. Deep dish pizza is like a casserole that realized it was cooler to be a pizza.

 

Detroit-Style vs Deep Dish: The Real Differences

So how do these two legends actually stack up? Here’s how they compare.

 

Pizza Crust Differences

  • Detroit: Airy, light, crispy around the edges.
  • Deep dish: Dense, flaky, buttery, built to hold serious weight.

Cheese Types & Toppings

  • Detroit: Cheese edge-to-edge, toppings, then sauce stripes and parmesan cheese on top.
  • Deep dish: hearty sauce on fresh dough, cheese, and then choice of toppings.

Pizza Sauce Differences

  • Detroit: Sauce often added post-bake, in bold red stripes.
  • Deep dish: Sauce baked in, thick and chunky.

Pizza Shape & Serving Style

  • Detroit: Rectangular, cut into squares.
  • Deep dish: Some deep-dish is served in a round pan. Hungry Howie’s is baked in rectangular pans.

Which Pizza Style Should You Try?

Time to pick your fighter: Team Detroit with its crispy cheese-to-the-edge squares, or Team Deep Dish with its layered, fork-and-knife pies. Both bring serious flavor, but only one can win in your kitchen.

 

Of course, the smart move is to call a truce and order both from Hungry Howie’s. Line them up, grab some friends, and settle the debate once and for all: Detroit squad vs. Deep Dish squad. Place your order for carryout or delivery, and let’s get ready to rumble!

 

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*Hungry Howie’s Detroit-style pizza is available at all locations; Hungry Howie’s Deep Dish is available in all states except Florida.