Detroit-Style Pizza 101

What Is Detroit-Style Pizza?

The history, the brick cheese, the crispy corners — everything that makes Detroit-style pizza different, from the team at Detroit Pizza Co. in Murrieta.

The Quick Answer

Detroit-style pizza is a thick, rectangular pan pizza that originated in Detroit in the 1940s. It’s baked in blue-steel pans with Wisconsin brick cheese spread all the way to the edges, which caramelizes into a crunchy, golden crust. It’s topped with stripes of red sauce and has a light, airy, focaccia-like interior.

Where Detroit-Style Pizza Came From

Detroit-style pizza traces back to Detroit in the 1940s. Its signature square shape comes from the blue-steel pans that were originally used in the city’s automotive industry. Those heavy, well-seasoned pans conduct heat beautifully — perfect for creating a crust that’s crisp on the outside and soft inside.

For decades it was a Motor City secret. Today it’s one of the most talked-about pizza styles in the country — but on the West Coast, an authentic version is still hard to find.

What Makes It Different

The Pan

Rectangular blue-steel pans give it its shape and a fried, crunchy bottom.

The Cheese

Wisconsin brick cheese goes edge to edge and caramelizes into a crispy, lacy “frico” crust.

The Sauce

Bold stripes of red sauce go on top, so the crust stays airy and never soggy.

The Crust

Thick but light — an open, airy crumb that’s crisp outside and chewy inside.

Detroit-Style vs. Chicago Deep Dish vs. Sicilian

	Detroit-Style	Chicago Deep Dish	Sicilian
Shape	Rectangular	Round, tall sides	Rectangular
Crust	Thick, airy, crispy fried edges	Buttery, pie-like	Thick, spongy, bready
Cheese	Brick cheese to the edges, caramelized	Thick layer under the sauce	Varies, often lighter
Sauce	Striped on top	Chunky layer on top	Usually under or with the cheese

How We Make It at Detroit Pizza Co.

Proprietary dough made fresh every day in our Murrieta kitchen
Wisconsin brick cheese caramelized along every edge
Grande mozzarella across the top
House-made marinara, striped on top
Baked fresh to order in steel pans

Detroit-Style Pizza FAQs

What is Detroit-style pizza?

Detroit-style pizza is a thick, rectangular pan pizza that originated in Detroit in the 1940s. It’s baked in blue-steel pans with Wisconsin brick cheese spread to the edges so it caramelizes into a crispy crust, and it’s finished with stripes of tomato sauce on top.

What cheese is used on Detroit-style pizza?

Traditional Detroit-style pizza uses Wisconsin brick cheese, a mild, high-fat cheese that melts and caramelizes beautifully along the edges of the pan.

Why is the sauce on top?

Striping the sauce on top keeps the airy crust from getting soggy and lets the cheese crisp up against the pan.

Where can I get Detroit-style pizza in Murrieta?

Detroit Pizza Co. at 27890 Clinton Keith Road, Suite C, Murrieta, CA 92562 serves authentic Detroit-style pizza daily from 11 AM to 9 PM.

Taste It for Yourself

Authentic Detroit-style pizza, made fresh daily in Murrieta.