Which Michigan City Was Named “Best Pizza City in America”?

If you ask most Americans which city is best known for its pizza, you’re likely going to hear “New York City” or “Chicago.” However, this Michigan city was just named “Best Pizza City in America” by a team of researchers and data scientists.

Which city is it? We think you’ll be surprised to hear that Detroit is not only the best pizza city in Michigan but in the entire nation! And when you consider the deliciousness of Detroit-style pizza, the city’s legacy with brands like Little Caesars and Buddy’s Pizza, and the average cost of a cheesy pie, you just might agree.

Related: Meet Michigan’s Pizza Mecca & Get a Pizza Passport

Weighing in popular opinion, online search activity, the average price for a slice, reviews, and online ratings, the data scientists at Clever Real Estate ranked 50 of America’s largest cities and Detroit came up on top again.

“The Motor City’s passion for pizza and affordable prices make it the pizza capital of the U.S.”

Popular Opinion Might Not Agree

In a survey looking for the top five pizza cities by popular opinion, Americans didn’t vote for Detroit. In fact, as we’d expect, when asked to list their favorite cities to grab a pizza, New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago are in the top three spots.

Detroit didn’t even make it on the list of the top 10 favorite pizza cities in America!

When considering that popular opinion made up 30% of the final rankings, we wondered how Detroit managed to beat out these popular pizza city destinations if popular opinion weighed so highly.

“Public opinion is an important ingredient in our final rankings, but simply a piece of the pie. One pizza da puzzle. We didn’t want our rankings to feel half-baked, so we included multiple factors to ensure the greatest all-around pizza cities rose to the top.”

So How Does Detroit Rank No. 1?

• Detroit had the highest Google Trends score of any city included in the survey across 25 pizza-related search terms.
• Its Google Trends search scores topped the city charts for “BBQ chicken pizza” (#1), Detroit-style pizza (#1), and meat pizza (#2).
• The average price of a large cheese pizza in Detroit is just $14.83, which is 27% lower than the nationwide average.

When factoring in great prices, solid restaurant rankings, and high online search activity, Detroit easily secured the title of “Best Pizza City in America” for a second straight year.

It seems that the number of pizza places per capita and the higher costs of a cheesy pie went against Chicago and New York City. While they might be known for their pizza styles, they couldn’t keep up with the competition when it came to availability and affordability. 

Which Detroit Pizzeria is the Best?

We didn’t do our own survey, but our “Michigan Day Trips” Facebook group recently discussed this very topic, sounding off on their favorite pizza in Detroit. And while many people recommended Buddy’s Pizza, several others were touted as well:

• According to Karen A., Loui’s Pizza in Hazel Park wins Detroit’s Best Pizza every year, and Renee M. seconded the nomination.
• Donna D. recommended Ciccarelli’s in Shelby Township, stating it’s “the best I’ve had so far.”
• Niki’s in Greektown was another highly recommended option, as was Shields, with multiple locations in Metro Detroit.

And if that’s not enough cheesy goodness for you, there’s always the debate of which pizzeria invented Detroit-style pizza.

So grab a Vernors or a Faygo and enjoy a delicious slice of Detroit-style pizza in celebration!