The Motor City
Pepperoni, sauce over cheese, crisp cheese edge all the way round. The default.
Pizza · Leslieville
Descendant Detroit Style Pizza
Deep-pan, crisp-edged Detroit pizza in a Leslieville shoebox
PizzaLeslieville, Toronto$$Details being confirmed
The review
Detroit-style pizza lives or dies on the cheese edge — the ring of brick cheese pushed to the pan wall and caramelised into something between crust and crisp. Descendant gets it right, which is why it has outlasted a dozen imitators.
The Motor City, with pepperoni and sauce laid over the cheese, is the default and the correct starting point. Bacon and jalapeño is what the regulars order once they have done that. Garlic knots use the same dough and fill the twenty minutes the bake actually takes.
Honest notes: there are about twelve seats, the bake is long, and it is closed at the start of the week. Order ahead and take it home — this style survives the journey better than any other.
What to order
Bacon & Jalapeño
The one regulars quietly order instead of the classic.
Garlic Knots
Same dough, different job. Order while you wait.
What works
- The cheese edge is done properly
- Travels better than any other pizza style
- Consistent across a decade
What doesn’t
- Barely any seating
- Long bake means a real wait
- Closed early in the week
Verdict
Motor City, ordered ahead, eaten at home. The cheese edge is the whole point.