There are pizzas, and then there are experiences. Walk through the doors of Buddy’s Pizza on Thirteen Mile Road in Warren, and you’ll understand immediately that you’ve stepped into something larger than a meal. This is the birthplace tradition of Detroit-style pizza — that glorious, thick-edged, caramelized-cheese masterpiece that has quietly influenced pizza culture across the entire country — and the Warren location carries that legacy with genuine pride.
Detroit-style pizza, for the uninitiated, is a rectangular deep-dish pie baked in a blue steel pan originally borrowed from the auto industry. The result is a crust that is simultaneously airy and chewy on the inside, and magnificently crispy — almost fried — along the bottom and edges. The cheese, Wisconsin brick specifically, is spread all the way to the edges of the pan so it bubbles up and caramelizes against the sides. The sauce goes on top of the cheese, not underneath. It sounds unconventional, and it absolutely is. It’s also one of the most satisfying things you will ever put in your mouth.
Buddy’s has been doing this since 1946, and the Warren location on Thirteen Mile feels like the kind of place that has earned its reputation through decades of consistency rather than trend-chasing. The dining room is comfortable and familiar — booths, warm lighting, the pleasant noise of a busy neighborhood restaurant that people genuinely love. You’re not dining at a concept; you’re dining at an institution.
The menu extends well beyond pizza, with satisfying salads, antipasto, and pasta dishes, but let’s be honest with each other: you’re coming for the pizza. The Detroiter — topped with pepperoni, mushrooms, green peppers, and onions — is the classic move, and it delivers every single time. The pepperoni cups crisp up at the edges during the bake, creating little pools of rendered, flavorful oil that pizza enthusiasts have taken to calling “grease cups.” It sounds indulgent because it is, and it is absolutely worth every bite.
If you’re visiting Warren for the first time, or if you’ve lived here your whole life and somehow haven’t made this pilgrimage yet, Buddy’s is the kind of place that reframes what you think pizza can be. There is a reason food writers from national publications make the trip specifically to eat here. There is a reason Detroiters become almost evangelical about this style when they move away.
The Warren location sits conveniently near Van Dyke Avenue, making it an easy stop whether you’re exploring the city’s east side neighborhoods or heading out from downtown Detroit into Macomb County. Go hungry, bring people you like, and order at least one more pizza than you think you need. You’ll be glad you did. Buddy’s has been feeding this community for generations, and one bite in, you’ll understand exactly why.
