Discover Michigan's Unique Western UP Pizza

Ask someone about pizza in Michigan and their first thought will likely be of Detroit Style. The square deep dish pies were popularized by places like Buddy's and Jet's. They were made, rumor has it, from the blue steel rectangular pans used to hold screws and brackets in the automobile manufacturing process.

But there may be another, much less known pizza style in Michigan and it's found in the Western Upper Peninsula.

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Michigan's Unsung Pizza Hero: The UP's Thin-Crust Revelation

The photo above is from Riverside Pizza in Iron River. Here's a similar looking pie from Irene's in Baraga:

The UP style takes a nod from Chicago. Not the deep dish that's for tourists only. Rather, the for-the-people thin style pizza. It may be called Tavern Style - but that usage comes with a strong debate.

Tavern Style, Party Cut: Defining the Western UP Pie

The Western UP prefered style is super thin and party cut. Riverside Pizza even leans into the cut as their website proclaims "home of the square piece" referring to the interior pieces of a party cut pie.

The style is found across the peninsula in many places - and considering many locations in the UP may have just a single pizza joint in town, it's that pizzeria's style that, by default, defines the region. Here's a review for Saz's in the rural Menominee County village of Stephenson.

Tavern style pizza , delightful thin crust ! No flop on the crust, perfectly crispy throughout . Pepperoni was nice and spicy , nice quality cheese , square cut !

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More Than Just a Slice: The "Order by Number" Tradition

Another hallmark of UP pizza is the Order by Number system. While you can build your own, of course, many pizzeria menus, like Antonio's in Iron Mountain, have an order by number system. Just cheese? That's a Number 1. Want, say, sausage and mushrooms? Get the Number 7.