- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
PizzaPapalis
Categories: Restaurants Pizza Restaurants Italian Pizza, Italian [Edit]
553 Monroe StDetroit, MI 48226
Neighbourhoods: Downtown Detroit, Greektown
(313) 961-8020
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
90 reviews for PizzaPapalis
Review Highlights
-
"Thee best deep dish pizza in Detroit." In 36 reviews -
"This Pizza Papalis is always busy and crowded." In 18 reviews -
"We ordered a meat lovers deep dish, and I fell in love." In 5 reviews
Loading...
90 reviews in English
-
Review from Katerina S.
San Jose, CA
5/14/2012
If you're in Detroit, you absolutely have to go here!
I never had deep dish before, but once I had PizzaPapalis I was SOLD on deep dish yummehness.
The atmosphere is laid back and the service is good. It's a cool place for a casual/ relaxed date, to have a drink or two and discuss things and eat delicious food. I'm totally fine with the wait for the deep dish pizzas because it gives you ample time to just hang out with your peeps.
The deep dish pizza my love and I get is the one with all the different types of meat. SO SO SO GOOD. Cheesy, saucy, nommy crust/bread and good selection of meats. I can usually only eat a slice and a half before becoming stuffed. This means LEFTOVERS GALORE. And it heats up really well in the microwave too! Horray! Two meals for the price of one.
Seriously, just GO & hang out for a bit. =] -
Review from Ben T.
Columbus, OH
4/22/2012
The atmosphere is great, and the pizza is even better. The pizza is amazingly filling, and be ready to be full after only a piece or two. The pizza is super thick, and you have to like the chicago style pizza to truly enjoy this. The ingredients are very fresh, and the sauce is just right for this style of pizza.
The place is still good for families despite the nearby casino. -
Review from Jessica C.
Ferndale, MI
4/5/2012
If you're a deep dish fan - this is definitely the place to go.
I do enjoy Pizzapapalis once in a while but only about once a year. Be prepared to leave VERY full. One slice will do it - the slices are huge and have a lot of bread to them. I used to be a big fan of this place and while the last few times I've been there have been good they haven't been out of this world. -
Review from Mister E.
Rancho Cucamonga, CA
5/21/2012
Simply put: Best. Pizza. Ever.
-
Review from Julie F.
4/30/2012
Pizza Papalis and its deep-dish have never disappointed, whether we've been a group of 2 or 12, whether we've ordered one of their standards or created our own combination of toppings, whether it's crowded or not. Dining in the casual, good-time atmosphere is fun, but I may love the leftover deep-dish for breakfast over the kitchen sink the next day even more. Service is always fast, friendly, and efficient, and a well-oiled machine when dealing with large groups.
-
Review from George S.
3/19/2012
Great atmosphere, great waiters. A craving for pizza while downtown immediately sent my stomach here. Initially, we were seated at a table in the middle of the upper floor, but being picky, I wanted a booth. Our waitress told the greeter to alert her when a booth became available so we could switch & it only took a few minutes. She moved us, even though it meant she wouldn't be serving us & thus wouldn't get a tip from us. That's what you call "great service." The waitress that wound up serving us was just as nice. The pizza is fantastic: layers of toppings, sauce & cheese in a deep dish crust. I went there on an empty stomach & got full from one slice. The only gripe about Pizza Papalis is the wait time, but it's to be expected when you order a fully customized deep dish pizza. I'll say this much: it's well worth the wait.
Quick tip: If there are only two of you, get a small. Three or 4, medium. More than that, large. Unless, of course, you plan on taking slices home. -
Review from R J.
Canton, MI
4/29/2012
Very delicious pizza an probably the best I've had in Michigan. Totally worth a trip downtown to try it. Normally I don't even write reviews but I felt like for the pizza it was worth it. Keep up the good work there.
-
Review from Mike S.
3/6/2012
The great illusion...
This pizza looks so much better than it actually tastes. It's basically sauce and bread, lots of bread. When it gets to your table you start to salivate. It looks beautiful! Then you taste it... And it's like "is that it?" -
Review from Chris A.
Grand Rapids, MI
4/26/2012
For anyone who loves deep dish pizza, this is one of the absolute best. I hit Pizza Papalis everytime I go to Detroit.
-
Review from Larry S.
4/12/2012
This is the place to go if you are in the mood for Chicago style deep dish pizza. Arrive hungry and leave with an extra 10lbs. Great atmosphere in the heart of Greek town.
-
Review from Charisse W.
Taylor, MI
1/23/2012
Excellent lunch specials and quick! I have had the baked mostoccioli twice now and it is excellent! Very cheesy and the sauce is delicious. Only $5.79 and it is a huge portion - 2 lunches worth! 10 minutes for a pickup!
This one is so far superior to the one on Griswald that you can barely recognize them as the same resturant! -
Review from john w.
4/11/2012
Great place for pizza and wings. The deep dish pizza is great, very generous on the cheese...the salads are awesome. the waiters are great. not very good for families due to its location in greektown near a casino
-
Review from Steve W.
1/17/2012
Still the best deep dish pizza in the Detroit Metro area. We have been fans of PizzaPapalis for years. We used to visit the location on Northwestern Hwy before it closed.
We visit this location before we go to the Wings game. We have been here 3 times in the past 6 weeks. It was packed each time but they have it going on when it comes to handling the crowd. You put your name on the list and they give you a sheet so you can order your pizza at the counter in the back. Each time we have done it, our table is ready just before the pizza. We always head to the bar for a cool one while we wait on the table. It all makes for a good time!
We always order the deep dish spinach special pizza with mushrooms. A small is plenty for two people! Enjoy! -
Review from Ally N.
1/17/2012
We always go here after we leave the Auto Show each year. We park in Greektown's deck anyway, and take the People Mover to and from Cobo.
I will say minus one star because no matter when we get here, it's always so busy, but I guess that means it's good. Last year, we had to wait almost an hour (!!!) for our food, but this year, they had us pre-order our pizza while we waited, so we headed to the bar for some beer. It still took a few minutes, but you can't rush good deep dish, I guess.
The pizza - oh my lord. I don't know if it's proper Chicago style pizza, but I don't really care. One slice eats like a meal, and the crust is fairly unique - flakier than most pizza crusts, yet still sturdy enough to contain all of the toppings.
A nice touch was the fact that the waitress served up our first slices, and cut the hanging cheese (there was a lot of it) with a nice little flourish. I hate the awkward "cutting the first slice, oh god, am I going to ruin this pizza?" thing, so I thought that was pretty impressive. :) -
Review from Ashley H.
Southfield, MI
10/10/2011
Gotta love the feel of this place!
I've been going to the one in Greektown for a few years now...The atmosphere and the people make it that much better.
Pricing isn't bad for the amount you get. A small deep dish isn't over $20 bucks and you get six huge slices! I'm full after one and a half.
I always make my own deep dish: chicken with broccoli and onions.
Thee best deep dish pizza in Detroit... Only down fall is reservations are hard to keep because its so popular. -
Review from Carole H.
5/22/2011 1 Check-in Here
High 4 for the food, low 3 for everything else. The first time I came to the Greektown location, I think I was a freshman in HS. Since then, Pizza Papalis has been a treat to indulge in maybe once a year or so. I love their deep dish - maybe it's not exactly a Chicago style, but it's still damn tasty and as far as I have ever seen, no other pizza place in the area offers quite the same type of pie. Super cheesy, flaky crust. I am stuffed after 2 slices.
A small plain cheese deep dish starts at $18 or so for about 6 pieces....the specialty pizzas with more ingredients range up to $30 for a large. I get that this is gonna cost more than your average thin crust, but the prices do seem higher than necessary.
I love the Greektown location, makes for a good dinner spot before or after a night out. But like a lot of spots in Greektown, the ambiance is a little cheesy. The menus are greasy plastic laminated with big pictures and cutesy font, kinda feels like you're at Applebees or something. The restuarant is 2 floors, and it seems like regardless of where you sit there is always at least 2 screaming little kids around on one side, and a large party hooting and hollering on the other. Maybe this is why I only get here once a year.
Great pizza, but I wish they'd class the place up a bit. -
Review from Jake J.
6/29/2011
On our last trip to Detroit for Movement, we finally took the time to go to PizzaPapalis and we were not disappointed. The service was polite and efficient, everything was clean, and the pizza was great. Not being a fans of insane amounts of dough, we went for the thin crust (heresy, I know) however we quite enjoyed our dinner.
I'll be back the next time I am in town. -
Review from Melli B.
11/15/2011
Awesome Pizza! I ordered a small on my last night in town. The box was so heavy when I picked it up! I ordered the spinach pizza and usually, when eating your typical pizza, I can eat 3 slices. With this pizza, one slice was too much! One slice felt like an entire meal in my belly and man was it delicious! Pizzapapalis serves deep dish pizza that is out of this world! I'll be back in February and will be sure to order this one again!
-
Review from Kristen F.
Rochester, MI
1/21/2012
I have been going to Pizza Papalis for about 20 years. I don't get there very often, but it's so great when I do. It was extremely busy tonight, but they have a good system that allows you to order your Pizza early and hang out at the bar until they are able to seat you. The staff was so so nice tonight. I asked for directions to get back to my car, and even though they were swamped, they took the time to make sure I knew where I was going and that I would be safe. The pizza was just as good as I remembered. I will continue to go back no matter how busy they are:-)
-
Review from Kendra T.
Jersey City, NJ
6/1/2011 1 Check-in Here
I always make a point to visit Pizza Papalis when I'm in town, I grew up on this pizza. I love getting the meat lovers with mushrooms. Still need to try the seafood pizza my cousin say's it's delish. This is a pizza that tastes even better the next day once all the seasonings have had time to seep deeper into the cheese. This pizza for me is number one on my list. The crust is a little sweet but when you get to the very end between the outer crust and the last bit of cheese on the pizza that part is divine but not as divine as the first bite. An average person can probably handle one slice since the portions are huge, don't feel bad if you can't finish like I said the leftovers are the best part.
I don't mind the decor others have said may be time for an upgrade. I think it lends to the nostalgia of the days of old Greek Town. Who's there for the decor anyway your face should be in the pizza.
Until next time PizzaPapalis, my stomach misses you but my waistline doesn't. -
Review from RJ S.
1/22/2011 2 photos
When I am in the Michigan area I have to have a piece of that Chicago style deep dish pizza!
This is absoulutely my favourite pizza place by far! That 30-45 minute wait for that pizza is well worth it!
Make sure that when you do eat here that you have a reservation b/c this place is packed. Everytime I come here there is so many people and that alone goes to show you how good the pizza is. I have always sat in the same place everytime I'm here and that's upstairs, why? I dunno but that's where they always put me and my family.
Honestly I've only had pizza here and nothing else so I can't really say anything about the other food. There are many options for the pizza from thin to deep dish. You would be doing yourself wrong if you didn't get the deep dish pizza it is absolutely the best pizza you will ever have. Also as a fair warning it is very filling, one large deep dish pizza was more than enough for 6 people when normally a large regular pizza would only be enough for 2 or 3 people.
Items to definetly get
- deep dish seafood pizza
- meat lovers deep dish pizza
- thin slice seafood pizza -
Review from Scott T.
Troy, MI
1/9/2012
I love pizza. I love it a lot. This is coming from a guy whose roommate use to deliver pizza for a living and would bring it home every other night. I have tried many pizza's claiming to be Chicago style. I now judge all these pro-claimer's by the standards set forth by PizzaPapalis.
We went here one night after hanging out at Greektown Casino for a couple hours. We were starving, and just needed something right then and there. We had eight people and two pizzas. We had WAY too much food for the eight of us. We ordered a standard pepperoni for the girls, and the guys got a meat lover style pizza. The service was good, and even though the restaurant was packed, we had our pizza in under 30 minutes.
The pizza came out, and I took my first bite, I am not sure what heaven tastes like, but I hope it tastes something like what I was eating. Otherwise, that phrase can't even begin to describe the joy I was having eating one slice of pizza. It was very much the best, and most filling, pizza I had ever had. So much sauce, so much dough, and so many toppings and cheese. This is what pizza is suppose to be. I could barely finish my first slice, and got screamed at by friends when I grabbed seconds and did not finish the entire slice.
The bill was up there for 2 pizzas and a round of drinks, but split between eight people I think it came out to under $9 bucks each, which isn't that bad. With tip, it came out to around $11 or $12. The restaurant seemed very clean and well kept. I even used the bathroom before I left, and it seemed very clean for the amount of traffic using the facilities.
If you want Detroit, nay, Michigan's best deep dish Chicago style pizza, then look no further. -
Review from Jason C.
1/17/2011
We went to Pizza Papalis for dinner after the autoshow. Man, this place was busy... we got our name down, they gave us the buzzer, told us to order the pizza in the back while we waited. Our wait time for a table... 25 minutes...
So we went to the back counter and ordered the VIP and Papalis Gourmet... no sooner after we ordered our food, our buzzer went off... once we got seated, we ordered the family size greek salad.
I love the VIP pizza... of all the deep dishes I had in MI, this was the best... the sauce on the pizza was awesome... the sauce made the difference.. I wasn't fan of Papalis Gourmet... to be honest, I couldn't taste the chicken...I just can't get over VIP.
Even though it was busy, the service was good and we were taken care of. Give the place a try. -
Review from Stacie F.
Clawson, MI
11/1/2010
I heart the pizza at Pizza Papalis. My biggest dislike about pizza is that it's often so greasy that you can't even taste what's on it. Not the case at here. You have all the taste minus the grease.
All of the pizza's I've had have been great, but I think my favorite is the seafood. It's just really unique and, of course, yummy.
The only reason I wouldn't give this place 5 stars is because the service is just okay and it's a little pricey for pizza. -
Review from Debbie Z.
6/29/2011
OMG - they have perfected the best pizza ever! The crust is nice and crunchy and sweet - yummy!!!! We ordered just a pepperoni pizza due to having a few kids with us. There were 2 kids and 4 adults. Ordered buffalo wings for an appetizer, tossed salad and a large pepperoni pizza. The wait for a pizza is about 45 minutes (the restaurant was not that crowded), but man was it worth the wait. The service was good, not too exceptional, but good. One piece filled me up! With 6 people we had leftover wings and pizza!!! Exceptional if you are a pizza lover. We were downtown for the RiverFest - which was wonderful and a beautiful day to boot! So, we decided to go to Greektown for lunch - got lucky - the pie is great.
Listed in: Pizza Lovers
-
Review from Justin M.
10/12/2010 1 Check-in Here
I've been here a half dozen times, both downtown and at another location in "troy". Long story short, very good deep dish pizza. You gotta wait awhile, but while you're waiting your hunger builds. When the pizza finally arrives it's that much better. The pizza is even good reheated!
I'm not a real big fan of the one in greektown since some of my visits there have been quite loud with subpar service. But really, the pizza is legit, you'll enjoy it. -
Review from Danielle H.
Dearborn, MI
5/17/2011
I'll try not to let the bad experience with my dinner companions color this review...
First, it wasn't crowded when we got there. Yes, we were a large party, but it shouldn't take 20 minutes to push THREE tables together.
Second, I saw about 4 servers chatting near the drink dispenser, and they only give our party one server. Hmmm. Whenever I've gone out to other places with a large party, we've always had AT LEAST two, usually three servers helping us.
Finally, the food. Meh. I ordered the thin pepperoni pizza and it was a little burnt. I also tried the seafood pizza (deep dish) and it was just weird. The wings were okay.
Overall, I probably wouldn't go back. -
Review from Anne I.
Ann Arbor, MI
5/23/2010
Impressed by the deep dish pizza. I lived in Chicago for a few months last year and tried a number of different styles. I've gotta say, this one is up there, and it's in DTW!
Dropped in on a dreary day after a Tigers vs. White Sox game was rained out. We decided to grab a few pitchers of beer and order some dinner. We started with the combo appetizer which came with wings, cheese sticks and fries. It was pretty decent, fairly typical American fare.
We eventually ended up with two large pizzas: the V.I.P. and the Papalis Gourmet. Both were deliciously cheesy, but not *too* cheesy, with lots of room for the other stuff. Two large pizzas were enough to fill all eight of us with leftovers to take home!
It was a lot of fun, and the service was great. Maybe the canceled game wasn't so bad after all. -
Review from mike m.
Foothill Ranch, CA
Deep dish, local brew, authentic. Delicious!
-
Review from brad a.
Discovery Bay, CA
8/29/2011
Great place. Excellent Pizza. Julene was VERY friendly....
-
Review from Mark G.
Los Angeles, CA
5/28/2008
Me and my girl rolled into town starving and luckily got a number for this place to check when visiting Detroit. Pizza never tends to fail so we agreed to check this place out to recharge. We found the spot and readily decided to get the lunch special which included a generous personal pizza and salad that hit the spot and for only six bucks! We decided to come back for another round some other day and we did to try something a bit bigger! We rolled in very hungry and decided to get a small Veggie deep dish. They said it would take a bit but screw it we decided just to wait and oh my was it worth it.
The pie was thick and stuffed oh so much with cheese and fresh veggies. We were stuffed silly and glad that we had decided to come back to get a whole pie for ourselves. I will for sure come back and eat up again when I visit Detroit. -
Review from Jenny W.
Detroit, MI
3/18/2008
Chicago-style pizza is pretty heavy and not something I'd be able to eat all the time. That said, Pizza Papalis is the best Chicago-style pizza around. I think you either love it or you hate it - there's really no in between. My personal favorite is the Papalis Gourmet (spinach, chicken, feta, olives, garlic).
...And don't waste your time at the Pizza Papalis in Dearborn. It just doesn't compare, in my book. -
Review from Purvi R.
Boston, MA
12/21/2009
I've had some really good experiences here, but I will review my most recent one. I was most excited to bring my family here and eat up some grub before running the Detroit half-Marathon the next morning. We arrived after some negotiation of parking -- there's no getting around it, park in a lot, pay your $10, and be done with it.
But I digress. We got down to business and ordered up a pizza and a pasta dish, along with a salad, for all of us to share. Salads and drinks were dropped off right away. Then, our waitress was evidently abducted by a spaceship for the next 45 minutes, as we did not see her once and that was the only reasonable explanation we could come up with.
Sure enough, once the aliens returned her to Earth, she brought us some luke-warm pizza and hot pasta (likely because the sauce was dumped on right before). I know what you're thinking -- deep dish takes longer to cook -- not applicable here as we had ordered the thin(ner) crust. The pizza was somewhat overdone and dry, and totally not saucy enough. My dad was scraping the pasta plate to try to lap up some of that sauce.
Many moons later, she returned to drop off our bill. We were all cranky and exhausted by that point, so we gruntily left her a few bucks and ducked out of there. We were unimpressed with the pizza at a place that's all about...pizza. Sad. Sad experience in a place where I have many great memories. :( -
Review from Feisty O.
Van Nuys, CA
9/14/2010
I find it quite amusing that I would have my first and probably the best Chicago-style pizza...in Detroit! We were just a bunch of college buddies roaming around Greektown looking for some decent place to eat when someone mentioned having pizza for dinner. What a great idea!
We ended up at PizzaPapalis and ordered a gut-busting Chicago-style "Meat Eater's Deluxe" pizza. It was the biggest and thickest pizza I ever witnessed! Our table practically collapsed under the weight of the beast. Filled with all kinds of meat, I ate just one slice and was done eating for nearly 2 days! The pizza crust was sourdough, cooked nicely without any overpowering sourdough taste. The pizza was hearty and quite filling. Even though I don't eat "meaty" pizzas, this one was pretty tasty.
The restaurant itself was loud n' lively and service was good. Though the place was busy, our server did her best to keep us happy.
Since then I never had another pizza like it. Not because there aren't available where I live but I'm afraid to eat it! I will always remember PizzaPapalis as a true gut-busting experience! -
Review from Al F.
San Diego, CA
9/13/2009
We had two types of pepperoni pizza; deep dish and thin crust. Both were tasty, especially the sauce!
Food: very good
Service: prompt
Price: just right -
Review from Seoung L.
7/7/2010
I like Chicago style pizzas but I don't love it. That doesn't mean I can't love Pzza Papalis overall and I use to Love this place. But after 15 years of eating here and the one in Dearborn, I'm losing my love for their pizzas.
First of all, it's good pizza. I actually like the real aunthentic Chicago style pizzas I had in chicago but Pizza Papalis does it decently.
The dough is different with it's sour dough. Their pizzas are thick and hearty. I get pretty full in two slices. It takes a long time to bake so be ready to wait awhile.
I like their wings here too but I noticed lately that it's not crispy as I like them so you might have to tell the waitstaff to get it cooked extra crispy.
The salad is good here too. It's a good place for a big group and you will always have left overs since people get full fast from all the cheese and dough.
Great location in the middle of Greektown! Lot of seating upstairs and downstairs.
Waitstaff is usually pretty good here.
I will say that it's good pizza. First timers will fall in love like I did but after awhile you will get tired of it.Listed in: Best tasting Pizzas in Metro…
-
Review from Scott M.
Chicago, IL
7/19/2008
Well, well, well. Another classic Detroit restaurant over-rated by the natives, and typically sh-- on by the visitors.
Pizza Papalis sucks. Its simple as that. Yet, when I moved to Detroit, and asked around about the best pizza in town, natives were quick to tell me how amazing Pizza Papalis was. I often questioned if they had even been there after my first couple of visits.
Once again, this was a spot that I really wanted to like, but just couldnt because it sucked so damn bad.
I have had the shrimp alfredo or scampi (cant remember which one) pizza a few times, along with a few of the classics (meat lovers/pepperoni).
The place is overpriced, over-rated, and I wish the whole damn chain would go bankrupt so people could locate a few better options...(there is a spot in Eastern Market..that is amazing and much better!!!).
No thank you to another over-rated Detroit restaurant. -
Review from H.K. L.
Bismarck, ND
12/23/2007
What the hell.
We were staggering around in Greektown after losing some $$$ playing craps (fuck!) and we find a pizza place. WTF? Well, I was craving some Greek fare, but my buddy wasn't, so pizza it is.
Very solid. Great deep dish pizza. The service was iffy, but the pizza was worth dealing with the marginal service. -
Review from Tammie C.
Huntersville, NC
8/3/2011
Best Chicago style pizza in the big "D". I order the personal size spinach pizza for lunch. Delicious! They also have locations in Dearborn and Southfield.
-
Review from Debbie H.
4/4/2011 1 Check-in Here
The Cadillac of pizza places ... we get a chicken pizza with banana rings and some other veggies and it has never disappointed. Incredible taste, perfect crust, great create-your-own options ... not greasy slop served by so many other pizza joints. PizzaPapalis is worth any wait you might have either for a table or for your pie to arrive. We've been to Chicago and we've had deep dish pizza from several windy city establishments and to us, it doesn't compare, it really doesn't. This place is simply the best at what it does.
