This Small State Just Declared War on Detroit Pizza

Alright, Detroit. It's time to roll up our sleeves, grab a square slice, and defend our honor—because Connecticut just came for our pizza.

No, really. The Connecticut Office of Marketing and Tourism just launched a full-on marketing campaign targeting Detroit, Chicago, and New York... all in the name of claiming they’re the real “Pizza Capital of the U.S.” And if that wasn’t enough mozzarella madness, they’re backing it up with billboards, subway ads, and social media slaps that say things like:

Casserole with confidence? Buddy, we’ve got confidence because it’s casserole-like. That corner crunch doesn’t come from a flimsy coal-fired whisper of a crust. It comes from legacy. From metal pans forged in the Motor City. From cheese that doesn’t stop at the edge—it owns it.

Let’s be clear: this isn’t just about pizza. It’s about identity. This is Detroit. The city that invented Motown, muscle cars, techno, coney dogs, and square pizza so good it doesn’t need to fold to be respected.

And now Connecticut, home of... what? Clam pizza? Thin crust with coal char? (apizza, if you want to get fancy with it)—decides it’s time to pick a fight? They even set up a phone number, 844-CT-PIZZA, so people can call and agree or disagree with their claim.

Here's our reply, Connecticut: We're busy eating. You can keep the clams.

Let’s talk numbers. Detroit has been voted #1 Pizza City in America by multiple surveys—including back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023. We landed in the Top 5 again this year. And while New Haven might have more pizza joints per capita, let’s ask the important question:

How many people across the country are opening “New Haven-style” pizza shops?

Now compare that to Detroit-style. You’ve got:

Detroit-style pizza has gone national—because people crave flavor with depth. That crunchy corner. That caramelized cheese line. That confident red stripe of sauce on top. It’s not trendy—it’s tradition, baked thick and unapologetic.

Meanwhile, Connecticut’s playing defense with digital ads in Times Square and subway screens, hoping to guilt us into admitting their pizza is better because Stephen Colbert gave them a shout-out. Cute move. We love Colbert. But let’s not confuse a viral campaign with a culinary crown.

And yes—New Haven pizza has history. Italian immigrants brought their coal-fired style to the East Coast in the early 1900s. Respect. But here in Detroit, our pizza came from steelworkers and factory folk, forged in blue pans used for holding machine parts. It’s pizza built the way we build everything here: solid, soulful, and ready to work overtime.

So to our pizza family at Buddy’s, Cloverleaf, Green Lantern, Shield’s, Loui’s, and every corner bar slinging the real deal: we got this. Let Connecticut do their thing with digital billboards and phone numbers. We’ll just keep making pizza people line up for.

And if you’re reading this from Connecticut: no hard feelings. Enjoy your “apizza.” Just don’t be surprised when your next great slice comes from a place with a Michigan area code and some serious crunch in the corner.