Any way you bake it, eat it, or need it, pizza– whether round, square, deep dish, thick crusted or thin– has a long history of attracting diverse palettes.
October is National Pizza Month, and the staff at The Citizen polled area pizza establishments for their special creations and rather unique requests.
Musician Kid Rock and the late Detroit News sports writer Joe Falls both have eaten pizza at MacPhee’s Restaurant & Lounge, 650 S. Ortonville Road.
‘Whatever they like, I’ll make. That’s the beauty of pizza. We use all homemade dough, and our toppings are fresh. Homemade is the key,? said co-owner Jill Adair. ‘We use the same dough for our breadsticks as for our pizza, so that makes it good.?
MacPhee’s offers a barbecue chicken pizza (char-grilled chicken breast, barbecue sauce, red onion, and sun-dried tomatoes) and a Highlander pizza (similar to meat lover’s pizza ? pepperoni, ham, Italian sausage, ham, and bacon). Call: (248) 627-2891
Hungry Howie’s, 280 N. M-15, Ortonville manager Colleen McGettrick says they once offered a Coney Island pizza, featuring Coney sauce, chopped hot dogs and cheese covered with raw onion and mustard.
‘The Coney pizza was a pretty good seller,? said McGettrick.
Their speciality pizza is BLT.Call (248) 627-5255.
Little Caesar’s Pizza, 11 S. Ortonville Road, Ortonville has been at the same location for more than 28 years. Manager Jeff Larbig says they’ve filled an order of 200 large pizzas once and feature a ‘Meatsa? pizza, which includes pepperoni, sausage, hamburger and bacon.
‘People come from all over for our garlic cream cheese sauce,? says Larbig. ‘It’s great for dipping crusts or breadsticks.? Call (248) 627-4955
Papa Bella’s Pizza, 425 Mill St., Ortonville has been open for about 13 years.
‘We’ve got a guy that comes in for a large ham, onion, green olives, feta cheese, tomatoes and anchovies pizza,? says co-owner Joe D’Anna. Not to your liking? Try a chicken club: chicken, bacon, mayo, lettuce and tomatoes. Call (248) 627-4941.
Big Jake’s Pizza & Shakes, located at 10230 Hegel Road in downtown Goodrich, is already known for its unique three-minute pizza oven.
The thin crispy crust is topped with specially blended sauces and the toppings aren’t wilted, says co-owner Nick Moors, who runs Big Jake’s along with Todd Mann.
Along with delivering pizza, the restaurant delivers everything they sell except beer, said Moors, including shakes and sundaes, even delivering to former sports stars. Call (810) 636-5253.
John’s Steak House & Pizzeria, 8038 S. State Road in Goodrich, is one of the area’s original pizza vendors. They’ve served pizza since 1960. John’s pizza features hand-made dough with fresh vegetables and has turned out more than 100 pizzas at once for special events, like wrestling tournaments.
Customers can take out or eat-in, or choose breadsticks, mini pizzas, stromboli, or other menu items, says D.J. Sirignano, who runs the family-owned business. John’s accommodates special orders, even topping pizza with shrimp. Call (810) 636-2175.
Margie’s Pizza & Pasta, 8341 S. State Road in Goodrich, has been selling pizza for seven years. Their original pizza creations have been named in the top three from among more than 100 contestants in the annual Mid America Pizza Show.
Gourmet pizza started with Margie’s, says owner Margie Davidson. Try their award-winnning gourmet cheeseburger bacon pizza, breakfast pizza, their tomato basil on whole wheat, chicken fajita, BLT, barbecue chicken, and steak. Faithful customers also request breadsticks and cheese dip, or babyback ribs with homemade sauce.
The restaurant caters and has delivered to all types of parties, even to celebrities. A well-known racer once autographed a die-cast car model for the restaurant, said Davidson. Call (810) 636-6336.
The Bull Ring Restaurant & Lounge, 8234 S. State Road in Goodrich, is another well-established pizza venue in the Goodrich area. For 20 years customers have come back for their thin crust pizza topped with secret special seasonings, says owner Vicki Cushman.
Ham, pepperoni, and mushroom is a top seller among customers who can eat in, or pick up a take-out order through the restaurant or the drive-through window on the building’s north side.
The restaurant honors all pizza coupons, Cushman

said. Call (810) 636-2460.
The Parlour, 3527 Hadley Road at Hadley’s four corners, is the only place in town to get pizza, but they draw customers from near and far, says owner Mike Madeja.
Fondly referred to as Hadley’s cultural center, The Parlour has sold pizza since Madeja took over the restaurant two years ago. Customers love the flavor of the crust, he says, along with The Parlour’s great prices.
The crust can be ordered thick or thin, and every attempt is made to accommodate special requests, like quarter-pie toppings, or garlic or parmesan crust. Customers regularly order a side of breadsticks, accompanied by garlic cream cheese dip, and are looking forward to the addition of grinders and bread bowls, Madeja said.
Pro Pizza is located at 5500 Oak Hill Road, Brandon Township. ‘We’re independent. We use Grande cheese, which is the finest you can use, and Saporito sauce, one of the finest you can use. We do not use any frozen products,? says Amy Perdue, Pro Pizza manager.
Perdue’s specialty is chicken ranch, with a a sauce comprised of cream cheese dip and ranch dressing, mozzarella cheese, bacon, chicken, red onion and tomatoes.
‘I’ve had someone ask to change the cream cheese ranch pizza and put jalapenos on there to create a jalapeno popper pizza,? says Perdue, whose largest order is about 30 pizzas. Call (248) 628-9100.
Bottoms Up Food & Spirits, 14007 Dixie Highway, Groveland Township features freshly-made pies.
‘Nothing is pre-made. We slice our own meats and nothing is processed. We have a variety of toppings and cater to the community. It’s a big seller now that people know where we’re at,? says Crys Harned, Bottoms Up Food & Spirits day manager.
Harned says that one customer requested a small pizza with 13 toppings. Call (248) 634-0040.
Bullfrogs, located at 2225 Ortonville Road in Ortonville, has been selling pizza for several years.
Their revised menu’new this week’features ever-changing gourmet pizza offerings, like Mexican pizza with a tortilla shell, or a seafood pizza.
The pies are made from scratch with fresh ingredients, and hand-rolled instead of machine processed, says new chef Eric Alderton.
The restaurant offers both round and square pizzas, which have been sampled by celebrities like Kid Rock. Call (248) 627-7755.