WHILE PIZZA is as familiar to most Hoosiers as basketball and cornfields, menus at Indy’s newest wave of pie shops might use some terms unfamiliar to those of us who were raised on Noble Roman’s or Little Caesars. What’s the difference between a Detroit-style square pie and those rectangular slices your school served on Pizza Friday? Is a tavern-style pizza the same as a 1990s “thin crust”? Why does your local pie shop now boast a fire-belching brick dome in the kitchen? We talked to some of the region’s experts in the field to unravel all the newest trends hitting everyone’s old-school favorite.
Square Pie Guys
Hoosiers who prefer a deeper-dished experience have long relied on Chicago or Sicilian-style pies. But Detroit-style, with its crispy and caramelized edges and deceptively thick crust—that’s ascendant. At Sam’s Square Pie (2829 E. 10th St.), owner Jeff Miner developed his own unique base for his pizza, a naturally-rising sourdough with a longer-than-usual ferment that he says makes for an easier digestion process than some other pizzas. “You can eat one of mine and not feel awful the next day,” he says.
Miner is a pizzaiolo, not a gastroenterologist, so we’ll leave his medical claims for a professional to evaluate. But it’s true that an excellent crust makes or breaks a Detroit pie, which is topped more thoughtfully than its thick cousins. Cheese comes next, then sauce, an order that gives some diners pause. (“It’s cheese against crust,” a patron was once overheard saying in shocked disbelief.) That order gives the sauce nowhere to hide, which means a lot of care goes into creating a flavorful, textured red or green sauce that’s dropped on the cheese, along with any other desired toppings.
It all makes for a more portable pizza than many others, as the hearty crust makes it an easy walk-and-nosh, with toppings well-anchored by that controversial cheese placement. This is not a pizza most folks need to eat with a knife and fork. (But between its cheese crust and toppings, you’ll want a healthy handful of napkins.)
Detroit-curious diners who want a custom experience are best served by Futuro (19 Cruse St., 317-360-4725), which offers a panoply of options like nondairy cheeses and multiple pie sizes. The more confident can place themselves in Miner’s hands and choose from one of his 10 or so combinations.
Thin And Light
You might have seen the term “tavern-style” pizza pop up on menus recently and wondered how that is different from the regular old thin crust you’ve seen for years. Futuro co-founder Luke Tobias is here to explain. “Tavern-style is made especially for bars, especially ones that don’t want to deal with washing plates. So it’s small, light pizzas cut into squares, so you can eat it off a napkin.”
It’s a near-mundane origin for what’s become a legitimate artisanal trend, as the style has been embraced by pizza makers intent on honing their craft. Tobias is one of those folks: He started making thin crust pies out of his home during the pandemic as a way to generate income during lockdown. It soon became an obsession. “I knew I could make it better, and then better after that,” he says. Now a full-fledged business, Futuro serves thin crust pies primarily for takeout—proof that people are seeking tavern-style out for reasons other than boozy proximity. But if you prefer your pie with a buzz, check out one of Daredevil Beer’s Indy-area locations, which serves the style in personal size or in pies big enough to share.
The popularity of the trend was arguably presaged by Byrne’s Grilled Pizza (5615 N. Illinois St., 317-737-2056), which began as a food truck in 2011. Co-founder Dot Reinstrom discovered a recipe for a cracker crust pizza and started making it on husband Ken’s Weber grill; it soon became a family and neighborhood hit. Catering gigs and the truck followed, and the family opened the storefront in 2016. The pizza is best eaten on the spot for full crispy glory, though when properly reheated, it’s possible to come close. Byrne’s pizzas are also on offer at Gather 22 (22 E. 22nd St., 317-258-2222), which is co-owned by Adam, the Reinstroms’ son.
Wood-fired
“Daddy, is that an igloo?” a little girl asks when entering Richard’s Brick Oven Pizza (229 S. Main St., Franklin, 317-738-3300). The kid’s referring to the hulking, rounded oven at the center of the open kitchen, where staffers push and pull peel-placed pies into its gaping maw. Opened in 2009, Richard’s was near the front of Indy’s artisanal pizza vanguard. Now those ovens dot shops like King Dough (multiple locations) and Diavola (1134 E. 54th St., 317-820-5100).
Interest in wood-fired styles has grown so hot that many restaurants have invested in industrial wood-fueled ovens over the brick behemoths; you’ll also see the style offered at restaurants that use a stainless steel version instead. Purists disagree on whether the slicker version is better—we suggest more testing, and lots of it, to make your own decision.
But all agree that a wood-fired pie should have a nice char on its underside and a bubbly, blonde-to-black circumference ring. Smart diners know this isn’t the kind of pie you load up with toppings, as the slender crust lacks rigidity. This is a pizza to delicately nibble, not snarf.
To that point, expect components that have a specific point of view on flavor. King Dough’s Grape and Gorgonzola pie is fairly self-explanatory, with aged mozzarella, arugula, and hot honey to balance out the elements. It’s a combination that seems unthinkable for a traditional hand-tossed round, but fresh from the Holy Cross location’s oven (which is named “Thunderdome”), it’s a revelation.
Nostalgic illustration by Mary Woodin
Nostalgic
Sometimes, you just want to feel like a kid again. But you have grown-up tastes now, so as tempting as it might be to order from a speed-driven chain, will present-day you feel satisfied when that big, flat box is empty? That’s where spots like Nick Pastrick’s Hey Now Pizza (607 Main St., Beech Grove, 317-789-0059) come in. Pastrick grew up working for the owners of Indy mini-chain Ball Park Pizza, then headed into the high-end game at businesses like Goose the Market. When the Ball Park location in Beech Grove shuttered, Pastrick opened his pizzeria in the space with the plan to keep things (mostly) the way they were, including Ball Park’s Middle America–traditional crusts
A year in, there are subtle changes to the menu, with hand-tossed and tavern versions added to the list. Toppings continue to evolve, with fancy specialty pies like the Pecanza (onion, feta, pecans, mozzarella, provolone, and barbecue sauce) now on the roster.
Other shops are moving into this model, especially at pizzerias that have been passed on to a new generation. Keeping one foot in the past and another in the future might be the way to ensure success that withstands pizza trends—and it’s also another way to hone the craft. “I’ll try a topping combination somewhere else, and sometimes I think, Oh, this is a Ball Park flavor. And other times, it’ll clearly work only on hand-tossed or tavern,” Pastrick says.
“We have some customers who’ll be Ball Park for life. Others, they’ll give the hand-tossed a try, and next thing I know they’re coming back and telling me about an artisan pie they had out of town,” he says. “Sometimes you want comfort. Sometimes you want to be challenged. The cool thing is that pizza can do it all.”
