New Unc's Detroit-style pizza now open with 15 varieties

Doors officially opened at Unc's Pizza, downtown Detroit's newest eatery, on Aug. 10, and we got a taste.

Unc's Pizza in Capitol Park offers a menu of Detroit-style pizzas and is a partnership with owners of familiar downtown restaurants. The team behind Unc’s Pizza are owners of the Dime Store, known for breakfast, brunch and lunch, and Mootz Pizzeria + Bar, known for its New York-style pies. Both eateries are just several blocks away.

Mootz co-owner Tony Sacco said at first, they weren’t sure about how to utilize the space – part of an old bank building – on Griswold between Michigan and State Street and next to Prime + Proper steakhouse.

“We landed on Detroit-style pizza because it was really popular,” Sacco told the Free Press. “There weren't too many places doing it, and I thought it would be a good fit for downtown Detroit.”

Also, Sacco said, a lot of Mootz customers asked for Detroit-style pizza.

“We could make it there,” Sacco said, “but we want to specialize in what we do there ... and what we do here.”

At Unc’s, the pizza menu has an extensive list of rectangular Detroit-style pizzas – 15 of them. There are also shareable items, salads, chicken wings and sandwiches.

Owners and chefs worked with local Detroit-style pizza expert Joe Maino on crafting Unc’s dough – and landed on a 36-hour sourdough starter.

Unc’s Detroit-style pizzas range from $17 to $20 with nostalgic nods to the 80s and 90s. There are 15 listed with names like the controversy (ham and pineapple), the Spiccoli (remember Sean Penn as Jeff Spiccoli in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High"?) and classics like the caprese train with fresh mozzarella, heirloom tomato, tomato relish and balsamic glaze.

If you remember the show "Perfect Strangers," with roommate cousins Larry and Balki, Unc’s has a pizza called “Cousin Balki.” Highlighting the Mediterranean, Cousin Balki is on Unc’s white pizza menu and has roasted red peppers, Castelvetrano olives, tomato relish, pepperoncini, feta and olive oil. All the flavors in the Cousin Balki are present and blend nicely. It’s also a good non-meat option.

On the shareables menu, there’s cheese bread, seasoned fries and pepperoni balls served with pepperoni ranch and pizza sauce.

Aged brick sticks (mozzarella sticks) come with pizza sauce for dipping, and Unc’s seasoned, whole chicken wings come with garlic dipping sauce. There’s also sandwiches, such as beef and cheddah, a nod to Chicago-style beef sandwiches.

Helming the kitchen are executive chefs Andrew Shedden and Josh Taylor, who said their chef-driven menu is also nostalgia-focused.

“It definitely has a nice little tang at the end of it,” Taylor said. “And unlike a lot of your normal Detroit styles, it eats really light.”

That light texture translates into a baked crust that isn’t heavy, rather airy.

“Its slight sour and acidity kind of deepens the taste of the crust a little bit,” Shedden said.

Shedden hails from Chicago and Taylor spent time in Chicago, so there are nods to the Windy City on the menu. A bound-to-be menu favorite is the Italian beef pizza with Italian beef, giardiniera, and beef jus. It has a spicy kick that hangs around a while but is not overpowering.

“It’s kind of unique, very much like eating a beef (sandwich),” Shedden said. “It’s definitely my favorite.”

Unc’s pizza menu offers red (with sauce) and white (no sauce) pizza styles.

“Some people don't like tomatoes,” Shedden said. “So, we kind of compose some pies that way to kind of hit them with the masses.”

Unc’s Pizza dining area seats about 80 people. There’s bar seating, high-top tables, tables and banquette seating. The dining room has a spacious feel with a high ceiling and exposed ventilation and large windows.

There’s a basement, where owners said they have plans for, as overflow or an event area.

Soon there will be outdoor patio seating.

“But next year, we're designing a patio that we can use year-round … it’s going to seat a lot more people.

Unc’s Pizza will be open 4 p.m.-11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 4 p.m.-midnight Friday and Saturday. For menu and information, go to uncspizza.com.

Contact Detroit Free Press food and restaurant writer Susan Selasky and send food and restaurant news and tips to: sselasky@freepress.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @SusanMariecooks. Subscribe to the Eat Drink Freep newsletter for insider scoops on food and dining in metro Detroit.