17900 Allen RoadThe thing about traveling alone is that I get to eat where I want without worrying about whether someone else will like my pick or not.
I was in Dearborn for my kids’ synchronized skating competition at the Dearborn Ice Skating Center. The kids and J had rode a team bus to the competition and they had to stay later in the day for a critique.
I had to get home to work one of my other jobs outside of my Monday-Friday so I didn’t stick around for that.
There were several places within a short distance from The DISC that I have been wanting to eat at. Some of them legendary. And a couple Michigan bucket list restaurants.
I decided I was in the mood for pizza.
Fredi The PizzaMan is one of those Michigan bucket list restaurants. The small red brick building sits on the corner of Allen Road and Clarence Street in Melvindale. The restaurant has been around since the early 1980’s but it has really blown up in the last few years thanks to (person I’m not a big fan of) Dave Portnoy and his Barstool Pizza Reviews. It was always a staple of the Detroit pizza scene but it’s now a place that people travel all over Michigan (and beyond) for. And while I don’t like Portnoy or anything he stands for, he is 100% right about how great this place is.
Fredi’s is not a typical pizza place. You can’t call in an order. They don’t delivery. You might not even be able to get what you depending on the day and how busy they are.
The restaurant is very small. There are a couple of picnic type tables in the middle of the space which is the only place you can really eat as a group of more than two.
The rest of the limited seating is counter type seating along the walls.
Speaking of the walls, they’re covered in signatures from all of the people that have eaten at Fredi’s over the years.
The more famous people who have stopped at Fredi’s get a little more than their name written in Sharpie on the wall. There are pictures hanging above the order counter of several pro athletes and other recognizable people who have stopped in for a pizza.
You can’t just walk in to Fredi’s and order a pizza. They don’t like to get ahead of themselves so they only take orders depending on how much room is in the oven. There are several signs on your way in telling you to pull a ticket and wait. When the ovens clear up, they start calling numbers to put in orders.
I waited about ten minutes for my number to be called. That gave me some time to look over the menu,which is written on a chalkboard that takes up most of one of the walls. I couldn’t find a recent menu online anywhere so I didn’t really know what I was going to get when I walked in….which is highly unusual for me.
I decided I was just going to get a large pizza. I knew I would be made with a medium after I finished it and I was still hungry.
My pick was the Santino. This pizza is pepperoni, hot honey, and fresh mozzarella. It took about ten minutes from the time I ordered until the time my number was called again. The pizza is paid for after it comes out of the oven so I went back to the counter and paid. They take credit card but they add on a buck or two for the service fees so the total for my pizza was $23.
The pizza is billed as New York Style pizza but it’s kind of a cross between a New York Slice and a coal fired oven. The thin dough has a very crispy edge that snaps that helps with the NY foldover. The pizza is topped with a delicious fresh tasting sauce, fresh mozzarella cheese, crispy pepperoni’s, fresh basil, and a hot honey drizzle. My expectations were high coming in to Fredi’s and this pizza blew them all out of the water. I said earlier I would be mad if I finished a medium and was still hungry but I was just as mad when I finished the large. I wasn’t still hungry but I wanted more. This pizza was amazing.
Fredi The PizzaMan is absolutely a Bucket List restaurant. The best restaurants in any cities are the ones that have the unique experience but still deliver with high quality food. That’s what Fredi’s does. There’s the uniqueness of waiting patiently with a group of strangers crowded on to plastic topped stools waiting for your number to be called. The awkwardness of moving out of the way or trying to make more room is all worth it once you open up that box and pull out as slice of the amazing pizza Fredi The PizzaMan has waiting for your.