4061 28th Street SEGood news! Buddy’s Pizza is moving to Kalamazoo…er Portage actually. The Detroit pizza chain made the announcement in August not long after Old Chicago closed. Pretty much everyone assumed another Credit Union would go into that building…but surprise! It’s gonna be a Buddy’s!
That reminded me, I haven’t been to the Grand Rapids Buddy’s Pizza yet.
I spent a couple of days on Mackinac Island for work and had to stop in Grand Rapids on my way home. I asked J if she wanted me to bring home pizza. We hit the 11:00 AM ferry back to Mackinaw City so it was going to be right around dinner time when I got home.
I saw Buddy’s uses DoorDash for their online ordering which made my life easier. When I dropped my colleague off at the office, I put in an order for a four square cheese pizza and a four square Motown Museum.
The drive across town was about twenty minutes and that’s how long my pizza ordered was predicted to take.
The Grand Rapids Buddy’s Pizza location is on 28th Street just east of East Paris Avenue. The stand alone store used to be a Carrabba’s Italian Grill but that closed down abruptly at the beginning of 2017. Buddy’s dropped the Italian countryside decor and went with their own blue, red, and yellow color scheme.
The carry-out door is separate from the dining room entrance. The door is kind of behind the building next to the dumpsters. There are signs pointing you to the right place but it kind of feels like an employee entrance. If you happen to go in the dining room, you can still get to this area through the store.
The pick up area isn’t much more than a service counter looking in to the kitchen. I told the employee my name and that I hard ordered and paid through Door Dash. She picked up two boxes from the warmer and handed them to me. I had already paid the $26 tab online so I was in and out in just a few minutes.
The unfortunate part of all of this is I was bringing these pizzas back to Kalamazoo so I had to smell them the whole way.
The kids met me at the door when I got home knowing I had pizza. I opened their box first and everyone looked at me like I was an idiot for only getting Four Squares. We plated up a slice for both kids then J took one and a half for herself. Turns out, there was half a slice left over so I knew what I was doing.
Buddy’s Pizza really is like nothing else. It’s similar to Chicago Pizza but it’s just not. The crust is thicker but it’s got such a delicious, crispy, buttery exterior due to the fat that lines the square baking pans. The sauce isn’t layered on. It’s more like a few dollops on top of the golden brown cheese. You really get to taste more than just tomatoes on this pizza.
The Motown Museum is one of the Signature Pizzas. It’s topped with Old World Pepperoni, bacon, and the Motor City cheese blend. The Old World Pepperoni is the best. It’s small, thickly sliced pepperoni that is put on top of the cheese and allowed to crisp up around the edges. I really could eat just a whole plate of this stuff but having the pizza is just a little extra bonus.
I can’t wait for Buddy’s Pizza to open in Kalamazoo. My family still talks about the time I took them to the original Conant Street location several years ago and now my Sister-In-Law craves Detroit Style Pizza…..as do I. This stop in Grand Rapids did just enough to tease me and make me yell at the building on Westnedge every time I drive by to hurry up and become a Buddy’s.