8 beloved regional pizza styles, from New Haven to Chicago
A (virtual) pizza road trip across the country.
Date
June 15, 2026
Pizza is a shapeshifter. What originally came to our shores from Italy has transformed and mutated in countless way across the US — it’s gotten thicker, thinner, much thinner, bigger, smaller, redder, whiter, and so much more. Part of the fun of pizza is baking — and eating — it in countless forms, and diving into the myriad styles scattered across the country allows you to do just that. From the puffy pan pizzas of the Motor City to the jammy red slices along the Rhode Island coast, these regional pizza styles are like a road trip in your kitchen.
1) New York-Style Pizza
Red sauce, cheese, and a browned crust seem simple, but a classic New York slice is tricky to nail. In our Book of Pizza, Martin Philip cracked the code: a thin, crispy (yet foldable!) crust with a no-dip tip, topped with a mixture of mozzarella and Parmigiano-Reggiano. A hot oven and baking steel, meanwhile, ensure a fully browned bottom to emulate the twice-baked slices you’ll find on the streets of NYC.
Get the recipe: New York-Style Pizza
To make this recipe, you’ll need: Bread Flour
2) Weeknight Detroit Pizza
It’s easy to understand why Detroit pizza has gone national: It features a thick, pillowy dough with ultra-crispy edges and a loaded topping of cheese, then sauce. While a standard 9" x 13" pan will work, bake in an anodized Detroit-style pan for that signature crackly frico crust on the edges.
Get the recipe: Weeknight Detroit Pizza
To make this recipe, you’ll need: Detroit-Style Pizza Pan
3) Chicago-Style Deep Dish Pizza
With its 1 1/2" tall crust cradling distinct layers of cheese, sausage, and tomatoes, this pizza is definitely a knife-and-fork experience. If you’re missing classic Chicago deep dish pizza and want to bring the Windy City home, many reviewers have claimed this recipe is just as good as the original.
Get the recipe: Chicago-Style Deep Dish Pizza
To make this recipe, you’ll need: SAF Red Instant Yeast
4) New Haven-Style Pizza
It can be hard to replicate New Haven pizza — which is cooked in a scorching-hot coal-fired oven — at home, but this recipe will get you close. After a long rise in the fridge, the dough is rolled thin, topped minimally, and then baked on a steel and under the broiler to achieve crispness and color on both the bottom and top. (For more on this pizza, take a trip to New Haven with Martin, then join him in this kitchen as he shows you how to make this pizza at home: Martin’s Pizza Road Trip to New Haven.)
Get the recipe: New Haven-Style Pizza
To make this recipe, you’ll need: Brod & Taylor Bread Steel
5) South Shore Bar Pizza
Hailing from the pubs, taverns, and dives of Massachusetts’ South Shore, bar pizza is characterized by a very thin, round crust covered entirely with sauce and cheese to create crispy edges. It’s best enjoyed alongside a cold beer, but a fresh salad at the dinner table also works.
Get the recipe: South Shore Bar Pizza
To make this recipe, you’ll need: Brod & Taylor Bread Steel
6) St. Louis-Style Pizza
If you like thin crust pizza, this style is for you. It’s nearly cracker-like; rather than yeast, it’s leavened with baking powder, so there’s no need to proof it. As a result, this pizza can be made in just 20 minutes — a weeknight dinner win!
Get the recipe: St. Louis-Style Pizza
To make this recipe, you’ll need: Unbleached Self-Rising Flour
7) Rhode Island Pizza Strip
Pizza without cheese? Yes! (At least, on Rhode Island.) Also called “red bread,” this signature style is all about the tomato sauce, which concentrates in the oven to deliver a jammy contrast to the bronzed, crisp-bottomed crust.
Get the recipe: Rhode Island Pizza Strip
To make this recipe, you’ll need: Bread Flour
8) Grandma Pizza
A New York staple, Grandma Pizza features a thin, crispy crust baked in a large square pan. Like other pan-style pies, such as Detroit, it’s topped first with cheese, then finished with sauce before baking.
Get the recipe: Grandma Pizza
To make this recipe, you’ll need: Grandma-Style Pizza Pan
Find everything you need to make great pizza in our Pizza Perfection Shop collection.
Cover photo by Andrew Thomas Lee, food styling by Jen Ophir, prop styling by Paige Hicks.
