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deep dish is the thing to get in this joint
i recommend the spinach
mmmm mmmm good :) yay
We had two types of pepperoni pizza; deep dish and thin crust. Both were tasty, especially the sauce!
Food: very good
Service: prompt
Price: just right
I have no idea what it is about this place that people love so much. Maybe 'cuz there isn't much competition for Chicago deep dish around metro Detroit? If you want deep dish, yeah, fine, it's OK. But there are many pizza places that are waaaaaaaaaay better in Detroit that are waaaaaaaaay cheaper. It's almost like people keep going here and give it five stars because they can't be bothered to explore this great city for a greater pizza.
Look, 'Papalis isn't bad pizza, though there have been two occasions when I've ordered it and the center wasn't warm/fully cooked. It's fine, and you're guaranteed to not go home hungry, hence the three-star review. But it's really expensive for what you get. I'd also steer clear of the pastas; the two times I've ordered the mostacholi, the sauce was bland and watery.
If you're a commuter who goes only where you know, I urge you to check out Supino in Eastern Market or Nikki's in Greektown. You'll not only save your wallet, you'll save your taste buds from mediocrity.
This Pizza Papalis is great. Love the sauce. But... they don't deliever.
Whas happenin..Greek Town, such lively atmosphere.
Their Chicago is deep dished to the very bottom. Their slices are so huge that one could fill me right up.
Coming in a group of 20? NO PROBLEM.. You just have to wait oh 40 or so minutes on a Friday night without any reservation-but that's expected when you don't call in ahead of time.
Price is on the average.
located in greektown. the place is pretty spacious. two story high. family friendly. friendly waitstaff. pretty urban looking on the inside, so i love love.
we went with a group of 10 people and ordered two deep dish pizza + a greek salad. i was impressed at how big the pizza was and how it was just enough for us all! it was like lasagna on thin crust. i usually would not eat the crust, because it's a filler. BUT trust meee.. you can't waste it....!
their greek salad was also amazing.. probably because they loaded it up with feta cheese. YUMMM!!
i don't care what anyone says.. but this PLACE HAS ONE OF THE BEST PIZZA EVER!!!
Pizza Papalis has the best Chicago style deep dish pie in Detroit that I have had. Personally I get their veggie deep dish with jalapeños. Also helpful is the fact that they offer low fat (1%) cheese and you can ask them to go light with the cheese if you feel too guilty. I have had deep dish pizza's at Gino's and Giordano's in Chicago, but I honestly think that Pizza Papalis makes a better pie. Compared to other Metro Detroit favorites, Buddy's and Jet's, Pizza Papalis is more expensive and honestly a different breed of pizza. I prefer Buddy's crust and Jet's price as well as flavour options for crusts, but as a whole I would still pick Pizza Papalis as the best pizza experience.
This review is for lunch experiences only. I'd probably never come here for dinner, unless I wanted to wait 60 minutes for my pizza to cook.
The lunch menu cannot be beat when we are talking about lunch prices in Detroit. For under $8 you can get a personal sized deep dish pizza with a salad and a drink. Not a bad deal. The deep dish pizza is what it is, not everyone is a fan. It's probably overrated a little bit, but if you like crust and a spicy tomato sauce, then chances are you'll be satisfied.
Me and my girl rolled into town starving and luckily got a number for this place to check when visiting Detroit. Pizza never tends to fail so we agreed to check this place out to recharge. We found the spot and readily decided to get the lunch special which included a generous personal pizza and salad that hit the spot and for only six bucks! We decided to come back for another round some other day and we did to try something a bit bigger! We rolled in very hungry and decided to get a small Veggie deep dish. They said it would take a bit but screw it we decided just to wait and oh my was it worth it.
The pie was think and stuffed oh so much with cheese and fresh veggies. We were stuffed silly and glad that we had decided to come back to get a whole pie for ourselves. I will for sure come back and eat up again when I visit Detroit.
Well, well, well. Another classic Detroit restaurant over-rated by the natives, and typically sh-- on by the visitors.
Pizza Papalis sucks. Its simple as that. Yet, when I moved to Detroit, and asked around about the best pizza in town, natives were quick to tell me how amazing Pizza Papalis was. I often questioned if they had even been there after my first couple of visits.
Once again, this was a spot that I really wanted to like, but just couldnt because it sucked so damn bad.
I have had the shrimp alfredo or scampi (cant remember which one) pizza a few times, along with a few of the classics (meat lovers/pepperoni).
The place is overpriced, over-rated, and I wish the whole damn chain would go bankrupt so people could locate a few better options...(there is a spot in Eastern Market..that is amazing and much better!!!).
No thank you to another over-rated Detroit restaurant.
WTF?
So I had my first date ever at the PizzaPapalis in Dearborn, and I had loved it ever since (both for the pizza, and memories that came along with it).
With that being said, I went into this location in Greektown, and wasn't even able to finish the food.
Cold pizza... what are these breadsticks? They were literally defrosted bread with a side of marinera sauce.
If you want REAL PizzaPapalis, go to Michigan Ave....
Chicago-style pizza is pretty heavy and not something I'd be able to eat all the time. That said, Pizza Papalis is the best Chicago-style pizza around. I think you either love it or you hate it - there's really no in between. My personal favorite is the Papalis Gourmet (spinach, chicken, feta, olives, garlic).
...And don't waste your time at the Pizza Papalis in Dearborn. It just doesn't compare, in my book.
Not Chicago style pizza. But if you can delude yourself into thinking it was Greek style Chicago pizza, then OK, it's a decent product.
My problem lies with the crust. The crust is a pizza crust... a pizza crust you would use on a regular pie, not one made exclusively for deep dish. Chicago deep dish has a buttery crispy crust. Their crust was soggy and lacked the excessive amounts of Wisconsin cheese.
Also, our pizza came out in less than 15 minutes after ordering? That was bothersome (a deep dish takes about 30-45 minutes to bake once the order is placed). It wasn't piping hot and the crust was soggy! It didn't even come in the dish it was cooked in, instead served on cardboard that just aided in the sogification of the pizza.
One of the best pizzas in the city, worth a trip.
Not exactly comparable to other pizzas in the area due to it's Chicago-style construction. A thick, crispy, chewy deep dish crust with a hefty amount of cheese and toppings. But wait! What's this? The sauce is....(gasp)..on top! The bottomings(?) sit under the hearty sauce, resulting in an interesting take on a pizza pie. If at all familiar with Uno's, think bigger, better, more satisfying.
The restaurant itself is typical downtown Detroit. Loud, chaotic, rundown, a tad sketchy. I've only sat upstairs, which can feel a little congested and appears neglected. The menu offers pasta, fried foods & appetizers, regular pan pizza and the signature deep dish.
I'm usually there with the same people, satisfying the craving together. I've yet to try anything else, as the deep dish is more than enough. I usually attempt three slices and fail miserably somewhere around two and a quarter. The copious amounts of cheese and bottomings, along with the filling crust, lead to an ambush of fullness.
Do be prepared to wait, however. Service is usually alright, but the pizza itself takes around twenty to thirty minutes to cook through. Well worth the wait. Considering you'll be in the D, knock a few back and enjoy your company while the anticipation builds.
Right in the heart of Greektown, this place is a downtown delight. It is a good depart from the numerous Greek restaurants on the block, yet it still fits in with the spirit of the area.
There are two things that make this place stand out in my mind, and that's not even including the good food or the great location. First, the food is worth every bit you pay, probably more when you consider you can get a personal deep dish pizza with a salad for under $6 bucks. There are other incredible lunch specials as well. At certain times of the day, there are beer specials as well. Second, this place easily accommodates for large parties. Even during the lunch and dinner rushes, it is not hard to get parties of six or more people seated promptly.
Parking can be a bit difficult, but with the two Greektown Casino parking lots (one free with validation and the other free period!!), parking is no excuse not to head on downtown.
I highly recommend the Chicago-style deep dish... it's a staple and worth the trip. I know it may not be the best Chicago-style deep dish pizza in the world, but it's still mouth-watering good. I also recommend not being afraid to explore the rest of the menu. I have tried the soup, salads, bread sticks, and chicken wings, and all have been enjoyable. Nothing stands out as the best ever, but nothing is under par either. Just go with your gut instincts, as long as at least one time it's the deep dish cuz you have to try it, even if just once :)
After having Pizza House Chicago-style this afternoon, I feel comfortable enough to give Pizzapapalis the review it deserves.
What has always bothered me about the Pp pizza is the crust; it's more for decoration than eating. Today I had something to compare it to. Pizza House's Chicago is surrounded by a fluffy buttery crust easy to dip in whatever sauce you like. Pp's crust is good for... well, it'd make a good back scratcher, honestly.
Even with my gripe about the crust, it's still a pretty good pizza, middle of the road as far as Chicago style goes, but passable. Though I will also say that you can get a better pizza outside of Greektown for much cheaper (For example, Pizza House does a Chicago that feeds 6 people for under $20, compared to a pizza at Pp that feeds about half that for the same price)
This place is way too chaotic for me. If it's such a zoo that it's taken well over an hour to get a seat, another hour to get food, all the while being serenaded by screaming children and guys on their cell phones... I'm liable to snap. I've done that at Pp once before, and never again. I'd rather go to Plaka's and save my sanity and money.
What the hell.
We were staggering around in Greektown after losing some $$$ playing craps (fuck!) and we find a pizza place. WTF? Well, I was craving some Greek fare, but my buddy wasn't, so pizza it is.
Very solid. Great deep dish pizza. The service was iffy, but the pizza was worth dealing with the marginal service.
Their pizza tastes great, but the restaurant feels like Planet Hollywood or Hard Rock Cafe. You know, cheesy touristy feeling...
Some other locations in Detroit (like the one in Rivertown) do delivery. I prefer delivery to dining here.
Is it just me or does the cheese here taste a little metallic? Like it was some bangs from the late 80's spritzed with hairspray?
Great sit down place for pizza! Located in Greektown (the last time I went, I lived in the outer suburbs of the metro Detroit area & ran into friends there who'd also driven in to eat there). The pizzas here are fantastic, but HEAVY, with 2 full layers, meaning, from bottom up, crust, sauce, cheese, toppings, then crust, sauce, cheese, (toppings?). You may not need more than 1 or 2 slices to be full! If you are a crust person, the crust is thick & has a somewhat buttery flavor. Can be quite busy at times (like when there are events at Joe Lewis Arena, i.e. hockey games), but the last time I went & had to wait, they offered to go ahead and take our pizza order while we were waiting for seating, so once we got seated, it wasn't THAT long of a wait.
There are several takeout branches in the 'burbs and I believe another sit down restaurant in Rochester Hills (which I didn't get a chance to explore before I moved).
No words can possibly express my disappointment in Pizzapapalis.
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Oh Heck yeah they can!
I was back in Greektown looking for a great pizza, so this was the first place I thought would do the trick.
Problem: they don't serve the 6" Single pies after 5 PM and I was all alone :(.
A small deep dish pie there was $14 and served 2-3 people, and I didn't have a fridge to store any leftovers. So the waiter empathizes and offers the calzone. Good idea!
ooooooh Bad execution! Sorry to report.
I chose the same Gourmet calzone whose ingredients mirrored what went into their Gourmet pizza. But the calzone that arrived was almost burnt at the ends and not quite blond in the middle. It looked like they took a pre-cut frozen 10" pizza bottom and folded it over, not even trying to make it look freshly made.
After trying to eat it, I sent it back. It came back out a few minutes later looking more dirty blond than before but certainly nowhere near golden brown.
It had very good fillings but I still had to remove the top to avoid the doughy tasting center.
I had a side garden salad which was mediocre: largely iceberg lettuce with red onions, shredded carrots, exactly ONE grape tomato, ONE small olive, and ONE pepper. It was as if the tomato and olive police were looking over all these salads and saying, "TWO OLIVES??? OMG!! Too much. You fired!"
Maybe the Pizzas here are great, but they need to expand that greatness to their other menu items. No extra stars for effort.
I have been a patron of PizzaPapalis since my high school years. While the Greektown location is usually pretty busy it's still my favorite place to grab a real Chicago style deep dish pizza. If you have never experienced deep dish pizza, by all means, indulge yourself! Immediately! Besides the delicious pizza they have great appetizers and alcoholic drinks. You're going to need one if you eat more than one slice to forget about the calories! But it's so worth it! They offer dine in seating as well as carry out. If you happen to have a few slices left over and you take them home; PLEASE do not microwave the pizza. I know this sounds bizarre but use the oven. The pizza will taste just as good as it did the day before.
This Pizza Papalis is always busy and crowded. Located right in the heart of the Greektown, this is a place that many people go before they hit the club or before and after gambling at the Casino. I'm actually not a fan of this one, just because it is way to packed. The pizza takes long as it is because it is deep dish. So add on an extra 30 minutes to your waiting time when you come here, because of the crowd. The wait staff is usually decent, although I've encountered bad service periodically. I would suggest coming here during the day time if you simply want to enjoy the pizza. If you are in the mood for a night crowd and mingling, then perhaps this a good place to go as well.
We have ate ( and drank) at PizzaPapalis twice . Service was so-so once and poor the second time . In all fairness to the servers it appeared they did not have enough staff on . Salads we ordered were poor at best and overpriced . THe deepdish pizza was not all that bad once but the last time was not cooked enough . Now trying to get the server back to the table to tell her well that was the hard part . She said she would be right back but was a no show for 10 minutes . Want real deep dish head 250 miles west on I-94 to Chicago ...Geno's East or Pizza Uno Try them...
BEST PIZZA IN THE WORLD!! I will start off by saying, I don't like pizza, all the grease makes me sick, and I have developed an aversion. However, this pizza, which I know is extremely greasy, was for a long tim the only pizza that I would ever eat. The pieces are huge and deep, and the vegitarian pizza, with all the different vegitables stuffed in are amazing. I lived in chicago for awhile, but would have to say this is way better than any of the places I went there.
When I was a little kid we used to sit up in the balcony and they would toss a little pizza dough up at us for entertainment. It's the best pizza in the Detroit area by FAR.
great chicago-style pizza that comes with a great price in a great location!!! crispy/buttery crust! try the personal spinach pizza with a salad for a great deal at just under 6 bucks! the small veggie pizza is good enough for 3 people! thick the way it should be with plenty of veggies! sure, it took about 40 minutes for the pizza to be served, but that's the price you have to pay for a good,fresh pie! friendly service,too :) stop here if you want a great pizza! I recommend this place for peeps staying in town for demf!
i think Pizza Papalis has some of the best pizza in Detroit. it can get very crowded here on the weekends (be prepared to wait) but it's worth it. service is pretty hit and miss. sometimes you get a great server, other times you get the person that hates their job and, therefor, hates you for making them work. but overall - i've never had a problem. their pizzas are phenomenal and their salads are really good. i've never strayed farther than that ... so i can't judge the rest of the menu.
Great pizza!I've been going here for years.Great service,nice prices, excellent food.Parking...not so great.
i'm not a huge pizza person, but this is probably my favorite pizza in the world. the crust is super yummy and a slice of veggie pizza is truly a meal in and of itself. i love pizza papalis and it makes me happy to go to greektown, eat here, and then go somewhere and eat baklava.
Neighborhood: Downtown Detroit
Category: Greek
Neighborhood: Downtown Detroit
Category: Greek
Neighborhood: Downtown Detroit
Category: Diners
Neighborhood: Downtown Detroit
Category: Pizza
Neighborhood: Downtown Detroit
Category: Pubs
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