Downtown Detroit's first Buddy's pizzeria opens this week

Good news for fans of Buddy's signature Detroit-style square pizzas: The company's new downtown location opens Wednesday.

The restaurant opens in the former Angelina Italian Bistro at 1565 Broadway St. in the Madison, a Dan Gilbert-owned building. In addition to sit-down tables, the new space caters to the downtown lunchtime crowd with a to-go counter that sells pizza by the slice, as well as a new menu of sandwiches, salads, and pastas.

It's the company's first downtown location and only its second in Detroit, despite the fact that the chain started in the Motor City in 1946 and is widely credited as the originator of Detroit-style pizza.

In June, the company sold its original building at McNichols and Conant, but the business will continue to operate there. Last year, the company announced plans to expand beyond Michigan, and last week, the company brought in a new CEO to lead the expansion. With the downtown spot, the company now has 16 locations.

The expansion comes as much of the nation finally appears to be going gaga for the gooey delight that is Detroit-style pizza, with square-pie purveyors opening in New York City, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. This year, Michigan natives Kristen Calverley and Nathan Peck brought their Detroit-style concept Michigan & Trumbull to the Motor City following a successful launch in Pittsburgh.

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