A new Detroit-style pizzeria from familiar downtown eatery owners is coming to downtown Detroit’s Capitol Park area.
Unc’s Pizza is a partnership between the owners of the Dime Store and Mootz Pizzeria + Bar, both just several blocks away.
Behind the Dime Store restaurant on Griswold near Fort Street are Larry Kahn, Ann-Marie Murphy and Jeff Alexander. The Dime Store is well known as a spot for breakfast, brunch and lunch. Tony Sacco co-owns Mootz on Library Street, and it’s known for its New York-style pizza.
“There’s incredible pride in Detroit-style pizza and demand for a place that really celebrates it,” Sacco said in a news release. “We took our time getting it right while having some fun.”
Billed as a neighborhood gathering spot, Unc’s Pizza is set to open on Tuesday, Aug. 11, at 1133 Griswold St. in Capitol Park’s historic Detroit & Northern building. Unc’s is next to Prime & Proper steakhouse.
“We wanted to create the neighborhood pizza place we all wish still existed,” Larry Kahn said. “The kind of place where everyone feels welcome, families stay awhile and another chair is pulled up to the table.”
The restaurant’s name and inspiration come from Kahn’s Uncle Paul, who was known simply as “Unc” and the “kind of person that made everyone feel like family,” according to a news release.
Helming the kitchen are executive chefs Andrew Shedden and Josh Taylor, known for stints at Detroit’s Olin, Marrow in the Market, Dime Store and Supergeil as well as several Chicago restaurants.
On Unc’s menu will be Detroit-style pizza plus salads, sandwiches, mozzarella sticks, chicken wings and tenders. On its online menu, Unc’s Pizzas are a selection of “red pizza” with its house red sauce and a cheese blend or “white pizza” with no sauce and its cheese blend.
“Hospitality isn’t just a service; it’s a way of looking out for one another,” co-owner Murphy said. “This place is dedicated to the people who taught us to be generous with our time, care for our communities and make everyone feel like they belong.”
Inside the historic Detroit & Northern building, Unc’s space spans 7,300 square feet and two floors. Unc’s Pizza will have 80 indoor seats, and there’s an outdoor patio with 50 seats.
Colin Tury of Tury Design designed the space, and its architectural design is from Isabelle Leysens of Plan to Build.
Unc’s Pizza will be open 4 p.m.-11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 4 p.m.-midnight Friday and Saturday. For menu and information, go to uncspizza.com.
Contact Detroit Free Press food and restaurant writer Susan Selasky and send food and restaurant news and tips to: sselasky@freepress.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @SusanMariecooks. Subscribe to the Eat Drink Freep newsletter for insider scoops on food and dining in metro Detroit.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: New Detroit-style pizzeria Unc’s pizza opens Tuesday in Capitol Park
Reporting by Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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By Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
