We were pretty floored by the welcome Unc’s received when we opened our doors in Capitol Park.
In the days surrounding our opening, local writers and news outlets shared the story of Unc’s, from the people behind it and the meaning of the name to the Detroit-style pizza coming out of our kitchen. We wanted to gather some of that opening-week coverage here.
Detroit Free Press
Susan Selasky of the Detroit Free Press stopped in shortly after we opened for a first taste of the menu. Her story gets into the food in a way most of the early opening coverage didn’t, including our 36-hour sourdough biga and the process Executive Chefs Andrew Shedden and Josh Taylor used to develop a lighter, airy Detroit-style crust with those crispy cheese edges. She also digs into several of the 15 pizzas on the menu, including the Cousin Balki and Italian Beef.
[New Unc’s Detroit-style pizza now open with 15 varieties]
Crain’s Detroit Business
Crain’s took a broader look at the business and story behind Unc’s, including the partnership that brought the restaurant together, our decision to focus on Detroit-style pizza in Capitol Park and the history behind the name. The piece shares the story of Larry’s Uncle Paul, a decorated World War II veteran and longtime Detroit Edison employee, and how the idea of “Unc” grew into a tribute to the people in our lives who showed up for us and made us feel like we belonged.
[New Detroit-style pizzeria aims for a neighborhood feel in downtown’s Capitol Park]
Crain’s also asked a fair question: why open another pizza restaurant downtown? As Ann-Marie told them, Mootz and La Lanterna are both places we genuinely like, but they’re serving very different styles of pizza. We believed there was room downtown for a neighborhood spot focused specifically on Detroit-style pizza.
The Detroit News
Melody Baetens at The Detroit News focused on the restaurant veterans who came together to create Unc’s: Larry Kahn, Ann-Marie Murphy and Jeff Alexander of Dime Store, along with Tony Sacco of Mootz Pizzeria + Bar. The story also introduces Executive Chefs Andrew Shedden and Josh Taylor and, most importantly, the idea at the center of the restaurant: creating the neighborhood pizza place we all wished still existed.
[Restaurant vets open Unc’s Pizza, a new Detroit-style pizzeria]
Hour Detroit
Hour Detroit took readers through the restaurant from several angles, introducing the team behind Unc’s, the design of the Capitol Park space and the story of Larry’s Uncle Paul. The piece also gets into some of the more distinctive parts of the menu, from our white Detroit-style pizzas and Chicken Parm pizza to the Lebanese influences that show up in dishes like the aged brick cheese sticks and roasted whole wings.
[Unc’s Pizza Opens in Downtown Detroit’s Capitol Park District]
Metro Times
Metro Times introduced Unc’s as a new Detroit-style pie shop in Capitol Park, with a look inside the restaurant and at the neighborhood-inspired idea behind it.
[Unc’s Pizza brings a new Detroit-style pie shop to Capitol Park]
We were also grateful to see Unc’s covered by Axios Detroit, WXYZ, WDIV, DBusiness and Patch as word got around that we had finally opened the doors.
Opening a restaurant takes a lot of people and a lot of work long before the first guest ever walks in. Seeing so many people interested in what we were building, and then actually getting to welcome people into the restaurant, made for a pretty memorable first week.
If you haven’t made it in yet, you can find us at 1133 Griswold St. in Capitol Park, downtown Detroit.
Pull up a chair. You’re among friends.
