Gold Tooth Tony's

In a city where Neapolitan and New York-style slices run the pizza game, we’re especially thankful for Gold Tooth Tony’s. The Heights pizza joint is turning out some excellent Detroit-style pizza without forgetting to have a little fun. 

The compact, counter-service joint is dishing out heavy-hitter pies. Each slice, made of fluffy, buttered dough smothered in glistening cheese with edges crisper than a fresh line-up, could easily be a meal on their own. There are classic options like cheese and margherita, but we like to get the more over-the-top varieties, like “The Griz,” which is more like a buffalo-chicken-bacon explosion. Or pies composed of unlikely teammates like pancetta, hot honey, and fig. But if you’d rather let your inner mad pizza scientist loose, there’s an option to build your own pie. 

Everything at Gold Tooth Tony’s feels lighthearted and not just because the name sounds like a place to get custom grillz. The inside is bright, with colorful signs adding a bit of neon sunshine. Soak up as much of the fun as possible while you wait because there are only about four tables and a few single stools along the window, so most people come here on a mission for takeout. But if you’re lucky you can snag a spot and take a few bites of one of the decked-out slices in the restaurant.

Gold Tooth Tony’s keeps things exciting—the most inventive pies become the ordering go-tos. And while there may be a little bit of a wait on the weekends to get your order, this place makes for a great weeknight meal or takeout order. Even if there’s no room inside of the restaurant, we’d happily camp out for one of the few tables inside, or stand outside and eat under the neon glow of the restaurant.

Food Rundown

The Griz

Buffalo chicken, ranch, and buffalo sauce make up the main trifecta for this decked-out pizza. It tastes like this pizza was designed to eat during a big game.

Outy 5

The Outy 5 is a balance of venison sausage and sweet port cherries. A perfect combination of savory and sweet.

Pizza Tots

The pizza tots at Gold Tooth Tony’s can be as dressed up or dressed down as you want them to be. At the very least, the pizza tots should involve a healthy dose of pepperonis.

Garlic Knots

Garlic knots are a classic pizza joint staple. We love the ones here because they’re slathered in butter and dusted with a coating of shredded parmesan cheese.

photo credit: Richard Casteel

Wings

We’d do just about anything for a plate of the fried chicken wings. They range from plain to general tso chicken flavor, so they never get boring. Our favorite variation of the wings are the dry-spiced ones, which are extra crispy without wrecking your mouth.