Descendant Detroit Style Pizza

A must try place for all foodies !
The crust of the pizza is its signature

The place is the bomb! Really like their pizza. It is a bit on the pricy & greasy side but that’s what you get when u want specialty pizza!!!
It is definitely more of a hipsters hang out which is cool and I think Andrew the front staff is cool!
I have recommended it to friends and family and suggest they go when I don’t so that they don’t run out on pies before I place my order

Don’t know quite how to rate this one.
Pizza was really really good. Menu is short and a bit too limited. It really is ONLY pizza. Food gets a 4.5.
Service. After two visits the service nets out at average or slightly below. First visit was great although it was quite early and they started by saying «order fast we have limited dough left». We thought that was a bit odd. Not really a service problem per se. Second visit service was just too cool, rushed and we didn’t feel overly welcomed. Service is a 2.5.
Venue…hmmm. I respected the art. My wife felt afraid. It was curious and begged some thought. I wouldn’t bring a small child here at night. Maybe not even during the day. It was dark and hipster cool. But not overly comfy and the open kitchen was a blessing and a curse.
Hygiene. The place was clean. I will give them that. The owner was there and we watched in amusement as he would: decorate a pizza, touch machinery and storage bins, hike his baggy jeans, adjust his ball cap, then back to food. It became a game for us to see how many unclean things he could touch before returning to food. It kinda grossed us out. If we were truly concerned we would have left so it was more amusing than anything. And a bit gross. I’d give it like a 2 on that whole aspect.
What’s most important? Well. All of it. You go out for a meal. And you pay good money. The art of the game for restaurateurs is to deliver all of these things a price point that represents value. It’s not easy to do.
If it were me, I would slightly adjust the art to eliminate the dead women with eyes gouged out, diligently train «friendly» into my servers and keep the open kitchen but proudly show off «best in class» hygiene — wash stations (being used) hair nets, clean white uniforms. That’s just me.
I do hope this place sticks around or at least starts a trend because the pizzas were really yum.

This is a small friendly pizza joint in Leslieville.
I’ve been here 3 times since I moved to the beaches.
I highly recommend the Sopressata dipped in a bit of garlic honey. It is the best pizza I’ve ever had.
Warning: it will be hard to ever go back to eating regular pizza after you try this.

Came in on a Friday evening with a reservation and it’s a good thing — the place was rammed with people trying to fill their pie holes.
1) This is the most satisfying pizza I’ve had in the city
2) A small is a good size for a hungry person
3) They’re so friendly
4) NIN and QOTSA playing on the speakers
4) I had very high hopes /​expectations based on the Unilocal reviews and a glowing article in the Globe and Mail… and my first DP experience still pleasantly surprised me. It was awesome– but I’m going to have to limit myself to bi-​weekly because I’ll get heart disease prematurely if not. I really liked eating too much here.

Wowzers! Smart, smart little place in Leslieville. The venue is quite small but the pizza experience is XXL! I am more familiar with Chicago style deep dish and was anticipating the typical round 2″ deep, weighs as much as a bowling ball pizza pie but after tasting the Descendant Detroit style, rectangular shaped, tastes like Angels laughing in your mouth pie I am a convert. The square or rectangle shape comes from the original use of industrial trays found in Detroit factories to hold small parts and I must say that crispy golden squares of this divine pizza is much easier to wield than the floppy triangle sections of a traditional round one.
My sweetie is a pizza gourmand and will «prime» his stomach and palate by eating very little on the day he is to try a new place and fretted that the smaller 8×10 size wasn’t likely to fill the void but was greatly surprised to find that it was the perfectest choice (don’t laugh, Shakespeare used «perfectest» in several sonnets and got away with it!) and was completely satisfied.
We were with 2 other friends so got to sample 4 pies in total, each one as good as the last!
Bravo Chef Getchell!

Like most, I’ve had a LOT of pizza in my time, but I don’t think I’ve EVER had pizza this good! I was recently in Chicago eating the best deep-​dish in the city, and I remember thinking «This is amazing, but it’s not Descendants».
They caramelize their crust with cheese, so you’ll ever leave it till last. The double pepperoni’s my favourite, but everything’s really good. I’m a pretty big guy and can’t eat a full large to myself, but I recommend getting a lot so you can eat it again later. Unlike most pizza, it tastes just as good heated up again (oven).
Decent beer selection if you’re going to eat in, staff are super friendly. Thanks guys!!!

Wow! OMG! Truly Amazing Orgasm of the Taste Buds!
I was recently able to go to Chicago and try authentic deep dish pizza for the first time at two different establishments. Then I wanted to know if there was anything similar to it available in Toronto and came across this place. I was not aware of Detroit style pizza and I am so glad I didn’t have to go to Detroit to try it!
This pizza was everything I dreamed and imagined it would be. If you don’t love this pizza place then you don’t like good pizza and have very poor taste. I’ve been looking at pictures of their pizzas for over two weeks and I could not wait any longer. I had to have it today by all means.
It was around lunch time and I managed to convince my co-​worker to have this pizza with me for lunch. We called ahead for pick up and they said 20 minutes so we waited about 10 and headed to Descendant’s. It was ready when we arrived and it was nice and fresh and hot, steaming from the boxes. The aroma filled the car as we headed back to the office teasing our senses.
I ordered the SOPPRESSATA MARMALADE which was my first choice and he ordered the «HOMENAJE» which would have been my second choice. Third on my list is the DOUBLE PEP fourth is the WHITE PIE and rounding up the list at five is the SAUSAGE & PEPPERS.
We had already decided to swap a piece each so we could try both. The first bite of mine was like dying and going to pizza heaven. The honey and chilis created a good mix of sweet and hot and the accompanying meat and cheese just brought everything together. Then I took a bite of my piece of the homenaje and it was just as good! If you love Mexican food and Pizza, this is the one you want to try!
I think it’s safe to assume that no matter which version of their pizza you try, you will not be disappointed. I can’t wait to try all the rest myself! They truly have taken their time to put together the best ingredients to create the most delicious pizza you will ever eat! Based on all of their success so far, I would love to see more locations in the future so that everyone has a chance to try their pizza!

The lowdown: It’s rectangular shaped, non-​Pizza Hut greasy, medium dish, pizza with good ingredients. Crust is crispy around the edges and rest was a fluffy, focaccia-​like consistency. That’s it.
Pizza was good, but it didn’t blow my socks off. I accidentally ordered a ‘White Pizza’ (no tomato sauce) which normally I wouldn’t have ordered because I prefer the traditional tomato sauce. However, it was good if you like mushrooms and caramelized onions. Did seem to taste even better the next day!
Small ‘white’ pizza was $ 16 and I was only able to eat half, the rest was takeout. Wished they had an option of ordering a smaller, less expensive portion, so you can try different kinds if you’re not dining with a group.
Btw, the only veg pizza was Margherita for all you vegetarians. Most meat options were pork, although staff did say that there were able to remove toppings that you didn’t want.
Staff was nice, although I felt like they were hovering as there were at least 2 – 3 waiters for this tiny restaurant. I was asked how everything was 3Xs during my 30−45min stay. Felt like they were either very green or fishing for compliments.
Tip: Better experience if you dine in a large, at least 3 – 4 person, group so you can try different pizzas. UNLESS you’re a huge pizza eater which I’m not.

Came here on a date night with hubby. Nice cool little spot in Leslieville with a great vibe. Our server was super helpful and recommended the Soppressata (spelling?) and we were or disappointed at all it had the perfect blend of flavours– and tasted truly unique from anything I’ve tried before. The crust was thick and doughy with burnt cheese on the edges so yummy. Highly recommend this low key place. They also had a great selection of drinks and beer. We had Vernors which was priced very reasonably. All in all a good spot if you are looking for just pizza and beer with friends. Not good for large groups but good for a casual date nightie just hanging with a few friends.

Others have described the pizza here in great detail and fairly accurately, so I’m just going to add my personal opinion of the pizza.
We tried the sausage and pepper pizza and my goodness, was it amazing! Definitely felt guilty eating it as I could feel the fat just seeping through my body, but definitely an indulgence worth partaking in on (rare) occasion. Loved the tiny, spicy peppers on the pizza as well, that gave the flavour a whole other dimension.
I don’t foresee myself ordering from here too often, but when I do it will definitely be a guilty pleasure.

Super amazinggggggg! I would definitely come back again even though it was a little out of the way to get here. Went with some good friends and had a wonderful evening. Reservations had to be made as there was limited space.
I ordered the small White Pie (Cheese Blend, House Ricotta, Caramelized Onions, Toasted Bread Crumbs, Lemon Dressed Arugula). It had four slices and was delicious, but I thought the double pepperoni was even more AMAZING. It was to die for ! LOVED the crunchy crust. I wish we could just eat and eat and eat without feeling full!
Staff was amazing and came by to check on us. The chef also apologized as they were behind with orders in the kitchen. But I didn’t feel it took long at all. Highly recommended! When we were here I noticed there were a lot of orders for takeout… Now you know why. Super delish and best pizza in the city!

4.5 Stars
As I bit into that first bite… the tangy tomato sauce and the ooey gooey cheese I knew I had almost reached nirvana. I’m going to first say that I’m usually more of a thin crust kinda girl — the deep dish is usually not my go to. But this place changed my mind.
Located on Queen St E, this small pizza place which bills itself as Detroit style pizza has more of a Kensington vibe with the faux tin ceilings, eclectic art work and paint spattered walls. The kitchen is open so you can see the chefs working hard at making your pizza (plus you can keep an eye out if any of them are digging for gold and then smothering their hands in your dough! — and no they did not do that here… just saying you can check it out with open kitchens). It’s a small joint that does takeout but they can accommodate one large group (8 – 9 people) as there is one large table and a few smaller ones.
Now to the pizza. This pizza had the sauce and basil over the cheese and this is what makes it different from other places. I shared a large Margherita pizza with another lovely lady (about 10 square slices). A small is about 4 square slices and plenty for one person. Depending on the pizza a small can be about $ 12 – 13 and the large can be $ 20 – 25 so sharing one large is a good option.
To give you a visual, the pizzas here look like the Little Caesar’s deep dish pizzas — that thickness and crust. But the comparison stops there. The flavours in this pizza are subtle — the sauce does slightly overpower it and the basil is cut up in small pieces and I prefer the whole leaf for a more impact of flavour (which is why deducted .5 starts). Other pizzas ordered at the table were the double pepperoni, the white pizza and I believe a pizza that had some truffle oil in it with onions (I’ve forgotten the name). Everyone said theirs was delicious — as I don’t eat pork I was unable to try a few of the others but I will take their word and their happy expressions as proof. Based on others who had been here before it seems they may change up their menu on occasion as one person mentioned before they had a Hawaiian type pizza that was no longer on their menu. This placed apparently is fairly new on the Queen St E locale but it’s already made a great impression! The chefs/​owners are quite lovely and really want to make sure you enjoyed your pizza and overall experience. As we were a larger group the chef came out to advise it may take a while longer than normal due to the amount of pizzas we had ordered — which I knew it would take a bit longer but I nonetheless appreciated him taking a moment or two to acknowledge it.
When I feel like heading over to Detroit but don’t want to take the long drive there… I will just come here for the ‘za!

As of November 30, 2015 I have 24 pizza places reviewed in the following list:
before writing this review.
I am very happy to say this will be my first 5* review for pizza, period. Yes, I’ve been to a variety of Chicago deep dish places in the past. Yes I’ve had VPN certified pizza in a variety of establishments and yes I’ve had NYC style pizza on Long Island.
This place Descendant transcended my expectations for what pizza could or should be. To me there is no real «should be». Pizza may have originated in Napoli and the style and methods for making this very famous food has been made to suit the tastes and styles of whatever region it is serving. This is true and yes while there are so many changes to how authentic Neapolitan pizza may have evolved to today this is just one but it is probably my favorite I’ve had to date across all variations of the food.
Pizza here at Descendant Detroit Style is different from your every day pizza and their style while not entirely something new is something that is totally reborn from your every day mundane mass produced version pizza that is as ubiquitous as the hamburger has become.
What makes Descendant’s version different is the style and it’s in their NAME. Detroit style if this is what it is, is very good and I have a new love for this style of pizza.
I almost hate to use Little Caesar’s as an example but I almost fear that I have to. Now for those that aren’t aware, Little Caesar’s pizza is owned by the Illitch family of Detroit who also own the Tigers and Red Wings professional baseball and hockey teams. Caesar’s has come out of their Deep Deep Dish pizza which is essentially a pan pizza, square with cheese to the edges, crisped and made crunchy.
The reason I bring up Caesar’s is because for those that are familiar with that version of Detroit born pizza will understand what Descendant’s Detroit Style pizza is like, but better.
Please, do not take my comparison to Caesar’s Deep Deep Dish to say that Descendant’s is the same. This is an apples to oranges scenario. Descendant is far and away superior to Caesar’s because yes the ingredients are better but only the style (shape, cheese crispy at the edge) is the same style.
Descendant’s crust is for me the best part. The edge of crusted cheese is my favorite part because of the crunch and the way this pan pizza is just cooked WITHOUT being a disgusting sponge of grease like Pizza Hut. Let me be clear that this is proper sit down quality pizza completely not of the Pizza Hut/​Little Caesar’s variety. This is not a chain and that is one part of this establishment’s charm.
It’s small inside and you can see the kitchen from the dining area because it’s that tight. The wall art and décor is of a very industrial feel to it, very blue collar, Hell’s Kitchen/​Meat Packing district feel to it. Even the banister leading to the rest rooms is made of industrial pipe with end caps. On our table we had a place to hand our jackets, purses etc at either end also made with pipes and cap ends. This place feels like you are in an urban place to eat.
Add to the options of drinks, unique drinks both juices, pops and beers are of the local craft variety such as GLB, Amsterdam, Beau’s etc. Vernor’s I believe its origins are from Michigan.
I had ordered the large (8 slice) double pepperoni and it was like heaven. Deep crust, fresh generous melted cheese with the sauce on top sort of like Montréal style but the square shaped pieces with crunchy, crispy cheese on the edges makes it all worthwhile and that edge is the edge this style of pizza has over all others in my opinion.
I was able to have a slice of the Homenaje which included: Cheese Blend, Fresh Chorizo, Roasted Jalapenos, Lime Pickled Onions, Sauce, Cilantro Sour Cream, Fresh Cilantroil.
My wife ordered the white pizza which included: Cheese Blend, House Ricotta, Caramelized Onions, Toasted Bread Crumbs, Lemon Dressed Arugula.
Now while I had ordered a large it’s not 2 x small pizzas so if you are looking for more «edge» or corner pieces you’d have to order 2 smalls to get 8 corner pieces.
The service here was great, the food was great and everything about this place to me stands out as going against the grain, coming out with something new and different from an everyday food item that just makes it that much better than every other place out there in Toronto. For a nice twist for a food that you may be used to if you want something different I couldn’t recommend Descendant any more than I do now.

Never had «Detroit-​style» pizza before, but I’m sure glad I tried it. In my ongoing quest to find decent and authentic deep-​dish pan pizza in GTA area, it was suggested we try Descendant, which prepares it’s crust in kind of a hybrid deep-​dish and traditional American style manner.
The décor was interesting, and as a friend I was with commented, it kind of felt like some kind of an underground club or something — faux bronze ceiling tiles, and reclaimed piping for furniture was a nice stylistic touch. It’s not the biggest place though, and a big cramped, so perhaps call ahead.
I had a chance to take a peek at some of the other options, but being the meat-​eater I am, I had to go with the «Double Pep» — their regular pepperoni pizza with twice the amount of pepperoni (brilliant, I know!). This will definitely not disappoint, for anybody that enjoys the style of pizza with a crispy buttery crust framing the thick cheesy goodness. Crushed tomatoes on top of the cheese was nice.
Admittedly, I did hope for a bit more pepperoni for the additional charge, but it was good enough. A «small» at this place will be enough for most, but if you’re really hungry you can go «large,» which is basically twice the size of the small.
This place just opened a few months back, and it’s already picked up steam. Definitely worth checking out if you like this style of pizza.

Doods seriously! Had the soprasetta and blew my mind! One of the best pizzas I’ve had since moving to Toronto from NYC 11 year’s ago. I will say a bit pricey but was worth every bite.
That spicy honey sauce is just awesome.

Went back here and have good news. They now serve beer. Not only that but they have bone shaker which is a perfect, extra hoppy pairing to salty pizza. Money!

This place is best summed up as pizza hut on steroids. Dare I say the crust was my favourite part? It was so thick, crispy and filled with delicious cheese. We tried the Sopressata Marmalade and Sausage and Peppers pizza. The Sopressata Marmalade was delicious for the first few bites but the hot honey was a bit too sweet for me afterwards. I prefer a savoury pizza. The Sausage and Peppers was very good and packed with toppings. I hope they bring back the Hawaiian pizza soon as i would def come back for it.
What also stands out is their amazing service. Our server was extremely attentive and we could tell that he was very passionate about the pizza. In fact, all the workers were very engaged with the customers and extremely friendly. Thumbs up!

Chris makes some food that is mind blowing. When the rest of Canada is all fussed about VPN pizzas, this restaurant showed up on the scene like a Mongol hoard to wage war on your tastebuds and reign supreme over fussy purists who think only Italy can make good food.
If you haven’t been here yet, you should consider it a pilgrimage. It’ll change your life.

Came here on a Friday night after reading raving Unilocal reviews and seeing drool-​worthy pictures of the pizzas. The pizzas and the service failed to deliver.
Don’t get me wrong. The staff was really nice and apologized multiple times for the delay in seating us. The restaurant was busy, busy when we stepped in. We didn’t get seated until much, much later. My date had to ask for his stool twice. Service failed but at least they recognized that and apologized.
As for the pizzas, we got Double Pep and Sweet, Sweet Corn.
They were okay. I guess I’m not a big fan of such pizza; not as mind blowing as some reviews say it is. I’m glad that I got to try the Detroit style pizza, though, so I know what to expect next time I’m ordering it.