Domino's Detroit-Style Pizza Review
Domino's has launched a domino-shaped Detroit-style personal pizza nationwide. A taste test finds it falls short of the classic style, with an undercooked crust and insufficient crispy cheese edges, leaning more toward a basic pan pizza.
Domino's added a new domino-shaped Detroit-style personal pizza to its national menu on August 31, 2026. The pizza chain, one of two major chains founded in Michigan, is now offering the rectangular 'Domino' pizza, which customers can customize with up to three toppings. Detroit-style pizza is a type of pan pizza but with a few upgrades. It gets a massive amount of cheese and the sauce actually goes on after the cheese, not before. Iconically, a Detroit-style pizza is rectangular and was originally baked in forged-steel pans borrowed from automotive manufacturing and maintenance plants. It's one of the most beloved regional dishes in the U.S., hailing originally from Detroit, Michigan in the 1940s. Domino's is trying to make this personal pizza into its very own fast food icon, akin to the McDonald's Big Mac, Burger King Whopper, or Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme.
According to a review for The Takeout, the new item aims to be a fast-food icon but ultimately resembles a basic rectangular pan pizza more than an authentic Detroit-style pie. The reviewer ordered three versions for a taste test: one with Italian sausage, another with pepperoni, and one with vegetables.
The Taste Test
Opening the box revealed pizzas with very little of the signature browned, crispy crust around the edges. The reviewer, who has experience with Detroit-style pizza, found the crust was not crunchy enough. The dough inside was very soft and, in parts, even a little doughy and undercooked. Since Domino's is one of the best chains for pan pizza, it was no surprise that this pizza leaned closer to a basic pan pizza than a specifically Detroit-style one.
While the texture was flawed, the flavor was deemed enjoyable. It was described as saucy, zesty, and savory. It wasn't surprising or out of this world stellar, but it'll get the job done. The pizza is made in a rectangular pan with sauce on top of the cheese, yet it lacks the crucial ring of cheese around the outside needed to create Detroit-style's iconic cheesy, crispy edges. Great Detroit-style pizza needs a ring of cheese around the outside of the crust to achieve those cheesy, crispy edges. It's not like preparing a typical pan pizza, so Domino's has a bit of tweaking to do.
Price and Customization
The pizza is easily ordered and customized via the Domino's app. However, the reviewer found the pricing structure somewhat misleading. The base price increases with each additional topping.
| Toppings | Price |
|---|---|
| 1 topping | $7.99 |
| 2 toppings | $8.74 |
| 3 toppings | $9.49 |
At the time of the review, Domino's was running a promotion where buying more than two Dominos reduced the price to $6.99 each, regardless of topping count up to three.
Final Assessment
The concept of a domino-shaped pizza for Domino's feels obvious, but the execution needs work. The reviewer concluded that with a few tweaks, namely, more cheese cooked on the outside of the crust and longer in the oven for a fully cooked pizza, the item could be a total win. For now, Domino's has more to do to authentically replicate one of America's beloved regional pizza styles. The pizza is available nationwide for delivery and carry-out.
