Detroit-Style Up North: Charles & Reid in Traverse City
This summer we drove the loop around Lake Michigan, which might be one of the most iconic Midwestern road trips you can take. Coming back south from the Upper Peninsula, we took the Michigan side and landed in Traverse City for the night.
That first evening we wandered around looking for somewhere to eat, so I pulled up the magic app: the One Bite app, the same one my buddy Jake uses to find amazing pizza (see DeLuca’s in Hot Springs). The pictures and reviews pointed me to Detroit-style pizza at a little place called Charles & Reid.
A Word on Detroit Style
I love Detroit-style pizza. If you don’t know what it is, take a moment and Google the hell out of it, because it’s one of the tastiest ways to eat pizza there is. It’s baked in square pans, with the red sauce on top and the cheese pushed all the way to the edges so it caramelizes into a crispy, lacy crust. Done right, that crust is magical. Done wrong, it’s a big, horrible loaf of bread.
Charles & Reid does it right. Owners Dan and Kristin Karabacz moved back to Michigan from Colorado to raise a family and start a business, and they took over a spot that already had a reputation for great Detroit-style pie.
Sold Out
We got there around 7 p.m., walked in the door, and saw a sign: SOLD OUT. I didn’t even know you could sell out of pizza. There were still people lined up to pick up orders and people eating inside, but we were out of luck.
Turns out they plan their dough throughout the day, and there’s only a finite amount of crust. When it’s gone, it’s gone, and we’d walked in right as they ran out. Lesson learned: call ahead.
Also, for future reference, this isn’t really a sit-down spot. It’s a small, nondescript brick building on a back alley off the main drag, with not much room inside. Think takeout.
Second Chance
The next day we drove out to Sleeping Bear Dunes. From about 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., the whole time we were there, we kept talking about whether we should drive back to Traverse City for that pizza. Around 12:30 or 1, I caved and called in a pickup order. Thankfully, they had crusts.
We got The Lorenzo: brick cheese, red sauce, pepperoni, and soppressata, topped with burrata, pesto, and olive oil. Thank God we only ordered one, because this thing was massive. Hearty, thick squares with a buttery, crunchy crust, and the burrata and pesto brought amazing flavor.
We sat in our truck in the back alley eating like heathens. At one point a car crept up behind me, and I was sure the driver was about to tell me he lived there and we had to move. Then he got out and put on an Amazon delivery vest, so I figured he was more worried about parking than I was.
The leftovers were great too, and they made it all the way home.
Dessert: The Cherry Hut
On the way out, we ran into a little cherry pie place. Actually, it’s more of a cherry-everything place: The Cherry Hut in Beulah. It’s been a Northern Michigan tradition since 1922, when the Kraker family started it as a roadside stand selling homemade pies made with cherries from their own orchard. A cherry pie was the perfect dessert to carry us further down the western Michigan shore.
Go Get Some
Charles & Reid
113 E State St, Traverse City, MI · (231) 252-3497
Tue–Sat 11am–9pm, or until the dough sells out (call ahead!)
charlesandreid.com
The Cherry Hut
211 N Michigan Ave (US 31), Beulah, MI · (231) 882-4431
cherryhut.com
Cheers!
