A Word on Detroit Style<\/h2>\n
I love Detroit-style pizza. If you don\u2019t know what it is, take a moment and Google the hell out of it, because it\u2019s one of the tastiest ways to eat pizza there is. It\u2019s 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\u2019s a big, horrible loaf of bread.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Sold Out<\/h2>\n
We got there around 7 p.m., walked in the door, and saw a sign: SOLD OUT. I didn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n
Turns out they plan their dough throughout the day, and there\u2019s only a finite amount of crust. When it\u2019s gone, it\u2019s gone, and we\u2019d walked in right as they ran out. Lesson learned: call ahead.<\/p>\n
Also, for future reference, this isn\u2019t really a sit-down spot. It\u2019s a small, nondescript brick building on a back alley off the main drag, with not much room inside. Think takeout.<\/p>\n
Second Chance<\/h2>\n
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.<\/p>\n
We got The Lorenzo<\/strong>: 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n The leftovers were great too, and they made it all the way home.<\/p>\n On the way out, we ran into a little cherry pie place. Actually, it\u2019s more of a cherry-everything place: The Cherry Hut<\/strong> in Beulah. It\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n Charles & Reid<\/strong>![\"The](\"http:\/\/www.thebeerreport.com\/mainblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/charles-reid-lorenzo-768x1024.png\")
Dessert: The Cherry Hut<\/h2>\n
![\"Cherry](\"http:\/\/www.thebeerreport.com\/mainblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/cherry-hut-pie-768x1024.png\")
Go Get Some<\/h2>\n
\n113 E State St, Traverse City, MI \u00b7 (231) 252-3497
\nTue\u2013Sat 11am\u20139pm, or until the dough sells out (call ahead!)
\ncharlesandreid.com<\/a><\/p>\n