BRIGHTON — Livingston County was abuzz last winter, after word broke on multiple social media pages about Shamrock Lounge's to-die-for Detroit-style pizza.
“It’s all happened so fast,” Will Cavanaugh, the restaurant's chef, told The Daily in March. “It’s amazing what can happen with (social media) attention. Carryouts have really increased and we’re getting both new customers and older ones that hadn’t been here in years asking about the pizza. It helps that we don’t have a lot of (Detroit-style pizza) options around here."
More: Shamrock Lounge in Brighton earns national acclaim for Detroit deep dish
The pizza pie is a relatively new menu item, added after Mitchell Barman purchased the eatery in January 2023. He runs the business with his brother Norm and Cavanaugh, who has specialized in pizza for 30 years.
Specialty pizzas include BLT, Hawaiian, Barbeque Chicken, Dill Pickle and Reuben. There may be two secrets to its popularity, Cavanaugh said.
The first is that Shamrock Lounge makes all of its sauces from scratch and none of its meats are frozen. The second is the dough.
“You really need the right dough to help make the crust nice and thick,” Cavanaugh said.
And so, recently-returned reporter Tess Ware and high schooler/go-to freelancer Ari Hickman decided to give the popular pie a try.
Our Favorite: The Reuben Pizza
Description: Detroit-style deep dish topped with beef, sauerkraut and thousand island dressing
Tess: The first thing I noticed about the Reuben pizza was the sauerkraut placed under the cheese. It helped keep it in place and made it much less messy to eat, but it also seemed to help the strong vinegar flavor blend with the rest of the pizza. Instead of eating a pizza with Reuben toppings, it felt like an actual fusion of the two classics.
Ari: It's always interesting to see how traditional dishes translate to different mediums. The Reuben pizza certainly didn't let me down; the tartness of the sauerkraut paired with the sweetness of the thousand island dressing provided a flavorful but not overpowering balance.
Most Unexpected: Dill Pickle Pizza
Description: Detroit-style deep dish with white sauce, chopped pickles and sprinkled dill
Tess: I have always been a massive pickle fan and this wasn’t my first experience with dill pickle pizza (CMU grads will remember The Cabin’s pickle pie). Like the Reuben pizza, this unexpected combination didn’t feel like a gimmick for adventurous eaters, but a genuine effort to make something unusually delicious. They succeeded!
Ari: I’ve heard of pineapples on pizza, but pickles? This was definitely a new experience for me, but I needn’t have worried. The subtle dill flavor and creamy white sauce produced a pleasant surprise that easily brought me back for seconds.
Can’t Go Wrong: Classic Pepperoni
Description: Detroit-style deep dish with a secret, in-house red sauce, three-cheese blend and pepperoni
Tess: I love lots of sauce on a pizza and Shamrock’s was extremely well-seasoned and full of flavor. On standard round pizzas, I’m the person who eats the often unwanted crust, so I appreciate that just as much effort was put into making the dough as good as the sauce. While the other two pizzas were exciting, the pepperoni gave me the opportunity to appreciate how much care went into creating amazing pizza.
Ari: Sometimes classic pepperoni is the way to go, but Shamrock Lounge ensures it's anything but basic. Their famous homemade sauce and pillowy dough, paired with rich mozzarella and pepperoni slices, helped me understand their reputation as one of the most reputed Detroit-style pizza restaurants in the area.
— Contact reporter Tess Ware and freelancer Ari Hickman at newsroom@livingstondaily.com .
This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Dill Pickle and Reuben? We tried some interesting pizza flavors at Shamrock Lounge
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