The Ria Way: Sourdough, Brick Cheese, and the Frico Edge
A great Detroit-style pizza gives you more than one kind of bite: soft, airy dough in the middle, a crisp bottom, and those caramelized cheese edges everyone wants a piece of.
At The Ria, we build every pizza around that contrast.
It starts with sourdough. Our dough cold-ferments for 48–72 hours, giving it time to develop flavor before it goes into the pan. The result is a crust with a light center and the structure to hold generous toppings.
The cheese goes all the way to the edge. We use Grande mozzarella and Wisconsin brick cheese, spread to the sides of the pan. As the pizza bakes, the cheese at the edge melts against the hot pan and turns crisp and golden. That crunchy, caramelized edge is called frico. It’s the bite people often save for last—or fight over.
Then we finish with sauce. Once the pizza comes out of the oven, we add our sauce in two racing stripes across the top. It brings a bright tomato finish to the rich cheese and crisp crust.
That’s the Ria way: patient dough, cheese edge to edge, and a finish that lets every layer show up. Try a classic like The Eliot, or find a favorite among our bold signature pies.
Ready for a square? Explore the menu and order from The Ria Pizzeria.