Looking for somewhere you can chow down on awesomely authentic Detroit-Style Pizza? Look no further…
Whisper it quietly – Pizza Freak is shipping some of the finest dough in Leeds. What started as a pop-up during lockdown has become one of the city’s most disruptive pizza joints, renowned for authentic flavours and homemade ingredients. You can find them on Kirkstall Road, or better still, you can order all sorts of doughy delights direct to your door, ‘cause they’re on Uber Eats.
Rich tomato sauce, fresh dough and foldable yet crunchy crusts
You can choose from three types of pie at Pizza Freak. There’s the Detroit-style – the first of its kind in Leeds – rectangular with a deep but light base and that inimitable crunchy Frico cheese crust. Like it saucy? Their Red Pizza uses a Brooklyn recipe with a rich tomato base. If you prefer to let the toppings do the talking, their White Pizza takes the sauce out of the equation.
For something even more out of the ordinary, you can go for one of their specialist pizzas – two of which come served on a herby salsa verde base. The Lucha Libre is a great choice, pairing spicy grilled chicken and lime red onions with gooey mozzarella and tangy Pecorino Romano for a glorious Italo-Mexican fusion. Whichever style you go for, the results are simply sublime.
Awesomely authentic and 100% homemade
So how do you make game-changing pizza? It all starts with the dough. They mix Italian 00 flour with malt, using a longer-than-average process to give the dough a distinct character and taste. First, it’s fermented for 48 hours, then rolled into balls and left for a further 24 hours. Next, it’s pan-proved before being topped and baked to achieve that crispy Frico cheese crust. It’s seriously good.
But it’s not just pizza, oh no. An outstanding line-up of sides are as delicious as the main event – think skin-on fries with sea salt, garlic butter, pancetta and pecorino, homemade meatballs in rich ragu sauce, and buttery garlic knots. It doesn’t stop there. Those glorious doughy knots have been reworked into a must-try dessert, served dusted in icing sugar with a pot of Nutella for dipping.
Shaking up the Leeds lunch scene
The Pizza Freak team have another trick up their sleeve in the form of big ol’ Italian sandwiches, available between 12pm to 4pm daily. The Goomah is an instant classic – homemade pastrami and mozzarella brought to life with tangy dill pickles, served on a house-baked ciabatta. You can grab it as a lunch deal for just £9.50 with freshly-cooked fries and a soft drink thrown in. Mega.
If you want to get your chops around the hottest NYC-inspired creations Leeds has to offer, you’re in luck. Better still, you don’t even need to leave the house to do so – you can chow down in the comfort of your own home. Simply open up the Uber Eats app, search for Pizza Freak and browse their epic menu. You’ll be ripping and dipping that crusty yet foldable dough in no time.
