Pizza Pushers — Restaurant in Algonquin

As much as I hate giving a bad-ish review to a local pizza place, I have to be honest here. I've had this pizza a few times and it's decent if you like Detroit style, but...and it pains me to say this....this isn't that much better than little ceasar's Detroit style at 3x the price. The pizzas are surprisingly similar and honestly I prefer the sauce and overall taste of little ceasar's. I'm going local pizza 99 times out of 100 over chain pizza but I feel like this is a case of LC having an actual decent pizza and pizza pusher's just not being that special. If this pizza was half the price that it is, I would be a lot more forgiving....but 2 pizzas after tax is almost $45...the SAME amount of pizza from LC is $14 and it's an almost identical pizza. I'm sorry but that's just what it is, I feel like a lot of people haven't had Detroit style and just are enthusiastic just because it's different than suburb tavern pizza.

All that aside, the sauce lacks tang and is too sweet and they absolutely bomb the crap out of the pizza with oregano. I'm not a fan of oregano on pizza in the first place but they go WAY overboard on the oregano in general. It's all you can taste.

Sorry pizza pushers, I hate to rain on the parade but I just gotta be honest...

I ordered Pizza Pushers on a whim one night, having found them when searching for pizza near Lake In The Hills. The reviews and photos convinced me to call. When I arrived, it was just before my order was ready. The staff was friendly and welcoming, and offered their recommendation for taking the pizza home uncut. (They advised the closest thing to getting to eat it in the restaurant would be to pop it in the oven for a bit, then cut it just before eating.)

The photo I've attached shows the "small" cheese pizza -- absolutely decadent -- just after reheating in my commercial oven (frankly, I would have preferred being able to pop into a regular oven at home, but...) Though I'm sure it's even better eating right away, it was truly delicious. The crust is flavorful, with just the right softness in the center contrasted with a satisfying crunch on the edges. Their sauce is tomato-forward -- not overwhelmed by or leaning on inauthentic seasoning. And though I can always load up on cheese and would have taken more, what was used had the right balance against the sauce and crust.

If you're not into Detroit-style pizza, you may not gravitate toward this. But if you're down with the Motor City style, absolutely give these folks a call. We will...

2/3/23 UPDATE: Pizza Pushers just consistently churns out amazing pizza every time. We’ve ordered multiple times from as little as one pizza up to ordering 8 for a family party and it’s not just eating pizza, these guys create experiences. So lucky to have a them churning out such top quality pizza so close to home, is this heaven!? Excited to watch you all grow! Also, Harry - that Thai chili pepper mix was a perfect addition into the perfectly crafted vodka sauce on the Winston Wolf, just the right amount of heat!

If you are reading this, do yourself a favor and get that order in!

Original: Having family that lives in Detroit, I’ve been eating Detroit style pizza for years. When I moved to Algonquin, I had been wishing for a Jets pizza to open out here, we’ll I got even better. This pizza is AWESOME! To top it off, it’s literally a minute down the hill from the house. Hats off to these guys for nailing it. We will be frequent customers!

Edit: Stopped in again on Sunday to pick up some dinner after a long day at the Bears game. The Hellraiser is phenomenal - pickled jalapeños, pepperoni, and drizzled with hot honey, get it! Guys, keep dishing out the great za and I’ll keep...