Singing Sam's Pizza: A few notes away from being a Bohemian Rhapsody

Aside from a good cheeseburger, there is perhaps no food in life that can quite satisfy you like a good pizza. This is a fact, not an opinion. For those that know me best know my history with pizza has been an interesting one. I have traveled two hours for pizza, with some help destroyed a 26-inch pizza, and even took on pizza with heavy African influence. Now while Florida is almost surrounded by all these pizza joints claiming their pie is New York style or Chicago style, there has not been one to claim that their style is Detroit. And yes, Detroit has a style.



But since last July, there is a pizza place in the Premium Outlet area that boasts great pies influenced from Michigan. Singing Sams has had an interesting history which involves fighting the Great Depression, singing to make sure the customers never leave, surviving decades of tough Detroit economy, and ultimately shutting down and moving down to the Sunshine State. Being someone who has never had north border pizza, decided to give this place a shot.


Singing Sam's has carry-out and delivery, no dining inside. The building is small but full of life with some old-school Italian music and a small memorabilia display. Their pizza menu is actually a bit more extensive than most by offering round-style and square-style. They also have some nice-sounding pizza ideas: Southern Style Pizza (mozzarella, bbq sauce, ham, bbq pulled pork), Carne Italiana (mozzarella, sausage, pepperoni, bacon, ground beef, ham) and lastly Canadian White Pizza (bacon, roasted chicken, blended cheeses, honey mustard). But for fairness to compare with the others, I went with the Pepperoni Pepperoni (which is two layers of pepperoni with cheese in between). I also ordered a Folded Crust Sadie Caesar, which is their bread stuffed with chicken tenders, lettuce, dressing, and parmesan cheese.


15 minutes later I take the food home. I decide to try their pizza first. This pizza is good, but quite greasy, and the toppings had a lot of trouble staying with the pie. If you are to create a mammoth greasefest (and that word is being put in a positive note for this conversation) you have to make sure the crust is strong enough to withstand it. The bread underneath the cheese, sauce, and meat couldn't handle it, which prevented this pizza from being really special. Nonetheless though, this is better than the usual small carryout/delivery-only pizza joint. The cheese tasted fresh and the pepperoni was thick without being too overbearing, while the crust tasted fresh and didn't occupy too much of the pie.



The folded crust (Not the best name, but I'll let it go) is a very interesting meal indeed. Picture fresh baked Italian bread gutted and stuffed with all sorts of ingredients. That's essentially the folded crust, the bread, salad, and appetizer rolled into one. It was good and would make a great substitute for pizza in case you aren't craving it. One final note though; they have one of these with chicken, bacon, cheddar cheese, and honey mustard........that sounds atrociously good too.


Bottom Line: So while there was little that separates Detroit style from any ol' pizza, it was still a fine pizza with a few fixes away from being spectacular. This pizza isn't for your Weight Watchers though, its full of flavor, full of calorie goodness. They don't cut back on the toppings, whether its the pizza or their surprisingly delicious thick sandwiches. If you live in the area, I recommend this as your go-to pizza place if you want something beyond the norm. With almost all their specialty pizzas sounding awesome, it might take a while before your consistent visits here actually start feeling repetitive.

Final Verdict: Recommend

Singing Sam's Pizza
8113 Vineland Avenue
Orlando, FL 32821