Fricano's Pizza Reviews and F.A.Q.

  • “Awesome authentic traditional Italian pizza. I have driven over 600 miles to eat a pizza at Fricano's."
    - DocBosma, 1/6/13, tripadvisor.com
  • "We drive 230 miles r/t from Flint for their pizza every chance we can. Sounds crazy, but if you have a Harley, it makes perfect sense."
    - Lynne Pettigrew, July 2013, Google+
  • "Whenever we travel from Florida to Michigan, we make sure we to visit, even if it involves a 170 mile trip from Detroit---one way."
    - Ted L, 4/5/13, tripadvisor.com
  • "i have family members that drive here from indiana just to get fricanos pizza, they also bring some back home and freeze for later!"
    - Szprogers, December 23, 2010, tripadvisor.com
  • "Our family travels from Atlanta (850 miles), Houston (1230 miles) and Las Vegas (1920 miles) for the nirvana that is Fricano's pizza."
    - Mary Mekkes Bartlett, March 2, 2014, Facebook.com
  • "Voted the best pizza in Michigan. Fricano's Pizza Tavern is a cornerstone of the Grand Haven community, as it has been in business since 1949, and by the lines at the doors on any weekend, they are doing something right!"
    - AlinerGirl, July 19, 2013, tripadvisor.com
  • "The best pizza in my lifetime."
    - Ken Hall, December, 2014, facebook.com
  • "It took me 2 days to stop thinking about how yummy it was."
    - Dawn M., 8/23/2009, yelp.com
  • "As evidenced by the long waits even in the dead of the Michigan winter, Fricano's Pizza is indisputably a West Michigan institution. People around here grow up on the stuff, and for many natives of the area, no other pie will do."
    - m n., 12/26/2009, yelp.com
  • "You have the best pizza ever!! I used to live in Michigan and now this week, I will fly 15hrs then drive 4 hours so I can eat pizza at your place!! It is a must.. see you guys" - Erol Suleymanoglu, August 30, 2017, Facebook.com
  • “The beautiful wife grew up in the area, and this pizza has some sort of opiate-like addictive quality for her."
    - Timothy G., December 1, 2010, yelp.com
  • “This place is awesome! If there's a better thin-crust pizza elsewhere in the world, I'd love to know."
    - David D., October 17, 2009, yelp.com
  • "So after growing up in Grand Haven and having Fricano's weekly for 20 years I started having withdrawals here in Seattle. Not a problem, Doug made me a dozen pizzas, packed them and sent them off to me here in Seattle."
    - David M., 2/1/13, yelp.com
  • "My wife Sheri Noordewier Henry and I drive up from Branson, MO just for Fricano's. Of course the family members in GR think we make the trek to visit them and there's no need to burst THAT bubble so we'll just let them keep on thinking that."
    - Lynn Henry, April 4, 2014, Facebook.com
  • “Some people just don't get it, and to all their own, but it's almost like a cult following for some people."
    - hexx17, September 25, 2013, tripadvisor.com
  • "The best pizza I have had out of the 13+ countries and 35+ states I have been to..."
    - Ryan Monterusso, February, 2014, Facebook.com
  • "Best pizza I've ever had. I live in San Diego, and when I come to Michigan it's my 1st stop every time!"
    - Eric Zack, June, 2014, Facebook.com

Excerpts from The Grand Rapids Press on Feb. 8, 1996

This is what Ted Roelof had to say in an article about Fricano's Riverside Pizzeria . . . . .

Cult Pizza Any way you slice it, Fricano's knows the taste of success . . . . . Family does it their way, and succeeds. "Doug Fricano kept the pizza precisely the same as that served at the parent Fricano's in Grand haven, a frumpy 90 year old boarding house in the city's factory district that has all but achieved cult status among its devotees. Patrons from Grand Rapids and beyond have made the pilgrimage there since 1951. They drive there, endure long lines and the stuffy heat of the summer, sit at the alter of red-and-white checkered table cloths, for one reason."

Voted Best Pizza in Michigan

Pure Michigan, Michigan’s official Travel & Tourism site, in 2011 announced that Fricano’s Pizza, with over 150,000 votes, was the winner of its unofficial poll as “The Best Pizza of Pure Michigan.”
  • "Best thin crust pizza in Michigan. I love the thin crust pizza. Flavor is the best. You have to try this place."
    - Jennifer Winslow, April 6, 2015, Facebook.com
  • "One of the few reasons i have to come back to Michigan right here ladies and gentlemen"
    - Adam Visser, April 6, 2015, Facebook.com
  • "Best pizza in the world is here!"
    - Dan K., November 13, 2011, foursquare.com
  • "Best thin crust pizza in Michigan IMO! We make it a stop every time we visit grand haven."
    - John S., July 20, 2010, foursquare.com
  • "I don't even like thin crust and the pizza is still amazing"
    - Amanda O., June 4, 2013, foursquare.com
  • "Best pizza in the world. Nothing compares. Nuff said"
    - Nick K., 8/14/2010, yelp.com
  • "If Fricano's Pizza was a TV show, you'd call it a "cult favorite". Best pizza in the world - very very thin crust"
    - Multiple O., 1/18/2014, yelp.com
  • "I find myself daydreaming on a regular basis about their mouth watering, thin-crust pizza."
    - Bethany Y, November 17, 2012, tripadvisor.com
  • "There should a sixth star option for this place."
    - Justin Jagger, July, 2014, facebook.com
  • "Absolutely the best pizza in the state! I could honestly eat it everyday!"
    - Justin R. Herder, October, 2014, facebook.com
From: xxxx xxxxx [mailto:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.]
Sent: Monday, February 16, 2015 1:12 PM
To: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Subject: LOVE YOUR PIZZA!!!
Dear Fricano's Pizza,
I 1st had your pizza (dare I label the delicious "manna from Heaven" as just pizza!) when I lived in Holland, MI in the mid-80s. From the moment I smelled it, I knew there would be no other food on Earth to match it. However, I live in Southern IL...like 9 hrs away, and I still crave it 30 years later. I crave it so much I am considering moving to the area just so I can relive this "food of the gods" experience again. In the meantime, is there any way I could get some shipped to me? I have raved about your pizza for 30 years to every one I know...I always say the same thing..."Yeah, I guess it qualifies as pizza, but it's not nearly as good as Fricano's! You want good pizza...you gotta go to Michigan and get Fricano's." I would love to have some in the mean time to show others what "THE BEST PIZZA ON EARTH" is like.
Thanks, xxxx

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Is the pizza the same in Grand Rapids as it is in Grand Haven?
  A. Because the Grand Haven location has procured such a high status for its thousands of faithful patrons, this question is Fricano's most popular.  As Doug says "he is Grand Haven." If the pizza pies were not the same the faithful followers would know and be the first to tell Doug there is a difference. No one has yet to find even the slightest discrepancy in the locations. They are truly one and the same pizza.
Q. Is there only one size?
  A. Yes. One size fits all. 12" thin crust. It's easier to steer people as to how much pizza to buy when there is only one size to choose from.
Q. Why are there no onions available?
  A. In staying with tradition, it was never offered as an original item, plus our taste and flavor does not need any help from an onion.
Q. What is bird seed?
  A. Bird seed is the shaken spice added to the top of every pizza sold.
Q. Is there other pizzas than just an EBA?
  A. Yes. You can order any combination of toppings we offer. Some people think that an EBA (everything but anchovies) is all we offer.
Q. Do you ever cut your finger with the scissors?
  A. No. The scissors are safer than other ways of slicing a pizza.
Q. Can I have a knife?
  A. Not available
Q. What's the secret of why a Fricano's pizza is so good?
  A. You need to have eaten a Fricano's pizza to fully answer that question, but reading all of our web pages will help.
Q. Why aren't there more Fricano's pizzerias?
  A. We're up to six locations now, but many feel we should franchise nationwide.  We are not interested in making lots of money, just making the best pizza you've ever had.
Q. What is a Fricano's pizza?
  A. See our pizza page.
Q. Why do they always taste different?
  A. It can or can't be said they do or don't taste different from time to time. The pizzas play on everyone's senses to such a huge degree that changes in mood for one person at different times can influence how they perceive the taste of the pizza.
Q. Do you deliver?
  A. No. It is too risky and we were never brought up delivering pizzas.
Q. What if I don't want to eat it right now?
  A. Most people can't wait to get home before it's all gone, but if you need to put off eating it lock it in the trunk of your car.
Q. What are the options?
  A. See our home page.
Q. What kind of pizza is this?
  A. This is a true pizza pie the way pizza was meant to be like back in the real old days.
Q. Why aren't all pizzas like this?
  A. Cause no one has our recipe but the Fricano's.  We are just lucky to know how not to make them like everyone else does.
Q. How hot are your ovens?
  A. Hot. 650•F average.
Q. How do you eat it?
  A. Anyway you like, just enjoy every bite.
Q. How thin is it?
  A. It's never been measured, but it is thin
Q. Do you have a thick crust pizza?
  A. We make our own personal thick crust pizza for the holidays. It is only available for private family consumption and not offered to the general public. It too is very tasty.
Q. Can you open a restaurant near my house?
  A. It means a lot to people to be accessible to a Fricano's. People can't help but drive 30 miles or more for one. That's why our customers would like to have one close to their homes to save on gas, money and time.
Q. What kind of cheese is that?
  A. You'll never know.
Q. Is there always a line at the door on Friday and Saturday?
  A. Yes. Business is so brisk that people wait in line to get in every Friday and Saturday of the year.
Q. Can I get an uncooked pizza and cook it at home?
  A. No. See our home page for the options available.
Q. Why do you put the extra sauce on top of the cheese?
  A. Some people are just crazy about our sauce and want it on top as well as the bottom. It is good that way.
Q. Is there a discount for large orders?
  A. No. Straight pricing the whole way around.