Midwestern traditions don’t just meet at PizzaPapalis in downtown Toledo — they collide there. It’s a Detroit-area pizza chain known for its Chicago-style pizzas right next to the home of the Toledo Mud Hens.
In fact, it’s been at the corner of Monroe and Huron so long it’s nearly a tradition in itself. Families have been stopping for a pie after the game for well over a decade, and while the restaurant is showing its age, it offers an experience that won’t be duplicated at any other Toledo pizza shop.
PizzaPapalis is best known for its Chicago-style deep dish pizzas. Unlike what most people think of as a pizza, Chicago-style pies are more like, well, pies. The crust is thick and creates a deep basin for layer after layer of ingredients: sauce, cheese, pepperoni, etc. For Toledo pizza shops, it’s unique. But it also, unfortunately, was among the least impressive things we tried at PizzaPapalis. That’s not to say it’s bad. We had a personal-size spinach pie for lunch, and it was pretty good with a tasty sauce and plenty of cheese. But the crust itself was kind of bland and not worth finishing.
PizzaPapalis ★★★½
Address: 519 Monroe St.
Phone: 419-244-7722
Category: Italian
Menu: Pizza
Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.
Wheelchair access: Yes
Average Price: $$
Credit Cards: MC, V, D
The real star for us was the Detroit-style deep dish ($23.55). Unlike the Chicago-style, the Detroit pizza is on a rectangular, pillowy crust with ingredients piled on top. It’s much more like a typical pizza, but it’s still thick and substantial. Remarkably, it tasted really nothing like the Chicago-style. If you had brought each to us blind, we would have sworn they were from different restaurants. We tried the Greektown pizza with three cheeses and various veggies creating a substantial meal. The ingredients were remarkably fresh, and the sauce had a nice, oregano-heavy spiciness. Our only complaint was there were still a couple cool spots where the cheese wasn’t fully melted. But overall, we left full and impressed with plenty of leftovers.
PizzaPapalis also offers thin-crust pizzas like those popular around the Toledo area, making its menu a true mashup of regional favorites. But it’s not really a something-for-everyone proposition unless you’re going for lunch. The substantial size and price of the pizzas means one style per meal is probably it for a typical family.
As for lunch, we were surprised by what we got for the price, and we were really impressed by the freshness of all the ingredients. For $10.99, the lunch special included the aforementioned personal deep-dish pizza and a side salad, which we upgraded to an Antipasto Salad for a couple dollars more. What we were served really surprised us with the sheer volume of goodies, the delicious house-made ranch dressing, and the crispness of all the ingredients. It was more than one person could expect to eat for just a bit more than a fast-food value meal. It’s a legitimately great salad, and another example of how fresh all the ingredients were during our stops.
For an appetizer, we tried the Toasted Ravioli ($10.25), which was recommended by our server. We enjoyed the fried morsels of stuffed pasta, but the handful of ravioli is nearly the same price as the mammoth lunch special.
The restaurant itself has plenty of amenities. Not only is it right next to Fifth Third Field, with upper-floor windows overlooking part of the park, there is a bar and a large banquet room, although our visits were limited to seating in the smaller first-floor dining area. The restaurant definitely shows its age in places, with some wobbly chairs and worn benches. But the space was clean and comfortable overall, and service was friendly and prompt. The restaurant opened in 2009 in a refurbished space in a long-vacant building next to the stadium, and the building’s dusty bones add some character to the dining experience, as does its location in one of the liveliest areas of the city.
With baseball season ramping up and spring just arrived, it’s a good time to recommend PizzaPapalis for families heading downtown for a ball game. And for the downtown lunch crowd, the restaurant was a pleasant surprise and worth considering. Its menu of different Midwestern spins on pizza is certainly unique in Toledo and worth checking out.
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