I give Emmy Squared Pizza's Durham location 4.5 stars rounded up to 5. When it comes to Detroit-style pizza, I think Emmy Squared does it best, at least in recent years. This new Durham location was no exception based on our experience. If you've never had Emmy Squared before, I highly recommend it. To be clear, I thought the pizza was five stars (great) and everything else - the non-pizza dishes, drinks, and service - was four (good). Service-wise, I think the staff was still in training and working out the kinks. This location opened at Brightleaf Square on May 9, 2024. Brightleaf Square is a retail development in downtown Durham, consisting of repurposed brick warehouses that used to store bright leaf tobacco in the early 1900s. We parked for free in the surface lot at the corner of W Main St and S Gregson St. You can enter the lot from either Main or Gregson. Pay attention to signs in the lot as you may have to pay during certain hours. We visited on a Sunday from around 6:20pm to 9:50pm and didn't have to pay. I'm familiar with Emmy Squared's locations in Charlotte (two opened in 2021, September and December) and Atlanta (openings in April 2021 and January 2022). The original location opened in Brooklyn in 2016. Currently, this location in Durham is the only Emmy Squared in the Triangle. This place is popular. When we visited, it was busy, same as the other locations we've been to. Book reservations on OpenTable. Emmy Squared Durham awards dining points. Not all OpenTable restaurants do. The vibe was hip and casual. There's indoor and outdoor seating. The patio seating is nice because Brightleaf Square has a quaint, boutique feel to it. Inside, there's a small wraparound bar in the back and a big TV on one of the walls (sports were on). The storefront and interior design are consistent with the industrial look of the development, with a touch of style. You can customize your own Detroit-style pizza or choose from one of the restaurant's roughly dozen signature selections. They also serve appetizers like Sriracha-glazed wings (10 for $15) and loaded waffle-cut fries ($15), salads, and burgers and sandwiches. My wife commented that she wished Emmy Squared had more variety in their apps. Here's what eight of us ordered: Plates * 'Brooklyn' Mozz Sticks ($15) - five crispy hand-stretched mozzarella sticks, red sauce Signature Pizzas * Colony (large, 10x14, 10 slices) ($25) - red sauce, Ezzo pepperoni, pickled jalapenos, honey. * MVP (regular, 8x10, 6 slices) ($18) - housemade vodka sauce, red sauce, parsley pesto, sesame seed crust * MVP VIP (large, 10x14, 10 slices) ($25) - housemade vodka sauce, red sauce, parsley pesto, sesame seed crust + VIP ingredients: Ezzo pepperoni, Calabrian chiles * Good Paulie (large, 10x14, 10 slices) ($25) - caramelized onions, sausage, smoked Gouda Cocktails -- Seasonal * Emotional Damage ($14) - tequila, lime, passionfruit -- Classics with a Twist * House Sangria ($12) - red wine, orange, brandy * Palomo ($14) - tequila, lime, grapefruit, agave syrup, grapefruit soda -- Off Menu * Aperol Spritz ($15) Beer (Drafts) * Red Oak Amber ($8) The 'Brooklyn' Mozz Sticks were alright. Nothing special or out of the ordinary, but not bad either. All of the pizzas were superb. Emmy Squared's Detroit-style pizzas are rectangular in shape and the slices are cut into rectangles as well. My favorite thing about them is the crust. It's deep-dish thick, moist, springy, and delicious. The crust isn't dense or dry at all. They get the texture and flavor just right. It's crispy on the outside, with charred outer edges, and soft, warm, and appetizing on the inside. Compared to other types of pizza, the crust is also heavier in that it's more buttery and oily, but that's also what makes it so good. I could chow down on the rich crust alone. During this visit, my favorite pizza was the Good Paulie. It's hard to go wrong with all of that sausage and Gouda. To me, it was umami to the max. At the Emmy Squared in Plaza Midwood in Charlotte, I had the Bad Paulie, which also comes with Calabrian chiles and banana peppers. I didn't see the Bad Paulie on the menu here. The Colony and MVP pizzas were excellent as well. I do recommend making your MVP a VIP, which means adding Ezzo pepperoni. Ezzo is an old-school pepperoni brand from Columbus, Ohio and considered some of the best pepperoni around. Of the cocktails, I tried the Emotional Damage and House Sangria. They were tasty. Towards the end of our meal, the head bartender personally delivered a second sangria to my wife, on the house. The bartender didn't think the first sangria was made right. How nice of her. Trivia: If you've watched The Sopranos, they had a vegan pizza on the menu called the Artie Bucco, named after the restaurateur character from the show. That got me thinking maybe the Good/Bad Paulie was named after Paulie from the same show, but I think it's more likely named after mobster Paul Cicero from the movie Goodfellas. read more