Windsor-Style Pizzerias

Madonna, residents on Vancouver Island, and soldiers in Vietnam share an unexpected connection: their request for Windsor-style pizza.¹ Major cities like Chicago and New York are often credited as pizza cities, yet Windsor, a medium-sized Canadian city, holds claim to world-class pizza. Windsor has a rich business history, shaped by its proximity to Detroit and its relationship to the North American auto industry. However, pizza-makers in Windsor have created a unique, internationally recognized industry that thrives on local, family-run restaurants. Windsor-style pizza is known for its shredded pepperoni, canned mushrooms, Galati Cheese, and cornmeal-dusted crust.² Windsor-style pizza has emerged throughout the decades as local companies have asserted a uniquely Canadian identity that counters American influence.

Windsor is home to numerous pizzerias that helped establish a lasting legacy of internationally recognized pizza. Antonino’s, Armando’s, Capri, Naples, and Arcata are only a few of the restaurants that contributed to the Windsor-style pizza tradition. Hard work, consistency, high-quality ingredients, and family ownership are business practices that have allowed these companies to thrive across generations. Italian immigrants who founded these pizzerias brought their recipes and entrepreneurial traditions to Windsor, passing them down through immigrant families who helped preserve and sustain the culture of Windsor-style pizza. These business histories demonstrate how Windsor-style pizza became more than a regional food tradition; it emerged as an important source of identity and pride for Windsorites.

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