2515 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI 48201 | Open during events a Little Caesars Arena!

Mike’s Pizza Bar exhibits passion for its city through its signature artisanal pizzas & celebratory sports atmosphere. Combining simplicity and ionic quality, Mike’s Pizza Bar serves the region’s best craft beers, a diverse wine selection and hand-crafted pizzas for all to enjoy. 

With the influence of Mike Ilitch’s roots for Detroit sports, this one-of-a-kind pizza bar is the perfect place to eat, drink, and watch sports! Open during events at Little Caesars Arena!

How It All Began 

In the 1950s, pizza was considered by most to be a fad. Yet, a young entrepreneur from Detroit named Mike Ilitch thought pizza had legs. Mike’s first experience making pizza was in a small kitchen in the back of Haig’s Bar, a local hangout located at the corner of Livernois and Tireman during the early 1950s. Mike became fascinated with this tasty menu item. He loved shaping the freshly made dough and dressing it with his own spicy tomato sauce and his favorite toppings of shredded cheese, quality pepperoni and fresh mushrooms. He loved the rich aroma as the pizza baked in his small portable oven. And he especially loved the reaction from his customers while enjoying his soon to be famous recipe. 

In the summer months, Mike was a talented ballplayer with the Detroit Tigers minor league system. As the team traveled from town-to-town to play the competition, Mike was always scouting for pizza joints. He noticed there were very few. So, when his baseball career ended, due to a knee injury, he decided to pursue a second dream. Along with his wife Marian, Mike opened his first Little Caesars carryout restaurant on May 8, 1959, in Garden City, Michigan. They sold 49 pizzas that first day. Today, Little Caesars is the leading international carryout pizza chain. But it all dates back to the love of pizza Mike developed making pizzas in the back of Haig’s Bar.