Anyone besides me finding themselves recently obsessed with the flavor combination that is hot honey and pepperoni on a pizza? This newfound love has led me to try pizzas from a variety of restaurants both local and out of the area, including 99 Craft Pizza – a brand new, locally owned pizzeria in northeast Fresno.
99 Craft Pizza is located on Nees just east of Palm, near Sola Salon. The pizza that lured me in is their “Pinnacles PBR” named for Pinnacles National Park and the toppings pepperoni, basil, and ricotta, and yes – a hot honey drizzle is involved, too. The Pinnacles PBR, along with other pizzas like the Spicy Hawaiian (pepperoni, bacon, pineapple, jalapeno, & hot honey), the Underground Gardens (a veggie pizza made with creamy garlic sauce and topped with fresh arugula and balsamic glaze) on the 99 Craft menu is made “Detroit style”.
What’s Detroit style pizza you ask? It’s a pizza made on a thick yet light and airy pillow of crust, and topped first with cheese, then red sauce, then the remainder of the toppings. In appearance, a person could potentially mistake Detroit style pizza for Chicago style, however, the crusts are very different. Chicago style pizza crusts are thick but considerably heavier and denser than their Detroit-based counterparts.
99 Craft Pizza specializes in Detroit style pizza, however, they also offer the more traditional California style pizzas most people in the Central Valley are used to, as well as wings, garlic cheese bread, salads, and fries. Gluten free pizza crust is also available (in the Detroit style only).
During my recent visit General Manager and co-owner, Steve McCrary shared that the restaurant came about when his brother-in-law began experimenting with breads and doughs during the pandemic, and together they started trying to make a perfected pizza. They began creating more and more recipes and pizzas, which turned into a pop-up business first just for friends and family, and then grew to the point that they overwhelmed their own ovens and had to rent a commercial kitchen. Interest continued to grow and grow and before long Steve and brother-in-law John found themselves attending pizza conventions learning about all different styles of pizza as well as different business models, and they hired consultants to help them start their own brick & mortar restaurant.
Currently, 99 Craft Pizza offers take out, dine in, and delivery Monday through Friday from 11:30am to 8pm, however they are working to expand their hours to include weekend times soon. They are located at 585 W. Nees in Fresno, and you can order online through their website here.
I recommend you give the local guys at 99 Craft Pizza a shot and enjoy one of their unique and delicious Detroit style pizzas soon! (And if I do say so myself, you should definitely try one with hot honey!)
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