We’ve never gotten a good look inside restaurateur Anthony Calleo’s mouth, but we love the name of his new pizzeria that opened in Houston this week: Gold Tooth Tony’s.
According to Eater Houston, Gold Tooth Tony’s is Houston’s first pizzeria dedicated solely to the Detroit pizza style. And the pies we’ve seen on its website look to be true works of Motor City pizza art.
Gold Tooth Tony’s opened at 1901 North Shepherd Drive on September 11. Calleo was previously highly regarded for Pi Pizza, which started as a food truck in 2016 and later became a brick-and-mortar operation. However, Calleo and his now-deceased partner, Lee Ellis, left Pi Pizza in 2018 due to “directional differences” with Cherry Pie Hospitality, the company that operated the restaurant. Ellis died in March 2023 at the age of 63.
Related: Austin-based Via 313 gears up to conquer the west with Detroit-style pizza
In the Eater Houston article, Calleo declined to talk about what went wrong with Pi Pizza. But as far as Gold Tooth Tony’s is concerned, he said, “It was really important to me that it wasn’t a Pi Pizza revenge.” He added, “A lot of life has happened since. I was 29 when I created [Pi Pizza], and I’m 43 now. If it looked exactly the same, that would be weird.”
The Mac Attack Is Back pizza (Gold Tooth Tony’s)
Customers can look forward to some brand-new—and highly intriguing—pizza recipes from Calleo, including the Mac Attack Is Back, topped with mac and cheese and bacon, and the Compote V2.0, featuring a cherry jam and spiced pecans.
Also on the menu: lasagna, sandwiches, pizza queso and General Tso’s wings. But dine-in won’t be a strong focus for the 1,000-square-foot shop, according to Houston Eater. Sporting just two tables and four stools, the concept is mostly about takeout and delivery, with an emphasis on online ordering and third-party delivery.
