I grew up in a very small town with two locally owned Mexican restaurants, two Chinese restaurants, and maybe four locally owned burger joints (two of which doubled as the only bars in town). After that, we just have one of each: McDonald’s, Subway, Dairy Queen, Taco Time, Pizza Hut, and Papa Murphy’s. That was it — it bewilders me now to live in a place with two (or more!) locations of the same fast food place in a single town (it’s so cool). Because of that, my palate has been very limited, and since moving to Eugene, very exploratory, like a bird exiting its cage.

I’ve heard a lot of people dog on Eugene’s food scene, but I have to say, we are full of so many extraordinary locally and family-owned food establishments here (Nelson’s in the Whit, and then Mama Myra’s Kitchen? Come on!). As someone who grew up with almost no options aside from the ones that had been there my whole life, Eugene truly has so much great local food if you’re really looking to seek it out.

Fitti’s Pizza is a family-owned and relatively new establishment that’s a bit of a drive out to West Eugene, and it’s the kind of hidden gem that is no stranger to having a line outside the door and selling out of food before the end of the weekend (the latter of which I unfortunately know from experience).

When I first ate Fitti’s, I had no idea about Detroit-style pizza, and wouldn’t have understood at all that it’s different from Chicago-style pizza. And in the case of Fitti’s, that lack of knowledge was okay, seeing that Fitti’s prides itself on delivering Detroit-style pizza with a Pacific Northwest twist.

For those who don’t know, Detroit-style is a deep rectangular pizza with a very thick crust. Cheese is baked around it and on top for a reversal of how we think pizza is supposed to work: cheese is on the bottom and the sauce is on top. While the cheese focuses on creating a good crunch with its caramelized border, the sauce on the top gets a rare moment of flavor spotlight while also protecting the crust.

At Fitti’s, this format is used only as a canvas, where they take their favorite parts of it and then mix in their own touches to make it completely their own. You’ll get a variety of fresh toppings galore with every piece, but the dough is light and airy. Where classic Detroit-style is quite dense, Fitti’s dough feels like you’re biting into a cloud full of flavor.

I’m going to note here that at Fitti’s, everything is handmade or sourced from a local farm. It’s only open during the weekend because during the week, the Fittipaldis come into prep. They’re cold-fermenting the dough and using the leftovers for garlic and cinnamon pull-aparts. They’re handmaking their ranch, their marinara, their honey jalapenos, and their buttercream frosting, and they’re barbecuing 40 pounds of chicken.

Currently, Fitti’s offers six classic pizza styles (with plenty of veggie options!), one changing seasonal pizza, and plenty of salads. As an indecisive Libra, I love a menu that can whip up six sick items, so much more than one that makes me choose between 30 mediocre items. I personally had the Bay Bro when I went the first time. It’s currently the most expensive thing on the menu, but it was well worth it. It has sausage, cupped pepperoni, pineapple, honey jalapenos, basil, and red sauce, and it looked and tasted like a work of art. It was an explosion of flavor, and I could taste the freshness that was genuinely reminiscent of me growing up in my farm-heavy country town. I look forward to trying their barbecue chicken and caprese pizzas.

There are a couple of downsides to Fitti’s for the moment, but none of them have to do with the food or service quality, and given they’ve only been open since October 2025, they have time to get that ironed out eventually. As I said above, it currently has very limited hours, typically open only on weekend evenings. Their seating is just as limited, with only two small tables, and because the pizza is so saucy and topping-heavy, it’s best to plan on either hoping there is a free table or picking it up and taking it home. Also, it’s quite hidden away in a West Eugene industrial plaza where it shares a space with Red Hen Kitchen on its off days.

But I cannot stress enough that the jaunt — and the wait throughout the week for it to be open — is worth it. The next time you’re craving pizza, munchies, or otherwise, Fitti’s is the place to go. Just make sure you get your order as soon as you can.