As Orange County enters a golden age of pizza — Truly Pizza in Dana Point, Folks in Costa Mesa and Loosies in Santa Ana have helped refine and redefine our culinary landscape — Gibroni’s, founded by Michigan natives Tony and Lindsey Gioutsos, offers a Detroit-style slice that will rank among the best.
Born and raised in Detroit, Tony Gioutsos taught himself how to make proper pizza dough in his teens. “I know what it tastes like because I’ve had it my whole life,” he said. Shortly before opening Gibroni’s, Tony flew back to his native Detroit to increase his knowhow by training under the tutelage of the late Shawn Randazzo, co-owner and founder of Detroit Style Pizza Co.
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Although Tony and Lindsey’s first brick-and-mortar space opened on May 17, their pizza enterprise is hardly new, especially among the devotees who’ve been enjoying their rectangular pies since 2020. Gibroni’s began during the pandemic when the couple baked and sold Detroit-style pizzas and Motor City-born Faygo soda from their San Clemente home.
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“It was mostly takeout where people would come to pick up their pizzas,” said Lindsey, who also hails from Michigan. ”Then, twice a week, we would set up socially distant tables in our front where people could dine on our driveway.”
After deciding to turn their at-home business during the lockdown into a full-time enterprise, Gibroni’s evolved into a food truck and a regular pop-up where the Gioutsos would bake and serve pizzas from JD’s Kitchen & Bar. “We were there for three years but over the past year or so, we’ve been looking for our own spot.”
Their first stand-alone pizzeria wouldn’t happen until four years later when Iva Lee’s, the 21-year-old restaurant/live music venue on El Camino Real closed its doors. The expansive space would prove an ideal spot for Lindsey and Tony, who, in addition to baking a mighty fine slice, wanted to spotlight Detroit’s rich, food, music and automotive history.
Images of Motor City natives like Aliyah, Madonna, Eminem and Aretha Franklin adorn the walls. Reclaimed Ford hubcaps repurposed as light fixtures hover above the bar, while a Cadillac hubcap is used as a fan screen. And a music stage, once part of Iva Lee’s dining-and-dancing past, now hosts a regular roster of live bands.
But the real showstopper is the pizza.
For the uninitiated, Detroit-style pizza, which has grown in popularity over the last five years throughout the U.S., is noted for its rectangular shape, light and airy dough, and cheese-laden perimeter that lends each slice a crispy, savory bite making corner pieces primo real estate. The pizza style began in 1946 when Gus Guerra expanded his prohibition-era speakeasy, Buddy’s, into a pizza joint. Baked in forged-steel pans purchased on the cheap from local automotive plants, the focaccia-like style of pizza grew in popularity over the years. By 2018, Food & Wine declared Detroit’s pizza scene “one of the most exciting in the country” due to the Midwestern pie.
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Gibroni’s offers six pizzas: From the D, a double pepperoni cup pie with marinara and parmesan; the Baba Pizza, which features mozzarella, marinara and basil; the Caprice Pizza topped with fig, prosciutto, blue cheese, balsamic glaze, parmesan, arugula and lemon wedge garnish; the Fun Guys Pizza with mushrooms, sausage, white truffle oil and porcini cream; the Cabana Pizza studded with roasted chicken, red onions, blistered tomatoes, avocado and a pesto drizzle; and the Greektown Pizza that’s crowned with gyro meat, red onions, feta, grape tomatoes, tzatziki drizzle and fresh dill.
Other menu highlights include pizza sticks in three varieties, salads, dry-rub wings and two pasta dishes, an umami-packed porcini cavatelli and a vodka sausage penne. A cherry fudge swirl ice cream (Traverse City, Michigan bills itself as “the cherry capital of the world”) and Superman ice cream (a Detroit staple featuring red, blue, and yellow swirls), both made by OC Creamery, make up the dessert offerings.
The bar, which serves beer, wine and co*cktails, comes stocked with suds from nearby breweries, like Delahunt and Brewery X, as well as Faygo soda in a variety of flavors.
“You really get a feel of Michigan when you’re here,” said Tony. “When the Michigan people come here, they’re blown away.”
Find it: 555 N El Camino Real, San Clemente; open Thursdays through Mondays at 5 p.m.
