Stubborn Brother Pizza Bar has a location at 425 Main Street in downtown Ann Arbor, in addition to its original shop at 3115 West Bancroft Street in Toledo. The restaurant brings its pizza and sandwiches to a new address on South Main Street.
The expansion was reported by Crain's Detroit Business, which described Stubborn Brother as a Toledo-born restaurant.
Who's Behind the Dough
Stubborn Brother describes itself as the creation of John, described on the restaurant's about page as a Toledo boy, and Gabrielle, who hails from a small town in New Jersey. The pair built the business around what the site calls signature dough, premium ingredients and time-honored techniques, per the same account. The restaurant also says it sources quality ingredients and prepares everything in-house daily.
The Ann Arbor location adds another option for Main Street diners. Stubborn Brother offers takeout and delivery.
A Toledo Favorite Heads East
Toledo's pizza scene has apparently made an impression beyond Ohio's borders before. An Ann Arbor Observer piece touched on a Toledo pizza spot in passing, with one account recalling a friend's pitch: “Man, I know this crazy pizza spot in Toledo.” Whether that reference points to Stubborn Brother specifically isn't clear, but it hints at Toledo's reputation among Ann Arbor pizza fans well before this latest opening.
A Different Ann Arbor Expansion
Eater Detroit reported on April 9, 2019, that New York-based Shake Shack planned a third Michigan location at 3030 Washtenaw Ave. in Ann Arbor. That report concerned a separate chain expansion, not a downtown opening or evidence of a broader trend; it also described a plan, not a confirmed opening.
For now, the details that matter most to hungry Ann Arborites are settled: there's a new pizza bar on South Main Street, it traces its roots to Toledo, and it serves pizza made with the restaurant's signature dough.
