This week, we compared breadsticks from across Michigan. You, our readers, were quite clear.
In our statewide poll, nearly half of all votes (47.02%) went to breadsticks made by the Nicholas family, which owns Tomato Brothers in Howell, Highland House, EG Nick’s, and a number of Gus’ Carry-Out locations.
Following Tomato Brothers’ recognition as one of the best restaurants in the country by USA Today, the breadsticks have earned the family another prestigious honor.
The restaurant collection finished far ahead of second place, Casey’s Pizza and Subs in Port Huron, which received 19.1% of the votes. Basil Boys of Tecumseh took third place with 13.41%.
Elia Nicholas, co-owner of the winning restaurants, told The Livingston Daily in 2024 that the family’s breadstick recipe is straightforward: eggs, milk, salt, sugar, olive oil, and pizza flour. It does, however, have an intriguing backstory.
“My [uncle] came up with [the recipe] one winter day when the bread man didn’t show up,” Elia told me. “[He] went back there and made those breadsticks, and then we started painting them with garlic butter and everything, and people went insane, so no bread was made after that. We stuck to the breadsticks.”
To say that people are crazy about the sticks is an understatement. They’ve even gotten celebrity attention.
“Dax Shepherd, he’s been coming here since he was a little guy,” Elia told The Daily. “And every time he’s on TV, or every time he’s on shows or anything, he’ll always bring up the Greek salad and the breadsticks, and he’ll tell you that it’s the best Greek salad and breadsticks on the planet.”
Other nominees included:
- Pope’s Pizzeria in Monroe (5.29%)
- Little Caesars (3.1%)
- Jet’s Pizza (2.16%)
- Sal’s Italian Restaurant in Tecumseh (1.73%)
- Uccello’s Ristorante (1.57%)
- Cascarelli’s Pizza in Homer (1.37%)
- River’s Edge Pizza Pub and Grill in Dundee (1.25%)
- Hungry Howie’s (1.14%)
- Biggie’s Pizza in Adrian (1.06%)
- Sam’s Italian Restaurant in Swartz Creek (0.82%)
- Riedy’s Pizza and Tavern in Charlotte (0.55%)
- Smitty’s Pizza in Bronson (0.31%)
- Olivera’s Restaurant in Ionia and Portland (0.12%)
