Happy’s Pizza

This place seems to cater to the college crowd. I’ve tried their jumbo fried chicken wings several times. Always juicy and you can get them with different sauces. I agree with some of the other reviewers about the pizza, but for the price, it’s still a good deal. I’m sad to hear about the demise of Happy’s Pizza in Ann Arbor and hope they rebuild.

RIP Happy’s Pizza. I was sad to hear about the fire that devastated this little joint that was conveniently located between my place and the football stadium (the walk back being the only time I stopped here). It was a memorable $ 6 cheese pizza hot and ready.

This place burned down today. The Owner plans to rebuild.

Standard delivery-​style pizza. Perfect topping distribution, average delivery speed, and food that was hot when it arrived. In short, exactly what you’d think.

I definitely agree with some of the Unilocaler’s in that the pizza is only good for the first 30 minutes to 1 hour. It’s definitely not that type of pizza that you can eat cold or even heat up and eat the next day. It gets a bit mealy and taste like cardboard. Knowing this, I don’t get the pizza here.
What I do like here is the fried fish (perch or catfish), fries, and sometimes the fried chicken. The fried fish is always good here. Their fries are yummy because of the softness and seasoning. The fried chicken has a salty, crunchy coating/​breading. It can sometimes be overly salty, but most of the time it’s just right. With some hot sauce and ketchup, this hits the spot. If you are a bit tipsy and can make it here at night, get their chocolate cake, it’s pretty tasty after you’ve had a few (or many) drinks.

Dine in at lunch time —
Wow, great menu for fast food pizza joint. Fast and really friendly service. I think the guy was there by himself, but he sure could handle the place on his own. The construction in the area doesn’t help their business, but there is a little parking.
Very clean place, great selection of beverages, including bottles of wine. I ordered and sat in their nice seating.
As for the food. I ordered the catfish dinner, and 5 pc coconut shrimp and a .99 cent bottle of root beer. The total came to $ 17.95. The dinner was enough for two people to share. Very hot and fresh fish.
The fries and slaw were meh, but glad they had hot sauce for a side. Even the coconut shrimp had a Ken’s sweet and sour sauce cup on the side. Cooked nicely, I would order it again but not all at once. Too much food — and I will skip the fries next time. They were hot and fresh, just not very good.

WHEN the food arrives in a decent amount of time, meaning under an hour, it’s good pizza. But don’t expect the food to show up for OVER an hour… I just waited over an hour and a half. The pizza was room temperature. I called before it arrived and they said, «that’s funny, the guy left over 15 minutes ago, and he only had one other delivery.» But, wait, that was after I had waited an hour and 20 minutes already… So, they left with the pizza an HOUR after the order. Oh, and it’s about a 6 minute drive from me.
And I’m the idiot that paid the tip online! Never again! I think I’ll do Pizza Pino for now on. I’m really frustrated with this place.

I’ve never had the pizza here having faithfully pledged myself to other pizza places around Ann Arbor. I’ve also never ordered delivery, so I can’t speak to that service either.
That aside, I have to say they make some of the best fish dishes. Their fish sandwich is really good, and I ordered some cajun perch dinner that was pretty stellar too. So far, every time I’ve gone to pick up my order it’s been hot, very fresh, and very tasty. The fish sandwich is actually filets of fish not just some mashed fish patty. Maybe pizza isn’t the dish to eat here, but they sure can get their fish on.

DO NOT ORDER FOOD FROM THESE GUYS!!!
Seriously all the pizza I ordered was smashed so we essentially got half the pizza we paid for.
It was over an hour and a half to get a delivery.
When I called about the issues the owner was not sympathetic and in fact was a dick about it.
No remedy was offered other than waiting another hour and half to get more pizza and we couldn’t eat what was previously delivered.
These guys are a joke and don’t deserve to deliver pizza in Ann Arbor.
Will never order Happys again and I suggest you don’t either.

Really wanted to like this place cause it’s a block away from us but the food was just disappointng. We ordered pizza sub which according to my husband was fine. I got the breaded shrimp which I thought lack seasoning.

Ok, so Happy’s pizza is definitely not gourmet by any determination– but man, do they have some fantastic specials! My roommate and I used to order from the on any day M-​W because they have (or had, its been a while) a 2 pizza special for $ 9.99! I also like that they serve chicken, ribs, fish, shrimp and an assortment of fried specialties. I like pizza places that offer this kind of stuff because if you want food delivered but don’t feel like pizza, you still have a number of options. The quality of the food here is pretty consistently good, too (i.e., our bread sticks are usually the perfect chewy texture and our extra done pepperoni pizzas are just the right amount of crispy). It is what it is, and it is good!

I think this is the first time I’ll disagree with a Unilocal score. I really liked this place, and actually did not expect to. I had a cheeseburger with fries that was great. The hamburger meat was pretty decent quality and there was at least 1÷3− ½ pound of meat on the burger. The toppings were standard but complimented the burger well. The fries were crispy and well seasoned. It was pretty cheap (less than $ 5)
Of course this is a pizza place and I didn’t actually try to pizza so I cant really comment on that. I recommend their cheeseburger meal :)

Happy’s is a bizarr-​o place, if only because their menu is SO huge. Pizza, ribs, burgers, shrimp/​fish, pasta, sandwiches, plus freezers of ice cream novelties and fridges of beer? Sort of alarming for a takeout place… makes me wonder where it comes from, because I sure don’t think they’re making it all here.
And open late. As has been mentioned, this is clearly the hot spot for undergrads with hangovers/​the munchies.
In terms of «places I pass on my way home from work,» I’m more likely to hit Austin Warburton to drool over some ice (of the diamond variety) or Washtenaw Dairy to drool over some ice cream.
But if it’s not an icy kind of day, Happy’s will make me happy… enough.
The only thing I’ve had from their menu is the Italian club sandwich. I don’t really feel compelled to try anything else. But that sandwich? It’s really surprisingly good. Crusty bread, melty cheese, turkey, bacon, banana peppers, Italian dressing in a little cup to pour on as you like. It’s big, it comes with fries, and I get two solid meals out of it.
In fact, all of their hot subs look and smell and taste yummy. My roommates say the burgers are decent as well. And while I haven’t tried the BBQ, there has been many a late evening when I’m trudging home from a long day and the aroma gives me the strength to carry on.
I honestly can’t remember whether or not I’ve had the pizza at Happy’s…I think probably, at some point, at some party, it has surfaced. But I wouldn’t go out of my way for it. Instead, go for Cottage Inn, or if you’re looking for something really cheap, pass GO and collect a $ 5 Little Caesar’s Hot ‘n’ Ready (thanks Tigers, for scoring 9 runs on Saturday and getting us a free pizza!).
Service at Happy’s is pretty much non-existent…every time I go here, I wind up sitting for about 20 minutes waiting for my sandwich and, inevitably, people who came in after me start getting their orders called first. This leads to me sighing loudly, looking at my ticket a lot, getting up and wandering around the restaurant, glaring, checking on my order, etc. It just takes a long time. So I don’t bother going that often. It’s almost not even worth complaining about, because you don’t really expect anything better.
Since I always seem to come back to this criteria, I’ll say: I wouldn’t take my parents here, or try to get them to take me. But it’ll work, in a pinch.
SK likes to go for lunch because it’s close to his work. And the sandwiches are more satisfying (though also more expensive) than Subway or Jimmy John’s.

⁵⁰⁄₅₀
I’m stuck in the middle on Happy’s. Granted they are a chain pizza place based out of Detroit, so a chain is a chain. However, there are many chain places in A2 that are o-​k, just like Happy’s.
TOPPINGS
I’d say this is the pretty good part about Happy’s. I never got a pizza that was stingy on the toppings part.
CRUST/​SAUCE
Both were nothing to brag about. Not much flavor on either, get a pesto topping pizza if you can, since that has the most flavor.
My biggest beef about Happy’s and the reason that I do not order from them anymore for pizza is the cooking of the crust. I had asked them 5 times in a row (5 weeks in a row) to cook my crust «well done» and told them that it had 1) not been cooked well done the last week and 2) I would wait longer for it to cook, no problem. Did the pizza come with crispy, well-​done crust? NO. Not once.
FISH Thumbs UP
I do like the fish sandwiches and also the catfish dinner. I would say as far as a great-​priced, fast dinner that has quality catfish, you cannot beat this one. If you have one thing at Happy’s– try the catfish dinner, you can even split it between two people if you add a side.
The one and only thing I wish they’d do is somehow get their coleslaw colder. Once they put it in the hot box, it becomes a steaming hot mess of not-​so-​greatness. Still edible, but not what you expected.
OTHER
They do have a big menu and a big selection of extras like drinks and desserts. I have not had dessert from them, so I cannot review at this time.

Wuhahaha. I love the fact that the first few reviews talk about how great this place is, and then the last few just. well, tear it to shreds. As a response to Lenny K’s review in asking if previous Unilocalers were high, my guess is they were because being high and severely desperate is about what’s required to dine at this establishment.
This review will be short and to the point (unlike my other reviews).
Experience #1: A friend of mine, when asked about this place, said to me when she heard I wanted to try it: «I’d rather be shot in the face with a shotgun than eat at Happy’s.»
Experience #2: Someone offered me a slice. I reluctantly took a bite. I anxiously spit it back out. It did not taste like pizza.

OMG, w/​all due respect to my fellow Unilocalers… ARE YOU EFFING HIGH?
There’s a three-​year old frozen TOMBSTONE pizza in my freezer that tastes better than Happy’s (now called UNHappy’s Pizza by me and Anne) even uncooked.
This pizza would be executed within 200 miles of NYC not to mention Brooklyn and the pizza makers’ (recipes) burned at the nearest stake.
OK, I admit it, it was LATE, it was CLOSE, I was not of clear faculties (and almost fell asleep at the counter waiting) AND I needed beer. This poor excuse for pie actually tasted better after it had fallen on the floor of my Passat. My cat (Seymour) even turned away from it after grudgingly eating ½ a slice.
Please, save yourselves, NEVER, EVER go near Happy’s unless you’re desperate for a late night $ 10 six pack…
Really, it tasted like an old pizza box w/​melted Combos on top!
I didn’t care for it at all. Can you tell?

My roomie and my boyfriend were both super-​excited when they saw that a new pizza place was going in down the street. At the time, we had instituted this plan where we were going to methodically rank all of the pizza places in Ann Arbor (those dudes love their pizza).
Sure, we can walk to Cottage Inn, and NYPD is not really that far, either, but this was literally 2 blocks away AND they sold beer! We were geeked.
Unfortunately, after a few months, we decided that this place should be named Frustrating’s Pizza instead. We would order something from them about once a week, and once a week, like clockwork, they would screw it up — royally. It was never a complicated order, but again and again, they would give us completely different toppings then we ordered.
After the first time this happened, we started opening the box at the counter, and sure enough, it was more likely than not totally wrong. You ordered pepperoni? You get ground beef and ham. You want plain cheese? Nope, you get mushrooms and sausage. Honestly — it wasn’t EVER even close to our order, yet our name was attached to it. What was the deal?!
The person working at the counter would then inevitably turn and yell at a bewildered looking Mexican guy in the back. I didn’t get the feeling that one guy really could screw it all up THAT much, I just felt bad for him.
We would usually just have to sit there while they re-​made our (corrected) order. One time, they gave us free dessert, which was a sweet idea. But… the desert tasted like freezer burn. Thwarted again! Happy’s, we wanted to love, or at least like you!
After a repeated experiences like this, Happy’s has fallen off our list, and I don’t think there’s much that would convince me to try this place again. A friend who worked across the street said she’d met the owner, and he was a nice guy. Nice or not, this place didn’t make us too happy at all.

As evidenced by their four tables and drink cooler lined walls, Happy’s is focused on down and dirty carry out, not a dining experience.
The place itself isn’t dirty — its built like a spacious, clean McDonalds. And the food gives off the same vibe. Pizza is either a volume business (as in you get a lot of meh pizza for a little money) or one that caters to those willing to pay more for a taste that exceeds cardboard. Happy’s is the former. Its not unlike the Dominos and Marcos of the world. It will fill you up without crushing your wallet, but when you’re done eating, you stare at your distended belly and ask «Why exactly did I just do that?»
I’m surprised Happy’s isn’t closer to campus, as it seem tailor made for stops after heading home from the bar to grab some sustenance and maybe some carryout beers. Because outside of that, I’m not sure I can overly recommend Happy’s.

The pizza tasted good, it wasn’t the best. But it was decent. Now i am going to tell you why I won’t eat here.
We ordered a pizza brought it home, I grabbed a slice and had a few bites before someone started complaining that it had the wrong toppings. So I set in back in the box and then we proceeded to take it back to Happy’s. They took the pizza from us and said they would make a new one. Normally if the restaurant gave you the wrong thing, especially if it was take out, they would just let you keep it or throw it away. Well they took it back, and when asked what they would do with it they said they would give it to the employees to eat. This is absolutely gross, what if we did something to it? But that is not the worst part. We saw them take it and slyly put it back out to sell in the pizza by the slice container.
I will never eat here again. I am sure this is a health food code violation.

Great roast beef sandwich. Lots of melted cheese and the fries were still sizzling.
Went here on a recommendation from a friend who said I would be sorry if I didn’t try the roast beef. I think I could eat at Happy’s every day for a year and not get bored, though. Take a look at the menu on their web site – the name says pizza, but they also have ribs, chicken and seafood.
Only restaurant I’ve been to where you can pick up a pizza and a six pack of beer.
I refused to go in for a long time because the building is ugly. It looks like a pizza place that somebody would open in a strip mall and then you would wish for them to go away so someone could serve good food instead. On the inside, its a completely different place. The food was great. (Décor was okay too.) Went there with a friend and he was also impressed with the food. I’m torn between trying more stuff on the Happy’s menu or just going someplace I haven’t been before.