Pizza. It's the one type of carry-out that everyone seems to love. And that's good, because Milwaukee is home to countless pizza restaurants slinging everything from thin crackery crusts to hand-tossed pies, and wood-fired pies to deep dish.
But before you order up your next pizza for another pandemic-inspired Netflix and chill, here are two big things you can do make your take-out or delivery pizza worlds better.
1. Cut it yourself
If you’re shaking your head, wondering why on earth cutting a pizza yourself would make a stitch of difference, let me lay it out for you.
- You can do it better. Pizza places (bless their hearts) are notoriously bad at cutting pizza. They’re doing it quickly and a good percentage of the time, their swift cuts never quite make it all the way through the pizza. When you go to take a slice, the bottom rips, toppings slide off, and you end up with a slice of wet, sauce-covered crust. Cut it yourself and you avoid all of this. You also have choices about whether to cut your pizza into squares or traditional slices. You can also make them as large (or small) as you like.
- Your pizza retains more heat during transport. Think about it. Cutting the pizza into slices creates countless little openings where steam escapes from beneath the blanket of cheese, cooling everything down more quickly. Inevitably, all that steam collects inside the pizza bag or box, creating condensation that also contributes to a soggy, flabby pie.
- The crisp crust will thank you. Cutting through the slices also allows all the delicious oil and tomato sauce to seep between the slices. It pools. It soaks into the both the cardboard and the crust. And it allows hot drippy cheese to fall through the minuscule cracks, making slices of pizza stick to the cardboard.
So next time you order that pizza (for carry-out or delivery) take the time to request that it not be sliced. You’ll thank me.
2. Give it a quick reheat
When you get it home, give it a quick 5-minute blast in a very hot oven. Trust me on this; it will make that pizza taste so much better.
The most important step is to preheat your oven. Set it to to 500°F and place a baking sheet (preferably un-rimmed) on the bottom rack. Give it a good 15 minutes to get up to temperature. This works especially well if you’ve ordered pizza for delivery. If you set your oven temperature right around the time you order the pizza, it should be good and hot by the time the pie arrives.
When the pizza is delivered, slide it out of its packaging onto the baking sheet and let it bake for five minutes. That’s it. A little extra effort will give you a hotter pizza with a significantly crispier crust.
Options for take-out & delivery
Balistreri's Bluemound Inn
6501 W. Bluemound Rd., (414)258-9881
balistreris.com
Balistreri's Italian American Ristorante
812 N. 68th St., (414)475-1414
balistreris.com
BB's on North
7237 W North Ave., Wauwatosa, (414) 810-0252
bbspizzabar.com
Brick 3 Pizza
1107 N. Old World 3rd St., (414) 224-6040
brick3pizza.com
Brute Pizza
316 N. Milwaukee St., (414) 231-3996
Brutemke.com
Calderone Club
842 N. Old World 3rd St., (414) 273-3236
calderoneclub.net
Calderone Club
8001 N Port Washington Rd., Fox Point, (414) 352-9303
calderoneclubfoxpoint.com
Capri di Nuovo
8340 W. Beloit Rd., (414) 543-5510
www.capridinuovo.com
Caradaro Club
5010 W. Vliet St., (414) 476-7700
1417 S. 70th St., West Allis, (414) 475-1080
caradaroclubpizza.com
Carol Ann's Pizza
2935 Hubertus Rd., Richfield. (262) 628-8237
carolannspizza.com
Chuck's Place
406 N. Main St., Thiensville, (262) 242-9797
chucksplacefamilyrestaurant.com
Classic Slice
2797 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., (414) 238-2406
classicslice.com
Fixture Pizza Pub
623 S. 2nd St., (414) 736-8709
fixturepizza.com
Flour Girl & Flame
8121 W. National Ave., West Allis, (414) 662-7921
flourgirlandflame.com
Gianelli's Pizza & Chicken Man
8430 W Silver Spring Dr., (414) 463-2266
gianellis.com
Giuseppes
615 Main St., Delafield, (262) 337-9800
Giuseppesdelafield.com
Grimaldi's Pizza
Corners of Brookfield, 20119 Lord St., (262) 785-1115
grimaldispizzeria.com
Kim's Pizza Pub
N67 W33395 County Road K, Oconomowoc, (262) 727-7210
www.kimspizzapub.com
Klasiana Pizza
5487 S. 76th St., Greendale, (414) 421-0000
klasianapizza.com
Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria
15795 W Bluemound Rd., Brookfield (414) 930-4500
8799 N Port Washington Rd., Fox Point (414) 446-3500
4751 S. 76th St., Greenfield, (414) 310-4600
8171 S. Howell Ave.m Oak Creek, (414) 260-0800
loumalnatis.com
Marco's Pizza
111 E. Forest Hill Ave., Oak Creek, (414) 764 - 3330
marcospizzaoakcreek.com
Marty's Pizza
16630 W. Bluemound Rd., Brookfield, (262) 782-5830
martyspizza.net
Marty's Pizza Delafield
2580 Sun Valley Dr., Delafield, (262) 646-3327
martyspizza.net
Ned's Pizza
3246 S. 27th St., (414) 645-2400
nedspizzarestaurant.com
Pepi's Pizza
1329 S. 70th St., (414) 998-0528
pepispizza.us
Park Avenue Pizza
121 Park Ave., Pewaukee, (262) 691-0503
parkavenuepizza.com
Pizza Man
2060 N. Humboldt Ave., (414) 272-1745
11500 W. Burleigh St., (414) 249-2000
pizzamanwi.com
Pizza Pete's
2914 E. Grange Ave., Cudahy, (414) 488-8007
orderpizzapetes.com
Pizzeria Scotty!
9022 W Oklahoma Ave, West Allis (414) 543-1300
pizzeriascotty.com
Proof Pizza
139 E. Kilbourn Ave., (414) 270-4433
proofpizzamke.com
Red Mill Inn & Pizza
1005 S. Elm Grove Rd., Brookfield, (262) 599-8900
theredmillpizza.com
Ricardo's Pizza
5627 Broad St., Greendale (414) 421-1980
ricardosgreendale.com
Riverfront Pizzeria Bar & Grill
509 East Erie (414) 277-1800
mkeriverfront.com
Riverwest Pizza
930 E. Wright St., (414) 269-9703
facebook.com/RiverwestPizza
San Giorgio
838 N. Old World Third St., (414) 276-2876
sangiorgiopizza.com
Santino's Little Italy
352 E. Stewart St., (414) 897-7367
santinoslittleitaly.com
Scotty's Bar & Pizza
3921 S. Clement Ave., (414) 481-6060
facebook.com/Scottys-Bar-Pizza
Sorella
2535 S Kinnickinnic Ave., (414) 301-6255
sorellamke.com
Transfer Pizzeria Cafe
101 W. Mitchell St., (414) 763-0438
Transfermke.com
Tenuta's Italian Restaurant
2995 S. Clement Ave., (414) 431-1014
tenutasitalian.com
UNO Pizzeria & Grill
W180 N9455 Premier Lane, Menomonee Falls, (262) 255-1440
unos.com
Wy'east Pizza
5601 W. Vliet St., (414) 943-3278
wyeastpizza.com
Zaffiro's Pizza
1724 N. Farwell Ave., (414) 289-8776
zaffirospizza.com
Zayna's Pizza
714 E. Brady St., (414) 226-9999
zaynaspizza.com
Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with each and every dish. She’s had the privilege of chronicling these tales via numerous media, including OnMilwaukee and in her book “Milwaukee Food.” Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club.
When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or recording the FoodCrush podcast, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.
