It’s time to circle a date on your calendar for a final night of pizza (or fish fry) at Little DeMarinis, 2860 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.
According to co-owner Veronica Cieslak, the popular Bay View pizzeria will serve its final thin-crust pies on Saturday, March 3.
Last August Cieslak and her husband Joey hung a banner in front of their Bay View pizzeria, hoping to garner interest from someone who wanted to purchase their well-established family business. In the meantime, they announced they would continue to operate Little DeMarinis through the end of their lease in July 2018.
Cieslak says that while they did attract the interest of a few parties over the past six months, their decision to sell was ultimately stalled when The American Legion Post 180 made an even more final decision: to sell the building.
The end of an era
The DeMarinis legacy began in the 1950s when Lucille and Vincent DeMarinis founded their namesake pizzeria at 2457 S. Wentworth Ave. (now the home of Goodkind). The business persisted for nearly 60 years thanks to the efforts of family members including RoseMary Latter and Josephine DeMarinis.
After the restaurant closed in 2012, Veronica and her husband revived revived the restaurant and the family recipes, including DeMarinis famous thin-crust pizza, and opened Little DeMarinis in February 2014.
However, after four years Cieslak says it’s time to let go, at least for now. "Perhaps Little DeMarinis might re-open down the road in a new location," she noted.
We can only hope.
As a passionate champion of the local dining scene, Lori has reimagined the restaurant critic's role into that of a trusted dining concierge, guiding food lovers to delightful culinary discoveries and memorable experiences.
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 every dish. Lori is the author of two books: the "Wisconsin Field to Fork" cookbook and "Milwaukee Food". Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club. In 2024, Lori was honored with a "Top 20 Women in Hospitality to Watch" award by the Wisconsin Restaurant Association.
When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or planning for TV and radio spots, 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.
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