The best pizza in your town?

"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein) 01/15/2015 at 17:49 • Filed to: None

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Inspired by !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , I have compiled a list of my favorite local pizza joints in my town: Madison, WI. I don't traditionally think of Madison as a great pizza town, but it's actually kind of a great pizza town. My favorites are:

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5. !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! - NY style by-the-slice joint near the University of Wisconsin campus run by a surly Albanian family. One thing Madison lacks is a real selection of NY style by-the-slice joints, so this one scratches that itch for me.

4. !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! - Neapolitan style chef-y place with a brick oven and a mix of traditional Italian and more creative toppings. The chef is a great baker in general and turns out crazy awesome bread for a lot of the other restaurants in town. Crust is slightly on the crunchy side for Neapolitan style, but I like it.

3. !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! - Another campus-area by-the-slice place. Almost NY style crust but not quite. I like Pizza D's crust a bit more, but Ian's has crazy toppings like mac 'n cheese, steak 'n fry, jerk chicken, ravioli, chili cheese frito, the list goes on.

2. !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! - Neapolitan brick oven place. The chef used to cook at the Italian embassy in NY and moved to Wisconsin because his wife is a fashion exec who got a job at Lands' End. His oven was shipped over from Italy and their focus is on the absolute most authentic stuff. Crust is ahhhhmazing. It's like a soft pillow with delicious crunchy charred bits.

1. !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! - Their crust is somewhere in between Neapolitan and NY styles, which are my two favorites. It has a nice springiness to it while also maintaining crunch. Crazy inventive toppings, super high quality ingredients, and they also make a mean taco. (The picture at the top of this post is also from Sal's.)

Ok oppo, your turn! What's the best pizza in your town?

Flat Six > Textured Soy Protein 01/15/2015 at 17:54

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So hungry.... that looks so good!

DrScientist > Textured Soy Protein 01/15/2015 at 17:59

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does the last photo mean the best pizza is tacos?

because if it does... i agree.

PS9 > Textured Soy Protein 01/15/2015 at 18:00

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Oh my fucking god.

I want that in my mouth, and I want it there right fucking now.

Tohru > Textured Soy Protein 01/15/2015 at 18:03

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I've eaten at Ian's, they are pretty good.

I also used to work at Lands' End.

Textured Soy Protein > DrScientist 01/15/2015 at 18:04

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It means that the best pizza place in town also happens to make some pretty righteous tacos.

More of their tacos:

And taco-inspired pizzas!

(They have a lot of great food porn on their website.)

Leadbull > Textured Soy Protein 01/15/2015 at 18:05

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Papa Del's . Best deep dish I've had outside of Chicago.

DrScientist > Textured Soy Protein 01/15/2015 at 18:07

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jesus christ...

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > Textured Soy Protein 01/15/2015 at 18:12

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Socio's!

Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! > Textured Soy Protein 01/15/2015 at 18:14

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I'm going to come off sounding like condescending, righteous prick with this comment, but so be it.

I can't really stand the craze of wood fired ovens and what I consider burnt pizza. If its got any char on it it's far too done for me. The best pizza in town comes out of my oven. I like a soft crust, so I cook it exactly how I like it. 9 minutes in a 500 degree oven is perfect for me. Saddly I don't have any pictures right now. Wait until tomorrow when I make some and I will though.

Tim (Fractal Footwork) > Textured Soy Protein 01/15/2015 at 18:14

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Pizza for Chicago and it's suburbs:

1. Lou Malnati's (north side, or any suburb)

If you are looking for deep dish pizza, there is only Lou Malnati's. (Gino's East is alright, but Uno's is straight up terrible)

2. Nick's Pizza and Pub (Elgin, IL)

If you don't like cardboard thin pizza, then avoid. But if you do, this place's pizza is like a hunter's heaven; should explain that it was an old barn that was converted and all around are stuffed animals (taxodermy), and you can throw the complimentary peanut shells on the ground without worry of lawsuit. I eat the stuff like I've been out trick-or-treating all night and I finally get to taste my spendor.

X. Burt's Place (Morton Grove, IL)

I haven't eated here yet, but it was a featured deep dish pizza place on Anthony Bordain's program. Will report back soon.

Textured Soy Protein > Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! 01/15/2015 at 18:20

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To each their own. Pizza is very personal to people. Everyone likes it a certain way. Depending on the particular crowd of midwesterners I find myself associating with I can come off as a pizza snob myself. (Madison is a lot trendier and foodier than much of the surrounding area, and I'm from DC.)

I will say though, I've had some nice pillowy crusts come out of wood fired ovens, and there's a fine line between charred and burnt.

Nibbles > Textured Soy Protein 01/15/2015 at 18:21

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Pizzas in Denver, ranked

1: Beau Jo's

2: Protos

3: Woody's

4: Pizzeria Colore / Grimaldi's Pizzeria

81: Anthony's

Textured Soy Protein > Tim (Fractal Footwork) 01/15/2015 at 18:22

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I have some family in Morton Grove. But that family is my crazy aunt who makes every conversation painfully uncomfortable, so I don't exactly find myself making a lot of excuses to hang out with her.

Clay...Bill Clay > Nibbles 01/15/2015 at 18:35

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No Pizzaria Locale? This list is invalid.

Nibbles > Clay...Bill Clay 01/15/2015 at 18:37

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Haven't been

Scary__goongala! > Textured Soy Protein 01/15/2015 at 18:40

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Not many good options for Pizza in Morgantown. But the best of the lot is Pizza Al's. Owner as you would expect is a rather nice Italian man. The food is also well priced for its location in the heart of a college town.

Clay...Bill Clay > Nibbles 01/15/2015 at 18:53

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On Broadway just south of downtown, and in the Highlands (plus the original in Boulder). Definitely on the hipster side, but good "authentic" pizza.

ranwhenparked > Textured Soy Protein 01/15/2015 at 18:56

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I haven't been eating a whole lot of pizza lately, but from what I've been to, Sapienza on Pearl Street in Albany is pretty good.

In my old hometown, it would be Spatola's in Chalfont PA.

With-a-G is back to not having anything written after his username > Textured Soy Protein 01/15/2015 at 19:03

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Pizzeria Bianco is the best in town, but we have a couple Grimaldi's that are friggin wonderful, too.

Birddog > Textured Soy Protein 01/15/2015 at 19:07

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Here in Davenport I've only found three Pizzas I'd consider good. And two are tied.

These places don't have actual websites so no pics. Sorry.

The Quad Cities has it's own style of Pizza.

Tied for #1. Gunchies and Harris Pizza. They are almost exactly the same and they don't pretend to be something they're not. (Eg, "Chicago Style or "New York Style")

#2. Alfano's Pizza. This one is close to Chicago Pizza. But, again, does not pretend.

Back home in the Chicago Burbs.

I could find 20 awesome Pizza joints easy. But I'll pin two that stick in my memory.

#1. Vesuvio Bakery in North Riverside, Il. It's an honest to goodness Italian bakery that happens to make Pizza. It is out of this world.

#2. Lou Malnati's.. It's big but still family owned and run. Malnati's pizza is Chicago Style pizza.

Kailand09 > Tim (Fractal Footwork) 01/15/2015 at 19:08

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You have #1 correct. The rest don't matter.

Jayhawk Jake > Textured Soy Protein 01/15/2015 at 20:39

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The original Pizza Hut is here

But the crown for best pizza in town goes to Picasso's IMO

Slices the size of a lunch tray

DarthAbarth > Textured Soy Protein 01/16/2015 at 02:35

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whoa, imagine my happiness when the place I visit every day to read about cars, suddenly has photos of the food I create. Unreal. Thanks much!

Patrick DePula, chef/owner -Salvatore's Tomato Pies.

Textured Soy Protein > DarthAbarth 01/16/2015 at 10:18

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Hey, awesome! I'm a west-sider and work on Rimrock, so I haven't made it out to the Sun Prairie store too often. But now I take a "detour" on my way home from work (more like, go in the complete opposite direction) to the E Johnson store, and can juuuust make it home with a still-warm pizza. And of course, you do make some kickass food.

Chbbck > DarthAbarth 01/16/2015 at 11:32

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Looks like you are getting good press everywhere these days Patrick! Congrats!

DarthAbarth > Textured Soy Protein 01/19/2015 at 15:34

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Next time you come by, say hi. I'm usually on Johnson st tues, Thursday and Friday. The other days I'm in sun prairie. And thanks for the props.