Cranky Al’s Bakery and Pizza

This place has the best donuts in the universe. I fly in from New Jersey and will Go 25 miles out of my was to get Cranky Als Crullers… and the nicest people work there. So today I cut a star because the most miserable girl was at the counter. Really? It’s like ruining Disney… please bring back that nice staff !

Let me start by saying that donuts are my absolutely favorite breakfast treat, so I’ve had plenty from plenty of pretty good places. Cranky Al’s is my hands down, absolute favorite donut place. Ever. The crullers are the best I’ve ever had: moist, cakey, the perfect amount of light crisp and icing on the outside. Peanut butter cream? Delightful. Pistachio muffin? Yes, please! The hot food is good too! The breakfast burrito has never disappointed. The owners and staff are ALWAYS super friendly and make you feel like you’ve known them forever.

I have been going to Cranky Al for something like a dozen years. He constantly had me bring my newfoundland up to the counter and he created super-​fresh bakery and made mainly my favorite flavors. When his wife provided the java, it was strong. I do not understand where he gets his coffee now but it’s not exceptional – great but not strong. The place he got six or so years age is pleasant to look at but it is extremely loud in there when active.

Doughnuts were good, atmosphere was cute. the girl at the register didn’t seem so bright, thankfully a guy took over, which I can only assume was the owner. I’d definitely stop by if I was in the area, but it was a 25 minute drive one way from my house in Brookfield… so I won’t make a trip specifically for it again, especially since all my daughter wanted was a plain chocolate cake doughnut.

I visited this place about a week ago while visiting my Grandparents and it is AWESOME … I am from Birmingham, Alabama and we have nothing like this here … I can’t wait to go back …

Donuts are delicious! The first time we went there was a huge selection, and it was a little later in the morning. Since then we have gone twice and earlier and there has been less selection, go figure. Haven’t tried the pizza yet, but would like to. Maybe in the next trip.

This review is just for the donuts.
They are truly excellent! The flavors are so fun and unique, the donuts look colorful and well decorated, and the taste is amazing!!! Bonus points for being very reasonably priced.
I will definitely without a doubt be coming back for these amazing donuts!!!

3^rd stop of the 2016 Lent Fish Fry tour takes us to Wauwatosa… specifically to Cranky Al’s Bakery and Pizza.
Now you wouldn’t think a Bakery/​Pizza place would have one of the best fish frys in the Milwaukee area but Cranky Al’s is that place. This stretch on North Ave has some good restaurants and I would rank Cranky Al’s towards the top of the list.
If you are from the Milwaukee area you know parking can be a chore on a Friday or Saturday night. This past Friday was no exception. We parked about a block away. Walking in there are scattered 4 tops and 2 top tables that take up ¹⁄₃ of the restaurant. We originally had a group of 5 that later turned into 8 and we had no problem with seating or adjusting to more people. The crowd is a good mix of couples, families, and friends. All gathering for pizza, fish fry, chicken fry, or shrimp fry. Sadly I was informed they usually don’t have their donuts in the evening and you have to get there early in the AM to get one. Anyway back to the Fish Fry…
You only have two choices for the Fish Fry — Fish or Shrimp. Both options are $ 10.95. With the Fish you get 3 generous portions of Cod with fries, coleslaw, lemon, tartar sauce, and rye bread. You get the same with the Shrimp. There is no waiter service, you order and pay at the counter. They will assign you a number and bring it to your table when it is ready.
It took about 10 minutes for our Fish Frys to arrive. They come in a tin pie plate — nice touch. The fish and coleslaw were very flavorful and the fries were okay. The fish had a nice thin crunchy seasoned batter on it and although the coleslaw wasn’t the creamy kind that I like, it was refreshing. I would say it is the best Fish Fry ½ way thru the 2016 Lent Fish Fry Tour.
But the fish isn’t the only thing that is great about Crank Al’s. The service was top notch and if it wasn’t a Friday during Lent, I would have also a meat lover’s pizza which one of friends ordered. Good size for one personal maybe two if you are on a first date. It was packed with cheese, sausage, pepperoni, Canadian Bacon. My it looked so good. It is one of my friend’s favorites in all of Milwaukee. Also the rest of my friends swear that the donuts that don’t last too long on any given day are just deeeeelish! So now you have there reasons to go to Cranky Al’s. Don’t wait too long… they typically close at 8 pm.

I’ve only been here once but I really enjoyed it.
They seemed to have a variety of bakeries and anyone could find something they would want.
I got a croissant and it was delicious. The staff were very helpful.
My friend had gotten married in 2014 and they ordered wedding doughnuts from here (instead of doing a wedding cake). The doughnuts were delicious as well.

This literally our favorite place to get donuts in town. Cranky’s is a super fun place — that is always crowded but the line moves fast. The staff is awesome, efficient, and fun. My kiddo LOVES the maple bacon bars — he is pretty much obsessed. I love the vanilla long johns and of course the plain glazed. Never had pizza there but I have had some of their hot breakfast items — those are just ok. I’d rather have their amazing donuts. Coffee is good — they do a nice job making lattes and I’m picky about lattes. A must try!

Walked to Cranky Al’s this week. (Good thing to walk to a bakery, makes it feel justified.) It was a Tuesday and normally they are closed. However, it was Fat Tuesday — a bakery’s «gotta make the paczki» day. All they had left were Bavarian Cream. Bummer… yeah, not a bummer. Joey was awesome. Still upbeat after a super busy day and having to explain to many people that they didn’t have the normal bakery and they aren’t normally open on Tuesdays and it is Fat Tuesday so the only thing they have is paczki and it is a Polish thing that is really big in Milwaukee… ya da, ya da. Well, I give them kudos for being open and embracing Fat Tuesday properly. Na zdrowie!
Any other day, the bakery is super good and fresh. The atmosphere is casual. Service is great. Sometimes cranky, but that is okay… Al is supposed to be. They are really, really good with kids. So you will see a lot of people with their little ones at Cranky Al’s. Which means this is probably not the place you want to go to study or chill with a cup of coffee looking for serenity now, serenity now.
The bakery is the star. The coffee is just okay. But, they have Bailey’s… Cheers!

Went there tonight with a group of 10 friends. We heard a lot of good things about this place, so our expectations were high. Not only did this place meet our expectations, it exceeded them! The service was quick and friendly, and the pizza was DELICIOUS. We didn’t get a chance to try the donuts because we got there a few mins late (it was almost closing time). Apparently they donate them to the Ronald McDonald House at the end of the day. As a group of medical students, we really appreciated hearing that; what a generous treat to those families battling illness!
I will definitely be back, both for the amazing pizzas AND to try those donuts we heard so much about. I would definitely recommend this restaurant to anybody looking for a good place to eat.

DONUTS!
Do I have your attention? They have them here. And damn good ones. Particularly the crueller (sp?). It’s cakey donut heaven. And there’s a long john with bacon & maple frosting — get it.

This review needs to be put into two sections because I believe that food and atmosphere may be two most important parts of what makes a restaurant satisfactory to me. The difficult part with this place is that the food will keep me coming… for take out and the atmosphere will make me run in the other direction.
Okay — food first. We had the following and all of them were fantastic. The original cranky (sausage and pepperoni pizza, thin crust), the Chicken Barbeque… I forget the name of this pizza, nonetheless they were both great! The fried zucchini, donuts and turnovers are also great additions whether you’re stopping in for a quick breakfast or on the go or dinner. I like their beer and wine selection… mostly all local brews. Two thumbs up! Overall, food here gets a 5 star.
However, I have to rate the atmosphere, feel, ambiance… whatever you want to call it in this situation. We came here because our favorite pizza place in town had a 1.5 hour wait so figured we’d try something new. This is a serve yourself style of restaurant (grab your own plates, forks, order at the counter, etc), not a huge deal and something I don’t mind doing. Also — I’d like to note that this place is absolutely fine for a casual run in and run out for donuts. Maybe even to sit down for coffee in the morning. However, dinner, was a huge exception. This is the type of place where people bus in their children to hang out with their other adult friends, but then proceed to let their kids run around like little a-​holes the entire time. We had a group of 6 adult and around 8 – 10 kids sitting behind us and for some reason it’s like the parents decided that they would refrain from parenting. They weren’t the only group with the same situation, but just the closest to us and most noticeable. Some of the kids were on ipads and iphones at around age 10, but what happened to kids acting like respectable humans in a restaurant? It was loud, children were rough housing and it was not what I was expecting… I am hoping this night was just out of the ordinary, but I’m not taking the chances to dine in again.
In no way do I blame Cranky Al’s for this, however, I feel like others who are looking for a casual and relaxing beer and pizza, you may be better off taking out than dining in.

Don’t get conned into paying $ 4 for a donut at other locations!!! You can basically steal a dozen donuts here and eat the entire box in an hour with a good cup of coffee. I just love the plain raised donuts. The cheese pocket is a slight variation of that donut, but it’s filled with cream cheese. All their other donuts are good, as others have attested to. The bagel sandwiches are great, if you in more of a savory mood that particular morning. The guy running the joint (I believe Crank’s son) treats us like family every time we come in, and I enjoy giving him crap about his Chicago Bears. Based on our discussions in the past, he is all about giving back to the Tosa community and helping out wherever they can.
I thought the pizza was just okay. Sauce was a little too sweet for my liking, and the sausage didn’t have enough flavor. Love the crust though. I’ll try it again in the future just to see if it was an off night. Either way, I love this place and will continue to visit at least every other weekend!

Why did it take us over a year to find this gem just a few blocks away?! We finally stopped in one busy Saturday morning and despite being super busy, it was still a fun & laid back atmosphere! I’ve also picked up a few before work on a weekday morning and it’s a quick stop. The donuts and coffee are both great — as a non-​believer in the whole red velvet obsession, that donut was amazing. Perfectly crisp on the outside and soft inside — YUM. We were already impressed and then came the pizza (make sure you try the garlic bread!) that was equally as delicious. Cranky Al’s will be our new go-​to Friday night pizza for sure… Sorry, Toppers.

Why a 5 star review? Let’s see:
1) Has a huge selection of donuts (both adult as well as kid friendly)
2) Has cruellers
3) Staff is efficient and friendly
4) Has cruellers
5) For a donut shop, the coffee is on point
6) Has cruellers
Yes, they have them and they do it right. You wouldn’t think it but finding a good crueller is not as easy as it sounds.

Cranky als IS Milwaukee’s donut shop. The maple bacon is amazing. The breakfast sandwiches are amazing. The breakfast pizza is amazing (you have to call 24 hours in advanced for the breakfast pizza).
And also the family owned staff is super friendly. They get to know you and really seen to appreciate your business.

There is not much more I can say that has not already been mentioned by the first 98 folks to review Al’s. Bottom line? I love this place. The service is excellent whether you are dropping in for breakfast or intend to stay for a while and enjoy pizza and a few brews. It’s such a cool, randomly arranged space. The garlic bread is the best I’ve had that is not homemade (possibly because there is so much butter).The pizza has a ton of flavor and you can tell there is a lot of love and care put into each pie. I was stoked with the ample bottled beer selection Cranky’s boasts as well! I have been meaning to get back and try the Mike’s Meatball Special pizza… hello next weekend!
There is a ridiculous selection of donuts and I’ve been known to stop in here on the occasional (okay, once a month) Friday to grab donuts for the office. Dear God, the apple fritter is as big as your face! I have yet to try the aforementioned Cinnamon Toast Crunch donut, but I’m watching… waiting…for this epic concoction to be available on my next visit. Or I might get one of those breakfast sandwiches that has been calling to me for the past few months. So many options.
Cranky’s is a MUST-​VISIT. Do it tomorrow morning! Unless they are closed of course.

The name of this place is incorrect. I don’t know if we were helped by Al himself (sure seemed so) or somebody else, but that guy was anything but Cranky. We were made to feel so welcome!
The donuts are incredible. So much better than any chain donut shop. The prices are reasonable.
What a treat!

A Saturday morning the family and I stopped in during the beginning of a road trip. The place was surprisingly packed for 9am… or so i thought. it is a open space with lots of seating and the counter and off to the mid left of the space.
The signs and advertisement are eye catching. I was so happy to find what the foodies are calling gourmet donuts that i would actually eat. I love glazed, plain (cake) donuts and my all time favorite cruellers. This place had every last one of the donuts that i love with all of my heart!
The prices were on point as well. I have had some not so good experiences with gourmet donuts and their prices were on point. The donuts, cookies and muffins were from 80 cents to 239. Im at the counter like for reals thats it? Well hell give me a dozen of them joints! As you can see from my picture i was able to get my favs and add some new and exotic flavors for the kids.
I know that they have pizza as well. I wasn’t able to grab any slices because of the time i was there. I wouldn’t thing that this would be a likely marriage but guess what? From what i hear it works! I will be back to try a slice or two or three.
Enjoy folks…

How have I never reviewed Cranky’s?
Donuts and pizza — two of the best foods, eva. And they do it right here, all while keeping things warm, welcoming, and fun. They know my name here. They get excited to share their new treats. They ask how you’re doing, what’s new. I love that about this spot, and lots of folks in the neighborhood do, too. Hop in on a weekend morning and the place is full of people, including kiddos and families, all enjoying the delicious breakfast treats.
When it comes to donuts in MKE, my heart belongs to Cranky’s. Affordable, fresh, and TASTY. I have a special place in my heart for the PB buttercream filled… but that was before I tried the new cheese pocket (thanks Joey!). It was amazing. Think cheese danish meets glazed donut. DROOL. They’ve also got fun stuff, like a gummy bear covered donut!
Don’t be confused by the hours here — no lunch, but there’s pizza for dinner. And it’s good, with lots of options for special pies. A few of us snagged the garlic bread once and we all agreed it was some of the best we’d EVER eaten. (You should try it). Some nights, they have specials, including a fish fry Friday.
As a Valentine Coffee fanatic, I also love that they serve their own special blend of the brew. Cheers!
(PS — As an aside, Alton Brown stopped through this spring and also enjoy his Cranky donut. Guy knows what’s up)!