Maria’s Pizzaria

For my last meal on this earth it would be a pizza from here, time after time the urge for a pizza brings me to there door, no other has come close in over 50 years.

Pizza was ok. I’ve never dined in; I’ve only carried out. I’ve always felt like I’m inconveniencing the staff when I pay for and carry out pizzas. I feel much better carrying out from other places.

you have not experienced MKE pizza unless you have been to Maria’s. it has been rated one of the top thirty pizza spots in 2015 by Milwaukee Magazine.
Mama Maria established this joint in the 1950s, when pizza was shockingly a foreign concept in America. it has since withstood the test of time. the interior still embodies the spirit of Mama Maria, with its heavy red décor and its religious paintings.
my food buddy and I, of course, ordered the 27 inch supreme pizza. it was magnificent — flavorful, fresh, light, and most importantly, addicting. the wait staff was friendly and flexible; we were able to split the pizza, where one half was vegetarian-​friendly and the other was meat-​heavy.
we decided to try the fried zucchini. the bread coating was spot on; unfortunately, the marinara sauce was not noteworthy. it really dampened the appetizer overall.
if you are looking to get away from the hustle and bustle of daily life, this is the spot to escape to. the secluded nature of this pizzeria allows you to unwind and lose track of time.

Just amazing been eating this pizza since I was 6 and I’m 25. Very comparable to Brooklyn style New York pizza. You’ll never be disappointed

Very cozy, delicious pizza. Breaded mushrooms are awesome. The staff are very nice. It’s a good value as well because the pizza is huge. Everyone else’s food looks really good too. The cheesy bread looks amazing. The whole family was happy. We will be back.

We were drawn from Racine County by all the great reviews for Marias Pizza, and we can honestly say, we don’t get it! Have any of you ever tried Wells Brothers in Racine? There is no comparison! I guess it’s personal preference! This seems to be more of a nostalgic place if you went there as a kid and are reliving child hood memories! Personally, I don’t like burnt pizza! What’s the allure? Pizza that hangs over the edge of the pan? And, the atmosphere is campy-​paint-​by-​number religious pictures covering their walls… weird! This is simply a sentimental journey which we must not be a part of! Now theirs a blessing! We can see we are a minority here so Milwaukee you keep «your pizza» and we will keep ours!

Have had nothing but negative experiences at Maria’s. The lady that answers the phone is very rude. The wait time is extremely long for picking up. When you call to place an order for pick up, they tell you how long, but they never even start making your pizza until you get there. So then you have to wait even longer than what they told you on the phone! Today we called around 4:30 PM to order ONE pizza. She said it would be an hour & a half to two hours! When we questioned this she said that’s what it always is. We said no it’s not, and she said on Saturdays it is. We said that’s WAY too long and hung up. Ordered pizza at Vinchi’s and it was ready when they said it would be, and we didn’t have to wait 2 hours for it. Also Maria’s takes cash only which is a little ridiculous, it is 2015, get with the times!

We came here and thought it was a really cute, old-​school type of joint. Looking around however, I realized there was like 50 paintings of the Crucifixion all over the walls. One or two of these doesn’t bother me, I’m not like, offended or anything, it was just kinda creepy to be eating food surrounded by pictures of Christ being nailed to the cross. It reminded me of the scene in that movie Mystic Pizza where the dude can’t make out with that chick because the picture of Jesus on the wall is looking at him.
The pizza was very thin-​crust, and had a good flavor. The crust was flaky, crispy, and blistered. But why are the mushrooms all diced up into tiny pieces? That’s the work of the DEVIL!!! There is not many toppings to choose from.
A tiny 10-​oz cup of soda and they only give you one refill, that’s kinda cheap dude.
It was affordable and service was nice.
There is no beer which is a bummer. Not even any Jesus Juice (wine).

I have been going to Maria’s since they were on Greenfield Ave. 58 years ago, and I cant express more then 100% PERFECT PIZZA, NEVER EVER have I been disappointed. The BEST IN THE MIDWEST AND WI. As far as I’m concern and through out the years I have turned lots of friends onto Maria’s and they always say how GREAT it is.
LOVE LOVE LOVE it.
Dave

The Jersey looking girl is Bonnie with the red dress, big hair, long nails. I’m a south side kid too. From sixth grade to now fifty six years old. Had Maria’s pizza many many times. It was always excellent.
P. S. That tight red dress looked great for many many years too !
Jim.S

This is by far the best pizza in Milwaukee. We drive 30 miles a few times a year just to eat here. Super busy all the time. Best chance for a table is to show up right when they open.

Maria’s is a hidden gem. One of the best thin crust pizzas I have had. Super simple cash only place and reminds me of what a pizza place should be. I love making the trip here and having a great pizza. I will always go here for thin crust in MKE.

As one walks up to Maria’s, it appears as an old line, neighborhood pizzeria (which it is) complete with that delightful aroma of baking crust as you approach that franchise operations cannot duplicate. Of course, as soon as you open the door, that wonderful aroma of baking pizza crust instantly overwhelms your poor olfactory system. Don’t worry, it’ll thank you later.
The décor is reminiscent of the tiny Italian joints on The Hill in St, Louis, kitschy stuff abounds, a bad print of DaVinci’s Last Supper, a paint-​by-​the-​numbers portrait of Jesus, jig-​sawed plywood guitar clocks with decoupaged portraits of Elvis, solid red and solid white Christmas tree lights, stained-​glass lookalike lamps made of plastic, Melamine dishes and stamped steel dinnerware and of course, red and white checked tablecloths. Yup, a neighborhood joint!
There is one word that best describes the pizza at Maria’s: homemade. I’m going to stick my neck out here (I’m pretty much Irish.) If your Italian grandmother made pizza at home, this is what it would be, tasty sauce with just enough spice, sausage and pepperoni that let’s you know it’s there without overpowering everything else, and a delightfully thin crust, burned around the edges that curls up just slightly. The pizza is larger than the tray it is served on and the pizza hangs over the side. The tray also comes with at least two serrated nylon servers, that’s very handy!
For some reason, the place was unusually busy the night I was there, the place was jammed and there was a line out the door waiting for carry out. It was worth the wait!
Two things to be aware of before you go to Maria’s, and you MUST go and try Maria’s, there is no liquor license but they serve Town of Lake’s own Black Bear beverages. Maria’s only accepts cash — no checks! No plastic!
Maria’s is a south side adventure!

Great pizza. Great people.
Don’t like politics in small business? Don’t go to Madison.

I love this place, I have since I was a kid and my buddy’s Dad would bring us here after Brewer games.
Honestly, after reading some of the reviews for this establishment I’m really disappointed. Instead of doing a Jean Claude Van Damme-​style splits and punch to the private area, I’m going to tell you how it really is.
New York and Chicago are pizza towns. They didn’t become pizza towns by putting Mac and Cheese on pizza, or calling a basic thin crust «New York Style», or offering a variety of crazy toppings, or stuffing everything into some fancy wood stove, or giving you some fufu whiskey drink to wash down your fat gullet. They didn’t give you fancy little furniture or trendy décor to look at or some crazy kale and arugula salad. Those towns battled and focused on one thing– the pizza. This is exactly what Maria’s has done and will do until they decide to leave the pizza business.
There’s nothing fancy about it. Great cheese, a thin layer of slightly sweet sauce, whatever basic toppings you want (i.e. Sausage, pepperoni, mushroom, onions, olives) and one of the best crusts in Wisconsin. The crust is a dusty cracker crust that cooks perfectly in their gas stoves. I’ve downed a lot of slices over 35 years and I have yet to find any crust like it. This is the pizza your Italian Grandmother who is two generations removed from the Old Country would make in 1955. And it’s incredible.
Otherwise, you have a small selection of sandwiches and pasta if you aren’t feeling pizza, and while these are good the pizza is really where it’s at. Come here on any given Saturday and you’ll find cars with out of state plates filling up the surrounding streets. This place has an almost religious following and fills up real quick on the weekends.
Cash only, so bring it. But this is nothing to really complain about considering there is only about 1,000 ATM’s within a three mile radius of here. Also, no beer or hard liquor is served here, but that’s what a flask is for.
If you want a genuine, unique experience with damn good pizza, this is your place.

There is only one thing to not love about Maria’s, and that is no booze. Not even a Miller Lite to be had in the whole joint. Other than that, Maria’s is a Milwaukee All-​Star Classic. The best part? The waitress. Who I estimate has been there approximately 99 years. She can still rock a tight red dress, a toussled up-​do, and three inch acrylic glittery sandal heels. The second best part? The pizza, admittedly. It’s a delicious thin crust, with ample and fresh toppings, and is ginormous. The third best part? The décor, of course. Kitschy, Christmas-​lighty, Jesusy. Cash only, so plan accordingly. But you can feed 3 – 4 people well, including some Black Bear soda, for under $ 30. It’s a MIlwaukee must-​do.

If you are from the Southside of Milwaukee, you know about Maria’s Pizzaria. I remember when it used to be on Greenfield Ave many years ago. Actually, when my husband was a kid, he lived blocks away from Maria’s and he’d go in with his saved change to buy a pizza. Sometimes he had enough money and other times, when he didn’t, they would feel sorry for him and give him his pizza, anyway. Thought that was cute of them :)
Now, that’s its on Forest Home Ave, it looks and tastes the same! When you walk in, it’s quaint, with Christmas lighting and religious Catholic frames throughout. Being Catholic myself, I love it! This place definitely has character. It’s not your cookie cutter pizza joint. It’s family owned, and the family all work there. One waitress in particular, I remember as a child. She has the jersey makeup, big hair, long nails, and the tight red dress. It’s the best! Staff is friendly.
Onto the pizza. Hands down, the best thin crust ever! I can eat a pizza on my own-​I try not to though. The crusts are the tastiest part.
If you want a boring night with mediocre pizza, and non-​memorable waitstaff, don’t go here! This place is full of personality and has yummy pizza! Try it once and you will return!
Cash only

You know you love a pizza when your mouth is watering within a block of the place. I grew up on Lapham and we would walk every week to the location on Greenfield Ave. They moved to the Forest Home location after Mama Maria passed away. The same family still runs it after all these years.
I love the Maria’s special but had to bargain with my husband. We got a large sausage pizza. It tastes exactly as I remembered it. My favorite are the end pieces. The crust is extra thin and always goes way off the pan. We have to fight eachother for the left overs.
It is cash only and the large pizzas start around $ 16.75 for sausage and up for more toppings. The pizza is something that will always be my favorite and brings back many great childhood memories.

This place is very Milwaukee, and Very South Side. The original location was off of Greenfield I think, and then the crew of not so friendly but fun ladies moved over here to Forest Home.
The pizza is served on cookie sheets, and has one of the most amazing thin crusts I have ever had. Almost perfect pizza served like the fancy pizza places are doing it these days (on cookie sheets, irregular crust sizes) but without the fancy ingredients. Now, you walk in and sit wherever you can find a spot. Eventually one of the ladies will come over. It is part of the charm really. I was with my brother and his 3 boys for a guys night out. The kids were insane! Our waitress was awesome. She came over and scared the kids and told them not to use all the napkins, toss the crayons on the floor or continue to be totally nut-​job kids! Since my brother and I were not being good adults I was happy that she came in and played the «mean lady» role for us. Thanks! :)
I love this pizza. It is fun. It is sort of cut, so you tear it with the little white serving knives, and struggle to get a perfect piece. There is fun in the irregular slices one tears off.
Flavor. The Specials are the way to go!
CASH ONLY
Seat yourself. Slow staff. Great old school «on cookie sheets» pizza. No goat cheese here but the crust is amazing. Black Bear soda on tap.
This is one of the MUST VISIT Places in Milwaukee.
And if you don’t like it, they might tell you to shove it. Awesome!

I still respect family owned neighborhood joints, that’s why it pains me even more to write this update…
Maria’s is so out of touch. The place is slow, meat inferior, and selection is just severly lacking. Take more than cash for Pete’s sake!
Doesn’t make sense why Maria’s can’t innovate just a little tiny bit — how about stepping into the 90’s at least? Who even cares about décor, I only mean the food! The main thing is the food.
NO Parking, NO drinks, NO choice on the menu.
Dessert has once choice.
Sandwiches well really one — meatball or sausage (not much of a difference here)
Grabbed my sanwich to go, paid extra for mushrooms and onions and I was lucky to get 2 minced up shrooms.
I’ll gladly pay 9 bucks a sandwich, but it should be great.