Day Five - Brookfield, WI

Day Five - Marty’s Pizza and Subs

The fifth evening of our trip put us in the western suburbs of Milwaukee, Brookfield to be exact. We spent a good part of the day at the Milwaukee Zoo and planned to cap it off with some local pizza. I knew there were a variety of local places from which to choose. As a kid living in New Berlin in the 70’s, my family tended to choose either the Shakey’s on National Avenue (closed a year ago) or the Pizza Hut on S.108th Street, both in West Allis. So, since Shakey’s was long gone and Pizza Hut violated our rules (and my personal taste these days), I went searching for a local mom-and-pop type pizza place. It was a tough choice, but I decided on one close to where we were staying: Marty’s Pizza, Pasta and Subs located on W. Bluemound Road (Hwy 18): http://www.foodspot.com/martys/martyspizza/

Right from the time we pulled into Marty’s parking lot, I could tell this would be more reminiscent of our stops at Bordenaro’s and Joe’s Pizza. The sign said in business since 1957 (I assume at this location). They have one other location in Delafield, WI according to their website.The place was hopping when we arrived. Most of the tables were full, including what appeared to be a couple family get-togethers with masses of bodies. We were seated at a booth and presented with menus. My wife was still on a pizza-aversion kick, so she opted to go with a calzone (it would prove to be far more than she bargained for). I, of course, returned to my staple of Italian sausage and mushrooms, medium size. We each ordered salads and had the typical 20-25 minute wait for our pizzas to arrive.On first inspection, what makes Marty’s Pizza unique is that it is square (or rectangular if you order an x-large pizza or bigger). Marty’s boasts pizzas (not pies) that go up to 14” x 60”. I, personally, would like to see one of those animals live just to witness it. Their medium pizzas are 12” x 12”.

Where do I begin? Well, the crust was more cracker style than any of the other pizzas we had tried so far. In fact, it was not only thin and appeared to be cracker style in texture, but also in taste. The edges were narrow but crisp and had almost a soda cracker-like taste. Looking underneath, they do appear to dock their dough. I liked the taste quite a bit, actually, but I was disappointed the rest of the crust was not as crisp and crunchy as the outer edge. The inner crust where all of the toppings lay was soggy.

The sauce was excellent: tangy, a little sweet, with just the right amount of seasoning (oregano, a little garlic and probably onion powder; not hot at all); just the right amount of sauce, also, not too much or too little.The cheese was superb. Hard to beat Wisconsin mozzarella for a Midwestern kid. I know there are more expensive mozz cheeses with richer flavors out there, but it’s hard to go wrong with this cheese from the Dairyland. By the way, that was another plus for Glass Nickel Pizza. I didn’t detect any blend of cheeses with Marty’s pizza.


What really aced this pizza for me were the toppings. Get this: REAL Italian sausage! In beautiful little tasty globs! The flavor was perfect. Just the right amount of spices, including fennel. And the mushrooms were spot-on, too. Fresh mushrooms were used, not canned.

As for the calzone, not only awesomely delicious, but it would have fed our entire family, easily. My wife had opted for some veggie fillings and she made it through maybe one-third. I have to say, Marty’s pizza blew me away. After some letdowns on the trip so far, I was impressed. I am going to give Marty’s Pizza, Pasta, and Subs 4½ out of 5 pizzas. The only letdown was the softer, soggier crust outside the cornicione. I would most definitely go back and tell my friends. This is the place for all of the other pizza restaurants to beat on our trip so far.

Last stop: back to Iowa.