Zaffiro's Pizza The Original

AMAZING PIZZA!!! Can't beat it! Thin crispy crust,solid sausage with a sweet sauce. Good service,nice people. The only bad thing is parking. Hard to find a place to park. Otherwise, its great!

Pizza was a paper thin crust. Their website doesn’t indicate that it’s a thin crust pizza; Otherwise, I wouldn’t have ordered their pizza. Also, $18 for a super thin crust pizza isn’t a good price. The sauce and toppings were good. But I hate thin crust.

They have the best pizza on the Eastside to me. I love the thin crispy crust and the toppings...Took a little longer than expected, though

Pizza was excellent but garlic bread was incredibly disappointing. I will return here again because I enjoyed the pizza so much. Update: I came back here again with coworkers and it was even better than the first time. Best pizza that I’ve had in Milwaukee. 5 ⭐️

Good lunch specials. Doable whole personal pie. Expected more or a crunchy cracker crust but wasn't much at all, nice very thin but not very crispy. Decent ranch

Well damn...I've got to go there. This place really couldn't be more my thing. It's absolutely old school Milwaukee in the best way. The building itself is charming, the bartenders were incredibly friendly and on point with service. The clientele is diverse with a great mix of old timers, younger folks, people who clearly are originally from other countries and everyone just vibes. Now, the pizza. I eat and cook pizza as a passion, an addiction, and a love. I came here just to try this pie. This super thin crust tavern-ish pizza was out of this world. I had the sausage special. The flavor was incredible, but the most amazing thing was how it maintained its superb crispness when pipping hot and once it had cooled. Crazy good pie.

We tried their zaffiro’s salad which was good, but didn’t have any noticeable dressing in it. We split a pizza which we got half pepperoni and half sausage. The pizza was thin, and the flavor was cheesy, mild salty, and had a nice undercarriage which I appreciated. The tenderloin steak sandwich was disappointing however because the sandwich was basically a seasoned meat patty and clearly needed some toppings to add diversity in flavor. It might as well come without bread, overall I would come back for the pizza.

Probably one of the best pizzas I’ve ever had crispy perfectly cooked great ingredients. We sat at the bar, The bartender was as expected a great bartender with a wealth of Milwaukee knowledge! Loved it.

Catching up on Yelp reviews in 2024. I visited Zaffiro's Pizza back in February when I was in town for the Dustin Lynch/Blake Sheldon concert at the Fiserv Forum. Rated as the best pizza in Milwaukee, I had to stop by for a pizza review. The place was old school with a wooden bar and it reminded me of Vito & Nick's and John's Pizzeria in Chicago. I arrived for lunch around 12:30pm on a Saturday and there were only a few other patrons there on a cold midwestern day. I order a garden salad to start for the greens and then a large pepperoni pizza. The salad was fresh and very crisp. The Italian dressing was excellent as it was very flavorful. The pizza was a tavern style pie so an extremely thin and crispy crust. The dough didn't have much flavor and it was the worst part of the pie. The cheese was outstanding as we are in dairy country! Sauce was a little watery, but had solid flavor. Pepperoni was ok and they loaded it up. Crust: 6 Cheese: 10 Sauce: 6 Toppings: 5 Overall: 6.5 Service was good and the waitress was friendly. Prices were cheap as a large 14" pepperoni pizza was $17.25, garden salad was $4.25, and a PBR was $4. I see why Zaffiro's is rated as the best pizza in Milwaukee and it was decent-good. But there are definitely a bunch of better options in Chicago and around the US. I don't think Milwaukee is really known for pizza and I would rather stick to the brats, beer, and cheese curds. Zaffiro's is a cool bar with a cozy vibe and definitely worth a stop if you want some tavern style pizza in Milwaukee!

The most flavorful microwaveable crust flavored pizza. Old school vibe, celebrating 70 years. Very Italian. Small place. Tiniest stage and no sink in the bathroom (it's outside the bathroom.) Overall, it's worth trying Milwaukee style crust (I did like the burnt edges.)

I visited Zaffiro's while in Milwaukee on business after seeing it on the list of Top 100 pizza places in the US. Does it deserve to be on the list? If it was solely based on flavor, the answer is "no", but it is a very unique pizza place. Zaffiro's is known for their thin crust pizza. I grew up on New Haven style pizza, which is very thin, but this pizza is thinner than that to put it in context. I ordered a pepperoni pizza and it was extremely tasty. The pizza had a generous amount of toppings, really good sauce to cheese ratio, and the crust was super crispy. It was cooked perfectly with the right amount of char and doneness. I personally have never encountered a pizza that thin and able to maintain it's integrity while eating it without some type of fold...that's pretty special. The staff working at the restaurant is phenomenal. Most of them have been there a long time and I love the rapport they have with each other. The regulars were really nice too. Good vibes all around. Great atmosphere! Definitely worth a visit!

Somehow I haven't been inside the original Zaffiro's in years. I love being able to get it at the movies, but I've been annoyed that I'm not in their delivery zone. Nothing has changed in the interior - possibly ever. This is a straight up old school Wisconsin tavern with a small dining room on the side. Service was very friendly. The place was packed with people waiting in line to be seated or to pick up to go orders. The pizza was predictably great - slightly charred cracker crust, plenty of toppings, good sauce proportion. We had three different types at the table and everyone was happy. Why four stars? Getting the food on our table took a really, really long time. Still a classic though.

Zaffiro's definitely lives up to the hype! I normally am not a fan of thin crust pizza, but Zaffiro's changed my whole outlook!! I loved the pepperoni and sausage. Next time I would get both on the whole pizza (rather than getting sausage on just half). The cheese bread was good, but a little too thick. Also the sauce that came on the side was not good at all. It tasted and smelled like dates... not good. I wish they would have given us a side of their marinara. Other than the sauce that came with the cheese bread, we really enjoyed everything else. We will totally be coming back for more pizza!!!

Went to zaffiros today with my friend and had the best lunch ever! Honestly some of the best pizza I've had in Milwaukee. I'm always a fan of thin crust so this hot the spot. For a large pizza with peppers and sausage it was only 15? That's a steal for me. The cheese was so super melty and the sausage was flavorful. Loved that the green peppers were chopped too! Such a cool history and good vibe with awesome people working! Will be back forsure:)

How have I never been here?? Mysteries of the universe. I came with a pretty large group (10ish people) They have a decent sized bar with a friendly and speedy bar tender as well as TVs showing the bucks game. We didn't have a reservation (not sure if they take them anyhow) so the wait was about an hour. Not bad for primetime ( 630 pm) on a Fri around the holidays. Our group got several pizzas... 2 veggies, a sausage mushroom onion and maybe pepperoni? and the EBTF "everything but the fish" I personally preferred the sausage one to the EBTF one... just too many toppings IMHO for the thin crust. This is square thin crust pizza milwaukee is known for. We also ordered the house salad ( pretty good), fried eggplant (everyone's favorite) and the bread basket ( eh, I'd pass on that) My dining companions all went for brandy old-fashioneds sweet or sour and at about $7 or $8 a pop they were greatly enjoyed. Not sure why it took so long but I had a great meal here!

We ordered two individual lunch pizzas. They were burnt on the edges and overall were overcooked and dry. The waitress did not return to check on our order. When we were ready to leave we had the money on the table and the waitress asked if we needed change. We said yes and she simply walked away. I was able to get change from the bartender. This was a very disappointing experience.

We tried their zaffiro's salad which was good, but didn't have any noticeable dressing in it. We split a pizza which we got half pepperoni and half sausage. The pizza was thin, and the flavor was cheesy, mild salty, and had a nice undercarriage which I appreciated. The tenderloin steak sandwich was disappointing however because the sandwich was basically a seasoned meat patty and clearly needed some toppings to add diversity in flavor. It might as well come without bread, overall I would come back for the pizza.

We went to zaffiro's to check out their thin crust pizza after seeing it on a list of top things to try in Milwaukee. Parking was a little tricky at first. We parked on the side of the building at first, but then we saw a sign that said "park at your own risk". Turns out the only parking for the restaurant is directly behind the building, every where else you will get a ticket. Once we got it the staff was super accommodating. There wasn't an area to change the baby, but that didn't take away from the experience. (Tip: Change the baby in the car before coming in.) We were able to get a high chair and the waitress brought out pizza disk-crayons for the kids to make their own color pizza. That was super cute. The waitress suggested we try the fried eggplant. It was cut into spare and deep fried. We got a half order. It was so yummy, crispy, and the lemon adds a freshness to the dish. (Only recommend eating the egg plant onsite as it can get soggy in styrofoam.) The pizzas were so good. The crust was too crispy and the sauce cheese ratio was on point. My son loved the mushrooms and onions. Both were delicious to me. Our waitress Nicky brought out her art skills and drew a cat for the kids to take home and color. We definitely had a great time here and would go back again.

​ Yelp Community and ZAFFIRO's: I work from home and often allow (or choose) to be distracted by surfing online during my work hours. Bad Dog! Ha. And speaking of CANINES? I want to DOGPILE on some of the one-star and the two-star reviews for Zaffiro's Pizza. I was there over a year ago; possibly even a year and one-half. And the service was so awful that we haven't been back. I'm not a chef, so I won't try to address the food quality in depth. The prices used to be reasonable (that's what I remember, at least). And the old-school service ''used to be'' fun and welcoming - but when the "older ladies" were running the floor. And that was likely 2+ years ago; certainly before the freaking pandemic (2020 and before). There were a few waitresses, servers, etc. who were 35 (and above). At those times, Zaffiro's appeared to be a fun, neighborhood "dive" (in the good, best sense). Food was "pretty good," prices were "reasonable," and the service was - when judged objectively? -- was pretty darn good. Fast, appropriate, and fun AND courteous. Then the older servers .... quit? Disappeared? Body-Snatched? And younger servers began to populate the staff. For a while, it was still on the better side of "okay-good." Prices did go up, they (the staff, owners, management, etc.) allowed some very rowdy patrons to over-consume and - as some of the less positive reviews have already mentioned? - drunks were allowed to overact, act up, etc. And the NOISE was excruciating. And we weren't going there on Saturday nights at 8pm, folks. The SERVICE declined, devolved, and got so shitty that the Zaffiro's staff service made APPLEBEE's on Miller Parkway look like the FOUR SEASONS! The last time we were there, a young 20-something female began to wait on us and either took a dislike to me or had to go and get laid or complete a drug deal. When we finally got our meal/food, she totally disappeared. No (NO, NONE, NEVER) CHECKED back to see if we needed anything or wanted anything. 45 to 50 minutes later, a younger male approached us (on staff) and asked if we wanted anything else? I asked who he was and he (and he was trying to be nice, I'll grant that) replied that our original witch (er, I mean, "server") had gone home. But she hadn't. I kept seeing her (with her coat on) at the hostess stand. And this was AFTER the young man had brought us the check. My pal paid the check and left the young man 20% (likely more, if I know him?). And we COULD HEAR the young man offer some or half of that generous tip to the harpy (er, server). She loudly (now, remember, she's in THE FUCKING BAR, in the other room!) responded "No, I don't want anything from that table" (or words to that effect, ladies and gentlemen). We paid. The young man (glasses, college-age) thanked my pal/friend. We left and then saw this shrew (er, server) coming back into Zaffiro's. Couldn't and wouldn't make eye contact. Why do I share this? Why contribute this memory when this event happened 16 to 19 months ago? Because the owners should REMEMBER that CUSTOMERS REMEMBER. I haven't been back to Zaffiro's since. There are just too many, too many other options. Zaffiro's? Either hire DECENT customer service workers or go to self-serve. Or close. It would appear that some things (or management) have changed and the handwriting is on the wall: You are going to shut down. You are burning through your more loyal customers and the patrons who have short memories. You'd have to publicly apologize to even get me to CONSIDER returning. It's just not worth it. This DAWG is not interested in risking more good money wasted after bad. See you at the closing sale!

My favorite place to get authentic wisconsin style tavern pizza!! The food is excellent & authentic. The staff is super personable & accomodating of client's needs. The bar is always stocked with true Wisconsin old timers who know good food & vibes when they see it. It's a great place for a beer, a glass of wine, or to catch the Packers game. It can get packed, but with great people, & the conversations go all night. Truly a slice of the old Milwaukee we all need to preserve by supporting.

The type of place you just feel right at home! Zaffiro's has been one of my favorite pizza places since moving to Milwaukee almost 5 years ago! The cracker thin crust is divine, the beverages and inexpensive and whether picking up or dining in you are always greeted with a smile. Family friendly but also great for a very low key date.

This place is really picked up some momentum and is making some great pizza. The crust is paper thin and the pizza was excellent. Highly recommend this place. Their appetizers and salads are great. Super fun that it's right next to the movie theater. Will be back. Great atmosphere too.

So after a bit of a drive we got to Milwaukee and I was crying around about pizza to my wife so we decided to get Zaffiros delivered, I was really looking forward to this place due to the good reviews but it kinda missed. About a quarter of the pizza crust was burnt and didn't really bring the fire we were looking for. So we ate the other three quarters which actually turned out phenomenal, my wife was pretty hesitant about the amount of sauce but I thought it was spot on. They quoted an hour and the driver showed up in and hour so I can't really complain about that considering when I called it sounded like they were trading on Wall Street. Overall all good pizza

The ultimate neighborhood pizza place. If I lived nearby, I would be there several times a week. On our first trip to Milwaukee, we were wandering around and saw their old school neon sign. With neon like that, how could they not have great pizza? It was about 4 in the afternoon, but we hadn't eaten since morning, so we decided to go for it. Now while it's true that nobody just randomly walks into a pizza place and orders one to go, they didn't act put out or surprised. While we waited we hung out in the-- and I cannot emphasize this enough-- most friendly, neighborhood-y, chill bar area I have ever encountered. We watched the football game for about 20 minutes or so while they made the pizza and the bartender and a server bantered with a regular like they had fallen out of a 1980s sitcom. We got the Special with sausage, mushroom, and onion. Perfection. Great cracker crust and solid toppings. But the real star is that slightly spicy sauce. Friendly service, excellent atmosphere, and the pizza was so, so good. Can't wait to go back.

I called for carry out and the service was just plain rude. Don't get me wrong, I was once a cook at a pizza joint, so I know how hectic things can get but this was a bad experience for my first time at this place. I was on the phone for a total of 2 minutes and the entire time I was very clearly spoken down to when attempting to make my order. Spending years working in restaurants I would never be rude to any type of service worker so I stayed polite. There was one point where she said she would put me on hold but didn't and I was able to hear her complaining about me to another worker. If asking a single question about topping prices was a crime, lock me up. Anyway all to say, it was my unfortunate luck that the first time I ordered there was 4 hours before a packers game so I'm hoping this doesn't reflect their usual service. Hope you have a better experience than me.

The thinnest pizza crust I believe I've ever had. The pizza here was excellent, on par with the best pizza I've ever had. It was also fun to sit in a dining room that looks like it's been untouched since the place openedat in 1954!

If you don't answer your phone AND your voicemail is full, why do you claim to have carry out?

I ordered Zaffiros for takeout. The process of ordering and pickup was seamless. The pizza was warm when I arrived home. I had the pepperoni special, which I would definitely order again! Great pizza for a great price!

6/3/2023- Sorry for no reviews showing up for 2022, however in addition to my usual times going to Zaffiros, each year when my Miller family, Gail Miller Wray, Anne Schuh, Phil Eck, Shirley Lampros Eck, Adele Miller visit Milwaukee we have pizza or other goodies. Today I took my dad for lunch because I had a craving for their lasagne which he decided to have also. AGAIN you proved why you have been in business since 1954, 69 years! From the salads to the bread to the great lasagne, the cold refreshing Miller High Life and the wonderful service from Nikki made our day with a shout out to Frank who always says Hi Paul, and See ya Paul. THANK YOU!

My type of place- looks like 'nothing' on the outside but damn good when you go in. Service was good, when we first walked in the bartender said "sit wherever you like". --The PIZZA was very thin AND flakey! Woooooo- I never had a pizza that thin. My new favorite pizza!!!!They were not scimpy on the toppings- loved that. The toppings you order they will load that pizza up. --The MOZZARELLA STICKS were good and filled with a lot of cheese. The marina sauce was extremely rich- definitely recommend that to start.

Eat the pizza there - time is not its friend. Go during odd hours - long waits are abysmal with crowded areas and poor ventilation- eating pizza or food at the bar when crowded is long in the tooth, feels like the the middle seat in super economy on Frontier airlines. Tip: Grab a server right away and order - otherwise you're in the "inline parking lot". Bar completely overwhelmed when busy. Great place for a pizza in off hours. Staff are doing the best with a dated operational model that needs modern efficiencies.

First off, this place got an extra star for the friendliest server I talked to during covid-19! Making calls to place orders have been pretty depressing overall, and it was so nice to meet a clear spoken, enthusiastic, and friendly person! I wish I had gotten her name. Second, when we arrived to pick up the pizza, we realized we should have asked for a curbside pickup. Parking is pretty horrendous out here. And while there is a parking lot just across the street, it's a private lot for another building and we didn't feel comfortable parking here. Thankfully there were two of us, so hubby went to pick up the pizza while I stayed in the running car. I wanted to snap a few pictures of the interior, but one of us had to stay in the car. They do have curbside pickup though, and parking right in front of the building. So long as it's not too busy, it should be available. Now onto the food! Fried eggplants - huge portions I was not expecting. Delicious! Quite on the wilty side, rather than crist, but I think that's just the nature of eggplants. It's a watery vegetable! I tried running it in the air fryer to get it more crispy, but while the batter got crispy, the eggplant stayed wimpy. lol E Everything Pizza Having recently had some great pizza with anchovies (Brute Pizza), I was totally digging this dish. But expectations were too high. Unlike the pizza I had at Brute's, this one really has "everything", and it was too salty. We're learning as we get older that a pizza loaded with too much is not always the best idea. We're learning to like a more balanced pizza with just the right amount of toppings. I would totally like to try another one of their pizzas, especially since each topping was good on its own, just not so great altogether.

Pizza was crisp, toppings were good and the waitstaff was extremely friendly. My daughter got some vegetarian pizza and she loved it. I got a personal pizza and it was delicious

Very impressive for a little joint. I will return if ever in town again. Good luck and happy holidays.

I ordered from ziffiros pizza twice now and I always pay cash and both times. I don't put it on the charge card. I think the drivers are ripping people off because they come and say they don't have any change if you think someone's gonna be paying cash I would presume that you would bring cash also and then the price goes up a little bit and I'm so unhappy. I will never ordered The from them again just be aware that's all the food is good but a rip off like I said I shouldn't have accepted it

It old school, real Pizza, The pizza is cooked and not partially raw. Picture a pizza from the 70s - 80s before places and people got complacent with the cooking process. This pizza reminds me of the, defunct, Mr. D's pizza way back in the day. They are both similar from my recollection, and delicious. I'm a Milwaukee visitor from Chicago and this is my favorite. I wish they had chicken as a topping. Update: I am in Chicago, but wanting some of that pizza, and contemplating driving to Milwaukee today or tomorrow. It will happen, just which day. While I'm there, I will also go to Mr. Dye's pie for their delicious Keylime. A perfect trip!

This has to be some of the best pizza I've had in milwaukee. It's like a mom and pop pizza joint with a little bar. It's not your house but it definitely feels like home when you get there and the service is pretty good, it's tight but the food is definitely worth every minute of sitting so I'd say grab waters, sodas or a beer and just give till you get the best pizza!

Top quality ingredients! Love the thin crust, amazed how good and crisp it was considering I had it delivered. Got the everything (oh yes anchovies done right) one alteration I switched out green peppers for pepperchini

This is the best pizza place that we have ever encountered. Friendly staff, delicious thin crust pizza and good house chianti. Been there since the 50's and still run by a delightful family. Nothing else like it in WI.

Went here because some of our friends told us how good it was. This is a cute place and the service was delightful. But.... We're from Connecticut; we're both Italian and pizza was a main stay as we grew up. This is not pizza!! I'll admit, the toppings are tasty, but this was like having sausage, mushrooms & sauce on top of a matzoh cracker! If you want good pizza in this area, please go to Sal's tomato pie in Sun Prairie. You'll be rewarded for your effort.

THE KING OF PIZZA !!!!!!! I have been wanting to have Pizza from Zaffiro's on Farwell Ave. for decades, but I just recently made it happen. For many years in the Milwaukee area there has been a back and and forth vote for whos pizza is the very best in the Milwaukee AREA. In the voting results that I see, It's usually between Zaffiro's on Farwell Ave. and another beloved Milwaukee area legend. I can now finally judge for myself. In my OPINION, Zaffiro's just slightly edged out the competition. The Zaffiro's crust holds up firm and crisp better than my runner ups pizza which gets soft and droopy soon after coming to the table. Also, the Zaffiro's sauce is just slightly more alive with flavors, without being overly spicy or overpowering. And as for the toppings, all I can say is I APPROVE !!! The toppings are of the highest quality for both vegetable pizzas and traditional pizzas. The meat offerings are somewhat greasy as they should be on a tranditional pizza, but not overly greasy. The overall flavor of their offerings are truly amazing. There are other Pizza places using the Zaffiro's name, in other locations, but to the best of my knowledge, they have never been serious contenders. For me, and in my opinion, I crown Zaffiro's on Farwell, to be the KING of pizza in Milwaukee and the entire metro area. I WILL be back !!!! This review cannot be proven as fact, and is my opinion only.

A staple Pizzeria on the east side of Milwaukee. Can't go wrong with anything you order, and consistent quality is something you can expect each visit.

Always excellent food, service, and atmosphere. Zaffiro's is a candidate for best pizza in Milwaukee. the rest of their menu is good too

Great pizza and amazing service will make sure to come again next time I come to Milwaukee

We had the best Pizza we've had in a very long time. The taste the perfection of how it was done. The service was excellent as well. Our only regret is we live an hour away from them.

The crust is thin on the pizza. The pizza itself is always good. The salad and the lasagna is good too.

Pizza was great! They were very generous with the toppings. Cheese pizza was really good too! My daughter and I split spumoni ice cream and it hit the spot! We found this place on yelp and it did not disappoint!

Good pizza if you know what you are going for. Definitely worth it, just call it in ahead of time

Extremely friendly family run local business since 1954! Love their EBF pizza, Zaffiro (1/2) Salad + I eat here at least twice a month

Wow! When I want delicious thin crust pizza piping hot with a tasty sauce, crunchy crust, fresh appetizers, superb location with a low key quaint dimly lit environment, and the opportunity to rub elbows with exceptionally real people, I go to Zaffiro's Pizza on Farwell.

Highest praise: if I was in New York City, and an old friend sent me to her favorite pizza restaurant, and I got what I had today at Zaffiro's on Farwell,...I would say, "Damn!!! That's some good NY pizza." Crust is super-thing,...crispy edges, perfect ratio of crust-sauce-cheese. The cheese is excellent, the sauce is tasty (tiny bit tangy, tiny bit sweet, but not "too" of either). I will be back,...and I will tell my friends. ps: the 2 customers that walked in after me were extremely mindful of spreading out (due to pandemic) and very respectful. Thank you everyone!!

BEST pizza in Milwaukee. Cracker thin crust that holds toppings, HILARIOUS and friendly wait staff, and the best cheese bread (seriously, just order it) in the state. You really feel right at home at Zaffiro's! Also, it wont break the bank. I swear their prices don't seem to have changed for a decade. Love the ambiance as well.

I have never found another pizza like Zaffiro's. The pizza has an unmatched crispy cracker thin crust. Typically, I prefer thick crust, but Zaffiro's is on a whole different level of thin crust compared to other thin crust pizzas, and it's so good! The pizza is sliced into squares which makes it easy to share too. The inside of the shop has a lot of character which makes it a great ambiance while eating. There is also a bar inside!

Terrible experience, service is bad, waiter was drunk, barely checked on us, never got water refills, waitedh for an hour to get pizza only to find out they never made it because lost our order. Definitely don't recommend!

I love this pizza. It haunts my dreams. I find a reason to go back to MKE just for a Zaffiros trip.

This is a small mom and pop shop that we enjoyed. The pizza is the best! The pasta dishes are HUGE and can be shared between 2 adults.

I mean- maybe my experience was different than those found in the other reviews. But my takeout pizza was slightly better than school cafeteria fare. The chicken alfredo was bland, but the actual chicken pieces were alright. Surely there is pizza in Milwaukee that matches the accolades given to the pizza here at Zaffiro's. Bar was lit.