Balistreri’s Italian American Ristorante

If not for the server being so sweet I would have given this one star. The décor is old and dingy. Don’t care too much about it but the food was horrible. I got a veggie pizza and oh my god, horrible. I know it’s going to be bad when I see canned mushrooms. I don’t understand why any italian place uses canned mushrooms. It is so gross. It’s not that hard to cut mushrooms. As I was eating my pizza I looked up and saw the back of the drink menu, where is says something to the effect of fresh ingredients, locally grown. No way, I don’t think so. There’s so many good places in Milwaukee to grab a pizza and this isn’t one of them.

Ordered take out. Asked girl who I think was the hostess about gluten free crust… it only comes in the 12″ which is ridiculous, seriously get it together guys!
So we ordered a med and asked her about the thin crust, she said it was cracker thin. She said they have thick or thin crust, I asked if they can do a med thin, she said yes. We also added goat cheese to or «works» pizza. Done in 25 min she said. I asked for red pepper and chz on the side. When I got there my pizza was ready it was $ 26 + change. I asked if the peppers and chz were in the package, no she said. I waited 5 min for her to get them with my already cold pizza getting colder. I should have known 25 min was to long… Always get there in 15 min to guarantee a hot pizza at home. The 5 min wait for something I already ordered was very disappointing especially for a restaurant who has been around this long and with its reputation. Should have been ready with my pizza since it sat there waiting for me, if I hadn’t asked it would not have been included in my order.
So when I got home my cracker thin crust was soggy in the middle. The girl clearly never put med crust on the chefs ticket so i paid $ 26 for something that was not a hit. It was my first time at this restaurant and when I walked in 5 – 6 servers were standing by the register including the hostess, hanging out chatting and laughing etc, which is no big deal as long as everything else, and every patron is taken care of. I clearly wasn’t, nor was my order put in properly. Do understand for years I was a restaurant owner and chef myself in SF and I just cant see making these obvious mistakes. The pizza wasn’t salty enough either, had to add salt to it which is GREAT cause it means everything is really fresh and not canned in sodium. If they had gotten everything right… It would have been the bomb pizza but tonight it wasn’t. Next time I will remember to ask for a server on the phone to take my order, they know how to put in special requests. We will try it 1 more time in a few weeks so I will keep you posted.

The pizza and salad was great. The only problem was getting a ½ craft of wine spilled on me when the waitress was bring the pizza. After talking with the dining room manager she refused to take any money off of the bill and became very loud with me as I was speaking to her about the problem. when I got home I called and spoke to the restaurant manager Franco and he gave me a credit of $ 20 on my next visit. At least they took something off of the bill.

Love love love! Best pizza hands down. Great, friendly service. Anti pasta salad is wonderful. Everything But The Kitchen Sink pizza is delicious. They decorate for the Holidays. Check it out at Christmas.

I’ve lived in Tosa for fourty years… I get this is an institution but the quality of food is simply not good.
On my most recent visit I tried the chicken cacciatore — chicken quality was not great and the sauce was missing something??? Taste.
Pizza here is good but comes out dripping in oil. I do love the crispy thin crust.
If you want mushrooms on your pizza, order them ‘fresh’ or you’ll get canned.

Oh man. We LOVED this place. We met up with friends here for dinner, and it was sooooo good. The pizza is HUGE and delicious. They have a variety of toppings and we had pretty good service. The ambiance was adorable — very «vintage» but still kinda cute and endearing. Parking was not awesome though. I would recommend to anyone!

Balistreri’s did it right. I hate to turn my back on Zaffiro’s but the sizing of the large is right on point with my expectations here. Huge thin crust fans right here and this stuff was grade A. The sauce wasn’t too pasty or too sweet, but was made to perfection. If it weren’t for the meatball sandwich at Zaffiro’s I’d put Balistreri’s on top for sure. We’ll have to try some different items on the menu next time, but if they’re anything like the pizza we will definitely be back. After reading some other reviews I think pick-​up is the way to go.

Thin crust pizza and fried egg plants are the front runners on this Italian menu. This classic little joint on 68^th is decorated about as tacky as it gets, but it’s great and fits the bill. They only serve bottled beer and wine, no liquor, but I’m okay with that. The waitstaff is friendly and always consistent. I recommend giving this place a try!

The 1 star is due to the service I received. I am hoping that this will get the right person’s attention.
Pizza is excellent, if somewhat expensive. Sauce is well seasoned and I enjoy this style of thin crispy crust. I have ordered pizza from here about twice a week for the past few months and been highly satisfied.
Tonight, however, I brought home a take out order and found that the veggie combo which I had specified pepperoncinis subbed instead of mushrooms was completely devoid of pepperoncinis. When I called to report this to the restaurant I was referred to a manager who then proceeded to argue with me about the mistake. Rather than take my report at face value, she told me that the pepperoncinis were just diced small and I should look again. I did so and tasted the pizza. If there were any pepperoncinis (which were an upcharge due to being «expensive») they were completely undetectable to my eye and taste and to that of my friend who was the pepperoncini fan who had wanted them on the order. I was told that I could bring it back to have it remade. When I said was not an option, she offered no alternative and no apology. I would expect at least a minimal effort towards service recovery. As a small business owner in Wauwatosa whose business depends heavily on customer service, I understand the challenge of dealing with customer complaints. My experience was subpar and I hope that sharing at length will lead to some improvement.

Love this place for the ambience. It’s usually pretty packed, and the tables are tightly squeezed in. Decore changes for the seasons-​they do love to decorate!
Usually I like to try different foods, but every time I come here I have pizza. I really do like the thin crust pizza — I’m not a big fan of thick, chewy crust, so I am in heaven here.
Only caution I would have is that the anchovies are very strong. Usually I don’t mind them, but the last pizza I got had some very strong anchovies and it was difficult to pick them off.

Exactly what you want for Milwaukee pizza. Thin crispy and excellent cheese! Atmosphere was perfect. Dim (with twinkle lights), vinyl seat on my booth and Sinatra playing. Street parking but I got lucky out front. And the neighborhood was super cute.

When it comes to Italian restaurants in the Milwaukee area, Balistreri’s is a great choice. They are known for pizza, but they also have appetizers and entrees to choose from.
If you decide on the pizza, there are a plethora of toppings to choose from. They are not exotic toppings, but most of the things one would expect on a pizza. For size, you can choose from Junior, Medium, and Large. The crust is thin, but they will make it with a thicker crust at no extra charge.
On Friday’s, they do offer fish fry. I not being a fan of fish can not comment on how good it is. But I was told by a friend that joined us, that the fish was good.
As far as the beverages go, they have beer, wine, coffee, tea, hot chocolate, soda, and water.
Balistreri’s does offer takeout if your are not willing to wait for a seat on their busier nights.

When it comes to Italian restaurants in the greater Milwaukee area, Balistreri’s is a favorite, for sure. While they are known for their pizza, they also have many delicious appetizers and entrees to choose from. All of the entrees are served with a side of spaghetti, Italian bread, and a choice of soup or salad.
The food here is very good. I highly recommend starting out with either their garlic bread or their cheese bread. On my most recent visit here, I decided to try the veal parmesan. The veal cutlets are a rather decent size and are sauteed in olive oil, topped with mozzarella cheese, and the owner’s special sauce. It was delicious! My leftovers reheated well for lunch the next day.
If you decide to go for the pizza, there are several kinds to choose from (on a future visit, I think I will give the Anchovy Heaven one a try). For size, you can choose from Junior, Medium, and Large. The standard crust for their pizzas is thin. However, you can have it made with a thicker crust at no extra charge.
On Friday’s, they do offer fish fry specials until 11pm. And on Monday’s, they have a spaghetti and meatballs special until 10pm.
As far as the beverages go, they have a decent selection of beer and wine to choose from. You can also order coffee, tea, hot chocolate, soda, and the old standard, water.
Balistreri’s does offer takeout if your’re having a hankering for their food but don’t have the time to sit down at the restaurant to eat it. Fridays and Saturday nights tend to be a bit busier, so just a heads up.

Amazing, my favorite pizza in Milwaukee. Very impressed with gluten free options here.

I encourage you to hear me through as I make my way into this review.
Yes. Five stars. I come from a big family that grew up in West Milwaukee. There were nine of us, and we used to all sit at the dinner table and get caught up with everything that was going on in our lives.
Most of us have moved away, but when we return to Milwaukee for one reason or another, we enjoy the cozy Italian restaurant nestled deep in a residential neighborhood in Wauwatosa.
It truly has the best pizza in the world. It’s Milwaukee pizza. Characteristics include a thin crust, spicy sauce, terrific mozzarella, mushrooms, onions, and sausage. This would be my last dinner on Earth if I had a choice.
Every time we get together, we have such great conversations here. Inside is like the Italian restaurants in New York City. Very authentic and not tacky. You feel like you’re in Italy. Love this place.
You need to check this place out. Love it!

This old-​school joint is no-​frills, family-​owned, and a bit stuck in time.
Sign me up for all of the above!
And dat crust, doe. Gimmegimmegimme.
Cracker-​thin, it’s probably my favorite crust in the cit-​aaaay. (The ‘za on the whole is pretty great, too.)
Large pizzas are economical; we’ve all seen that thing on the internet about that, right?
Balistreri’s large is LARGE, just FYI. We had food for the whole weekend after ordering a large on Friday night.
Solid, no-​frills Italian eats/‘za in ‘Tosa. Get thee, posthaste!

My family and I went to Balistreri’s on a cold winter night. This family run business obviously trains their people very well. The service could not have been more friendly and professional. The pizza we had was huge, with a delicious, crusty crust and the pepperoni was fantastic.
It was obvious that the restaurant was full of locals. This tells you a lot about the quality and the fact that they have a lot of repeat business.
I highly recommend this restaurant especially for the family.

First time here after knowing of the place for decades. We stopped here last night because or other choices had no parking. I drove by here and the spot by the front door was open. I’d normally give it a three star. It’s good, but I suspect as with many pizza places there becomes a cult following and also pizza tastes vary.
The experience was fun. We walk in the door and was surprised to be right in the dining room. The check in desk was a few tables back. The restaurant is actually two old time store fronts connected together. Nothing fancy or new here but in a way the crowed conditions were fun as all the people seemed to be having a great time. Pity the waitresses. They can’t move or turn around without bumping into someone either at a table or negotiating to the restrooms or the waiting room in the back.
So we ordered the Pepperoni Special. It has pepperoni, sausage, olives, mushrooms, onion and of course cheese. The crust is thin. The pizza is among the best that I’ve had with the notable exception of the sausage not as flavorable as our benchmark, Ned’s Pizza. Hold the flaming please! I talked about cult followings and I’ve be a Ned’s fan since the 60’s.
We also had the antipasto salad. It was unusual that there was an extra charge per person beyond a single person. I don’t know if they make it larger or to cover the cost of the added plates. No matter, it was loaded with the usual antipasto items but was unusual in that half the plate was lined with pepperoni and had American cheese under it. American yellow slimy fake cheese in an Italian restaurant? I would have expected mozzarella and provolone. Half was mozzarella but still!
We ended up paying a bit more than we do for the comparable meal at one of the Mama Mia’s or Neds or Marty’s. However, the atmosphere was unique and rather fun. I can see why they have a loyal following.

It goes without saying they have extremely good and famous thin crust pizza. This busy restaurant features appetizers that are similarly good. I noticed they really go all out on the Christmas decorations which adds to the experience in this season.
The whole restaurant is small and there is nowhere to wait to be seated indoors. The tables are very close to one another making for a cozy environment.
The wait staff are responsive and effective. Still, there was a significant delay before the waiter talked to us after being seated. I was still impressed with the service overall aside from that.
This is a great place to go as a family or couple for some of the best thin crust pizza anywhere.

I’ve been here a few times with the girlfriend’s family. Her dad is a pizza aficionado when it comes to the classic sausage, mushroom, and onion.
Over the last few years I come here a few times each year with him. The pizza comes out on a giant cookie tray that is the perfect thickness of thin crust. The sauce is what really makes the pizza — that is what I’ve always thought — and this place nails it. The sausage is flavorful and really a highlight on the pizza.
The salads and antipastos are all great.
Parking is on the street yet there is plenty of spots to be had. This place gets packed so make sure you get there before the crowd comes.
If you’ve never been here, come here right away. That reminds me, I need to come here, it has been a little too long.