Antonio’s Pizza

NOT WORTH YOUR TIME!
In January I ordered about $ 200 pizzas here on the word of a old friend who said he worked here. I was having a 150 person party with Food stations (sub station, pizza station, nacho bar, appetizer bar, etc) I talked to the owner the night before, confirmed the order, time of delivery, cost, etc and thought it was going to be fine.
The next day, day of the party, I called a hour before the party to confirm delivery time and give credit card number for payment. No answer. Then I called the owners cell phone (because he gave me the number the night before) No answer. I called him probably 10 times on both phones. Nothing. Then I called my friend who after a hour called me back and said that the «owner was missing, his friends and family haven’t seen him and they are really worried» Who knows if that was true or not. but still didn’t help me get my pizzas there.
So For the party there were no pizzas. I didn’t even talk to my friend until a hour after the pizzas were supposed to be there. I had a shortage of food for the party, but honestly the worst part was the owner NEVER called me back to apologize or make it right. I just never heard from him. What a horrible business owner! No regard for his customers or orders he already agreed to do.
Never again. And I will tell everyone I know never to order from them too.

The worst service I have ever had in my life. It’s almost comical trying to get your food from this place.

5pm on Sunday and they are closed. I had read on Unilocal that this place sometimes didn’t answer their phone so I wasn’t super concerned when I attempted to call ahead. However when we arrived the door was locked. I’ve heard the pizza is great but with a reputation for not answering phone and a lack of regular business hours I don’t give them long. Too bad.

Yes! Good non-​chain pizza in Riverwest is hard to come by. Antonio’s pizzas have awesome crust, just the right amount of toppings and are still hot when you get them home. The people at the shop are friendly, too. My husband thinks the sauce is a little sweet, but it’s definitely not a deal breaker. I liked it. We’ll absolutely be back (or at least get delivery). Welcome to the neighborhood! (Better late than never, right?)

My partner brought their pizza home one night & I admit I was skeptical since the last few places in that place were not so good. The pizza was so delicious, even though the crust was a little too thick for me I still inhaled it. My partner also raved about their customer service as well.
We wanted to try the again & have been trying to order from them the past two nights and they have not been answering their phone. According to the menu a friend gave me, they are supposed to open at 5pm… I called both ⁸⁄₁₉ & ⁸⁄₂₀ at 5:30, 6& 6:30pm all to get no answer. It’s very frustrating.

Pizza was ok, nothing different from any of the other 6 places that have been in that location the last few years.

Spotted in. there Monday night a week or so ago, and was slightly disappointed in what appeared to be the lack of topping selection, but the sausage pizza I for was really tasty. I like their sauce a lot.
It doesn’t have a huge selection in general, but it may be the best of the four or so places that have been in this location since I’ve moved to Milwaukee.

Two stars for our two experiences. First was when they initially opened, maybe a couple weeks in. We walked in the door and were passed by two employees in chefs garb, no welcome or acknowledgement. We then approached the counter where another couple was waiting for their order, and grabbed a menu. I was surprised the guy behind the counter didn’t welcome us, let alone say hello. For a new, neighborhood joint… That’s a must! Anyways, as we were deciding what to order, the couple at the counter was presented their pizza with CANNED MUSHROOMS!!! Really!!! I think Dominos uses fresh mushrooms. We decided this wasn’t the place for us and left.
Our second experience was at locust St Fest, grabbed a slice on our drunken way home and it was great! It looked nothing like the za we saw previously, it was awesome! So… We are willing to try again but slightly hesitant.

Ok, so I finally got the pizza after all the hype, anticipation, and confusion. I was expecting this pizza to Blow. My. Mind. However, it did not. It was a really thick, dense crust, with an incredibly sweet (close to sickly sweet) tomato sauce, and bland peperoni. It was a huge pie of oil and grease, making it hard to eat more than one slice. I would stick to pizza at Whole Foods, Vedo’s, and Via for delicious awesomeness!

I live in riverwest and really love pizza so decided to stop in for garlic bread and sasage, onion, cheese pizza. The guy that makes the pizza was super friendly. As far as taste goes, it just doesn’t get better than this. Seriously. Try this pizza! Lisa’s was my former favorite. Probably going to crave this masterpiece several times a week. What an awesome place we got right here in riverwest.

I guess Antonio’s is hit or miss– I wrote a positive review for their pizza, but definitely can’t do the same for their pasta. I had the ravioli with red sauce and a meatball– yuck! Sauce was like someone dumped an entire bag of sugar in it, meatball was more garlic clove than actual meat (I took one bite and had to immediately spit it out) and the ravioli was completely flavorless. Stick with the pizza!

Amazing pizza!!! I’m a super picky pizza person and this ‘Za rocks! Better than Tomaso’s and rivals the old Pizza Man. You won’t be disappointed ;-) Also have DELIVERY!!!

Considering the below-​par pizza caves that inhabited this space in the past, I was skeptical of Antonio’s when it opened. But, word is getting around that this is some seriously good pizza. And the word is correct. Good thing, too, because Riverwest has needed a good pizza joint for ages.
I ordered «Antonio’s Special» for carry-​out; I didn’t specify any kind of crust or any other requests, curious to see what they would give me. A couple sitting at Antonio’s lone two-​barstool dining counter (don’t bring your friends and expect a table, this is a true New York-​style hole in the wall) mentioned that it was also their first time dining there, and they too had heard the hype. Upon arriving to pick up my pizza, I was told it would be an extra ten minutes since Antonio had to whip up a fresh batch of dough. I told them it was no biggie, I live up the street.
I came back ten minutes later and my pie was ready to go. The couple at the counter couldn’t hold back their praise; «you will NOT be disappointed,» the guy told me as he and his girlfriend nearly inhaled their pizza. Good sign!
I got what I believe is their regular crust, slightly doughy and crisp, probably most comparable to Transfer (arguably the Milwaukee pizza king). And yes, it was PHENOMENAL. Crust? Excellent. Sauce? Some of the best I’ve ever had; it was unusually sweet and flavorful, and it WORKED. Sausage was great. My only complaint lies with the canned mushrooms; totally let down the incredible quality of the rest of the pie.
These guys definitely make a fine pizza. They could earn five stars and go toe-​to-​toe with Transfer all day long, but I’m knocking off a star for the two trips it took me (come on, I didn’t make a scene about it, throw me some garlic bread or something) and the canned mushrooms. Don’t take that to mean that this place isn’t worth trying though, because it absolutely is. I have no doubt that they’ll work the kinks out; for now, Transfer remains my favorite in town, but a place like Antonio’s in Riverwest has been long overdue, and they can only get better from here.

I was raised in Chicago and still currently live there.
It’s pretty well-​known that, as far as food is concerned, we pride ourselves on Chicago-​style Hot Dogs and Chicago Pizza.
While attending an event in Milwaukee, our party popped into Antonio’s for some dinner. And when the gentleman tossing the pies in the kitchen heard that we were Chi-​town natives, he asked that I please come back and give an honest critique of the pizza we’d just ordered — thin crust w/​Green Peppers, Sausage, and Onion.
Mistakes will happen, and so it goes that the pizza we were served consisted of Green Peppers, Sausage, and Mushrooms.
…I really dislike mushrooms on my pizza.
As we headed back to Illinois later that evening, I realized that I’d forgotten to stop back in and give my opinion of the food. Being a Carry-​Out only joint at this time, I wasn’t necessarily able to just tell the folks what we thought when paying the bill.
I Googled Antonio’s and, not realizing that they currently open at 5pm, tried calling for literally 2-​weeks to give my feedback (no pun intended).
I finally got in touch with the same man who tossed, sauced, cheesed and prepped our pizza that night and had asked for my «honest opinion».
This is what I told him…
«I ordered GP, S, & On.
You made the pizza with GP, S, & Mushrooms.
…I really do not like mushrooms.
But, I have been trying to reach you the entire time since we got back home to Chicago so I could let you know that even with those hideous little fungi on top of our pizza pie, THAT WAS THE BEST PIZZA I HAVE EVER HAD!»
Seriously.
The sauce is amazing ~ uniquely flavorful and perfectly balanced with tomato sauciness and a perfect blend of complimentary spices.
The sausage is delicious ~ with it’s own delectable spices and succulence, the sausage almost seems to rival the sauce in an effort to win over your taste buds for the better flavor, but it cannot. The two dance in synchronicity with one another over your tongue like forbidden lovers entangled in a passionate Mambo Italiano!
The Green Peppers maintain their composure as fresh garden vegetables ~ vibrant green, fresh and crisp; not dull, off-​color, soggy, bitter dregs of what were once thriving peppers that’ve had the life sucked out of them.
The cheese is baked until it has melted into a blanket of mellow golden ooey gooey savory goodness for the other ingredients to settle into with confidence.
This culinary masterpiece of flavor sits atop a crisp, hand-​tossed crust baked just right. A crust that does not just curl up as wasted dough merely fashioned to fit into a pan, but like the sandy shoreline at a beach, Antonio’s thin crust edges cradle the other ingredients with finesse; the sauce and other toppings ebb and flow from the frame of this skillfully crafted layer of crust to bring a sensational finish to every last bite!
As for the mushrooms… meh.
I don’t care for cooked mushrooms, but I have to confess nonetheless, they too had their place on my palate, and I was not put off by them. In fact, I didn’t even pick any off!
So with that, I hope you can understand why I have given Antonio’s a well-​deserved 5 Star Unilocal Rating.
I’ve since told my wife that she has to come back with me for more, and that the 45-​minute commute is well worth the drive, and I ain’t kiddin’!
We’ll load up the kids and take a Wisconsin Road Trip as an excuse to eat more pizza and try other selections from Antonio’s menu.
My next indulgence will be the wings and some of Nana’s Lasagna!
I hope Antonio’s comes to Chicago — it’s my kind of town ristorante!
Grazie!

Going to be the «bad» guy for a second here. (I’m going to give ‘em another go… promise!)
In short: Last night the bf and I decided to snag some ‘za from Antonio’s (across the street from Sunrise) after a long day of moving, unpacking, more moving, and more unpacking. In my fridge? Cider and beer. Cookware? I have no flippin’ idea which box that’s in. That said, I probably wouldn’t have been in the mood to cook anyways… so. tired. Arms. Dead.
Enter Antonio’s. Solid reviews from friends and fellow elites, so we took a violet hour stroll the few blocks to the spot. Simple enough; it’s a take-​out only joint that serves pizzas, lasagna, ravioli, appetizers, and sandwiches. Nice!
$ 19 for a large Antonio’s Special (onions, mushrooms, sausage, cheese) and we were on our way.
Here’s where the whole thing gets subjective, as is the nature of this whole review/​taste/​palate thing. The crust? Good! Probably my favorite part of the pie… not thin/​crispy but not too insanely doughy, either. Nicely balanced. The sauce, as others have mentioned, is a touch sweet… it has a nice flavor to it. My complaint is that it’s sort of watery… it doesn’t hold on the dough as well as I personally like pizza sauce to. (Read: sparse/​thin sauce insofar as viscosity.) The sausage? Generous chunks of well flavored meat… and that’s where the toppings stopped being solid in my mind. Canned mushrooms = rubbery and tough to chew + flavorless, and the onions felt a touch underdone. The whole pie just didn’t mesh well, to be honest with you.
I’m really into what they’re doing, though, and I hope to return to try a different pizza sometime soon-​ish. (One with no mushrooms!) That said, I felt pretty middle of the road on Antonio’s this go ’round, so three stars it is for the time being!

When Antonio’s is in operation, you can glimpse people floating down the sidewalk along visible wisps of scent, just like you’ve seen on Looney Toons.
The pizza does NOT disappoint. The sauce is slightly sweet, the cheese is gooey and melty, the toppings are well-​balanced.
Support a local small business, and stop in for a reasonably priced pie tonight!

We live nearby and have been waiting for months for Antonio’s to open and they far exceeded expectations. When we mentioned we are neighbors, introductions went all around and we were given some parmesan chips for the road. I am so happy about this Riverwest addition. They will come in handy for game nights, Game of Throne nights, and just in general when we don’t feel like cooking.
Right now, it’s just take-​out, but the owner mentioned putting tables and chairs out when the weather warms up. Over the years, I’ve seen the previous incarnations of this store front, and Antonio’s has done so much with it to make it look really nice and permanent! They added really nice awnings, a nicer door, and a super cool neon sign in the shape of Italy.
Dan and I tried a stuffed pizza with all the veggie toppings. It was fantastic. I usually never eat crust but this pizza had golden brown, bubbly cheese on it, so I ate every bite. You can tell that the owners are really passionate about making authentic Italian food and making customers happy. Michael insisted I give them a call after trying the pizza to let him know how it was, so I know they really care.

I walk by almost everyday and was ecstatic to see it finally open. They offered my boyfriend and me an enormous meatball while we were waiting, perks of coming the opening week I guess. It was delicious, as was the cheese pizza and lasagna we ordered. We chatted the entire wait with the owner and some employees, all very warm and kind people. I don’t plan on toting to the East Side anymore for pizza, great addition to Riverwest.

Antonio’s is a great addition to the Riverwest food scene.
I’m not a fan of soft doughy pizza crust, so Antonio’s thin crispy base was exactly what I was looking for. The sausage was tasty, and the delicious sauce was both a little sweet and tangy.
I also tried the Sicilian garlic bread, a savory take on garlic bread. It was very good… but a little heavy on the olive oil for my taste. Though, based on flavor alone, I’ll order again.
The service was super warm and friendly. The adorable interaction between Antonio and «Nana» was worth the trip alone.

So glad this place is finally open! Riverwest definitely needed a late night option and I think that this will fit the bill perfectly. I popped in last night and ordered some of the mozzarella sticks and sicilian chicken wings for take away. We stayed while they made our food and it was pretty speedy, only about 10 or 15 minutes. Everything was super fresh and tasty, still hot once we walked a few blocks home to eat. I am excited to come back and try their other items!