WSJ Says Local Pizza Joint Is Among '10 Most Meaningful' In U.S.

MILWAUKEE, WI — Thick crust or thin crust? Deep-dish or New York Style? Everyone has their pizza preferences, but do you really know how many different varieties of pizza are out there, and how they came to be?

Wall Street Journal writer Eleanore Park takes the reader across the U.S. to identify 10 of the "Most Meaningful" pizza styles. They're all different and beloved in their respective locales.

Park details Wisconsin's pizza culture as primarily "tavern-style." The style is marked by "An oblong cracker-thin crust with a thick, slightly sweet tomato sauce. A real Milwaukee pie has toppings of sausage, onions and mushrooms."

For the article, tavern-style pizza is highlight at Maria's Pizza, 5025 W. Forest Home Ave. in Milwaukee. Sure, they could have gone with a Milwaukee-area staple such as Zaffiro's, or Racine-area joint Wells Brothers, so this is another take on local pizza culture. It doesn't hurt that it doubles as a legend and a landmark.

"Second-generation co-owner Bonnie Crivello runs the front of house in her trademark red stilettos. Her niece and co-owner Maria Story manages the kitchen," Park wrote of Maria's.

Reviewers on Tripadvisor call Maria's great "old-school pizza," and equating the atmosphere as time travel into the past:

"Maria’s has been a Milwaukee staple for over 50 yrs and it’s still run by the same family with the same recipes. The pizzas are huge but go down easy because they are paper thin. The place is decorated the same today as the day they opened. Stop by at Christmas time for even more atmosphere," one reviewer wrote.