Explore the Unique Charm of Wisconsin’s Most Historic Pizza Place

If you're on a mission to find the birthplace of Wisconsin pizza, don’t be surprised when that quest leads you straight to a spot that looks more like a cozy coffee shop than a historic pizzeria.

Wisconsin's Oldest Pizza Restaurant

When it comes to pizza, I love it all. Thick or thin crust, fresh or frozen, I'll eat and love it all, but I never knew there was such a thing as "Mliwaukee-style pizza". Please allow me to explain.

Back in 1945, two men named Joe Todaro and John Caravella opened Wisconsin's very first dedicated pizza restaurant in Milwaukee, called Caradaro Club Pizza.

Not only was Caradaro Club the first licensed pizza restaurant in Wisconsin, but it is also considered the birthplace of Milwaukee pizza.

So, what exactly is Milwaukee pizza? Milwaukee Magazine describes it as "a crisp, cracker-thin crust and pieces cut into rectangles, which is also known as tavern-cut".

Being the birthplace of Milwaukee-style pizza isn't Caradaro Club Pizza's only claim to fame. Their advertising technique was pretty darn clever too.

Caradaro Club Pizza's website says:

Their marketing technique – handing out pizza slices on Milwaukee’s downtown streets – was an allure that soon permeated the region and its facade frequently restrained lines of dating couples and groups of expectant patrons.

How genius is that?! Free food always creates loyal customers!

Ready for one more fascinating fact about Caradaro Club Pizza?

After the original building burnt down, Caradaro Club Pizza reopened in a new location that looks nothing like a pizza place at all!

Have you tried Caradaro Club Pizza before? Let us know what you thought of it!