• Tavern pies have very thin, flat crusts that don’t bubble into air pockets like a NY or California-style crust will do. Tavern style crusts are rolled out much flatter by pin or machine and then poked with multiple tiny holes to release potential air pockets. They are meant to be like little dense crusts holding salty toppings, so you can keep drinking beer. The finished, baked consistency of a tavern pizza crust is closer to a saltine cracker than a thick, gooey piece of bread dough. A stuffed crust would be missing the point completely.
• Tavern pies might be round or square shaped, but they are typically cut into squares, not slices. Why? Because these fit better on cocktail napkins and were also easier to handle so you could keep drinking beer (note the beery trend starting here? I really miss solid Wisconsin logic!).
• Tavern pies don’t go overboard with toppings. Rather, they will stick to simple traditional ingredients, lightly but evenly spread all over the top so every piece will get some of the goods. Crusts are minimal, so toppings stretch all the way out to the edge of the pie. Common toppings are mozzarella and other Italian cheeses, onion, mushroom, pepperoni, green peppers, black olive, sausage, and for the truly bold, anchovies – much more than that, and you are getting into a different kind of pizza.
• They probably started somewhere in the late 1930s early 40s and were a raging Midwestern hit by the late 40s.

In Milwaukee, the legendary Caradaro Club was the first place to start offering pizzas in about 1945. Handing out little samples on napkins to get noticed, founders John Caravella and Joe Todaro brilliantly promoted their pizzas. It became wildly popular with everyone who tasted it, and other examples locally were quick to follow.

Zaffiro’s

Liborio (Bobby) Zaffiro and John Zaffiro opened Rock A Bye Tap in the Third Ward in 1951 but moved to Zaffiro’s current location in ‘54. Bobby’s style of thin crust pizza was soon a local hit, and it became what Zaffiro’s is still known for today.

Asked about what his father thought about the Milwaukee pizza argument, current owner Mike Zaffiro said: “My father always said we served panna pies, or tavern pizza. I never heard him mention anything about it coming from Chicago.“

“My father wracked his brain to try to make his crust as thin as it is today. It is like a cracker, where other local thin crusts have a little more poof to them.” I asked if the ingredients were different and he said no, it was still just yeast, flour, oil, and a little salt. But there are differences in the way they are prepared.

“It’s rolled with a machine now, but my father was rolling them all out by hand with a rolling pin. We just can’t do it like that now – we make way too many pizzas. And we can’t flip or toss the pizza dough because that just won’t work.”

Mike divulged further secrets to making their best pies: “When we construct our pizza, we work counter-clockwise from the outside in, not the inside out – it gives a more even distribution of toppings. You don’t want them all in the center. We are careful to not do too much: I like to end with a quarter to a half inch pizza thickness at best.”

Spreading The Love

Asked if Zaffiro’s might ever be expanding into Wauwatosa, Mike said he was reviewing new locations about 10 years ago. “I was considering expanding to somewhere on the north shore, and then I was approached by Marcus Theaters for a distribution deal.”

Mike said it was the Marcus track record for quality that was attractive in partnership, and they soon came to terms. Mike showed them how to make the pizzas and licensed recipes, and Marcus put pizza for sale in theaters. “Now most of the Marcus theaters in the Midwest are carrying Zaffiro’s pizza and so far there are three sit-down restaurants where you can get our pizza, made by Marcus.”

“I am very proud of what my dad did, coming up with this, and I am honored to carry on what he and my uncle started. We’ve been very blessed.”