Pizza Time at Santino’s Little Italy

Owners Santo Galati and Greg Huber gutted a former dive bar and transformed it into a dark, mysterious rendezvous.

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They talk about Chicago, but Milwaukee has some of the best pizza west of Italy. This year, West Allis’s Flour Girl & Flame won several Shepherd Express Best of Awards, as did Balistreri’s on the West Side. On the East Side, there’s Carini’s and Zaffiro’s. Many swear by Papa Luigi’s in Cudahy. With its Italian American history, Bayview seems especially blessed with DeMarini’s, Tentuta’s and Santino’s Little Italy. The list could go on and on, but let’s focus this month on Santino’s.

Like many local restaurants known for their pizza, Santino’s has a short menu of pasta dishes and a pleasing antipasti array, including a generous portion of bruschetta, six toasts topped with cherry tomatoes, basil and shaved Romano cheese lightly drizzled in virgin olive oil. The arancini (rice balls stuffed with cheese and spinach) are delicious, the deep-fried calamari is tender and the “bocce ball” is a filling meatball served with marinara sauce, cheeses and olives. The salads are ample.

But let’s get back to pizza, which occupies a big slice of Santino’s menu. The blueprint for the 17 varieties was drawn by Ukrainian born, Italian-schooled Chef Vasyl Lemberskyy. The cooks work on an Italian-made gas-wood pizza oven capable of baking five pies simultaneously over fragrant cherry wood. Ingredients include the finest Italian flour and cheeses. The results are 12-inch pies with medium thin crust, lightly toasted and singed on the rim. An ample meal for sharing, varieties include a gourmet upgrade of the usual Italian sausage pizza, the Paisano; the Greek with black olives, artichokes, mozzarella and feta; the Margherita with tomato sauce, mozzarella and basil; and the DaVinci with three cheeses, pesto and cherry tomatoes. You can customize the menu options or make your own pizza choosing from two dozen toppings, among them the expected giardiniera and anchovies but also eggplant, grilled chicken, shrimp and redskin potatoes. 

The list of Italian wines is long, there are two Italian beers on tap, many unusual (for Milwaukee) liqueurs (including the essential fernet branca) and a roster of specialty cocktails. The tequila and fresh lime of the Margarita Italiano is dressed up with blood orange aperol; the Godfather with whisky and amaretto and the Old Fashioned Italian packs a punch. 

Santino’s serves its food and beverages in a unique atmosphere. Owners Santo Galati and Greg Huber gutted a former dive bar and transformed it into a dark, mysterious rendezvous. Sophia Loren movies usually play from a wide screen behind the bar and the conversation-level music ranges across Italian-Americano ‘50s-‘60s (lots of Frank and Dino) to contemporary Italian pop rock. Santino’s became so popular that they added another, larger dining room in back—and outdoor seating in the warm months. The setting is almost theatrical, perfect for an Italian restaurant that refines Italian classics to a high level.

Santino’s Little Italy