Photo by Sandy Reitman
Leonardo’s Pizza
Leonardo’s Pizza
My main mission when I moved back to Milwaukee from New York City was to find New York style pizza that lived up to its name. I’d had Leonardo’s Pizza (11051 N. Port Washington Road) before but not the New York style and lemme tell ya, this is what I was searching for.
From the pizza shop style tables and chairs to the chalk paint handwritten menu on the wall, this brings me back to my (often daily) slice life. These days, I don’t do the walking I used to that awarded me pizza all the time, but this is worth the drive from all directions. If you’re a part of the Milwaukee Foodie Facebook group, you’ll see I’m one of many who think so.
My favorite food items make up their small but customizable menu—pizza, sub sandwiches, calzones, and salads. Carb city! For the sake of this article and the fact that I’m rarely in Mequon, I wanted to showcase my New York City usual orders—a hot meatball Parmesan sandwich and a pizza split into a typical Milwaukee and New York toppings. Half sausage, mushroom, onion, half pepperoni. I’m taking one for the team and doing this for my art (LOL JK).
It’s 5 p.m. on a Wednesday night which was described as slow, but the door was revolving with walk-ins, deliveries, and pick-ups. I’d be curious to know what a rainy Friday night is like! I know pizza has become sort of a Gen Z identity phenomenon online but there is a real art form to the different styles. I’ve had endless debates about what type of pizza is “better”—Milwaukee thin crust, Chicago deep dish, Detroit pan, New York hand tossed—and the truth is they’re all good, just different.
But if I were stranded on a desert island with one it would be my love New York for sure. The staff is kind and answering my questions while filling and removing items from the oven, excited to be a part of this article. It’s always nice to have someone willing to throw pizza dough in the air and let you take a photo for the craft.
A perfect division of toppings for a New Yorker in Milwaukee, or a Milwaukeean who lives in New York. The meatball Parmesan hits so right—I’ve found that places don’t heat the whole thing to have the equal amount of toasted and melted that’s required for this sandwich. No matter if you call it a sub, sandwich, grinder, hoagie or hero—this is a good one.
Don’t sleep on the other menu items at Leonardo’s but obviously go for the pizza. And it’s open for lunch for slices and lunch specials! It’s not just New York style, Leonardo’s has New York roots. Its original owner was from New York and the recipes hold true. If this place was any closer to me, it would honestly be a problem for my diet. Trust me when I say, this is the place to go for a slice of New York.
