On The Edge Meat Lovers Pizza
Unless you’re looking for it, On The Edge is pretty easy to miss. Attached to the back of the Southridge Athletic Club, there’s not much from the street to indicate that a bar and grill lurks within the large, nondescript building. But pay attention to the sign under SAC’s, because there’s a very friendly tavern with fantastic pizza tucked at the back of the building.
On The Edge gets its name from the fact that the building is location in Greenfield, but the back parking lot is in Greendale. I can’t imagine what that means come tax time, but it only affects patrons as a topic of lively conversation if you’re new to the bar. Chances are, your bartender, cook or any of the bar’s regulars would be happy to talk about it, or anything else that comes to mind.
That tavern congeniality is only one thing that makes On The Edge so appealing. The space itself is a cross between a bar and a family restaurant with carpeted floors, daises that create cozy seating areas, decorative stained glass windows, and plenty of TVs, a pool table and a couple arcade games for the kids. The décor is sparse—not unlike the adjoining banquet hall—but the food more than makes up for it.
On The Edge interior
The biggest draw here is the pizza. It’s Milwaukee style: thin, cracker-like crust, a slightly sweet sauce, and served cut into squares. The edge crust is lightly charred, like it should be, and the middle pieces slump under the weight of all the toppings, which are not skimped on here, especially cheese.
Carnivores should opt for the meat lovers pizza ($16.50-$19.50), which is topped with sausage, pepperoni and bacon. I’m not one to eschew vegetables on my pizza, but this is one of the best meatatarian versions around. Fennel-heavy Italian sausage is pinched into various shapes and scattered about along with thin pepperoni slices. But the real surprise is the bacon. It’s precooked and crumbled, and every few bites you’ll get a burst of strong, smoky flavor, but it doesn’t overpower the other toppings or even worse, get lost. This is the best rendition of bacon pizza I’ve found.
Along the same Italian American bar food lines are mozzarella sticks ($6) and garlic bread ($3.75, or with cheese for $4.50). Both appetizers are solid versions. The mozzarella sticks are huge and wonton wrapped, and you get four to an order along with a side of tangy marinara. The cheese garlic bread, just like the pizza, doesn’t skimp on cheese. Both go a long way to fill bellies after too much beer.
The rest of the menu is not huge, but it covers the usual favorites. Burgers and sandwiches run the gamut from a tenderloin sandwich ($9.50) with fried onions to a buffalo chicken wrap or sandwich ($8) with pepperjack. Or, keep on with the Italian theme (why not?) and grab a chicken Parmesan ($8) or Italian sausage sandwich ($7.50), both covered in marinara and mozzarella.
Like any good bar, fish fry is a big draw on Friday, but is available on Wednesday, too. Cod is available beer battered with slaw, fries and rye bread ($10.75) or baked with wine and Cajun seasoning and served with rice and veggies ($11.25) for a lighter option—this is attached to a health club, after all. Fried perch ($12.25) and a fisherman’s platter with cod, perch and shrimp ($14) round out the fish fry.
There are a number of rotating specials, like a fried chicken dinner with mashed potatoes, taco Tuesday deals and pizza discounts on Thursday. There are 10 beers on tap that rotate seasonally and include a mix of macros and locals that won’t make anyone call this a beer bar. But this is a tavern, and the taps they do have top out at $5.25 for brews like Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald.
On The Edge Fried Chicken Dinner
Next time you’re in the Greenfield area, or famished from shopping at Southridge too long, skip the chains on 76th Street and make a point to seek out On The Edge instead. A neighborhood tavern with excellent pizza is a real treat.
