By Dan Newman

Fat Joe’s Pizzeria has one mission and one mission only – to bring authentic New York City style pizza to central Wisconsin. The owner would visit his grandparents on Long Island as a child and has fond memories of going to The City to get a taste of it’s “real character” – the food! For 20 years, he’s been trying to perfect the most memorable taste: The New York City brick oven pizza.

Never been to New York myself, but I have plenty of nostalgia attached to Fat Joe’s location. It was a Pizza Hut when I was growing up and my parents took me there quite often. The smell of garlic and crust in the oven and the sounds of clattering pans and the Pac-Man machine took me right back to days long past.

It’s obvious how much thought went into the decor once inside the building. Small paintings line 3 walls below plumbing themed light fixtures which contain an Edison bulb. A Jukebox sits opposite the aforementioned arcade machine. There’s even a Route 66 sign. But by far my favorite decoration is the bathroom signs. Instead of the traditional Men’s and Women’s signs, the doors have retro comic book covers on them. The boys get Superman, the girls get Wonder Woman. Absolute genius.

Fat Joe’s Pizzeria is the most no nonsense pizza joint ever. You order at the counter and then sit down wherever you like. No plates, spatula or anything. Just a roll of paper towel on a pipe bolted to every table. It took me back at first but on second thought, I’d have it no other way.

I ordered a 16” hand-tossed thin crust pizza with pepperoni and green olives, some “world famous” garlic knots, and a Sun Drop in a glass bottle. The pizza crust was crispy and the toppings were cooked to perfection. Not too much cheese or sauce, decent amount of toppings, and the flavor was excellent. New York style pizza is known to hold together so the slice can bend in the middle and stay together or be folded in half for easy feasting. This pizza hit all those marks for a satisfying experience.

The world famous garlic knots are dough glazed in butter and garlic and served with your choice of sauce. I went with Alfredo. Crispy dough on the outside, chewy on the inside. These are a classic appetizer, but were a bit rich for my tastes.

At one point during the meal, the owner came to my table and asked how everything was. He stopped and chatted with all the customers in the place. This is a really nice touch that I feel more restaurant owners should do. It felt like he genuinely wanted me to enjoy the experience, and I did.

The bill for all this food came in under $25, which is pretty good considering the amount of food I got. Fat Joe’s Pizzeria is up there with the best pizza this town has to offer, which is high praise coming from this self-described pizza aficionado.

Be sure to check out the video, and give Fat Joe’s Pizzeria a try for yourself. You won’t be disappointed.