The Best Pizza In Wisconsin, According To Dave Portnoy

Dave Portnoy has turned one bite of cheese pizza into one of the most-watched food review series in America.

The Barstool Sports founder has scored pizzerias from coast to coast through One Bite Pizza Reviews, and a strong score can send lines out the door the very next day.

His 2026 tour has kept him busy out East and in Michigan, and he even handed out a rare 9.1 score in Massachusetts this summer. However, Wisconsin hasn't seen him at all this year.

That doesn't mean the Badger State has been left out entirely. Portnoy has scored pizza in Madison, Lake Geneva, and the Milwaukee area over the years.

Here's how those Wisconsin shops rank, from lowest score to highest. One bite, everybody knows the rules.

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Dave Portnoy Wisconsin Pizza Rankings

6. Ian's Pizza in Madison: 6.1

Ian's is a Madison institution known for its creative slices, but it landed at the bottom of Wisconsin's list with a 6.1 score. Plenty of late-night college crowds would argue Portnoy missed the point entirely.

5. Pizza Brutta in Madison: 6.8

Pizza Brutta earned a 6.8. That might sting a little, considering one statewide roundup named it Madison's best slice based on Yelp reviews.

4. Next Door Pub and Pizzeria in Lake Geneva: 7.1

Portnoy visited Next Door Pub and Pizzeria in the fall of 2023 and gave it a 7.1 rating. He praised the game-day atmosphere and admitted he was getting "wildly full" by the time he got there.

3. Salvatore's Tomato Pies in Madison: 7.4

Salvatore's Tomato Pies scored a 7.4, putting it in a tie for the second-highest score Portnoy has given in Madison. In his world, anything in the mid-7s means the crust, sauce, and cheese all showed up.

2. Lucille in Madison: 7.4

Lucille matched Salvatore's with a 7.4. That pair of scores marked the top of Madison's results and gave Wisconsin's capital city bragging rights for its most consistent showing.

1. Wells Brothers in Racine: 8.1

Wisconsin's top One Bite score belongs to Wells Brothers in Racine. Portnoy stopped in during a February 2023 trip after learning the restaurant was roughly 101 years old. He rewarded it with an 8.1 rating and called it the best pizza in Milwaukee, which Racine residents will happily accept with a correction.

Wisconsin's Most Memorable One Bite Moment

That same trip produced the state's most famous fail. Portnoy showed up at Classic Slice in Bay View during a staff party, and an employee offered him a beer instead of a pizza. He ended up reviewing cookies, and locals later told reporters he could have called ahead.

He also visited Zaffiro's in Milwaukee, which he reviewed in February 2023, and Oakfire Pizza in Lake Geneva. Two Madison spots he reviewed, Paisan's and Pizza Di Roma, have since closed.

SEE NOW: Wisconsin’s Beloved Free Cookie Book Is Now Available For You To Download

The Badger State Is Overdue for a Return Visit

Wisconsin calls itself the frozen pizza capital of the world, yet Portnoy has barely scratched the surface of what the state offers. Tavern-style squares, supper club pies, and small-town favorites from Superior to Kenosha are still waiting their turn.

A century-old Racine shop proved Wisconsin can hang with the best. The next time Portnoy's tour swings through the Midwest, the state should be ready with a list. Which Wisconsin pizza would you put in front of him first?