Best Pizza in Milwaukee’s North Shore, Ranked
Milwaukee’s North Shore has a sneaky-good pizza scene.
You can go old-school with thin crust and sausage. You can go full Chicago deep dish. You can grab a reliable carryout pizza on the Whitefish Bay border. You can even make it a whole family night at Bayshore with Detroit-style pizza before a movie.
So instead of simply listing the options, we ranked them.
This guide focuses on pizza spots serving Shorewood, Whitefish Bay, Fox Point, Bayside, River Hills, Glendale, Brown Deer, Mequon and Thiensville — with a couple of “close enough to count” favorites that North Shore families already treat as part of the rotation.
And if pizza night turns into a full food adventure, you may also want to bookmark our guides to Milwaukee dining deals, the best frozen custard in the Milwaukee area, and fish fries in Greater Milwaukee.
7. Falbo Bros. Pizza — Shorewood
2213 E. Capitol Drive, Shorewood
Falbo Bros. is the kind of pizza place every neighborhood needs: easy to order, generous with toppings, and built for carryout or delivery nights when nobody wants to cook.
It is not the fanciest pizza on this list, but that is also the point. Falbo’s works because it gives families options. Thin crust? Deep dish? Stuffed pizza? Big specialty pies? Late-night craving? It covers a lot of ground without making pizza night complicated.
The style lands somewhere between New York thin crust and Chicago deep dish, which makes it a little different from the classic cracker-thin Milwaukee tavern pie. The menu is big, the portions are generous, and the location on Capitol Drive makes it especially convenient for Shorewood and east side families.
What to order: The Slaughterhouse Five if you want a meat-heavy pie, or one of the stuffed pizzas if you are feeding hungry teenagers.
Best for: Delivery, groups, and easy weeknight pizza.
Nearby bonus: Make it part of a Shorewood food crawl with our guide to the best restaurants in Shorewood.
6. Lou Malnati’s — Fox Point
8799 N. Port Washington Road, Fox Point
Lou Malnati’s is the big Chicago name on the North Shore pizza map. The Fox Point location is carryout and delivery only, so this is less of a sit-down pizza night and more of a “bring the deep dish home” situation.
That works just fine for families. Lou’s is consistent, the ordering process is easy, and the deep dish travels well. The classic sausage deep dish is the obvious move, with that buttery crust, chunky tomato sauce, and big Chicago-style build.
It does not have the local history of some of the other spots on this list, but it fills an important role: if someone in your house wants real-deal Chicago deep dish and you do not want to drive to Illinois, Lou’s gets the job done.
What to order: Classic deep dish with sausage, or a Malnati Chicago Classic.
Best for: Chicago transplants, deep-dish fans, and easy carryout for a family movie night.
Related: If deep dish is your love language, check out our full Milwaukee area deep dish pizza guide.
5. Calderone Club — Fox Point
8001 N. Port Washington Road, Fox Point
Calderone Club is more than a pizza place. It is a full Italian restaurant where the pizza is part of a bigger experience: pasta, red sauce, eggplant strips, meatballs, wine, and that classic family-restaurant energy.
That makes it a strong choice when one person wants pizza and someone else wants pasta. The thin crust is the draw here, especially if you like a more traditional Italian restaurant pie instead of a takeout-only pizza.
The Fox Point location gives North Shore families a reliable sit-down option without heading downtown. It is especially good for grandparents, family dinners, and nights when pizza should feel like a meal instead of a box on the counter.
What to order: A traditional thin crust pizza with Italian sausage, plus crispy eggplant strips for the table.
Best for: Family dinners, Italian comfort food, and groups with mixed cravings.
Save room for: Dessert — or continue the night with our guide to Milwaukee’s best desserts.
4. Lisa’s Pizza — Milwaukee East Side / Shorewood Border
2961 N. Oakland Ave., Milwaukee
Lisa’s is technically just south of Shorewood, but let’s be honest: North Shore families have been crossing that invisible line on Oakland Avenue for decades.
Established in 1962, Lisa’s has the kind of old-school Milwaukee pizza personality that is getting harder to find. It feels like a neighborhood institution because it is one. The pies are familiar, satisfying, and built for people who want a real tavern-style pizza night without overthinking it.
This is not the trendiest pick on the list. It does not need to be. Lisa’s wins on history, comfort, and the fact that it still feels like the kind of place where pizza is supposed to be eaten: casually, happily, with a pile of napkins nearby.
What to order: Sausage, mushroom and onion. Keep it classic.
Best for: Old-school Milwaukee pizza, East Side nostalgia, and families near Shorewood or Whitefish Bay.
Make it a full outing: Pair it with a walk through the East Side or a stop at one of the nearby lakefront parks. For more outdoor ideas, see our Milwaukee Outdoor Activities Guide.
3. Upper Crust Pizza — Whitefish Bay Border
249 E. Hampton Ave., Milwaukee
Upper Crust is the definition of a North Shore carryout classic.
Located on Hampton Avenue near Whitefish Bay and Shorewood, it is the kind of place that has quietly earned loyalty over decades. The menu is straightforward. The pizza is reliable. The sauce has fans. And when you need a no-drama dinner that everyone will eat, Upper Crust delivers.
This is not a “destination dining” pizza place. It is better than that. It is a neighborhood pizza place — the one you call when you want dinner solved.
The thin crust is the move, especially with sausage. The Double Decker is a local favorite for anyone who wants to go big with extra cheese and meat. Upper Crust also gets bonus points for being convenient to Whitefish Bay, Fox Point, Shorewood and the east side.
What to order: Thin crust with Italian sausage, or the Double Decker if you are not pretending this is a light meal.
Best for: Reliable takeout, delivery, family pizza night, and feeding picky eaters.
After pizza: Keep the local-food theme going with our guide to custard on Milwaukee’s North Shore.
2. Chuck’s Place — Thiensville
406 N. Main St., Thiensville
Chuck’s Place is the sleeper pick that pizza lovers should not overlook.
This family restaurant has been a Thiensville favorite for decades, and its Chicago-style deep dish gives the North Shore something different from the usual thin-crust rotation. The pizza is hearty, old-school, and unapologetically filling — the kind of meal that requires a plan, a little patience, and maybe a nap afterward.
What makes Chuck’s special is that it does not feel like a chain trying to import Chicago deep dish. It feels like a Wisconsin family restaurant that happens to make a very serious deep dish pizza. The menu is broad, the atmosphere is comfortable, and the whole place has that “regulars know what to order” energy.
What to order: Chicago deep dish with sausage and pepperoni. Add onion rings if you are going all in.
Best for: Deep-dish fans, Mequon/Thiensville families, and anyone who wants a pizza night that feels like a throwback.
Nearby idea: If you are heading north for food adventures, pair this with our guide to the best burgers in Ozaukee County.
1. Backlot Pizza + Kitchen — Glendale / Bayshore
5750 N. Bayshore Drive, Glendale
The top spot goes to Backlot Pizza + Kitchen at Bayshore.
Backlot wins because it offers the best overall pizza-night experience on the North Shore. The Detroit-style pizza is thick, crisp-edged, cheesy, and built for sharing. The restaurant has a fun Hollywood-inspired atmosphere, a full bar, and enough menu variety to satisfy people who are not strictly there for pizza.
It is also one of the easiest places to turn dinner into an outing. You can meet another family, grab a table, order a few pizzas, and build the night around Bayshore. For parents, that matters. The best pizza spot is not always just about the crust. It is about where everyone can go, what else is nearby, and whether the night feels easy.
Backlot checks all those boxes.
The Detroit-style pies are the star, with caramelized cheese edges and a fluffy interior that make them stand out from anything else on this list. If your family usually defaults to thin crust, this is the place to switch things up.
What to order: Four-cheese Detroit-style pizza, bourbon BBQ chicken pizza, or a mix of pies for the table.
Best for: Family nights out, group dinners, date nights, and dinner before or after a movie.
Why it ranks No. 1: Backlot combines strong pizza, a fun atmosphere, easy parking, and a true night-out feel better than anyone else on the list.
Honorable Mentions and Nearby Pizza Ideas
The North Shore pizza scene is compact, but it connects easily to the larger Milwaukee pizza universe. If you are willing to drive a little farther, you can add even more styles to your rotation, from classic tavern pies to artisan wood-fired spots.
For families who like building food adventures around a theme, these guides may help with the next meal out:
Final Slice
If you want the easiest family carryout, go with Upper Crust.
If you want Chicago deep dish, choose Chuck’s Place or Lou Malnati’s.
If you want a classic sit-down Italian dinner, Calderone Club is the move.
But if someone asks for the best all-around pizza night on Milwaukee’s North Shore, the answer is Backlot Pizza + Kitchen. It gives you great Detroit-style pizza, a fun setting, and the kind of outing that works for kids, parents, groups, and date night.
That is enough to earn the top spot.
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