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Ratings and reviews

RATINGS
Food
Service
Value
Atmosphere

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CUISINES
Italian, Pizza
Special Diets
Vegetarian Friendly, Vegan Options, Gluten Free Options
Meals
Dinner
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meals, features
Reviews (82)
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52
13
8
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3
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LanguageEnglish
Traveller rating
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13
8
5
3
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Reviewed 22 November 2023

This has been our favorite spot for pizza since it opened. We've loved the interesting flavors, thin crust, and the fact that cheese did not overwhelm the rest. Our recent visit was very disappointing. Our brassacre pizza was way overloaded with cheese, which dampened the...other flavors and made for a greasy pie. Not at all what we've had in the past. We may give Grampa's another try in a few weeks, and if the same results occur, we'll sadly have to look elsewhere for an artisan pizzaria.More

Date of visit: November 2023
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Reviewed 13 July 2023

We were way early for our dinner reservation at Grandpa's Pizzeria, but were promptly seated by friendly wait staff outside on the small patio. Our last visit was in 2015, around the time that they first opened in Madison, so it was high time that...we paid them another visit. It's beer and wine only--no mixed drinks--at Grandpa's, so I had a glass of red and my partner ordered a glass of white wine. We got the Calamari and the Cheese Board as appetizers, and added banana peppers to the Finocchio Pizza for our main course. The Calamari was not your usual spongy strings of deep fried, breaded Calamari. It was shaped into little pasta-like pockets and stuffed with ground sausage and a spicy red sauce--very unusual but quite tasty. The Cheese Board contained slices of Madison Sourdough bread, some preserves, candied pistachios, three varieties of cheese, and a spoonful of honey. We gobbled it down. The pizza soon arrived and it was pretty darn good--the crust was thin and crunchy, just as we like it, and adding the banana peppers to the sausage, fennel, and anaheim chiles was a good choice for us. Overall we were quite pleased with our dining experience at Grandpa's Pizzeria. Natalie, our waitress, was friendly and efficient, and the food was tasty and delicious. We finished the evening with a cocktail at the bar just next door. Will go back again...More

Date of visit: July 2023
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Reviewed 20 June 2023

My wife and I had dinner 5:30 Monday evening. I had made reservations as I had seen that they are sometimes full but there were plenty of open spots this time. Staff could not have been better. Friendly, attentive, and kept us caught up on...beverages. We had the peperoni pizza which also has leeks and green olive slices. Crisp thin crust, tasty sauce. I usualy like crushed red pepper to add but it had enough spice that I didn't really need it. Nice beer and wine selection. Right now, my favorite pizza place in Madison but have only started to explore around here relatively recently.More

Date of visit: June 2023
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Reviewed 11 March 2020

We revisited Grampa's for their Tuesday date night special of an appetizer, pizza, bottle of wine and desert . Even though the fixed price had increased since our most recent visit, it was still good food and great service. A very enjoyable evening.

Date of visit: March 2020
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Reviewed 28 February 2020

Ordered to-go, so unable to comment on the dining atmosphere. Was easier to park than anticipated though. Great crust & sauce, crispy, yet chewy - perfect balance. Unfortunately we both despise parmesan & the cheese blend they used for the classic piza was 'heavy on...the parm." Wanted to love it & have a great go-to place for pizza, both dine in & order out. Will try, try again ... (or head to the Dells for several great pizza options)More

Date of visit: February 2020
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Reviewed 10 September 2019

We came with 6 people and the original Grampa's was full, and she told us there was an hour wait. But then told us of the place next door that you can eat upstairs or downstairs and has the same pizza. What a nice tidbit...to know. We found a lounge place upstairs with Kyle as our bar keep and had great wine, beer and drinks while we waited for our pizza. We also bought some cra-cra popcorn while waiting for the pizza, that has a wonderful hot spice on it. Kyle was very friendly and helpful, we love our couch, table, chairs lounge area and the the PIZZA was stupendous. yum. We got 3 pizzas, the finocchio, Jabroni with added garlic and the Barberini. Everyone was delicious and the crust was nice and thin. Great flavors.More

Date of visit: September 2019
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Reviewed 7 August 2019 via mobile

Be advised the place is small and parking is almost impossible. We had a group of six so we were seated in the front room which was small and had a weird, musty smell. We started out with two appetizers, which honestly next time we'd...skip. We ordered the calamari and the dumplings. The servings were small, the calamari was a bit rubbery, sauce was a tad spicy which I didn't mind, and the dumplings were average. Moving on to dinner the pizzas are not traditional ones, although you could build your own. We were instructed to order one pizza per person and that turned out to be just about right. We ordered the finocchio (we all liked), jabroni adding sausage (good), puerco (so so), goomba (average), pepperoni (very salty), and another jabroni but with bacon (we preferred the sausage one). The crust was very thin, which we all liked, the sauce tasty, and the staff very friendly.More

Date of visit: August 2019
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Reviewed 20 May 2019

We had a group of 5 and they definitely had the room for us in the front room. There was another group probably 8 or 9 so it was a bit noisy but did not take away from our visit. They only serve beer and...wine, soda, water. However, with your receipt, you get a discount at the bar next door. We had pizzas and calamari and the olive appetizer (they come with pits). We all loved the food, really great addictive flavors. The staff is friendly and helpful, they just want to make sure you have a great experience.More

Date of visit: May 2019
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Reviewed 13 April 2019 via mobile

My son brought me to Grampa’s for dinner and time together. The waiter was polite and took our phone number because we had to wait 30 minutes. He phoned back and quickly had us seated by the windows. The decor is charming and relaxing. The...atmosphere in the restaurant was lively but not loud. We could comfortably talk as we ate two very delicious thin crust pizzas and a shared dessert. There was no rush. Service was excellent.More

Date of visit: April 2019
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Reviewed 15 January 2019 via mobile

First, a table for two, at the window overlooking the garden. Meh. Dirty window. Kind of gross. Second, a small table and so small that the pizza stand is in the way of elbows and arms. Expect to drop your fork. If you're a T-Rex...maybe your arms can manage. If you manage an economy seat airline dinner with ease, you'll do fine. Pizza toppings kept falling into my water glass from the pizza stand, again because the table is too small. Third, you better be able to manage a 5" plate for your pizza. You get a butter knife to cut your piece of the pie. It's useless. If you plan to eat with your T-Rex hands, you're likely to drop toppings the 5" plate won't catch. They'll fall to the table or floor. No worry though because the flavor hasn't really fallen from your pizza. It probably wasn't there to start. The squash pie was bland. In one-half of a pizza I had three pieces of chicken sausage. Way too many walnuts, the squash kept falling off to the dirty table because it's too large for the square cut slice. The whole pizza could have used something salty, like prosciutto. I think the menu is uninspired. Brussels and bacon again? Still? I'm over it. Meh.More

Date of visit: January 2019
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Reviewed 12 September 2018 via mobile

An small artisanal pizzeria serving a variety of savory pizzas with a thin, cracker-like crust. Located on Williamson street (a cool and trendy part of Madison) you will find Grandpa's pizzeria an homage to the recipe from the chef's grandpa (as well as the former...Grandpas gun shop located on the site). There were 5 of us and we arrived a little before 6 on a Friday night in September (on a Football weekend) and were pleased to get seated right away without a wait. We were in a sort of back room (that actually fronts the sidewalk) that has 2 tables for 6. Server was very helpful in explaining the menu options and the clever pizzas all sounded great. We started with the charcuterie plate - featuring a bunch of cheese and some great bread. We ordered 4 of pizzas - three would have been enough. Head and shoulders the best one was the Pinocchio with a great balance of flavors. Of course you can create your own and the basic pepperoni was also well received. The only let down was that they only serve beer and wine - seems like the perfect place for some creative cocktails. Great pizza and something unique. definitely worth a visit.More

Date of visit: September 2018
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Reviewed 26 August 2018 via mobile

Every Tuesday we come here. The place is fanatastic, the food is out of this world, Everything blows my mind! Everything !!!!

Date of visit: August 2018
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Reviewed 15 August 2018

We came here during our stay in Madison for the CrossFit Games. We were looking for something low key and delicious. THEY NAILED IT. By no means is this your average pizza joint. The ambience and ingredients are upscale, but the staff and setting are...incredibly welcoming. There is even a garden out back that's home to many of the fresh ingredients that are sure to grace your table throughout the evening. Everything was fantastic! Pro tip: there will likely be a bit of a wait. Head next door to Gib's bar, which is owned by the same folks, and order a cocktail. They have a true mixologist on staff who is second-to-none. I had a gin cocktail made with a homemade strawberry rhubarb soda. A++More

Date of visit: August 2018
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Reviewed 18 June 2018

My husband got bumped from his flight Friday evening and we were looking for a place to treat ourselves to a nice dinner. We live in Madison and knew that especially on a Friday night there is usually a long wait for a table at...Grampa's, but we called ahead and learned that while there was indeed a long wait for a table, there were seats available at the bar. We were there in a few minutes, and were ushered straight to the bar. From the moment we sat down, Seth, our bartender/waiter, made our dining experience a delight. The pizzas are thin crust and very good, and my husband ordered the finocchio -- a spicy pizza with red sauce, fennel and and other veg. I opted for a small plate, stuffed calimari, and we shared, at Seth's recommendation, Grampa's take on the garden salad. My husband was very happy with his pizza, but the salad took us both by surprise -- more of a vegetable salad, with thin-sliced curls of cucumber, carrot and pickled radish; lovely spring green and nasturtium blossoms, all lightly dressed in a vinaigrette. I have not often found myself writing that a salad was memorable, but there you go. Ditto with my calimari, tender, stuffed with a red sauce spiced with star anise -- unusual and delicious. Grampa's offers a nice selection of microbrews and bottled beers, and a nicely curated wine list. I had a glass of Force of Nature's Zinfandel which I have not seen in other Madison restaurants. Sure, the pizza is great but the small plates are unique and worth a visit in themselves. There were a couple of tempting desserts on the menu but we were too full to try one. Our bill came with a couple of complimentary herb shortbreads. Yum.More

Date of visit: June 2018
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Reviewed 13 May 2018 via mobile

Stopped here for dinner with friends this past weekend and thoroughly enjoyed their pizza. Enjoyed a nice glass of Cab Franc as well. The mozzarrella appetizer was also good.

Date of visit: May 2018
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Grampa's Pizzeria, Madison - Restaurant Reviews, Phone Number & Photos - Tripadvisor

Frequently Asked Questions about Grampa's Pizzeria

Yes, Grampa's Pizzeria offers takeaway services.

Grampa's Pizzeria is rated accordingly in the following categories by Tripadvisor travellers:
  • Food: 4.5
  • Service: 4
  • Value: 4
  • Atmosphere: 4.5