Cranky Pat's - WI

I’ve now lived in Green Bay for more than a month, and every single day I’ve been here, I drove right past the little pizza joint that had been recommended by friends that used to visit town: Cranky Pat’s. It’s less than a mile from my apartment on a road that takes me from the main drag down to my apartment, yet we never made the stop. I’ll be honest, I need to be in a certain mood for pizza. The mood finally struck Friday night, and we rolled up to the little pizzeria on a mission.
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Part of my misgivings came from the outside appearance. It very much looks like an old pizzeria that may be past its prime, but don’t let the building deceive you. Inside, the decor of that old timey pizzeria is vibrant. The staff is friendly, and the smells are out of this world. IT is exactly what you want from a small chain pizza joint: a buffet in the corner, a small bar so you can get a beer, and pizza paddles engraved with the logo hanging from the wall.

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​I have one major problem when it comes to getting pizza: my husband hates tomato sauce. This makes ordering a pain in the ass no matter where we go. Sure, most places have an alfredo sauce pasta or garlic sauce pasta, but sometimes the toppings aren’t what I would like. Cranky Pat’s has a pizza on their menu to satisfy both my husband and myself. No tomato sauce, but actually good toppings.

The Loaded Baked Potato pizza is 100% a giant carb bomb that anyone on a diet would want to avoid, but it satisfied every craving I had that day. Crunchy thin crust, garlicky butter sauce, crunchy bacon and cheddar cheese all mingling with thin slices of red potatoes. I mean, you saw it up there. Look at that gorgeous pizza.

Because we loaded up on a cheesy garlic bread for an appetizer, we wound up taking most of the pizza home for the next day. As far as leftover pizza goes, this is one that I’m not ashamed to eat for breakfast. If you put eggs on it, it’d be a breakfast pizza at its finest. We did not, however, put eggs on it. We ate it as is, warmed up in the microwave, and it was gone before the end of the weekend.

A special cherry on top at Cranky Pat’s is that they offer a free single serve ice cream to every customer when your meal is over. So, if you’ve got the room or you aren’t driving very far, you can take a tiny container of orange sherbert or an ice cream bar with you after you’re done. I polished that sherbert off within ten minutes of stepping back into my apartment, and it was exactly what I needed after that delicious meal.

Is this the beginning of a Green Bay Pizza Run? Who knows. What I do know is that, right now, Cranky Pat’s is the best in town for me. We’ve tried the local chain Toppers, and the tiny joint down the road blew them out of the water.

Cranky Pat’s has locations in Oshkosh and Neenah, Wisconsin as well if you nearby but unable to make the trek to Green Bay to try delicious pizza and enjoy a wonderful atmosphere. If you don’t want to sit down for a pizza, they also offer carry out. You can check out their menus at the individual locations from their website, crankypats.com, or visit them on facebook.