I remember as a kid visiting relatives in Green Bay and having Godfather’s Pizza, thinking it was a local pizza place. With more than 600 locations nationwide, the chain opened quietly in the Madison area in late 2012 with Godfather’s Pizza Verona and Godfather’s Pizza Fitchburg.
I like the pizza, but I wouldn’t go out of my way for it. You would consider carryout on your way home or as you’re getting gas, since both locations are inside gas stations.
Seven specialty pizzas ($4.79 for a mini, $15.99 for a large) kick off the menu. The All-Meat Combo is topped generously with beef, pepperoni, sausage, ham, Italian sausage and bacon bits. Just be warned that the flavor of the sausage overwhelms any of the other meats.
I was expecting the pickles to be baked alongside the beef, bacon and onions in the Bacon Cheeseburger pizza, but to my surprise, they were placed atop each slice. I thought this pizza did actually taste like a cheeseburger, and the pickles added a nice sweetness. I would order this again.
The crusts at Godfather’s Pizza aren’t special, but they are a step up from Papa John’s crusts. At least there isn’t that much crust overall, as the toppings go pretty much all the way to the end.
Godfather’s has plenty of sides, though at no time did they ever have monkey bread when I ordered. The bland breadsticks ($2.99) are saved by a marinara dipping sauce, and the cinnamon sticks ($2.99) need more frosting and cinnamon flavor.
The shining star of the sides were the pizza rolls (one for $1.99, two for $2.99). If you ever had the pepperoni rolls at Gumby’s, these are about three times bigger, more meal-like and they aren’t stuffed with under-cooked dough, as was often the case with Gumby’s pepperoni rolls. Godfather’s pizza rolls are well-seasoned, and I liked them even better with a side of marinara and crushed red pepper.
Four sandwiches ($3.99) grace the menu. I tried just one–the spicy sausage. First, it wasn’t spicy at all. The sandwich, made on ciabatta bread, was basically a pizza with (soggy) lettuce folded onto itself. In other words, while the sandwich is a bargain at its price, don’t make this a high priority when ordering.
Both locations are open for lunch and dinner every day, and the Fitchburg location also serves a limited selection of breakfast pizzas in the morning. Call ahead and be prepared for a 25-30-minute wait.
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See more photos at our Godfather’s Pizza Flickr set.
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The restaurant makes a big deal of its subs, so I picked two. I got the AJ’s Club ($5.75) in a tomato basil wrap and loved it, as it was packed with ham, turkey and bacon, along with lettuce, tomato and mayo.
Cafe Porta Alba got new life (and bigger crowds) when it moved from the building that houses Capital Fitness to Hilldale Mall. This summer, it spun off a sister restaurant on the far west side called 
Meanwhile, the Parma ($8.50) with house mozzarella, prosciutto, arugula and cherry tomatoes was a nice balance of the salty flavor from the meat and the sharp flavor from the arugula. All pizzas are 10″ and Neapolitan style, meaning you could order one for yourself, or split one along with an appetizer or dessert with a friend.
