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There’s an episode of The Office in which Michael Scott attempts to get back in his staff’s good graces by ordering from their “favorite pizza place, Alfredo.” He’s immediately asked to clarify whether he procured pizza from Alfredo’s Pizza Cafe or Pizza By Alfredo. “Same thing,” he says, which leads to an explanation about the “very big differences” between the pizza places in terms of both quality of ingredients and in overall taste. Eventually, Michael reveals he ordered from Pizza By Alfredo, much to the unanimous dismay of his co-workers.
https://youtu.be/S6h3nqWBNPE?si=u46IqI-tjyPGRwm5&t=110
The Milwaukee area dining scene also has its own case of two pizza places sharing very similar names. Even though little things like, say, the restaurants being about eight miles apart from each other and, like, one of them actually being deep in West Allis probably prevents any chance of confusion on behalf of customers, the double Scotty phenomenon did make us wonder whether there were “very big differences” between these two establishments as well.
Despite the name overlap, is it possible that—much like the scenario in The Office—one of them is good and the other “is like eating a hot circle of garbage”? With a hunger in our stomach and curiosity in our heart, we decided to go to both restaurants and order the same thing within a 48-hour span in an effort to determine which local Scotty pizza place is the best. Yep! It’s time for Pizzeria Scotty vs. Scotty’s Bar & Pizza. Here are our findings…
The Location/Atmosphere
Scotty’s Bar & Pizza
Down on the corner of Clement Ave. and Howard Ave. in that area that’s not quite Bay View and not quite St. Francis (it’s the edge of the Tippecanoe neighborhood, for those of you scoring at home) is Scotty’s Bar & Pizza. Beyond the U-shaped bar that takes up most of the main room, there’s a small back dining area with a big Elvis statue for some reason. During our latest visit, the Scotty’s soundtrack was either a TouchTunes song selection (including a couple Nickelback cuts and some indistinguishable pop songs) or TV audio from whatever was on ESPN.
Pizzeria Scotty
Deep in West Allis, Pizzeria Scotty is a tiny restaurant that sits beside a fairly spacious parking lot near the intersections of Oklahoma Ave. and Beloit Rd. Yes, the interior is small—with a pair of two-top tables for customers to sit at while awaiting their orders—but it does the job for a carryout joint. The space was clean, the customer service was friendly, and we’re pretty sure we heard “Higher Love” by Steve Winwood playing over the speakers back in the kitchen. Sadly, we spotted exactly zero Elvis statues within the confines of Pizzeria Scotty. And we looked!
ADVANTAGE: Scotty’s Bar & Pizza.
The Drink Selection
Scotty’s Bar & Pizza
While we waited for our dine-in order to arrive, we enjoyed a bottle of High Life. There’s a well-stocked bar at this Scotty’s and the drink prices aren’t bad by Milwaukee in 2025 standards. Of course, there’s also soda and various other N/A favorites on hand.
Pizzeria Scotty
There’s a cooler near the entrance with soda and water. That seems to be pretty much it.
ADVANTAGE: Scotty’s Bar & Pizza.
The Pizza
Scotty’s Bar & Pizza
As noted in the intro, we ordered the exact same thing at both restaurants: the locally-lauded topping trio of Sausage, Mushroom & Onion. Our large S.M.O. from Scotty’s Bar had generous coverage of spiced in-house Italian sausage, tons of diced onions, and a lot of mushrooms. The crust was a classic Milwaukee-style thin crust and the cheese was in abundance. Some minor drawbacks included a shortage of sauce in comparison to the rest of the pizza’s components, and the use of canned mushrooms (which are fine, but inferior to fresh mushrooms). Also, it could’ve maybe used a couple more minutes in the oven so the middle was a little less watery and flimsy. All things considered, it’s still an exceptional pizza.
Pizzeria Scotty
Our Pizzeria Scotty S.M.O. was in a warming case when we arrived, so it was piping hot when we took down a few slices in our car (for the sake of fair evaluation, okay!). Like its similarly-named counterpart, this pizza was also covered in a generous scattering of homemade Italian sausage and bubbly mozzarella cheese. The sauce was just as good as the other Scotty’s and there was no shortage of it on this ‘za. The crust wasn’t flimsy in the slightest and it had an underlying sourdough-like character that we enjoyed. There weren’t many drawbacks here, but the few missteps were still pretty significant. They went a little light on the onion and very light on the fresh mushrooms. We’re not sure if we’d prefer lots of canned mushrooms or very few fresh mushrooms. Seems like a no-win proposition.
ADVANTAGE: Draw.
The Prices
Scotty’s Bar & Pizza
Despite the affordable drink prices and some great daily specials, we need to focus on the pizza we ordered on its own for the sake of fairness. The three-topping large (16″) pizza came in at the pre-tax and pre-tip total of $24.
Pizzeria Scotty
Despite its rewards club, coupons aplenty, and other deals offered, we need to focus on the pizza we ordered on its own for the sake of fairness. Each 16″ thin crust pizza starts at $19.45, plus $2.50 for each topping (or $3.45 for premium toppings). Our three-topping pizza came in at the pre-tax and pre-tip total of $26.95.
ADVANTAGE: Scotty’s Bar & Pizza.
Closing Arguments
Scotty’s Bar & Pizza
You might notice we’ve refrained from using the word “Historic” anywhere in this article, even though the owners put the declaration at the front of the business’ name. It’s not a historic place, despite being around for over 35 years. At its heart, Scotty’s Bar & Pizza is just a colorful neighborhood dive that just so happens to punch well above its weight when it comes to making pizza. We’ve only ever dined in, but it’s worth mentioning they also offer carryout orders. This is the type of place that might come to mind when you think of a classic Milwaukee-style pizza. It’s good!
Pizzeria Scotty
West Allis is littered with exceptional pizza places and, to be quite honest, Pizzeria Scotty should be considered one of them. Sure, it’s carryout-only and is significantly more expensive and less convenient than getting something delivered, but if you live nearby and don’t feel like the restaurant experience, this place will do you right. We should also mention that Pizzeria Scotty’s pizza was noticeably better than Scotty’s Bar & Pizza on day two in both cold and reheated formats.
The Verdict
WINNER: It’s closer than you might think. Even though we’re tempted to make everyone mad and say it’s a tie, we have to give the edge to SCOTTY’S BAR & PIZZA. In the end, we think the dine-in option, its liquor license, intangibles like crust and sausage quality, and the topping volume compared to the lower price just (narrowly) makes it the superior Scotty. All that being said, if you’re in or around West Allis and you have a hankering for some great local pizza, don’t bother venturing across town to Scotty’s Bar & Pizza. You have a perfectly great Scotty of your own. This is NOT an Alfredo-like scenario. If you’re ordering pizza and “Scotty” is somewhere in its name, you have nothing to worry about.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6maCs3wQvsM