After 7 months of traveling to Madison for business, we finally made it here for dinner to try this very famous pie. Well, we opted for a large 16 inch thin crust with pepperoni, bacon, red peppers and mushrooms. Despite the hugely favorable recommendations and self induced expectations, I felt the pizza was just ok. The crust was a bit thin and cracker-esk and the sauce was a little on the bland side for me. All the stars were aligned for a potentially positive pie-eating extravaganza however, despite the hype and late evening hinger, I still felt the pizza was just "ok". I will honestly confess that the overly smokey bacon may have thrown this experience into a slight diversion. Although I'm a huge fan of bacon, this particular bacon (a local favorite) was and had a very intense smokey flavor. It was almost like it had a bit of liquid smoke on it - sort of a bit artificial if that makes any sense. I'd definitely give this place another chance though - minus the bacon of course.
All this said, the atmosphere is very cool... Warm and friendly with a strong local vibe. The service was exceptional and the appetizers (roasted garlic and calamari) was very delicious.
As I've mentioned in previous pie- reviews... I can be hyper critical about "good pizza". There is a lot of good pie out there but, there's not a lot of great pie. :)