Best pizza for 100 miles. Yes, Ian's is amazing drunk food and very creative, so we'll leave that fight out of this. In terms of technical pizza, this place is perfection. I'm sitting on a beach in Napoli as I write this, so believe me when I say "pizza brutta is the closest thing to "real Italian pizza" you'll find in Wisconsin. Also great is the fact that they offer a VERY solid gluten free crust for the trendy and/or sickly among your group. ;)
They have a brick oven on premises and a quaint little dining space. Not the best for big groups, but 4 or 5 is fine. The ingredients are all super fresh and authentic. As I said, I'm visiting the Campania region right now and pizza brutta would be right at home on any street corner here. The buffalo mozzarella takes on a lovely golden hue and the crust has the right amount of char. I like basically every pie they offer. The flavors are so diverse that making a recommendation would be pointless. Follow your stomach and order what you think you'll like (and you will! ).
The wine pours are generous and they have a decent selection. I haven't had their sandwiches, but the salads are incredible! Get the beet salad!!!
If you want mac n cheese or a good old fashioned american style slice, hit Ians. If you want brick oven authentoc pizza but are constrained to a certain neighborhood or are walking, Nat spil and Gates & Brovi are very good too. But Pizza Brutta is hands down the best pizza in Madison.
Every vilas/Monroe resident and UW student NEEDS to try this place.