Zaffiro’s Pizza: The Beginning
John Zaffiro and his younger brother, Liberio ("Bobby"), grew up on Milwaukee's east side. Their father was an immigrant from Sicily, believed to have worked 56 years for the Schlitz Brewing Company.
In 1951, John first worked for Bobby at the Rock-a-Bye Tap in Milwaukee’s then predominantly Italian Third Ward district, located at Buffalo & Jackson Streets.
When many bars and eating establishments started serving pizza at that time, Bobby and his brother John began offering pizza, too.
In 1956, they opened Zaffiro's Restaurant at 1724 North Farwell Avenue - present location. At that time the restaurant was simple: just a few tables and a service bar.
In 1970, the brothers acquired the barber shop next door to the restaurant,- adding to the establishment a dining room. A full bar had also been built.
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John M. Zaffiro |
The specialty of the house was John Zaffiro's pizza - thin with traditional toppings such as sausage and pepperoni, onions and olives. John made spaghetti, and meatball sandwiches, too,
"He was just a really hard-working guy," John's son recounts. "He would work long hours and never complain. He'd start to prep the pizza and spaghetti sauce early in the afternoon and they'd stay open even during the week until 1 in the morning."
Bobby was the more extroverted brother, who worked the front of the restaurant. As John's son remembers,
"He'd break out into song. "He belonged behind the bar."
John Zaffiro kept making pizza until 1988, when he retired. Bobby Zaffiro died the following year. After which,
Bobby's wife, Rose, and two sons, Michael and Joe, took over the business.
John Zaffiro died of congestive heart failure in April 2006.
Zaffiro’s Pizza has always been famous for its thin-crust pizza and neighborhood bar-like atmosphere, serving five generations of families. From celebrities to sports figures to politicians, you never know who you'll see at Zaffiro's!
In local surveys, Zaffiro's continues to rank among Milwaukee's most popular spots for pizza.
