On a recent weekend trip I visited Kate’s Pizza Amoré in La Crosse, Wisconsin. It’s the sister location to Kate’s on State which serves Italian in the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse area. Pizza Amoré is new and fairly packed when we arrived. Without a reservation we had about a 45 minute wait. No fear, however, as there are numerous great bars in the area, notably the Bodega Brew Pub to grab a drink and come back.
It was clear the staff was hustling: our waitress wouldn’t let one of her tables sneak out behind her without saying goodnight and there was a little sweat on her forehead when she helped us order. Without a beat she explained her favorites and explained the pizza sizes while coming across relaxed and very personable. Well done.
I ordered the small Margherita, which according to the menu contains “extra virgin olive oil, fresh garlic, fresh tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, fresh roasted garlic, basil pesto, and a light sprinkle of our secret blend of cheeses.” Wow, garlic and garlic!
Upon arrival, the first thing I noticed was the pesto. It’s drenched in it and tasting this pizza was more garlic and pesto than cheese and tomato. It wasn’t what I was expecting for a Margherita but it was quite good and not overbearing. The crust is thick and chewy but crisp on the edges. It’s a great take on California style and all the ingredients popped out and shared the stage. It’s well balanced, fresh and flavorful. A little sweet, perhaps, but I liked it. The “secret” blend of cheese seemed to be predominantly mozzarella, although quite good mozzarella. If you’re from Minneapolis, Saint Paul or Duluth, think of what Pizza Lucé would be like if it was less greasy and the crust was better.
My date ordered the “Spinach Surprise” pizza as recommended by our waitress and the quality of it kept getting brought up throughout the rest of the weekend. As a small pizza here is a bit much for one person we had some of it boxed and it was quite good reheated.
I can’t wait to go back to have it again although next time I’ll call ahead to get a reservation and skip lunch so I have room to try an appetizer too.
Kate’s Pizza Amoré
212 Main St NE
La Crosse, WI 54601
608-782-6673
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I went to school in La Crosse, so my husband and I often return and have a hard time deciding where to eat because we have so many favorites.
However, this pizza sounds amazing and we’ll have to try it next time. Thanks for the heads up!
Btw – Bodega – LOVE IT!
We dined at Kate’s Pizza Amore tonight and it was wonderful. You could taste every ingredient and it was excellent! We had: Grilled Bruschetta –
Fresh tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella served on grilled flatbread and Gorgonzola Tapenade Pizza –
Garlic cream sauce, olive blend, portabella mushrooms, prosciutto, salami, Gorgonzola and Kate’s cheese blend. We will be returning soon!
Next time, you have to try the Thai Curry Chicken with Peanuts…who would have thought that you could make a pizza out of that? I have a new favorite food! We also tried the mashed potato pizza, which is big out in New Haven where my daughter is in school. Amazing, also. But the curry chicken is really REALLY something special!
I will definitely check this out next time I am in La Crosse. The city has changed since I went to college there in the 80s. Much nicer to hang out in the downtown as it is more than just the college bars that once dominated the culture.
Went to school in LaCrosse!! Try Edwardo’s pizza! It’s the best! They put little monkeys on your drinks, and have great pizza, pasta, and amazing cheese curds! (get Half cheddar, half mozzerella-and a half order is more than enough for two!!)
I took my girlfriend to pizza amore for valentines day. She ordered a black olive pizza and I ordered the Thai Curry Chicken Pizza. Hers arrived about 15 mins before mine did and was wrong (they didnt put the black olives on). They gave us a big bowl of black olives in place. We had a few pieces of hers while we waited for mine, it was alright, nothing special. When we got mine, it was probably the best pizza we had ever tried.
Long story short, if they can lock down the service, pizza amore will be great.
Oh, and theyre not open for lunch!
I have to add my compliments to the rest: I was *very* impressed! I took my wife to Kate’s for supper (it’s a good idea to get there before 5 PM, when customers start flocking in), and she was very impressed by the “Spinach Surprise”–especially since they made a whole-wheat crust on request. (Thanks for the menu tip, Aaron!
) Kate really showed her colors, though, when she found out that I have 50+ food allergies (and virtually never eat out–I bring my own food, and/or eat ahead of time), and spent about 10 minutes on the phone, about 5-10 minutes in person at the restaurant, and took an extra shopping trip to get rice pasta just for me (and gave me the uncooked leftovers in the bag!), just so that I could eat there! The whole experience for me was less than $12, which was stunning… and it tasted fabulous! She’s truly an artist (and has experience with weird diets, apparently). I *highly* recommend Kate’s Pizza Amore to anyone!
(The one thing I’d personally change would be the modern art in one corner of the ceiling, in the shape of a woman’s nude bottom half… but that’s me. Just get a seat looking toward the window, and you’ll be fine.)