Molten Monkey - Best New Restaurant - 2025 - Madison Magazine — Restaurant in Madison

This review is long overdue. When I first came here, I was going to give this place 1 star. Long story short, I saw a bunch of reviews of people complaining that you have to order way in advance because they run out of dough quickly. With that in mind, I decided to take a chance & placed an order for pickup on a Friday night around 5:30pm — the order was set to be ready by 8pm. Sure, the wait time was annoying, but I was super excited/curious about all the hype surrounding their pizza. Unfortunately, around 7:30pm when I was about to head out to pick up the pizza, I received a call that my order had to be cancelled because they ran out of dough. I was (understandably) extremely upset & went to Jets instead. That should’ve been the end of it.

I think it was the next day, I was driving around the area & was still curious about trying their pizza. So I went into the storefront to see what was up. Since it was closer to 4pm (which is when they open) I figured I could try to get an order in earlier & see if the same thing happened again with the dough running out. I complained a little bit to the cashier about what had happened the previous night & she told me she remembered me & that the company had sent me an online gift card as an apology & an incentive to come back. Lo & behold, I checked my email & the gift card was there. I placed an order with her for two pizzas again & it was supposedly going to be ready around 5:45pm. This time around, I got a phone call on time saying that my order was ready for pickup!! I used the gift card to pay, so it was perfect.

Let me say, when I took my first bite of that pizza, I instantly was glad that I decided to give this place another shot. The crust was incredibly crunchy & the flavors were perfection (I got the Avo Maria & a pepperoni pizza that included a hot honey drizzle). Molten Monkey redeemed themselves in my book & I would certainly come here again because the pizza really is THAT good! It’s arguably some of the best Detroit style pizza...

Wow....just...WOW. I could not be more impressed with my experience this evening at Molten Monkey. I am a -huge- Detroit pizza fan, and when I happen to stumble across Molten Monkey...well....I just had to try it. Here is my recipe for a great night at Molten Monkey. Rule 1. Take your time, this is a small, intimate establishment that values experience and taste over volume...respect that, and do yourself (and them) a favor by giving yourself time to experience their wonderful pizza. Rule 2. Talk to the people that have brought you the pizza. I came in on a Saturday night, the place was packed (and had -that- pizza smell...exactly what you want in a great pizza place), but I waited for a seat at the bar. Chatted up Heather (front of house maven) whilst I waited...then, by either luck, or his desire for me to stop bothering his front end manager, Otto, the "big cheese" owner started chatting with me as I bombarded him with annoying pizza questions...and once we started nerding out on what cheeses he used on his pizzas, it was over...3 hours later (and a sampling of both the "Not on the first date" and a "Heatonism BOT") I was pretty convinced that this was some of the best pizza in town! Rule 3. Be open to new things on pizza. This is not the place to go for your moms sausage mushroom and onion pizza. (don't get me wrong, I love a good SMO)...but this pizza is some of the most unique and tastiest in the land...LIVE A LITTLE!!! It's hard to find good Detroit style outside of D-town itself, but Otto, Heather, and Craig (the well seasoned barkeep in his own right) have knocked it out of the freaking park. Keep up the great work. I'll be back to sample some Monkey Styx and the rest...

If you’re looking for a different style of pizza in Madison, this is worth a try! I have been meaning to try it since the signage went up. Ordered takeout for 2 on a Friday night; as tasty and busy as you would expect for a new restaurant in Madison. Keep that in mind when you order takeout or want to dine-in — waits will be much longer than anticipated/stated.

Food: ordered a BYO pizza and monkey styx. Extremely flavorful, rich, and heavy pizza. The crust really shines. PERSONALLY could have used more sauce, or sauce on the top, but very good regardless! (Could probably order an extra side of marinara.) The monkey styx were a bit lighter and still packed with flavor.

Service: Be aware that time estimates for takeout on the website are NOT accurate. Gave me a 45 minute time frame from when I ordered and I ended up waiting in the cozy front-end for almost 30 extra minutes past that. Not a huge issue considering how new it is. Would be perfect if the time estimate is something they can modify on their end of the website/service to be more accurate. Lots of respect to the staff for their kindness and effort through a peak dinner rush!

Atmosphere: Very compact building. Loved the vibes from my short time waiting for takeout. Would definitely try dine-in in a weekday when it’s hopefully less busy.

Will definitely have again...