Tommy Washbush
The Mildred’s Weaver’s Fancy at Molten Monkey.
Closer to light: the Mildred’s Weaver’s Fancy pie.
Molten Monkey’s pizzas are Detroit-style, period. It’s a version of Sicilian deep-dish that’s been gaining popularity nationally for the last decade, and you’ll know you have the genuine article when there’s an intensely browned ring of crispy cheese on the outside of the crust. The interior is pillowy and soft; this is knife-and-fork territory and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
While Molten Monkey is not Madison’s first Detroit-style shop, it is arguably its most successful. The kitchen’s presentation of the frico, that crispy cheese halo, takes it to the furthest, crunchiest extent in town.
Owner Otto Dilba, one of the cofounders of Ale Asylum, was turned on to the Detroit style after that brewery closed in 2022. He reportedly spent 15 months experimenting with the style.
Dilba’s penchant for craft beer-style branding is on display with the Molten Monkey menu. You’ll find a meat lovers pizza called the Big Chungus (what the terminally online will recognize as a “fat Bugs Bunny” meme) and the Heatonism Bot (homophonically identical to the name of a minor Futurama character).
The Big Chungus’ four meats (diced ham, crumbled bacon, cup pepperoni, and fennel sausage) are put to good work. Everything gets sizzly and frizzly and if it’s kind of a lot, you probably expected as much going in.
That fennel sausage can also be added to the Umami Bomby, which you could just as well call the Big Fungus: four types of mushrooms plus a judicious sprinkle of truffle parm seasoning. This is one of Molten Monkey’s best, and it doesn’t need the sausage.
The Mildred’s Weaver’s Fancy, a callback to the dearly departed sandwich shop Mildred’s that was once down the street, is another excellent vegetarian pie. Both banana and bell peppers, onions, and a confident splash of the house Monkey Sauce make this not only flavorful but as close to light on the palate as Detroit-style gets. Monkey Sauce also appears with the cheesy Monkey Styx; it’s a loud sauce, full of garlic and fruity tang, with a hint of heat.
Oversaucing a pizza is always a risk, even with pies that have fairly dense crusts like these. The Tik Tik Boom, featuring a chicken tikka masala topping, is a fun culinary angle for a pizza, but its herby avocado “drizzle” is too much alongside the tikka masala base sauce.
That avocado drizzle also comes on the Avo Maria, a pie featuring chicken, Nueske’s bacon, tomatoes and green peppers. This was the lone instance of an underbaked Molten Monkey pie during my visits, and if it weren’t for that flaw, it would have been a great payoff for this creamy sauce. As it was, the center bites were unpleasantly soft and doughy.
For those who want a straightforward pizza, the What Up Dough is the pepperoni pie you crave, bubbly and salty. There’s also build-your-own, which allows full customization. While there are options for making a pie vegan, there is no gluten-free crust choice. Molten Monkey’s website promises that eventually by-the-slice ordering will be available.
Other menu items include the juicy Molten Meatballs appetizer, served atop an almost comically generous bed of melty/crispy cheese, and a few salads. The Caesar is perfectly enjoyable; there’s also a typical house salad, a chopped salad with ham and banana peppers, and the Avo Maria (again), this time with arugula, goat cheese, prosciutto and that dressing.
The early hype for this shop has yet to fade; if you’re dining in, prepare for either an early dinner or a wait. I was stunned to see the admittedly small dining room, somehow even cozier than it was when it was Sal’s, filled to capacity at 4 p.m. on a Sunday.
Online ordering may set your earliest pickup time a couple hours out, or be temporarily turned off altogether. There’s even an option to place your online order up to seven days in advance “so you don’t miss out.” If opting for carryout, it’s a smart move to request your pizza be left uncut to keep it from sogging out.
Various pizza shops have occupied 912 East Johnson with minimal interruption since at least 1981. The storefront may be the same, but with Molten Monkey’s skillful Detroit-style crusts, it’s a brave new world.
Molten Monkey
912 E. Johnson St.
608-709-2770, moltenmonkey.com
4-10 p.m. Wed.-Sun.
$9-$35
