Lucille: Difference between revisions

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'''Lucille''' is a pizzeria in downtown Madison, across the street from the Capitol, on the eastern corner of the square.  They serve both thin-crust pizzas made in a wood-fired oven, as well as Detroit-style steel pan pizza, which is a thicker crust.  The address is 101 King St.<ref name="ct-2024-02-07-pO38">(2024, February 7). Valentine's Day specials: Lucille, 101 King St. ''The Capital Times''. p. O38. Newspapers.com image [https://www.newspapers.com/image/1037740565/ 1037740565].</ref>
'''Lucille''' is a pizzeria in downtown Madison, across the street from the Capitol, on the eastern corner of the square.  They serve both thin-crust pizzas made in a wood-fired oven, as well as Detroit-style steel pan pizza, which is a thicker crust.  The address is 101 King St.<ref name="ct-2024-02-07-pO38">(2024, February 7). Valentine's Day specials: Lucille, 101 King St. ''The Capital Times''. p. O38. Newspapers.com image [https://www.newspapers.com/image/1037740565/ 1037740565].</ref>
==History==
Lucille was announced in June 2015 as "a pizzeria wrapped around a bar" in the 8,000-square-foot former Isthmus newspaper building — once Capital City Bank — at 101 King St.<ref name="mc-2016-05-12-lucille-opens">Christians, L. (2016, May 12). [https://madison.com/life-entertainment/local/food-drink/article_86428d2a-5f89-5354-9aab-3b57dbd0343c.html "New pizzeria Lucille open in old Isthmus building."] ''madison.com''.</ref> Joshua Berkson and Patrick Sweeney, the owners of Merchant, opened it on May 12, 2016, with several of the Merchant team: chef Evan Dannells and pizzaiolo Chris Gragg. The wood-fired thin-crust pies were joined by a Detroit-style pan pizza whose crust is made with Spotted Cow. The room has three levels, with a lounge built into a former bank vault<ref name="mc-2016-05-12-lucille-opens" />.
When the dining rooms closed in March 2020, Lucille and its sister restaurant Merchant sold food from a takeout window on Pinckney Street, including a big slice of the day and Lucille's Detroit-style pan pizzas<ref name="mc-2020-03-19-takeout">Christians, L. (2020, March 19). [https://madison.com/entertainment/dining/article_e2348f35-2489-582b-b4c6-4565731e0747.html "Madison restaurants shift to takeout and delivery, bringing burgers, coffee to your doorstep."] ''madison.com''.</ref>. That fall Lucille, "already a pizzeria", added an online-only brand, Slice Queen, with 14-inch thin-crust pies cut in squares<ref name="mc-2020-11-07-cold-comfort">Christians, L. (2020, November 7). [https://madison.com/entertainment/dining/article_2fdc210d-f78e-55cb-a251-96fc41516a1e.html "Cold comfort: With winter on its way, Madison restaurants scramble to stay alive."] ''madison.com''.</ref>. On January 5, 2022, it became the first Madison restaurant to require diners to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination; the owner, Joshua Berkson, had closed it for two days in December 2021 so the staff could get booster shots<ref name="mc-2022-01-05-lucille-vaccine">Kalk Derby, S. (2022, January 5). [https://madison.com/entertainment/dining/restaurants/article_cc630d0a-33d0-5d77-8194-8ea1e4398809.html "Lucille to become first Madison restaurant requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination."] ''madison.com''.</ref>.


==Trivia==
==Trivia==
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==See also==
==See also==
* [[COVID-19 pandemic]]
* [[Item:Q962|Lucille in the Madison Pizza Wiki database]]
* [[Item:Q962|Lucille in the Madison Pizza Wiki database]]


==Notes==
==Notes==
<references />
<references />

Latest revision as of 13:51, 21 October 2026

Lucille is a pizzeria in downtown Madison, across the street from the Capitol, on the eastern corner of the square. They serve both thin-crust pizzas made in a wood-fired oven, as well as Detroit-style steel pan pizza, which is a thicker crust. The address is 101 King St.[1]

History

Lucille was announced in June 2015 as "a pizzeria wrapped around a bar" in the 8,000-square-foot former Isthmus newspaper building — once Capital City Bank — at 101 King St.[2] Joshua Berkson and Patrick Sweeney, the owners of Merchant, opened it on May 12, 2016, with several of the Merchant team: chef Evan Dannells and pizzaiolo Chris Gragg. The wood-fired thin-crust pies were joined by a Detroit-style pan pizza whose crust is made with Spotted Cow. The room has three levels, with a lounge built into a former bank vault[2].

When the dining rooms closed in March 2020, Lucille and its sister restaurant Merchant sold food from a takeout window on Pinckney Street, including a big slice of the day and Lucille's Detroit-style pan pizzas[3]. That fall Lucille, "already a pizzeria", added an online-only brand, Slice Queen, with 14-inch thin-crust pies cut in squares[4]. On January 5, 2022, it became the first Madison restaurant to require diners to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination; the owner, Joshua Berkson, had closed it for two days in December 2021 so the staff could get booster shots[5].

Trivia

  • For Valentine's Day 2024 it offered a $70 dinner for two with a bottle of wine and a 14-inch heart-shaped wood-fired pizza[1].
  • A 2025 review of Molten Monkey Pizza named Lucille as Madison's local Detroit-style pizza[6].

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 (2024, February 7). Valentine's Day specials: Lucille, 101 King St. The Capital Times. p. O38. Newspapers.com image 1037740565.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Christians, L. (2016, May 12). "New pizzeria Lucille open in old Isthmus building." madison.com.
  3. ↑ Christians, L. (2020, March 19). "Madison restaurants shift to takeout and delivery, bringing burgers, coffee to your doorstep." madison.com.
  4. ↑ Christians, L. (2020, November 7). "Cold comfort: With winter on its way, Madison restaurants scramble to stay alive." madison.com.
  5. ↑ Kalk Derby, S. (2022, January 5). "Lucille to become first Madison restaurant requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination." madison.com.
  6. ↑ Kalk Derby, S. (2025, May 29). "Restaurant review: Molten Monkey's Detroit-style pizza is almost perfect." madison.com.