Pepi’s Pizza has officially reopened in the former Big Ebe’s Pizza space at 1329 S. 70th St. in West Allis.
It’s a big day for the pizza restaurant, which has survived both ownership changes and multiple moves over the past 66 years.
Pepi’s was founded in 1953 by Andy and Mary Nigrelli, who opened a sit-down pizza parlor on South 16th and West Scott Streets in Walker’s Point. In 1995, the restaurant moved to South Howell Avenue, where it operated as a carry-out and delivery business for over two decades.
Ricci Mane, who now runs the restaurant with his wife Kathy and son Jerry, purchased the business in the early 2000s from the Nigrelli family, moving the business to 1330 E. Brady St. for a short period.
Pepi’s on Brady closed in 2016, however, the pizza brand continued to sell frozen pizzas at local grocers, as well as at Kat’s Cafe in New Berlin, where the family continued to serve up Italian favorites.
But beginning today, the pizza restaurant again has an official home.
The new digs include a small dining room that seats about 45, along with a small patio along the front of the restaurant.
The menu, headed by Pepi's longtime chef Tim Schultz, includes Pepi’s favorites, including breakfast pizza, barbecue and buffalo chicken, seafood (crab or lobster), veggie and meatlovers, along with the special, with sausage, mushrooms and onions, and the super special, which adds black olives, green peppers and pepperoni. Prices range from $8.75 to $17 for 10-inch pies; $12.75 to $17 for 14-inch pizzas; and $14.75 to $24 for 16-inch.
The menu also includes a variety of sandwiches and both fried fish and chicken dinners, starting at $9.50 for four-piece meals. Dinners include lasagna ($10.95), ribs (¾-rack for $15.50 and full rack for $17.95) and chicken parmesan for $10.95.
Pepi’s Pizza is open Wednesday and Thursday, from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday, from 11 a.m. to midnight, and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. On Monday, the restaurant is open for online orders (carryout and delivery only).
As a passionate champion of the local dining scene, Lori has reimagined the restaurant critic's role into that of a trusted dining concierge, guiding food lovers to delightful culinary discoveries and memorable experiences.
Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with every dish. Lori is the author of two books: the "Wisconsin Field to Fork" cookbook and "Milwaukee Food". Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club. In 2024, Lori was honored with a "Top 20 Women in Hospitality to Watch" award by the Wisconsin Restaurant Association.
When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or planning for TV and radio spots, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.
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