Balistreri's Italian Ristorante

Should you order takeout from Balistreri's Italian Ristorante in Wauwatosa?

If you're weighing whether Italian food from 812 N 68th St travels well enough to justify ordering off-premise, the honest answer is: Italian food as a category is one of the more takeout-friendly cuisines available, and a neighborhood Italian ristorante in Wauwatosa is a reasonable candidate for a weeknight delivery or pickup. That said, the venue data available on Balistreri's is sparse, which means any decision here comes down to what you know about Italian food generally and what your expectations are walking in versus eating at home.

For a returning visitor, the practical question is whether you replicate the dine-in experience or accept that pasta, sauced proteins, and antipasti hold reasonably well in transit, while anything crisp or delicate — fried starters, fresh bread service, composed salads — will suffer. If your previous visit was built around a dish with a sauce-heavy base, that's the safer off-premise order. If it was a thin-crust pizza or a plated dessert that made the meal, stay in the dining room.

Booking at Balistreri's is easy by most measures. There's no indication of a difficult reservation window or high-demand counter situation, which makes it a low-friction option compared to Wauwatosa's more competitive tables. If you're local and looking for a reliable Italian option without planning three weeks out, this is a reasonable place to land. For broader context on where Italian sits in Wauwatosa's dining picture, our full Wauwatosa restaurants guide covers the full category across neighborhood and cuisine type.

The address on N 68th St puts Balistreri's in a walkable residential stretch of Wauwatosa, which matters for the dine-in decision: this isn't a destination restaurant requiring a special trip from across Milwaukee, and it isn't positioned like a white-tablecloth experience where the room itself is part of the value. Think of it as a neighborhood anchor, the kind of place where the calculus is comfort and consistency over novelty. If you've been once and it worked, a second visit or a takeout order is a low-risk call.

For anyone planning a wider evening in Wauwatosa, pairing dinner here with something from our full Wauwatosa bars guide makes sense. The neighborhood has enough options nearby that you don't need to make this your only stop.

Compared to the ambition level of destination Italian in the Midwest, Balistreri's operates in a different register entirely. Places like Smyth in Chicago or national benchmarks like Le Bernardin in New York City or The French Laundry in Napa set the ceiling for what fine dining can be, but Balistreri's isn't competing in that category. It's a local Italian ristorante, and the right comparison set is other Wauwatosa Italian options, not Michelin-level tasting menus.

How Balistreri's Italian Ristorante compares in Wauwatosa

See the comparison section below for how Balistreri's stacks up against Ca'Lucchenzo, Il Mito Enoteca, Cafe Blue, and Ono Kine Grindz in Wauwatosa. If you're open to stepping outside Italian entirely, our full Wauwatosa experiences guide and our full Wauwatosa wineries guide are worth checking before you commit to an evening plan.

Practical details

Balistreri's is at 812 N 68th St, Wauwatosa, WI 53213. Booking is easy, with no significant lead time required based on available data. Phone and website details are not currently listed in our database , check Google Maps or call ahead to confirm current hours and whether takeout or delivery is available directly through the restaurant rather than a third-party platform, which generally means fresher food at the door. If you're planning a group visit or have dietary questions, calling ahead is the practical move given no online booking infrastructure is listed here. For accommodation options nearby, our full Wauwatosa hotels guide has current options across price tiers.