After years of hearing the hype about Mabe's we finally made it. Meh. It was good but overhyped. The pizza was in the top 20% but not the best I've ever had. They had some unique pizza combos. Crust was thin, but not too crispy, or floppy. The customer service was kind and attentive. They allowed us to call in our order ahead even with dine in to avoid waiting with kids, which was greatly appreciated. read more

They make the pizza fast and has a lot seating. Unfortunately other than being reasonably priced pizza, I do not understand the hype. For me, it is average pizza based upon a lack luster crust and sauces. If you want to sit down and chat over a pie, it is a good place for that. Other than that, get Casey's take out. read more

Delcious pizza, great service and a fun place to eat!! Try their half baked pizza as well for a take and bake at home!

Great pizza! My favorite is around the garden! Perfect for a date night, or order delivery for a night in!

Don't change a thing. Old school classic and basic pizza. Well made and super tasty. Salad was also basic and good dressing. Service was attentive and professional. Clean and quiet for a nice relaxing meal. 100% try it read more

I came to visit Decorah and heard of Mabes as a must visit from everyone in town needless to say it was a bit of a let down. I ordered a typical 12 inch pizza it was OK the pizza wasn't horrible it was very ok. The service was pretty horrible servers seemed "slow" they seemed like they were a few cards short of a deck. Ordered coffee and they forgot to get it to me then when I approached the service bar and requested it all I got was a cup of coffee no spoon, cream or sugar so I went back up and asked for cream and sugar and got one single sugar pack that's all..... It was a weird and uncomfortable experience. Overall I think it's a good example of a third generation ruined business. Wouldn't recommend really at all. read more

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We visited Decorah and heard about Mabe's from some family. We made plans to go in for lunch and stopped in at 11:00 right when they opened and we're seated to a table. Once they had been opened a few minutes it was like the flood gates had opened and everyone piled in to fill the place up and walk ins started coming in for to-go orders. It was pretty obvious we found a pretty good place to eat. They have multiple pizzas to choose from, pastas, and salads. We had the chicken BBQ, three meat, and the taco pizza which was awesome! Very unique place with a diverse pizza menu and friendly staff. Clean environment, great parking, and kid friendly. read more

Decent food. Decent waitstaff. Decent experience. A bit overpriced for the quality you get. Nothing terrible, nothing phenomenal. Just decent. read more

Our group of six had garden pizza and a medium taco pizza. So delicious! we enjoyed beer and pizza and our server, Shelby, was really sweet. Cant wait to make a trip back to town. Very reasonably priced too. read more

Delicious pizza! Super thin and crispy crust with fresh and great tasting toppings. Service with a smile and a pleasant family style environment. read more

I've enjoyed Mabes pizza for as long as I can remember. The Around the Garden is especially delightful.

Our experience started off great. We waited until after the lunch rush about 1:30. We go seated and our waitress gave us kiddo activity sheets. Loved that!! We waited a little longer than expected for our pizza. We ordered a half breakfast pizza, half sausage green olive. It came messed up. The waitress informed us that they were going to rush us a new pizza with the correct order. We thought that was very considerate and appreciate it. Other than that, the pizza was really good. The crust is very good as well. read more

Outstanding service delicious pizza fantastic restaurant five stars is not nearly enough boy oh boy what a great experience if you happen to be trolling through Decorah read more

I've been coming to Decorah for work for several years and have never been to Mabe's. Finally gave it a shot, and wish I didn't. Ordered a small deluxe pizza and buffalo chicken wings to go. I was staying at a hotel nearby so everything was completely fresh by time I go to my room. The wings were clearly frozen fried chicken, with sauce on the side that you had to apply yourself. The pizza just wasn't good. The picture actually makes it look good, but the cheese was too thick and undercooked. My stomach also hurt the rest of the night... read more

Mabe's Pizza - Pizza Near Me - Decorah, Iowa

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Every time we visit Decorah we eat at Mabe's. My husband's been going to Mabe's for over 40 years, and it's become a family tradition that we look forward to. Great pizza! read more

Really good pizza! Placed an order online and it was ready pizza! Would go again! The ranch was pretty good too! If you're a ranch lover like us! Yum! Was recommended to go here and glad we did! Cute little pizza boxes! read more

Great local pizza place. The service was awesome along with the pizzas and appetizers

Around the Garden is what we ordered and was very tasty. I would have rated 4 stars but my girlfriend rated it top 3 pizzas of all time so that bumped it to 5 stars. Love the sauce and personally left off the peppers and onion. After it cooled I learned that putting a whole or half square in your mouth was the best way to taste all the great toppings. We were in town the same day as a running track meet and there was 200-300 people packed inside including a group of 20 that were sat with the pizza boxes room. Only disappointments was the sausage is minute in size and had too much Canadian bacon. Also our 12" pizza took nearly an hour to get. A 9" size would be perfect for 2. Will do it again next time I pass through read more

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My wife and I were in NE Iowa for our annual trip. We were looking for something that would deliver to where we were staying and came upon Mabe's. We ordered a breakfast pizza, chicken/mushroom pizza, cheeseburger, and cheese bread. Everything was excellent! The breakfast pizza was my personal highlight. Crisp, hot, and just the right amount of toppings and sauce. We will certainly hit up Mabe's again if we are in the area! read more

Indescribably amazing pizza. I can't speak for anything else on the menu. But what I can tell you is that the za is where it's at. If you haven't tried their Philly Cheesesteak Pizza, you haven't lived. The cheese sauce alone is reason enough to keep eating this delicious pie well after your stuffed and your gut is crying out in gluttonous agony, but each new bite as it slips into your mouth is a new level of luxuriant misery. You just can't stop. This pizza, it hurts so gooooood. The crust, befuddles me. It's not too thick, not too thin. It's just perfect. A mysterious goldilocks treasure. Normally I love a good hearty deepdish style crust. I detest, read loathe the cracker thin anorexic cracker style hate-machine that is the thin crust pizza schelpped out at far too many pizzerias. This crust is refreshing, this crust, is amazing. The rest of the toppings work together in a wonderful symphony of flavor. The steak, the peppers, onions. A finely tuned weapon of mass deliciousness. In talking with locals I've heard stories of pizzas being shipped worldwide on dry-ice to homesick diaspora of Luther College grads. And you know what, I believe it. If I was in some far flung corner of this Earth, and I could have one thing shipped to me far far away, I'd want the Mabe's Philly Cheesesteak Pizza. So good we always get it each and every single time we're in town. As for the service, it's college kids, you get what you get. Indulge in sweet anticipation for the arrival of your pizza, as for when it gets to you, and you take that first bite, time will cease to have any meaning, and you will transcend this mortal plane. read more

Mabe's Pizza - Pizza Near Me - Decorah, Iowa

Delicious!!! A great place to stop and grab a bite after a swim meet at Luther. Would definitely stop here again.

This pizza is so good! We had The Regular, but that is a vast understatement. The sauce is so good, and even the burnt ends of the crust add to the overall experience. We subbed hamburger for sausage. Cheese sticks weren't anything special. Free delivery, too! read more

Mabe's Pizza - The Regular (subbed hamburger for sausage) - Pizza Near Me - Decorah, Iowa

Mabe's has been a Decorah staple for many folks - including for me since I came to Luther College many years ago. In that time (nearly 25 years), nothing much has changed; I suspect it's been pretty much the same since the beginning - a testament to the tasty pies they have been making for decades. The decor of the place hasn't changed much, either - they have booths and tables up front, and a bunch of tables in the back as well. The decor is nothing special, perhaps a bit dated with wood paneling, but it's comfortable. I can't review anything but their pizza and cheesebread, as I've never had anything else! The pizza is thin-crust, but not "cracker-thin" or crispy. Instead, it is a soft thin crust. I usually get some variation of "The Regular" which is cheese, sausage and pepperoni. Again on our most recent visit, we had the cheesebread with sauce, and a large Regular with mushrooms, and subbing hamburger for the pepperoni on one half. All is reasonably priced, with 4 large slices of cheesbread and sauce coming in at just under $5. A large pizza was around $17. The sausage is not the large globs of meat that you find at some other pizza joints, but is small and fine, which makes it go all over the pie nice and evenly. Nothing special about the pepperoni, just your average round slices. The sauce is quite good, with a bit of tang to it. The pizza is cut into squares, but I'm guessing they'd cut it in slices on request. Service has always been good for us, but we generally we go at times that aren't too busy (usually around 11am on a mid-January Monday). I'm not a pizza snob by any stretch of the imagination - I love most pizza! But a few pizza places hold a special place in my heart and palate...Mabe's is the best of all. read more

Mabe's Pizza - Slice of cheesebread with sauce; sauce served with cheesebread is "chunkier" than the pizza sauce. - Pizza Near Me - Decorah, Iowa

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This is a Decorah staple. The pizza and Lasagna is so rich in flavor. That being said bring your antacids its worth the heartburn

Pizza was the BEST ever! Fantastic- cooked perfectly, place was super busy at 8:30 pm and they still delivered!!! Wish they shipped!!!!! I'm 2000 miles away and definitely will make a trip back!!!!! read more

Definitely a Decorah classic, with an old-time feel. But when you come right down to it, you go here to check it off your vacation list. Pizza was decent, although somewhat undercooked. Nothing special, but nothing bad, either. Unless you're a local customer, this is a one-and-done kind of experience; way more inventive food at other places in town. read more

I can't rate the food because after delivering water and menus, the server ignored us. We were patient because I know restaurants are struggling right now. But after the waitstaff visited an adjoining table three times while assiduously avoiding eye contact (we'd been seated for ~25 minutes), we left. The table behind us also had difficulty getting served (and they had little kids). Maybe you need to know the waiters to eat at Mabe's. We subsequently had a lovely lunch down the block at Magpie. Go there instead. read more

This pizza is about the best you could get. So tasty, and their crust is amazing! Very busy for a Friday night. Everyone working wears masks. Dine in is also available but we carried out. read more

I went to Decorah with a group of friends and heard about how amazing the pizza was here. Let me tell you- it's not. In total, my group got three different types of pizza. When we got our pizza we were all underwhelmed. While I am not an expert pizza taster, I can safely say that I've had better pizza from chain stores. My pizza tasted bitter and had no flavor besides that and the BBQ one had so much of the sauce that you couldn't taste anything else. I wouldn't recommend this place at all. It seems to me that it's hyped up mostly because of the nostalgia factor more than actual deliciousness. While the wait staff were nice, they were also understaffed and the drinks we had were terrible. My water tasted funny and my sister commented that her lemonade tasted rancid and old. :( I honestly feel really let down. read more

Legendary pizza since 1953, was told about this great place from a Luther Alum when I told them I was traveling to Decorah, IA. Great puzza! read more

Mabe's Pizza - Regular - Pizza Near Me - Decorah, Iowa

I ordered the Philly cheese pizza and was pretty good. The crust is thin and crispy, that was my in-laws favorite part. Service wasn't terrible, not great. read more

A great pizza place in downtown Decorah. The service was prompt and responsive with a very clean seating area. I had their 4 meats pizza. My server brought me a fantastic drink and promptly took my order. Remember that pizza isn't fast food but my pie was out quickly. The crust was thin but not crunchy and the sauce was perfect. As I was leaving the host told me about a recent mission trip she had made. Loved my experience at Mabe's and the staff was exceptional. read more

Very average pizza that was quit disappointment. Server was just plan annoying and too into our business. Strong draft list.

Honestly didn't know what to expect with this place. Drove all the way from cedar Rapids based on a couple recommendations of the best pizza. Was NOT disappointed. Very fast and friendly service. The BBQ chicken pizza was amazing, with their own BBQ sauce. What really topped it off was the fried mushrooms. They were giant mushrooms sliced into thick slices with a nice breading. While it takes about 2 hours for me to get to, I will visit again. read more

Mabe's Pizza - Mabe's Famous Pizza Breaded Mushrooms - Pizza Near Me - Decorah, Iowa

Great pizza. The best way to describe it is simple, old school quality. I haven't had pizza this tasty since eating at a favorite place in Iowa City. Why is it that pizza that originated in the 50s is so da** good? I had the one called "Around the Garden" which had several kinds of meats plus veggies. Even though I got a 12" pie, it was topped heavily and quite filling. There's nothing like cold leftover pizza for breakfast while trout fishing the next morning. The service at Mabe's was quick and friendly. The pizza arrived piping hot and the appearance tantalizing. Everything worked perfectly together. The tangy sauce and plentiful cheese (and other toppings) made this pizza memorable. I liked the simple, light, and airy thin crust. Let me go just step further and recommend the town of Decorah in general if you are traveling. There are great things to see and do and many friendly people. Check out my other reviews for this area. I am planning to return in a month and can't wait to get another Mabe's pizza. It's some of the best I've ever eaten. read more

Best pizza I have ever eaten. It is a thin crust pizza cut into tiny, little squares - so most pieces do not have any edge crust to get in the way of the pure, pizza flavor. And the crust is so thin that even the edge pieces do not have any huge, doughy edge crusts to get in the way of enjoying the pizza. The sauce seems to have some addictive secret ingredient or something that makes it really unique and wonderful among pizza sauces - it is very good. You can order a variety of toppings, but really, the "Regular" is the best. If you need alot of other stuff to make you happy - the "Around the Garden" is a good choice. You can also order Mountain Dew by the pitcher, which is a rare and special treat!!! read more

Well shucks, I entered Mabe's with high hopes, thinking I might find some bomb ass Za in Decorah. What I found at 2 o'clock in the afternoon was really uninspired service and a pizza that really was pretty bland. I found myself looking out the window across the street at Happy Joe's thinking and knowing that a much better product could've been had there. Oh well, I like to try out new things on occasion in hopes of finding something extraordinary, unfortunately Mabe's probably won't see me returning next time through Decorah. read more

Crappy service. Took over an hour for our order and it was dead. Pizza was ok I've hd better.

Right on again Yelpers. Great food and s....l.....o.....w service. First time I was ever here, and I would go again. Decor: Nothing to write home about. Tables and chairs or booths. A picture of what I am going to assume is Mabe? Food: Great pizza. Thin crust that wasn't too thin and cracker like. It still had some texture to it. A little bit of chew and a great flavor. Sauce was light and blended well. Toppings were acceptable and tasty. One friend had onion rings, no...don't bother. Service: He needs to rethink a job in the service industry. We came in earlier and there were only about six or seven tables..more started trickling in after we had given our drink order. Now this drink order wasn't so hard, two waters and two beers, but yet after fifteen minutes and watching two tables seated after us get served drinks by the same server....I finally asked. Mind you, those two tables were on each side of us. So it wasn't like he had to go far to see it. When I mentioned it, he seemed to react with a "Oh, whoops" type of comment. He returned with the beer and we got down to the business of ordering. We all had 9" pizzas and while it took a while for those, it wasn't terrible. However, not in the restaurant's control was the table with the Dad and four kids sitting near us. Buddy, take a piece of advice from another parent. Tell your toddler to sit down, stop screaming, stop climbing all over the booth or you are going home! It works, they don't follow directions, get up and take them out of the restaurant. Ask food to be packaged to go and get the heck out. Once or twice and the three year old will learn that there are rules for dining out in public. I don't mind seeing kids at a restaurant, especially a place like this that is more family friendly, but doesn't mean we have to let kids behave like wild dogs. Ok, back to Mabes. Pizza came out looked great, tasted great and I was in love. But again, server had four people at this table, he wrote down the order. Can't he look at his order pad and see who ordered what? Why do you need to auction off my pizza? "Alright, who has the veggie?" Whatever happened to knowing this? When the first drinks weren't on the bill, I didn't feel bad about not telling them due to poor service. I would go back, but I might just think about getting it to go! read more

Mabe's Pizza has been a staple of Decorah, Iowa for over 60 years. Mabel herself passed away in 2002 at the age of 97, but her pizza recipe and restaurant lives on. As best I can tell, Mabe's in downtown Decorah continues to be very popular, and they now also have a second location in Cresco. Mabe's vast menu includes appetizers, salads, burgers, sandwiches, and pasta in addition to pizza. Fun fact; Mabe's actually served sandwiches to the local Lurther College students first, and only later changed their name and signature dish after one student introduced Mabel to pizza. Despite this longer standing sandwich tradition, I was still obviously going to order a pizza. However, I did at least branch out to try some cheese bread as a starter. It was a thick, Texas Toast-type bread, and it was pretty good. The pizza at Mabe's comes in five different sizes; mini (6"), special (9"), small (12"), medium (14"), and large (16"). I wanted to make the most of my opportunity at Mabe's, so I couldn't order anything less than a small. However, 12 inches is a pretty good-sized small pizza, so I wouldn't make a habit of that if unless you're looking to expand your waistline by 12 inches as well. The first specialty pizza listed on Mabe's menu is simply called "Regular", and its non-flashy combination of sausage, pepperoni, and cheese is perfect for me. I enjoyed the thin, square-cut crust and found it to be soft and not overcooked. The sauce was also good, and so were the smaller pieces of sausage. The cheese and pepperoni didn't stand out as much, but it was a very well-blended pie. Overall, the Mabe's in Decorah is a neat place with good food. If that isn't enough, they also have wine as well as a few beers on tap. This sometimes includes a brew from the well-known Toppling Goliath Brewing in Decorah. It is worth a stop if your around Decorah, and shame on you if you live there and haven't tried Mabe's. read more