A Philadelphia bakery known for turning cheesesteak and pork roll into hand-held pies has set up shop in West Allis, according to a Facebook post from the City of West Allis, WI Government. Little Susie's Coffee & Pie, which built a following in Philly for its walk-up-window hand pies and La Colombe coffee, says it has opened its first Wisconsin location in the city.
The news arrived Monday via a post on the City of West Allis, WI Government's Facebook page, titled “A taste of Philly has arrived in Stallis!” Little Susie's got its start in Philadelphia, where owner Dan Martino founded the hand-pie business in Port Richmond in late 2019, according to PhillyVoice. The Inquirer has reported slightly different timing on the shop's debut, placing the opening in December 2019 in one account and early January 2020 in another — a discrepancy that hasn't been resolved in the available coverage.
Little Susie's built its reputation on single-serving sweet and savory pies with a closed crust, a format that PhillyVoice's report says grew in popularity in Port Richmond during the COVID-19 pandemic thanks to the shop's walk-up window. Menu staples have included cheesesteak, pork roll and cheese, apple, and cherry pies, along with La Colombe coffee, bagels, and even dog treats made from pie crust, per the same outlet.
From Philly Storefronts to a Growing Footprint
The chain has since expanded within Philadelphia, adding an Old City location on March 14, 2022 — fittingly, “Pi(e) Day” — at Second and Chestnut Streets, across from the Customs House, the Inquirer's coverage of the opening notes. That shop let customers order from a window on the Chestnut Street side and pick up their pies at a window facing Second Street. A third Philadelphia location later opened in Point Breeze, rounding out a trio of shops in Port Richmond, Old City, and Point Breeze.
Each Little Susie's location sells roughly 200 to 300 pies a day, the Inquirer's reporting on the business's rise found, with pork roll remaining the top seller followed by apple and a sausage, egg, and cheese breakfast pie. That reporting also identified Milwaukee as the planned site of Little Susie's first franchise, to be run by a friend of founder Daniel Martino — a detail that lines up with the brand's arrival in the West Allis area, just west of Milwaukee.
A City Still Rebuilding
The new shop's opening comes as West Allis continues recovering from flooding that struck the region in August 2025. Residents and business owners there are still rebuilding more than a year after the August 2025 floods inundated basements, according to Spectrum News 1. West Allis resident Jennifer Gjerseth recalled watching her basement fill with water on Aug. 9, 2025, and the station reported she has since spent more than $20,000 replacing her car, furnace, water heater, electrical system, and washer and dryer.
Local businesses took a hit too. Locker's Florist owner Kimberlee Grob told the station her business suffered $50,000 in damages, received no financial help from FEMA, and had only $5,000 covered by insurance.
For now, details on the West Allis shop's exact offerings, hours, and any additional features remain limited to what the city's Facebook post and franchise news out of Philadelphia have confirmed: a hand-pie and coffee concept with roots in Port Richmond now extending its reach into southeastern Wisconsin.
