DeLuca’s Pizzeria Napoletana

Ate here on a Friday evening, (6÷10÷16) with a 7pm reservation. Read the Unilocal reviews so I knew we needed to call ahead and reserve the dough. Glad we did! My daughter and I were visiting Hot Springs for the week, and this is definitely part of the local culture. We were seated promptly, and our waitress was very nice. The place was busy, and we had to wait a little for drinks and our pizza, but this was not a big deal. If you want speedy service, there’s a Little Caesar’s down the street!
We split the Spring Salad Mix (it was enough for 3 – 4) with the tomato vinaigrette. Not enough dressing! Definitely ask for extra, as it was very good. The salad was fresh, and locally grown. The salad is plain, though, so if you’re expecting fixings with it, you’ll be disappointed.
We ordered the Neapolitan with half sausage, half meatball. I don’t think meatballs were on the menu, but the waitress recommended it, and that half was our favorite! It was all yummy, though. The style of this pizza is different from places like Domino’s and Pizza Hut… again, if you’re wanting pizza like that, this isn’t for you — pick up your phone and order carryout — or go to Little Caesar’s. DeLuca’s pizza style reminds me of Grimaldi’s in the Dallas area.
We’d read on Unilocal that the cannolis were amazing, and we were NOT disappointed. We were so glad we ordered two, rather than sharing one! OMGoodness! Delicious! Scrumptious! One of the best this Italian girl has ever had! My daughter (who had cannolis in Italy last fall) said this was hands down the best she’s ever eaten. Made with mascarpone and not ricotta, they are simply to die for. (no dried fruit in the filling (thank God!), just a few chocolate chips).
Our waitress took our leftover pizza to box it up and forgot to bring it back. We forgot it as well. Not a big deal, but be sure to remember your leftovers if you have any.
We would definitely go back. Pricey, but worth it for something different.

We always make sure to drop in this place for dinner or lunch when we visit hot springs. Nice bath, and great food are a good combination.

Oh my gosh!!! This place is amazing! Location was convenient, and the inside is simple and clean. Me (and my party of three) got the meatball appetizer to share. Small and dainty, they were a great starter. We then ordered the Sissy and Joe, it tasted exactly like the pizza we had in Rome. Very authentic and VERY delicious!!! We then shared the cannoli– very crunchy like it should be and the ricotta was thick and delicious!!! This restaurant never fails to make you feel better about eating a giant pizza!!!

Pricey pizza, but worth it. Their pizzas are just like what we had while travelling in Italy. It’s absolutely amazing that this quality of pizza is available here in little Hot Springs!
Only one or two fresh toppings, thin crust shaped by hand, cooked in a high-​heat brick oven for an effect that cannot be achieved at home. They also get certain ingredients directly from Italy every week.
Service was efficient and friendly, and the only downside is the requirement to reserve ahead of time so that your crust (s) will be prepared during the day. It’s worth it for the quality!
Another new pizza place is opening up close to Deluca’s, and I suspect that it will pick up the customers who hadn’t reserved at Deluca’s. What they will be missing!!!

Holy cow! WE’LL NEVER ENJOY ANOTHER PIZZA! We’re not local, but may have to consider relocation now. We started with a capri salad with Napa mozzarella. Wow! Then came the benny briggs pizza with added onion and peppadew! Again HOLY COW! Hubby says no more pizza at home. They can’t compare to this. He’s right! I sorta don’t want to tell you Unilocalers that i love about this place. Sorry.

The service is horrible. We waited for two hours for our pizza with no attention whatsoever. They forgot about our food and the waiter could not just admit this to us, or even utter an apology. They eventually claimed the error was due to Memorial Day. Well with that kind of justification they should just close for Fourth of July and Labor Day.
The pizza is great but such a shame that they hire rude, unprofessional, and arrogant staff.

Terrible pricey pizza, terrible service & rude server almost ruined our sister’s w/​e getaway to Hot Springs!!!
So to back things up– I was in town a couple mo ago with my family & we checked nearby places to eat on Unilocal DeLuca’s sounded perfect (& was open), we were near the bath houses & had parked our car away, so decided to walk there (about a mi) I carried my 2yr old the entire trip to find out once we got there the place was closed/​sold out at 6:30pm on a Saturday night? Weird– but we found another place.
So back to this past w/​e on a girls trip, we decided to try DeLuca’s I knew to call ahead & get us a table, we got there on time, the place wasn’t terribly busy. We were seated quickly, but our server didn’t come by until about 20 min later to get our drink order. We also brought wine & asked for glasses. He never brought. We didn’t think much of it, we were there to have a good time. All 4 of us were famished & really looking forward to some good pizza! We ordered 2, my sister & I asked for buff mozz, prosciutto, pepp, arugula & cherry tomatoes. The server did say it would be too watery IF I added more, he said to stop there. So we did. The other 2 sisters ordered a hamburger meat pie. Our complaint is both pizzas were so salty, it wasn’t just ours because of toppings, we tried the other & it had to be the dough & sauce, maybe a new person made the dough? When we were asked by our sever how everything was, we were honest that we were not happy with the pizza. And nicely asked if we could get remade. He was so rude, & made us feel completely unwelcome– saying «I told u so, I told you». I mean, who does that!!! Very tacky & not professional. So it wasn’t our fault for what we ordered, we hadn’t ever been to that place before, how would we know? And for the super salty pizza, why is that? Your message to my other sister is based on our meat choices, but what about the other pizza with different toppings? We don’t mind paying for expensive gourmet pizza, when it’s good! You see, that’s the difference! You’re in a tourist area as well, think about that on your vacations & how you want to be treated as guests. We all had such a wonderful day in Hot Springs, but our evening ruined in this overpriced pizza dump!

I’ve had great pizza, Pisarro’s & The Pass & Provision in Houston, Regina’s in North Boston, Spumoni Gardens in Brooklyn and even worked throwing dough in the air in high school in New Orleans at a well-​respected independent. Tony Valinoti makes the absolute best. This is the Elvis of pizza. The dough is perfect… every time! Crisp yet pillowy, stretchy & chewy at the same time. Wonderful, fresh tomato sauce, delicious cheeses. Do yourself a favor and keep it to a basic cheese or one ingredient pizza. Better than first rate ingredients.
This place absolutely rocks!

The pizza was great. Wasn’t crazy about their appetizer menu. Also we split a pizza between four people and were over charged. The pizza was $ 27 and we ended up paying $ 37 for it.

From previous reviews, I had very high expectations of this place. The Patsy Searcy pie exceeded these by far. This was the most unique and perfectly delicious pizza I have ever had. I have never had a peppadew before, now I am putting them on everything! I know you’ve heard it before… but go if you haven’t be here before!
I went at 11:30 on a Saturday and it wasn’t too crowded and only took about 20 min to get my pizza.
Hint from waiter: If you go for dinner, call for reservations so they will save you some pizza dough. Otherwise, they run out very quickly.

Different, but really good. We had to wait awhile, but it was worth the wait. Good service and great pizza. We had the butchers pizza with the homemade Italian sausage and smoked pepperoni. A very filling pie. Me and the gf took a few slices back to the room. I ate 1 pc as a midnight snack, it was a lot better fresh.

We ate at Deluca’s tonight for the first time after spending the day at Oaklawn. I had been wanting to get over to Hot Springs for quite some time to try it out, and it definitely didn’t disappoint!
When we arrived, the sign outside said they were sold out (which we hear is pretty typical) so I was glad we made reservations for our pizzas this morning. Everything we ordered — the caprese salad, pizza, and tiramisu — was amazing! Quality ingredients, perfect crust — thin, but not too thin, just a little bit of chew.
Service was great. Waitstaff seemed super friendly, and the owner, Anthony came out to check on our table and say hello (and every other table I could see). When you enjoy what you do day in and day out, it shows, both in you and in your work. Deluca’s exudes that.
We’ll for sure be making the drive from Little Rock again.

Tasty pies. Nice beer selection. Fun vibe. Fresh, local ingredients! Can’t beat that. That ante pesto! Wow. Just go check it out. But call early to reserve your dough!

This is by far the best pizza I have ever had. It was very fresh and had the best quality toppings you could ask for. The Calabrese was the best I have had and the mushrooms were very fresh and delicious. I really cannot say enough about the pizza here. I also had the spring mix salad which is enough for at least 3 people. I tried the lemon vinaigrette and the tomato vinaigrette. I didn’t really care for the lemon but the tomato was one of the best salad dressing I have had. The salad was the freshest tasting lettuce I have ever had also.

We just ate here to lunch after our drive in from Dallas. I loved this place so much that I’m making my girlfriend come back for dinner.
Great fresh ingredients, no shortcuts and no tricks here. The food here was honest, creative and delicious. I don’t remember the name because we picked it based on out waitress’s recommendation. Just get the one drizzled with honey.

We’re from Texas and spent a day in Hot Springs and were really looking forward to some delicious pizza.
We walked in on a Sunday at 7:20pm and were told they were closed despite the fact that they were open until 8 according to their Google listing (which they really should fix). We were told to come back on Thursday (which is impossible since we’ll be hours away by then) despite the fact there were at least 5 tables still eating and all we wanted was to get it to-​go. Unless it takes them more than 30 minutes to make a pizza, we definitely would have been out of their hair before the other diners were done.
I’ve worked retail for many years, so I get it’s annoying to have people walk in when you’re trying to close down, but a 7pm closing time seems a bit ridiculous. Maybe I’m just used to Dallas business hours, but it seems to me they’re losing out on business by not staying open that extra hour or so, and also putting their employees through the unnecessary frustration of turning customers away and rushing them through their meal.
We went to Rocky’s Corner down the road and it was excellent.

Amazing hidden gem! Everything was fantastic! Next time in in town or driving by ill have to stop here

Try as it might, DeLuca’s simply could not live up to the expectations evoked by its overwhelmingly positive reviews. Make no mistake, all the elements are in place for perfection: first class ingredients, a trendy location with unique ambiance, and attentive waitresses who are a joy to deal with even when they make mistakes. But at the end of the day, all of that can be rendered meaningless by poor execution, which was, unfortunately, the case during our visit. Burned (yet simultaneously and inexplicably undercooked) crust and miscommunicated orders might be acceptable at another pizzeria, but when a discounted ticket totals over $ 50 with tip, patrons expect and deserve better. DeLuca’s has the means to deliver on that potential, and I hope one day they will, but today was not that day.

The pizza is amazing and all they get the stuff from local farmers! The food is awesome but it’s a fun place too hang out!
Everyone that works here is so friendly and want to make sure you have a good time!

Who would of thought we’d run into great New-​York style pizza on the middle of Arkansas? The service was super friendly, the atmosphere really chill and casual, and the New Yorkers in the kitchen gave this place an awesome vibe. The chef was so excited over my enthusiasm for buffalo mozzarella that he came to our table to talk about it. The excitement over the food was infectious.
The prosciutto and buffalo mozzarella appetizer was crazy good. The pizza was giant; we got the plain margarita but I would recommend splurging for the buffalo mozzarella. Only other thing I would change is to have a few more basil leaves on the pizza. Between the two of us we could not completely finish it, but the leftover slices still tasted great the next day.
Bottom line: how many times can you mention buffalo mozzarella in one review? Eat here. You’re welcome.
Buffalo mozzarella.