Johnny Brusco's New York Style Pizza — Restaurant in Bentonville

I only selected a one star because I had to pick something in order for this to get posted.

Let me start with Iam very careful with what I eat because it is hard to find things that i like since my passed away. Over the weekend we went in and it was good so when my husband asked what i wanted i said let's stop on the way so i can the veggie pizza. And, we did. Side note...I know people who were regular customers before this new owner and they have said nothing is the same. A very long list of reasons why well I had not any issue so I just let what they said roll off. So last night went for dinner after 7 and it was not busy yet again. Everytime we have gone it is never busy. And i ordered my pizza we ate. Well I got to find a lovely hair that was baked into my pizza not just on top of it. The young girl tells them in the back and comes back to me and then goes back to talk to whoever that was behind the wall. It was playing out like a elementary game of telephone. By now i am up and gone to the restroom to throw up and I was there for a more than 15 minutes. When I come out we are about to leave and want to know who the manager is so 3 people are pointed out, one is behind that mysterious wall. My husband is getting very upset I feel like I may hit the floor since now i just threw up what little i did eat. At this point the mystery man comes out and is just standing there with a smirk on his face. By this point I have had enough and I step up to the counter and said look you should have come out to apologize if you are the manager. Some very colorful words were used no one was there but myself, my husband and the staff. That was his excuse he said he was real busy making pizzas. There was maybe 2 other people in the restaurant when i went to the restroom and by the time i came out they were gone. I bet the crappiest pizza place has more customers during a tornado. And, the whole time the manager stood there looking at me with a smirk on his face. So I made it very clear we may not look like we are extremely rich based on our appearance or vehicle. You may want to think before you judge anyone. So i am trying to get the names of the managers and of the general manager and that mystery man now is the the general manager. And if he didn't want to give me his name they couldn't give it to me. They said they tried to call the owner but he didn't answer. This was the biggest clown show with fingers being pointed in every direction. Still with NO ONE being a manager or general manager or even a grown adult to just take responsibility. Only things said we didn't know, we didn't do it on purpose, we were busy and on,...

I really wanted to like this pizza place because there is a picture of a gorgeous cheese slice that pops up in google maps and it gave me a lot of hope. I was disappointed when I opened the box to see my pie was covered in air bubbles and did not look appetizing.

Also, I ordered a large pie on a Monday and wasn’t told about their $12 deal on Mondays, so I had to bring that up at the door. They tried to charge $17+ for the pie.

This is Arkansas not NYC so I’m not trying to be a total snob. This is one of the better pies you’ll try in the area. The flavors of the sauce and cheese as well as the sturdiness of the undercarriage are way above average. It was pretty good. But someone needs to fix the pie being completely covered with air bubbles. Air bubbles covering a pizza are not a pleasant texture.

For comparison to what I saw on google versus what I had, check the third image.

The air bubbles on this pizza—especially the large, puffy ones—are caused by trapped gas in the dough during baking. Here’s why that happens:

Under-proofed or Unevenly Proofed Dough • If the dough hasn’t risen enough before baking, or if it’s proofed unevenly, gas (from the yeast or leavening process) won’t be distributed well. This causes pockets of gas to expand rapidly in the hot oven, forming large bubbles.

Lack of Docking • Commercial pizzerias usually “dock” the dough (poke it with a dough docker or fork) before adding sauce and toppings. This prevents bubbles from forming. If this step is skipped or done lightly, bubbles can still rise.

Oven Heat and Hot Spots • Very high oven heat (which is great for pizza) can cause moisture in certain areas to turn into steam fast, inflating those areas into big bubbles, especially if the dough has thinner or more hydrated spots.

Thin Sauce or Cheese Coverage • Bubbles are more likely to form in areas with less sauce or cheese—like the one near the top right in the photo. Toppings weigh the dough down and help distribute heat more evenly.

These bubbles don’t necessarily destroy the pizza but they can be seen as a quality control miss and definitely ruins the pie’s mouth feel and experience.

I want to try them again and have a do-over maybe with someone else...

Very clean and open. The yummy smells were available outside, but even more mouthwatering inside. Our waiter Collin was so attentive and accurate. When we sat down he noticed our table was dirty and immediately cleaned it off for us.. I downloaded the app previously and had some free garlic knots, yay! They were fresh, hot, and melt in my mouth. They came with fresh (looked homemade) marinara. We ordered a large pizza with different toppings on each side. Unlike other pizza places the New York crust was done perfectly...crispy crust and just a bit foldable towards the middle. So many other places do not cook it enough in the middle. The whole experience was great...except...this blonde woman came and dropped off the garlic knots...I asked if she had some plates...she said "we do" and left...um...well I guess I shld have said "please bring some" .... we sat there and got parm all over the table while we ate the garlic knots. I was soooo surprised she never apologized or brought any to us. Collin stopped to ask us if everything was okay (garlic knots gone). I asked him if he could bring plates with the pizza. He came right back with a holder for the pizza and some plates. Whew! Glad we didn't have to eat our pizza like animals..lol. Wonderful pizza place! I totally recommend and will be an repeat customer. I can't wait to try their pastas and...