Deluca's Pizza — Restaurant in Hot Springs

Terrible "millennial" pizza restaurant that is/was overhyped, overpriced, and ugly.

SUMMARY: The wait time was over an hour, and we almost didn't eat here because of it, but after eating here, I wish we would have chosen to eat somewhere else. The pizza was nowhere near as good as I expected it to be after seeing so many people inside. I have eaten at dozens and dozens of different pizza places because pizza is my favorite food, and I can honestly say that Deluca's ranks very low on my list.

DECOR/ATMOSPHERE: When we actually got a table, and had a chance to sit down, the atmosphere really started to look and feel stranger and stranger. I don't know who decided to surround their customers in posters of models across multiple walls in a pizza place, but they should never be allowed to decorate a place ever again. It made me uneasy. Elsewhere, nearer to the bar, there were seemingly random decorations around it. I didn't get a good look at it, since we were seated away from there, but what I did see also felt very random and not very fitting for a pizza restaurant, or a bar for that matter. Looking at the menu was nearly impossible. All 4 of us struggled to read anything because parts of the menus were terribly faded- which I honestly wouldn't be surprised to learn was part of it's design. The lighting was no help here, as it was very, very dark. It didn't help that everything, even the simple cheese pizza, had really dumb names, forcing you to read the description, which was in even smaller print.

EATING EXPERIENCE: Me and the 3 others in my party decided to go with a half cheese- half Sarah's Meadow. After placing the order, not only did people who came in after us, get their food 15 minutes before us, but we had to wait nearly 45 minutes to get the food, and they had gotten 2 pizzas while we had only gotten 1. We had asked for 1 kids coke, but got a regular sized one instead, effecting our final price, which I will share at the end. While waiting on our food, the server never came to us again to check on us or offer refills on our drinks. She only returned when we received the pizza, and again when we got the check. I didn't like the Sarah's Meadow because it was too much garlic, but the cheese was fine. I say "fine" loosely here because in reality, it was mediocre at best. There was barely any sauce on it and the crust tasted like it had either too much flour in it, or really old flour in it. Everyone at our table agreed, and promised not to go back. We did a lot that day, and I was very hungry. You'd expect someone so hungry to enjoy the food more than usual, but this just wasn't good. I had never been sadder when eating a pizza than I was that day. It was so mediocre that I instantly thought about every other place in the world I could have gotten a pizza. Even my frozen pizza at home would have been better.

The final price came out to somewhere around $40 despite us only getting 1 pizza, 2 sodas, and 2 teas. This was a crappy "millennial burger place" (but for pizza). Overpriced, bad service, bad decor, bad everything. I promise you, the other pizza places in this area will be better and more...

I tend not to write 1-star reviews very often. I don’t really get upset by much. We’re in town for a long weekend and a few sites while doing research said that we should try Deluca’s. We called a few minutes after they opened at noon to set a reservation for 2 people. We figured it’d be busy, so we wanted to get a set time. The person who answered the phone was nice, and let us know they had blocked off 5:30 to 7:30 for big groups. Totally understandable. We asked for a 7:30 reservation, she asked if we could do 8pm. That’s perfectly fine too, we said whatever works for them. We ended up getting there a little early (7:30), and decided to just check in and at least get on the list. The hostess let us know that it was a minimum a 45 minute wait. No problem. She said we’ll get a text when they have a table ready for us. We proceeded to wait on their patio. 8:30 rolls around, no text no updates. Bigger groups are being seated, no complaints. I like to think I’m a pretty understanding person, especially when running a popular business. We decided to go get our car, since we took an uber, that way we wouldn’t have to find an uber if we were out late. That was 8:45. The restaurant technically closes at 8, but we were told the kitchen would be open till 9pm to take care of everyone. At this point, there’s still no text message. We get back there at 9, the restaurant is closed. No lights on, everyone is gone. When we left to grab our vehicle, a 9 top was just seated and there were also several families outside on the patio. In a 15 minute span, there’s no way that any of those families got food. What happened to texting when our table was ready? What happened to our reservation? I think what upsets me the most is wasting our time. Couldn’t tell you if the food was good, never even got to sit down to try it. Which seems to be a common theme here when reading other reviews. This isn’t how you run a business. Why take reservations if not everyone can even be seated even remotely close to the time they reserved? Just be first come, first serve at that point. Not really trying to trash anyone’s business, but I don’t understand how Deluca’s can operate this way. Maybe the food is good, but I’ll never know. Plenty of our Uber drivers throughout this weekend told us to try other places, stating that a few other local pizza/Italian places were better. That this was a tourist trap, and the locals ate elsewhere. I wanted to give this place a chance, but it’s definitely left a bad taste in my mouth. I usually operate off of a 4.5 system. Anything under a 4.5 rating, more than likely the food isn’t great, or there’s underlying issues with said business. Deluca’s has a 4.3 and I think I understand why. I genuinely hope they can get it together in the future, and continue to represent this town in the way...

Executive Summary: As a New Haven County pizza enthusiast, I can confidently say Deluca's Pizza rivals the best New Haven has to offer. The mozzarella is unparalleled, bar none. However, the front-of-house experience makes this a restaurant to avoid if you value professionalism—or if you're simply hungry.

As someone born, raised, and living in New Haven County, I’ve developed a discerning palate for pizza. Hot Springs' Deluca's Pizza came as a pleasant surprise, with its thin, crispy crust that competes with even the best of New Haven’s. While not coal-fired, the crust was cooked to perfection, a rare feat for restaurants outside New Haven. Kudos to Delucas for crafting the best crust I’ve had beyond New Haven’s borders.

Where Delucas truly outshines even New Haven legends like Sally’s (Barstool-rated 9.2) is its mozzarella. The cheese is simply the best I’ve ever tasted on a pizza—rich, creamy, and perfectly balanced. Not the least bit oily. It pains me to admit that their cheese surpassed my long-time favorite.

Unfortunately, the experience of eating at Delucas is marred by the restaurant’s front-of-house operations. While the pizza is phenomenal, the management is nothing short of a disaster.

The Good: The wait staff was exceptional. Despite being short-staffed, our server, Janie, was a whirlwind of efficiency, delivering drinks and pizza with equal parts speed and friendliness. The hostess, Sabrina, managed a packed house with composure and skill.

The Bad (and Ugly): The reservation system is a joke. I made a reservation for 6:00 PM, arrived at our reservation time to check in, and was told the wait would be at least an hour past my reservation time. Frustrating, but I remained patient. At 7:00, I inquired about our table and was told by the hostess, “You’re the next party of two to be seated. A two-top is clearing now.” Finally, progress—or so I thought.

Five minutes later, the late-arriving couple waiting next to us, who clearly knew Heather, the manager, were whisked away with a wave and a wink from Heather, to be seated at that very table. My patience evaporated. Waiting over an hour past my reservation time was bad enough, but to be skipped in line by the manager’s friends? Infuriating.

What made this worse was Heather’s response. Instead of admitting to her favoritism or apologizing, she lied to my face, fabricating excuses I knew were untrue because I’d been sitting right next to her friends that she had prioritized.

Final Verdict: Delucas’ pizza is outstanding, easily among the best I’ve ever had. But the management’s blatant disregard for order and professionalism makes this a place I cannot recommend. Pizza is not worth enduring an hour of mismanagement and line-jumpers. Delucas may have mastered pizza, but they haven't figured out basic...