Sauced Bar and Oven — Restaurant in Little Rock

TL;DR: Love that this is just minutes from my house! We just left and are already planning to go back. Food was different and delicious. They have pizzas, burgers, salads, sandwiches, just all sorts of stuff! None of the pizzas are typical of a pizza joint. I don't think I saw the words "pepperoni" or "supreme" on the menu anywhere. The beer menu is very extensive, and they also have a wide variety of wine and specialty cocktails. Great service, clean comfortable interior, and tasty food. Definitely worth a visit or five!

The atmosphere is really cozy and comfortable. Clean, a bit industrial and rugged. There's a party room toward the back with TVs, and the light fixtures are made from old beer kegs from Rebel Kettle (my favorite local brewery - you should try it, too). There a nice big bar area with TVs and high top tables and chairs, and a great patio with several tables and umbrellas.

I ordered a pizza called "Some like it hot". I just picked it at random because all the pizzas were all a little strange sounding. The pizzas are cooked in a brick oven, so they come out with a little char and perfect crusts. The crust was light and chewy, which is just the way I like it. Mine had a habenero honey, bacon marmalade, large slices of soppressata (salami/pastrami-type cured meat), mozzerella cheese, and fresh basil. It was unbelievable! Sweet and savory at the same time. I thought it would be a bit spicy, but it wasn't at all. Habenero was very subtle if present at all. Overall, excellent, and will make ordering on our next visit tough. I'd like to get it again, but what if that's the worst pizza they make and all the others are even better? First world problems...

My wife got the Rucola Salad with shrimp added. Not much to say, other than she liked it. She was a little disappointed in the price, but said the salad was very good. It was arugala, parmesan, shrimp, and a lemon EVOO dressing. She said the parmesan was basically unnoticeable and would have liked more.

Our 9yo daughter got a cheeseburger and fries. It was a very big burger for her, and she only ate half of it. It was a solid burger, with smokey flavor, and a really good, soft bun. She would have preferred cheddar cheese instead of the swiss(?) that came on it, but she's also very picky. I didn't notice that there were other cheese options when ordering.

For dessert we got the cannoli cheesecake, and it was awesome. Rich and creamy, this homemade treat really topped off the meal. Would highly recommend.

As I mentioned, they have an extensive beer list with many local craft brews on tap. I got one of my favorites (Rebel Kettle's Moontower). Not sure how often they'll rotate the lineup, but the ones they had tonight were some of my favorites. Check my menu pictures for the lineup we picked from.

The only complaints we had between us was my wife's salad and the lack of more kid-friendly options. I think there was a gourmet mac-and-cheese she could have selected, but it was hiding behind some fancier language. We only found it after ordering when checking out the dessert options. Regarding the salad, while she enjoyed it, she said it was a little smaller than she'd expected for the price. Also, she would have liked...

Do not think of the two stars as relating to the food. The food at this place is fabulous. I just tried this restaurant tonight for the first time, and I walked out thinking “great food....but there is NO reason it should have taken two hours to eat here.”

We arrived before 6 and left at 8:27. We had about a 15-minute wait, which was fine. The hostess hit the time on the head and we were shown to a table. UNFORTUNATELY, I have learned that when seated at a table in the bar area, most restaurants (including this one) have the people tending bar serve the tables. In a word, the service was HORRIBLE. Completely unfocused, confused, scattered, inattentive, and not visible for large patches of time. We ordered drinks (and don’t think these were difficult orders.....Diet Coke X2 and water) and an appetizer and all that came quickly. 30 minutes later when I finally was able to flag down one of the people from the bar we finally got to order. Were we disenfranchised because we didn’t order alcohol? Perhaps. We were still a three-digit check, but my standard 20% tip started tumbling after the first hour.

From order to food.....48 minutes. 48 MINUTES. When we finally got our check (again - I had to flag down waitstaff), I quickly paid it. 12 MINUTES LATER when the credit card was returned, I was apparently charged for a $12 Merlot from the table behind me. It is a classic mistake many restaurants make.....it is simply impossible for bartenders to tend bar AND wait on tables. Give this place a try....but REFUSE to sit in the bar area unless you are willing to have a birthday before you leave - and double-check your ticket. Odds are, the over-worked bartenders have plopped another table’s drink(s) on your ticket.

Will I try it again? Likely. But I will NEVER sit in that bar area again. The management here needs to get a better system in that area. If I could give the food 5 stars and the service less than one star, I would. Now I have to wait a few days to be sure the “fixed” check over-wrote my original charge in the credit card batch. Good...

I don’t usually write reviews, but after the experience I had at Sauced, I felt compelled. I’m an older gentleman who’s been dining out for decades, and I can honestly say this was one of the worst service experiences I’ve had in a long time.

My wife and I came in for what we hoped would be a pleasant evening. Instead, we were met with cold, dismissive service from a bartender named Madison. From the moment we sat down, it was clear she had an attitude. No greeting, no eye contact — just a rushed “What do you want?” as if we were inconveniencing her by existing.

I ordered a simple draft beer. It took nearly 20 minutes and a second reminder to get a refill, even though the place wasn’t particularly busy. What really struck me was how attentive and upbeat she was with a few other customers who appeared to be regulars — smiling, chatting, and refilling their drinks without being asked. The difference in treatment was hard to ignore.

The worst part? Not once did she check in on us after that. No “How’s everything?” No offer to bring the check. We sat there for nearly 40 minutes before I finally had to wave someone else down to close out. When I mentioned the lack of service, she smirked and shrugged like it was beneath her to care.

Let me be clear: I don’t expect silver platter treatment. I’ve worked hard all my life and believe in treating service workers with kindness and patience. But there’s a line between being busy and being outright rude. Madison crossed that line repeatedly.

Sauced may think it’s trendy, but if this is the caliber of staff they employ, they’re going to run this place straight into the ground. I won’t be coming back, and I’ll be telling my friends and neighbors the...