De Luca's Restaurant — Restaurant in San Diego

I live downtown and I usually have my regular pizza spots, but I decided to be adventurous and try another restaurant. I placed an order at De Lucas for a 20" four item pizza and a small Greek salad. I had to call after an hour to find out the order status, but the time was not an issue as I am a pretty patient individual especially if the food is good. Unfortunately this was not the case. The pizza was disgusting! It felt as if it had been sitting overnight. It was cold and nasty looking. My teen boys would not even eat it. The salad did not have dressing on the side, nor on the salad. It was basically a $5 bed of lettuce with a drizzle of feta cheese. I couldn't even even taste it. Thank goodness I had some feta in my fridge to doctor it. The pizza was tasteless. I think a piece of cardboard with toppings would have been better. I could not eat it because it was downright nasty. I even tried heating it since it was cold and rubbery but it made no difference. It just tasted like a hot slimy pizza.

The only reviews I like to leave are positive ones because I really try to be open minded, but I felt it was my duty to warn people before they wasted their time at this place. What made matters worse, was the rude A-hole I had to deal with when I called the restaurant to make them aware of the pizza issue. He was insulting and told me if I did not like the pizza go elsewhere. He blamed the cold pizza on the fact that they had to deliver ALL the way downtown! Puleeeze!! I have ordered pizzas in Hillcrest that were delivered hot. When I told him there was no dressing, he insisted I was wrong and tried to convince me there was and that I was lying. I told him he was very rude and disrespectful. He continued to rant and stated the restaurant has been around for 100 years and it was MY problem. I couldn't speak over his blustering, barbaric, bad mannered mouth, so I hung up.

I was charged over $35 and I absolutely will dispute this with my credit card company, because I haven't even gotten to the worse part. Because it was inedible, I had to throw the pizza away, and as I tossed it in the trash there embedded on the back side of the crust was a ROACH!! Initially, I thought it was burnt spot; at least I was hoping it was, so I put my glasses on to examine further and OMG it WAS a filthy cockroach!

This was the first and only negative experience I have ever had as a customer. It was horrible! The pizza, salad and roach experience were repulsive, but what added fuel to the fire was how disrespectful as a paying customer I was treated. The old man I spoke with should not be in business where customer service is required. Overall, it was SO displeasing, I felt I had no choice but to warn others. If I had the option to put a zero star, I would do it in a heartbeat, because this place does not even...

this was our first order for delivery. We have lived here just blocks away from deLuca's for 19 years and only this past year wandered in to try the food. Had a torpedo and loved it. I've been back twice for the sandwiches and they were all good. Sadly our order last night was very disappointing. We called in to order one of the Sicilian pizza's they advertise on the web site and on their flyer. we were promptly notified they DO NOT make Sicilian pizzas. So we ordered a family feast and asked for meat sauce on the spaghetti and on the lasagna. The pizza was to be pesto, chicken and meatball. We called in order about 6:30 pm on a Tuesday night... I was surprised that it took well over an hour to receive our order as we live 4 blocks away. But we were starving by the time it did arrive and everyone was anxious to dig in. we opened the pizza only to find it was so very dry you had to have a glass of water in hand with each bite so as not to choke. I had guessed there would be some sauce on the pizza or enough pesto to dampen the pie. not so. apparently the pesto is spread out over the entire pie, maybe a few table spoons total. not nearly enough to wet the pie. There was ample chicken and meatballs so i believe everyone just picked apart the pizza during dinner. The lasagna was tasty once you removed the top layer of cheese and pasta. It appeared to have been heated and charred with a blow torch before a bit of parmigiana was sprinkled on top. The spaghetti was also good but came only with marinara sauce. I had specifically asked for meat sauce and offered to pay more if it was to cost more. Well no meat sauce. The garlic bread was soggy not sure if it was ever toasted. The salad was very typical. 4 thin slices of cucumber and 4 thin slices of unripened Roma tomato, lots of iceberg lettuce and two very small containers of blue cheese dressing. the bill came to $35. now Agreed that is a lot of food for $35. If any one of the dishes would have been as tasty as their sandwiches I wouldn't have felt compelled to leave this review. Sadly each bag we opened was a disappointment. And that is coming from a group of hungry guys where the bar for good Italian food was not very high. Bottom line, probably would not order for delivery again. But as a drop in sandwich shop on the way home from work,...

My1st time of business with "De Luca's" : I had phone order, specifying that I want "extra sauce" -- and verifying that who I spoke to, understood what "extra sauce" define. I chose 'De Lucas' as a business to seek taste & give opportunity to. Phone order was done, after my original reason of calling -- as that be for seeking businesses that had 'special' going on. My hopes even more, as it was a "Padres vs Dodgers" day. But as I was at "De Luca's" , I was going through the in-house menu as I order the pizza. I could not find the price that I was given on the phone. Nor of the 2nd pizza price that I was given in-house, that be of a norm price. As this price be of what pizza I ordered.

So even more, I asked if they had any menus to-go. But I was told that NO menus to-go be available. That already creates suspicion. Even more when this be a business that has no committed feelings towards its (esp new) customer. Who looks forward to being a repeat customer.

Once I left, I looked on my receipt: only the TOTAL-paid amount be shown. NO itemization. As the pizza, for 3 toppings, that I ordered -- was told to be "$15.00" But the only amount to show on the "De Luca's" receipt be "$17.50" -- with no additional charges warned to me in advance (phone, restaurant, nor receipt).

Once I begin eating of the pizza: I can see on the top of the pizza, that "De Luca's" did NOT adhere to my interpretation of "extra sauce." As I gave the one taking the order --- to verify.

Later, within an hour, as it was an order to go. I reheat the pizza in my home, just enuff to get it warmed: I try the first slice: only a bare taste of sauce, so that cheese not exclusively dominate that crust. Actually, the sauce got lesser, the more slices that I removed (no sic). But Even Added To The Above: ALL OF THE PIZZA CONSISTENTLY. The same result be received, even when I warm up additional slices, at cooler temperatures each time. Even more consistent: STALE, STIFF CRUST. Even @ a reheated temp as low as 350...