Unearth The Voyage
Arkansas may not be famous for pizza, but its local pizzerias are proving they deserve a spot on the map. From longtime neighborhood favorites to newer restaurants earning devoted followings, the state is home to excellent pies in every corner.
Whether you’re craving classic New York-style slices, wood-fired creations, or inventive specialty pizzas, these 14 Arkansas restaurants deliver memorable meals. Each has earned a loyal fan base and is well worth a visit.
1. DeLuca’s Pizzeria, Hot Springs, Arkansas
Hot Springs has no shortage of interesting restaurants, but DeLuca’s stands apart by treating every single pie like it matters. The dough is handmade fresh each morning and cold-proofed before it ever touches the brick oven, which burns hot enough to produce a perfectly browned crust with subtle charred spots.
Signature pies like the spicy Patsy Searcy Pie, loaded with soppressata, Calabrian chili oil, peppadew peppers, and honey, show how seriously the kitchen approaches flavor. Beyond pizza, the menu includes homemade meatballs, Buffalo Mozzarella with Prosciutto, and freshly made cannoli.
Barstool Sports gave DeLuca’s an impressive 8.7 score on its One Bite Pizza Reviews, which is the kind of recognition that turns curious visitors into devoted regulars. The quirky decor, including a Kiss drum set on the restroom ceiling, adds to its unmistakable personality.
2. Pizzeria Ruby, Springdale, Arkansas
Eighteen inches of pizza is a bold promise, but Pizzeria Ruby delivers on it every single time. Chef Michael Robertshaw, with a New England background, built a menu that pays tribute to classic New York-style pizza while adding inventive twists that keep regulars coming back for more.
Lunch service offers individual slices, while dinner focuses on whole pies featuring combinations like whipped ricotta with fontina and onion jam, or the crowd-pleasing Truffle Pig with mushrooms and truffle oil. House-made pastas, including Pistachio Alfredo and Rigatoni Bolognese, round out the menu nicely.
The open kitchen lets diners watch the dough being tossed by hand, which makes the wait feel like part of the experience rather than an inconvenience. A welcoming outdoor porch and soft-serve gelato for dessert make Pizzeria Ruby a complete meal from start to finish.
3. Vino’s Brewpub, Little Rock, Arkansas
Since 1993, Vino’s has operated by its own rules, and Little Rock loves it for exactly that reason. The crust here is thick, chewy, and bread-like in the best possible way, with a satisfying crunch on the bottom that sets it apart from both Neapolitan and New York-style pies.
The interior is covered in band posters and concert flyers, the furniture is deliberately mismatched, and the clientele ranges from downtown professionals to longtime punk-rock fans. Vino’s famously hosted Green Day in 1991, long before the band became a household name, and that history adds a layer of authenticity that no amount of branding can manufacture.
Calzones here are considered by many regulars to be among the best in the state, and pizza by the slice keeps the lunch crowd moving efficiently. Few restaurants in Arkansas carry this much genuine character per square foot.
4. Oven & Tap, Bentonville, Arkansas
Bentonville has transformed into one of the most talked-about small cities in America, and Oven & Tap fits that energy perfectly. The wood-fired oven at the center of the kitchen produces pies with a desirable char and a structure that holds toppings without turning soggy halfway through the meal.
Creative options like the Spicy Joe with pickled jalapeño and spicy honey sit comfortably alongside classics like the Marinara Pie topped with fresh arugula. The kitchen also offers house-made pastas, wood-fired edamame, and salt and vinegar potatoes, giving non-pizza eaters plenty to enjoy.
For those who want to recreate the experience at home, Oven & Tap sells pizza kits complete with house-made dough, sugo, and cheese. The restaurant works equally well for a quick casual lunch or a longer dinner after exploring the shops and galleries of downtown Bentonville.
5. SQZBX Brewery & Pizza Joint, Hot Springs, Arkansas
Pronounced Squeeze Box, this Hot Springs original started life as a piano repair shop, and the owners kept that history alive by turning old pianos into bar furniture and using original architectural elements as interior dividers. That kind of creative repurposing sets the tone for everything else on the menu.
Dough is made fresh every morning and cold-proofed for two full days before being hand-tossed, topped with fresh vegetables and premium sliced meats, and baked on a stone in a very hot oven. A pizza TV window lets diners watch the entire process from dough stretching to finished pie.
Sub sandwiches on house-made rolls, fresh salads with homemade dressings, and gluten-free and vegan options make this spot accessible to almost any group. SQZBX also earned recognition from Preserve Arkansas for excellence in a Commercial Personal Project, which is a genuine honor for a neighborhood pizza joint.
6. Wood Stone Craft Pizza + Bar, Fayetteville, Arkansas
Wood Stone has been making pizza the hard way in Fayetteville since 2014, relying on a wood-fired oven and fresh, locally sourced ingredients rather than shortcuts. The menu is built around specialty pies that reward adventurous eaters without intimidating those who prefer familiar flavors.
The Ozarkansas pie features pepperoni, local ham, sausage, peppers, and mushrooms, while the Three Little Pigs stacks smoked pork, ham, and bacon into something genuinely memorable. For those feeling experimental, the Thai Curry and K-BBQ pies show just how far the kitchen is willing to push the concept.
Appetizers like grilled chicken wings, kale artichoke dip, and oven-baked mac and cheese give tables plenty to share before the main event arrives. Two locations, one in the Mill District and one Uptown, mean that Wood Stone is never too far away regardless of where you are in Fayetteville.
7. Rocky’s Corner, Hot Springs, Arkansas
Rocky’s Corner opened in 1970, founded by the Diorio and Simonovich families who brought their Chicago roots straight to Hot Springs. More than five decades later, the formula has barely changed, and that consistency is exactly what keeps loyal customers coming back through the door.
The pizzas here land somewhere between Chicago tavern style and deep dish, with a thick, crisp-edged crust, a garlic butter finish, and a generous layer of cheese that holds everything together. The Undisputed Champ pizza lives up to its name, and the Pizza Bianca with garlic butter and Alfredo sauce is a reliable crowd-pleaser.
Italian beef sandwiches, Vienna beef hot dogs, and pasta dishes round out a menu that feels rooted in a specific culinary tradition rather than chasing trends. Virginia Clinton Kelley, mother of President Bill Clinton, was once a regular here, which says plenty about its place in Hot Springs history.
8. ZAZA Fine Salad & Wood Oven Pizza Co., Little Rock, Arkansas
ZAZA operates at a pace that makes a fast-casual restaurant feel like a genuinely elevated dining experience. Each personal pizza is prepared to order and cooked in an oak-fired oven running between 700 and 800 degrees, producing a thin crust with the signature leopard spotting that Neapolitan purists appreciate.
The dough uses Molino Caputo Tipo 00 flour, and the sauce is built from San Marzano tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, locally grown basil, and cracked pepper. Specialty options like the Chile-Honey Soppressata, featuring salami, peppadew peppers, hot honey, and arugula, balance heat and sweetness with real precision.
Dinner-sized salads, including the ZAZA House Salad with blueberries, strawberries, and goat cheese, are substantial enough to serve as a complete meal on their own. House-made gelato and seasonal soups make ZAZA a restaurant worth visiting more than once per week without any sense of repetition.
9. Rod’s Pizza Cellar, Hot Springs, Arkansas
Papa Rod and Mama Rod opened this Hot Springs institution in 1975 with a straightforward goal: make pizza exactly the way they believed it should be made, with no compromises. Nearly five decades later, those original brick ovens are still running, and the kitchen still makes dough fresh every single day.
Sauces are prepared in small batches, real cheese is sliced in-house, and the result is the kind of old-fashioned pizza that reminds people why they fell in love with the dish in the first place. The Godfather pizza and the thick-crust pepperoni are perennial favorites that have earned their reputations honestly.
A lunch buffet runs Wednesday through Sunday, featuring pizza, a full salad bar, and dessert pizzas topped with cinnamon and chocolate chips. Appetizers fried in beef tallow, including toasted ravioli and fried pickle spears, add a fun old-school touch that fits the restaurant’s overall personality perfectly.
10. Pedaler’s Pub, Bentonville, Arkansas
Bentonville built its reputation on world-class mountain biking trails, and Pedaler’s Pub figured out early that hungry cyclists need more than an energy bar after a long ride. The wood-fired oven in the open kitchen produces handmade pies with a smoky character that pairs well with the laid-back, industrial-chic atmosphere.
Specialty pizzas carry cycling-inspired names like The Single Speed, The Derailleur, and The Arkie, which gives the menu a sense of local identity that goes beyond decoration. Burgers, sandwiches, wings, and salads give groups with mixed cravings plenty of options without anyone feeling like an afterthought.
The outdoor patios, both front and back, are popular spots for post-ride meals when the weather cooperates. Darts, pool tables, a golf simulator, and regular live music performances make Pedaler’s Pub a destination worth visiting even on days when the trails are closed.
11. The Pizza Cafe, Little Rock, Arkansas
The Pizza Cafe on Cantrell Road has quietly become one of Little Rock’s most dependable neighborhood restaurants, the kind of place where regulars walk in knowing exactly what they are going to order without ever looking at the menu. The crust is substantial enough to support heavy toppings without collapsing, and the red sauce carries a pleasantly tangy flavor that anchors every bite.
The star of the menu is the legendary Loaded Baked Potato Pizza, an Arkansas original topped with baked potato, cheddar cheese, sour cream, bacon, and chives. Buffalo Chicken and BBQ Chicken pizzas keep the specialty section interesting for those who want something beyond the classics.
Take-and-bake pies, gluten-free crusts for 10-inch pizzas, and a patio that fills up quickly on mild evenings round out a very practical menu. A large pizza here can feed a family of four with leftovers, which makes the price feel like an outright bargain.
12. Mojo’s Pints & Pies, Fayetteville, Arkansas
Mojo’s has operated on its own terms since 2010, building an identity around creative pizza combinations and a social atmosphere that feels genuinely energetic rather than manufactured. The menu moves well beyond standard toppings, and the kitchen clearly enjoys experimenting with combinations that make regulars pause before ordering.
The wings deserve special mention here because the house mojo sauce has developed its own following among Fayetteville locals who treat it as a non-negotiable part of any visit. Multiple televisions, an outdoor patio for game-watching, and frequent live music events give the space a versatility that keeps it busy throughout the week.
After the original Garland Avenue location closed in May 2023, a new owner stepped in and moved operations to 2630 E Citizens Dr Suite A, ensuring that the Mojo’s name and spirit continue in Fayetteville. That kind of community loyalty is earned, not given, and this pizza joint has clearly earned it.
13. Gusano’s Chicago-Style Pizzeria, Bentonville, Arkansas
When a regular slice simply will not cut it, Gusano’s is the answer. This Bentonville location, open since 2005, specializes in the thick, layered, unapologetically cheesy Chicago-style pies that require a fork and a commitment to finishing what you started.
Specialty options like the Carnivore Craze, stacked with pepperoni, Italian sausage, Canadian bacon, and hamburger, leave no doubt about the kitchen’s priorities. Traditional crust options are also available for anyone who wants the full Gusano’s experience without committing to the deep-dish format.
The Italian Beef sandwich and The Godfather sub give non-pizza eaters something worth ordering without feeling like an afterthought. A dedicated game area for children, an adult game room with pool tables, more than 25 large screens tuned to sports, and an expanded outdoor patio make Gusano’s a practical choice for large groups and family outings throughout the week.
14. Papa Dick’s Pizza, Horseshoe Bend, Arkansas
Not every great pizza place needs a downtown address or a nationally recognized chef. Papa Dick’s Pizza proves that a small Ozark community can support a genuinely beloved local restaurant when the food is honest and the service makes people feel at home.
The menu focuses on approachable, shareable pizzas built for casual family dinners rather than culinary performances. Takeout and delivery options mean that a Papa Dick’s pizza can end up on your kitchen table on evenings when going out feels like too much effort.
Repeat customers here tend to become familiar faces quickly, which is the kind of community connection that larger chain restaurants spend millions of marketing dollars trying to fake. Horseshoe Bend is not a place most travelers pass through by accident, but those who make the trip specifically for Papa Dick’s consistently report that the detour was well worth the drive through the Ozark hills.
