Benny Deluca’s is the “Home of the Virginia Slice,” known for its HUGE slices of pizza. But their slice is impressive beyond its size. Located just a few blocks past the Corner area and conveniently near the Amtrak station, it is a fast-growing favorite in the Charlottesville community.
Not one to miss out, the Spoon Virginia chapter took a good ol’ fashioned field trip to Benny’s to see just how these 28″ pizzas are made.
Photo by Jenny Goldman
The first thing you should know about Benny Deluca’s is that it has been voted #1 college town pizza joint in the country. That’s right. The best college pizza in the U.S. is here in C’ville and I bet you didn’t even know about it. Eric Church seems to agree…he ordered 28 pizzas after his most recent concert in Charlottesville. So, if you don’t trust me, trust Eric.
Photo by Jenny Goldman
So why are their pizzas so great? Benny Deluca’s uses all fresh ingredients – their dough is made fresh every day from scratch and you can really taste this in the slice. To stretch the dough into its famously huge size, they use the traditional technique of throwing and spinning the dough in the air (which isn’t as easy as it sounds).
On the menu you can see the classic cheese and the beloved pepperoni, plus the menu switches up regularly to offer flavors such as buffalo chicken, sausage or even the bacon cheeseburger slice. It’s safe to say the menu caters to all pizza-lovers.
Most importantly, Benny’s is open late night: until midnight on weekdays, 2 am on Thursdays and 3 am on Friday and Saturday night. This is open later than most places on the Corner, plus it tastes better.
On a busy weekend night, they crank out 90-100 pizzas so there is plenty to go around. Plus you really do get the bang for your buck with slices averaging around $5.
If you’re still not convinced, Benny’s offers $500 (yes, $500) to those who dare to try and eat a whole pie in under 1 hour. Game’s on folks…