Pizza is the world’s most ubiquitous food. It spans cultures, appeals to most everyone and can be endlessly modified. Plano’s pizza culture should expect a welcome shock to the system with the newly opened Delucca Gaucho Pizza & Wine on Preston Road.
While every pizzeria has its own story and style, Delucca adds a twist that not only provides for the most picky connoisseur, but one that entirely changes the way one views the humble slice. Delucca serves rodízio style, where roaming waiters carry a wide variety of pies, stopping by each table to allow guests to choose their next slice. Popularized in Texas by restaurants like Fogo De Chão and Texas de Brazil, the serving style is one that owner Evandro Caregnato, who goes by Evan, has been familiar with for many years.
“I think I would call myself an expert of Brazillian steakhouses,” Evan laughed. “It’s something my whole life I’ve been around. They are regionally from my hometown in South Brazil; it’s like in my blood.” With his expertise in the culture of churrascarias and rodizio dining, he thought, “Why don’t people do the same with pizza?”
The U.S. population consumes approximately 100 acres of pizza each day, according to a 2015 Washington Post article. In such a sea of pepperoni and cheese it seems an impossible task to stand out and provide something customers haven’t already seen. It’s with that goal that Evan set up the atmosphere of Delucca – to wow customers.
“We are not like a usual pizza joint, far from that,” he said. “It’s a destination.” With a lively atmosphere and an elegant dining experience, the formula works. OpenTable saluted Delucca’s locations in Southlake and Dallas with awards for Best Value, Best Pizzeria and Best for Large Groups in 2018.
At Delucca, guests are only given a drink menu with an extensive list of wine, beer and cocktails. They are seated with a pre-course appetizer of Kobe beef meatballs, lobster bisque, an arugula salad – and of course a red-and-green table card. Once guests are ready to start sampling, they can flip the card from red to green to signal the servers. Diners pay one price to try as many slices as they’d like.
The selection of pizzas will change over the seasons. The usual favorites of pepperoni and four-cheese will, of course, stay ever present, but more unique flavors will rotate and span the entire cultural gamut. One guest can enjoy a chicken pizza with Brazilian Catupiry (creamy cheese), another can have Mexican elote with crema fresca, and another may sample a slice with Turkish lamb and sumac onions. The restaurant also serves dessert slices with sweet toppings including Nutella and banana flambé.
With a huge variety of slices and toppings, Evan says they keep focus on using ingredients of the highest quality. “[The dough is] made simple, just wheat flour, water, salt and yeast. Because they are made this way and made with care, they don’t feel heavy.” Delucca sources its flour directly from Italy, makes mozzarella in house, and fires each pizza in an oak-burning pizza oven.
Plano is certainly becoming a formidable hub for many cultures and walks of life. It’s why Evan decided to open his third Delucca here. “No one can deny that Plano is in the middle of everything,” he said. “It’s a high-density area, there are a lot of businesses, so it just made sense to us.” While Delucca Plano is open only for dinner currently, there are plans in the future to expand into lunch and brunch. Whether it’s a date night, a night with friends or just a night to unwind, Delucca aims to give a slice of something to everyone.
Delucca Gaucho Pizza & Wine >
8240 Preston Road #100
Plano, TX 75024
