Frequently Asked Questions
Is there really a Buddy LaRosa?
You bet! The man who has been bringing smiles to Guests faces for over six decades is a Cincinnati native, growing up in a working-class neighborhood on the West Side where he worked at a couple of different jobs. But his real passion was to build his own business.
Growing up, Buddy always loved the pizza his Aunt Dena made. He thought other people might like her family recipe pizza, too. So he made a couple dozen for his church's summer festival. As it turned out, Buddy was right! Lots of people loved Dena's pizza.
So in 1954, with $400 and a couple of partners, Buddy opened a small family pizzeria and boy did people eat it up. Now, 70 years later, Buddy's restaurants serve hundreds of neighborhoods throughout Cincinnati, Dayton, Northern Kentucky and Southeast Indiana. As for Buddy, he's still around and involved in the family business. Only now he's able to spend more time with family and follow his life-long interest – amateur and professional boxing.
Our traditional crust is thin, our crispy pan is thick and our hand tossed crust is in between – not too thick, not too thin.
It was Buddy’s Aunt Dena’s recipe that first specified that the ingredients go under the cheese, and it’s become a LaRosa’s tradition. Some toppings, like spinach or tomato, need to go on top because they have a lot of water in them, and it needs to bake out. Other meat items, like bacon, taste better when they bake on top and get nice and crispy. If you'd like some toppings on top of the cheese (like pepperoni), just ask us and we’ll be happy to do it!
Yes. We can make a pizza for you that has not been fully baked in our ovens. This is perfect for you if you’re not going to eat the pizza right away. You can refrigerate it at home, then take it out when you're ready to bake it. You can also freeze the pizza, just allow about a half hour thawing time before you bake it.
Keep "Bake at Home" pizza REFRIGERATED until ready to bake.
- Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
- Place pizza on baking sheet. Make sure box liner is not under the pizza.
- Bake at 350°F for approximately 12-15 minutes or until golden brown on top.
- For a crispier crust, place pizza directly on center oven rack.
Note: Time in oven can vary based on oven type and number of toppings on the pizza.
To reheat half a pizza or more at one time, the oven is the best option:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Remove only the pizza from box and place on a cookie sheet or a pizza pan. Do not put the pizza liner in the oven.
- Place the pizza in the center of the oven and set time for 10-12 minutes.
- Not all ovens bake the same, so time may vary. Check at 10 minutes and look for a crisp, dry crust, melty cheese and toppings heated through.
- Time to reheat may also vary depending on crust thickness and amount of toppings. Adjust bake time accordingly.
- Add more time as thickness of crust and number of toppings warrant.
We can put no more than 6 different toppings on a pizza, because a pizza with more than 6 different toppings simply wouldn’t bake well in our ovens.
We can put no more than 6 different toppings on any one half of a pizza. There can also be no more than a difference of 4 toppings per half (For example: a large pizza with 1/2 plain, 1/2 pepperoni, sausage, mushroom and onion). Anything more and the pizza simply wouldn’t bake well in our ovens.
Mozzarella, Ricotta, Romano, Aged Provolone
Our large pizzas serve 3-4, our mediums serve 2-3, and our smalls are a great size just for you!
Sorry, no, we can’t partially bake a calzone. Since the crust is folded over, it would not rise enough as we pre-baked it to be the delicious product you’d expect to come out of your oven at home.
The maximum number of toppings we can put in a calzone is 3. Any more toppings and the calzone simply wouldn't bake well in our ovens.
Mono Sodium Glutamate (MSG) is a high-sodium preservative that is mostly used in pre-packaged and frozen products. MSG is an ingredient in the ranch dressings that we serve. Visit our Nutrition and Ingredient listing for additional ingredient information.
None of our recipes include peanuts or tree nuts. For those with severe nut allergies: we can't guarantee that all of the ingredients that we use to prepare our menu selections have been prepared in nut-free environments. Some pizzerias may independently offer menu selections not listed on our main menus that may or may not contain nuts or have been prepared in nut-free environments.
*Our artisan-style Cauliflower Crust is gluten-free. However, it’s prepared near ingredients that contain gluten. We do not recommend it for Guests with significant gluten sensitivity. Please use your best judgement before ordering it.
We don’t currently feature eggs or entrees made with eggs on our menu. Some selections on our menu include eggs as a minor ingredient. We will encourage the makers of those ingredients to use cage-free eggs. In the future, we will seek out partners who use cage-free eggs to the best of our ability.
Try our double hoagys. A double hoagy has an extra steak patty, and on Royals and Baked Buddies, there is double meat and double cheese. You can order Double hoagys for a small additional charge.
These hoagys are very similar, but the Baked Buddy includes pepperoni as an extra meat ingredient. It is served with pickles, onions and pizza sauce.
Yes, if that meat already comes on the hoagy. So, you might consider substituting more salami instead of the capocolla on your Royal. You can add meat that doesn't already come on it to a hoagy at an extra charge.
Absolutely. We have many sauces to choose from. Some sauces would have to be served on the side. There are a few sauces that there may be a small charge for.
You can put lettuce, onion, tomato, pickles, banana peppers, jalapeño peppers, green peppers or black and green olives on your hoagy, free. You can even add pepperoni, bacon or any other meat, for a small extra charge.
Cheese and bacon, yummmm. Just let us know, and we can do it for a small extra charge.
Yes, you may. Additional items or any additional salad dressings can be ordered for a small additional fee.
Yes, the dressings for all of our salads come on the side for pickup and delivery orders. We only pre-mix the dressing into JoJo’s BLT salad when you dine-in.
No, our Family Recipe lasagna is made with meat in the sauce.
Our lasagna is prepared and baked with the beef already inside, so we can’t remove it. We can put our family recipe spaghetti sauce without meat on top of the lasagna on request.
The two cheeses inside our lasagna are Provolone and Ricotta.
Mondays and Tuesdays are Spaghetti-A-Plenty: Adults enjoy spaghetti, breadsticks and salad. Still hungry after the first serving? We’d be happy to bring out a little more! Wednesdays are Kids Pizza Night: Kids choose their own 1-topping kids pizza. Meal includes kids beverage choice and a chocolate chunk cookie or Dick & Jane™ whole grain sweet crackers.
We can put extra spaghetti sauce on your spaghetti. But, if you order meat sauce, Alfredo sauce or order the sauce on the side, there’s a small additional charge.
Our meat ravioli is no longer prepared with spinach. When our cheese ravioli is prepared, the provolone and ricotta are mixed together, so we can’t hold one or the other.
Certainly! We can put either of those or mushrooms in your sauce for a small additional charge per serving.
Yes, you can use our online Catering Builder or call us at 513.347.1111 and press “3” or 888.LAROSAS (it’s a free call!) to place a catering order.
Pizza, of course. But we also offer trays of hoagys, ravioli, spaghetti, lasagna, salads, starters, wings, desserts, garlic bread sticks…everything you’d want for a hearty Italian meal. We even cater group boxed lunches which include a half hoagy, small salad, chips and a chocolate chunk cookie (minimum order- 4). Plan your next catering order with our Catering Builder: https://catering.larosas.com/catering/
Each tray serves 10 people and includes 10 sets of napkins, utensils, and plates. Trays of salad and garlic bread can also be ordered to accompany your pasta.
We offer a wide variety of desserts to satisfy your sweet tooth. Chocolate Chunk Cookies, Ghirardelli Triple Chocolate Brownies, and Cheesecake Scoops, just to name a few. Tempted yet?
Yes. All our pizzerias accept Visa and MasterCard, and some pizzerias accept other cards as well. Call us at 513.347.1111 or 888.LAROSAS (it’s a free call!) and we can confirm for you which cards your favorite pizzeria accepts.
Some of our pizzerias will still accept checks, please call us at 513.347.1111 or 888.LAROSAS (it’s a free call!) and we can confirm for you if your favorite pizzeria accepts checks.
Sure, we can handle your order that way at most pizzerias. Please check when placing your order. Be ready to give us the credit card number and the amount you want charged to the card.
We’re working on incorporating Apple Pay into online and app ordering. Meanwhile, these pizzerias take Apple Pay for dine in and pick up orders: Batesville, Blue Ash, Boudinot, Bridgetown, Delhi Pike, Fairfield, Finneytown, Hamilton, Harrison, Hyde Park, Kenwood, Miami Heights, Newport, Norwood, Pleasant Ridge and White Oak.
To use Apple Pay for pick up at these pizzerias, login with your username and password, then select “cash” as the payment method. By phone, tell our Customer Service Representative you’ll pay at the pizzeria. Then, use Apple Pay at our pick up counter or drive up pick up window.
If you have an online ordering or app account with us, simply log in and select “cash” at checkout. By phone, tell our Guest Service Representative you’ll pay cash at the pizzeria.
It’s important that we have the phone number of the location to which you want your order delivered because all the address information we have is tied to that number. So, if we don’t have the right number, we can’t find you to deliver to you. Also, we make call backs from time to time to ensure that we serve you the best we can. If we don’t have the right number, we can’t call you.
At many businesses, there is a front desk with a welcome person, or key-in access only to the building. When we arrive with your order, and the front desk person doesn’t know who ordered, or if we can’t even enter the building, your delivery will be late. You won’t be happy, and we won’t be happy. That’s why we need a name and a phone number to which we can get through at any time.
Safety is our #1 core value at LaRosa’s. It’s important that our drivers carry as little money as possible when they’re delivering. Please pay in the smallest bills possible. It’s the safest way to go for everybody.
Call us at 513.347.1111 or 888. LAROSAS to speak directly to a Guest Service Representative, Order online right here on our website or download our mobile ordering app.
You bet. It’s called a "timed order". Just call us at 513.347.1111 or 888.LAROSAS (it’s a free call!) and ask the Customer Service Representative that answers about it. He or she will set it up for you. You can also place "timed orders" online through our website.
Unfortunately, no. Our special lunch menu is for the Guests who visit us in our dining rooms only. We don't extend the lunch discount to carry out or delivery. However, if you're looking for smaller portions, check out our Just Right Combos which are available to-go for carry out or delivery. These can be found on our Delivery Carry-Out Catering Menu.
Yes. Our Meals For Kids are available for delivery, pick-up or dine-in.
Our Buddy Card is our BEST DEAL! You can use your Buddy Card to get a Large Cheese Pizza FREE whenever you order a regularly priced Large- up to FOURTEEN TIMES! Plus, $15 from each card sold goes to the groups and organizations that sell them. Learn more or sign up to sell at MyBuddyCard.com.
It's easy! Just add one Regular Price Large Pizza and one Large Cheese to your cart, then click or tap “Deals”, select the Buddy Card and enter your card number and pin! If your card is saved, click or tap on your card instead of entering the numbers. Repeat for as many pizzas as you want buy with your Buddy Card.
Yes! It’s easiest to save your Buddy Card in our app. Just open the app and tap “Buddy Card” then “Add New” and enter the numbers. For online ordering, you'll first need to make a MyLaRosa's account at order.larosas.com. Then, when you place an order, click your name in the upper right corner and select the "Buddy Card" tab. Add your Buddy Card to your account and you’ll never have to enter the information again!
You sure can! Toppings are simply an additional charge.
Yes, partially. You can tear off the top, clean portion of your box and recycle it. The bottom half cannot be recycled. We teamed up with Rumpke to help show what can be recycled. You can view the video here.
We care about animals and the environment, and we aim to make thoughtful, responsible choices wherever we can. That includes encouraging our suppliers to follow humane animal welfare practices, sourcing ingredients we feel good about serving, and exploring ways to reduce our environmental impact, like using more sustainable packaging and making small changes that add up over time.
Our goal is to balance these efforts with what matters most to our Guests—great quality, good value, and an experience they can enjoy and feel good about. We're committed to doing our part and staying mindful of how our decisions affect both the world around us and the Guests we serve every day.