You won’t find red-checked tablecloths, but you will find packets of red pepper flakes and parmesan and pitchers of draft beer at this old-school pizza place in Shreveport.
Smitty’s Pizza in Shreveport has been around for more than 40 years, starting out as a Pizza Inn on Mansfield Rd. and then becoming an independent restaurant. When that building was sold, Smitty’s moved in early 2025 to another location not too far away.
Smitty’s Pizza in Shreveport, La.
By ELIZABETH DEAL | Staff writer
This was my first time visiting the new location, and must admit I missed that cozy and dark feeling of the previous building. But this one is nice and still holds a bit of a nostalgia being located in an old Pizza Hut now. There is a main dining room with booths, tables and a small bar in the center. There’s another dining area off to the side.
The menu is pretty straightforward. I personally like it when a restaurant focuses on something and does it well.
The appetizers are breadsticks, wings and cheese sticks. Dessert is cinnamon sticks with cream cheese icing. Drinks are draft beer and unlimited fountain drinks.
Smitty’s has a salad bar and if you are watching your carbs, you can order your favorite pizza without the crust in a bowl. The other specialties on the menu are the Smitty’s Stromboli and the Smitty’s Stuffaletta made with olive mix.
The real specialty is the pizza. I love that the dough is made fresh each morning and used for the pizza as well as breadsticks. For both, they use a savory marinara sauce.
The pizza is handmade and baked in brick ovens – brought from the original location – and takes 25 minutes, so plan to enjoy some draft beer or root beer while you wait.
The menu instructions are to select your crust, size, type, and add-ons.
I must have had the original thin, which I loved, because no one asked me about my choice. The menu shows thick, cauliflower, and gluten-free as the other options. Pizzas come in four sizes: eight-inch, 10-inch, 12-inch and 14-inch.
Pepperoni and pork sausage pizza to go at Smitty’s Pizza in Shreveport, La.
By ELIZABETH DEAL | Staff writer
There are different Smitty combination pizzas like meat lover, veggie, meatball and chicken to choose from, plus a long list of primarily traditional toppings as add-ons.
I enjoyed an individual veggie pizza with mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, green pepper, black olives and mushrooms. I loved the flavor and the chewiness of the crust. We also had a pepperoni and pork sausage pizza at home and my teen commented on how “stretchy” the cheese was, in a good way.
The pizzas were so good we didn’t even break into the red pepper or parmesan as usual, but I did smile just looking at the packets.
Smitty’s is located at 2525 Southside Dr. in Shreveport, and is closed on Mondays.
Dining and Cooking