Since 1949, the Bruno family has been Little Rock’s premiere destination for authentic and unrivaled Italian food. With a long list of awards including: Number One Italian Restaurant in Central Arkansas by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, best customer service by Rock City Eats, and Best Italian Restaurant 2014, 2015, & 2016 by the Arkansas Times, Bruno’s Little Italy takes pride in offering you generations of delicious family recipes, great service, and a beautiful atmosphere.
We welcome you to participate in the Bruno’s Little Italy experience!
Dinner Menu
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Assorted Antipasto ala Vincenzoº / 19
cured meats, aged cheeses, olives, peppers, sun-dried tomatoes & marinated mushrooms
Insalata Miscolanzaº / 13
our house dinner salad tossed with cured meats (soppressata, prosciutto, pepperoni) & cheeses small / 7
House Dinner Saladº / 4
with house vinegar and oil dressing / 4 with gorgonzola dressing / 4.50 add anchovies / 1 white anchovies / 2
Caesar Salad / 8
add grilled chicken 14 / Small Caesar 4.50
Toasted Ravioli / 9
with meat or marinara sauce for dipping (a favorite of Lauren Weintraub)
Mushroom Butter Crisp / 9
Large button mushrooms baked in butter, seasonings, cheese, and breadcrumbs
Fresh Muzzarella, Prosciutto di Parma & Roma Tomatoesº / 12
Steamed Clams ala Dominic / 17
pancetta, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic butter, & italian hot peppers
Minestrone Soup (Vegan/Gluten free)º
cup/ 3.50 bowl / 5
Soup of the Day
cup/ 4 bowl / 5.50
Garlic Bread / 4
Spaghetti Shrimp Marinara / 21
with mushrooms
Spaghetti ala Caruso / 18
breaded chicken livers, marinara sauce, & mushrooms
Spaghetti Carbonara / 19
homemade Italian sausage, prosciutto, pancetta in butter, cream, & egg sauce
Spaghetti Marinara (no meat) / 10
child portion / 5 over 12 / 7
Child-Portion Spaghetti with 1 Meat Ball / 7
if over 12 / 9
Spaghetti Butter Sauce / 9
with Romano cheese (child portion) / 5 if over 12 / 7
Spaghetti Marinara Mushroom Sauce / 11.50
Spaghetti Garlic Butter Sauce / 10
with Romano cheese
Spaghetti Bordelese ala Sol Alman / 9
(Bruno’s first patron) garlic, oil, spices, & Romano cheese
Spaghetti ala Reggio / 9
red onion, oil, spices, & Romano cheese
Any Pasta Ala Sorrento / 2
topped with muzzarella and baked
Add 2 Meat Balls / 5
(contains pine nuts/seeds; not a tree nut)
Add 2 Italian Sausages / 6
Lasagna Imbotito / 18
layered with ricotta, muzzarella & Romano cheeses, Italian sausage, meat balls & cured meats, covered in Meat Sauce (featured on Diners, Drive-ins, & Dives)
Manicotti nel Forno / 17
(lady’s glove) a filling of ricotta, muzzarella, & ramano cheeses, italian sausage, meatballs, and cured meats wrapped in pasta, with meat sauce, baked ala Sorrento
Vegetable Manicotti / 17
a blend of cheeses with fresh spinach, mushrooms, broccoli, eggplant, red onion, sun-dried tomatoes & squash, wrapped in pasta, baked ala Sorrento in marinara sauce
Cannelloni Stufato / 17
seasoned beef wrapped in pasta, covered in meat or alfredo sauce, baked ala Sorrento
Ravioli con Ricotta / 15
with marinara sauce, with meat sauce or mushroom sauce / 16 ala Sorrento/ add 2
Half Ravioli & Half Spaghetti
marinara or meat sauce / 14
Fettuccini Alfredo / 13
add grilled chicken / 19
Fettuccini ala Giovanni / 10
butter & Romano cheese
Fettuccini Shrimp Zucchini Pomodoro / 23
pancetta, sun-dried tomatoes & fresh basil in lemon-butter sauce
Fettuccini ala Jack East / 17
butter, garlic, mushrooms & seasoned beef
Linguini Clam Sauce / 18
red or white sauce
Linguini Pesto / 15
sun-dried tomatoes & red onion add grilled chicken / 21 add shrimp / 23
Linguini Shrimp Garlic Butter / 23
with mushrooms
Mostacciolli con Ragou / 14
tossed with meat sauce, ricotta & Romano cheeses
Veal Cutlet ala Parmigiano / 16
Veal Scallopine / 23
with marinara & mushrooms
Veal Limone / 24
in a fresh lemon & mushroom gravy, served over fettuccini
Veal and Peppers Spezadini / 23
with marinara
Saltimbocca ala Nanninella / 26
top round veal slices, prosciutto, & roasted mushrooms in a marsala wine sauce
Italian Sausage ala Parmigiano † / 16
Italian Sausage and Peppers / 17
tossed with marinara & mostacciolli
Chicken ala Parmigiano / 18
Chicken Cacciatore † / 20
pulled chicken with marinara, mushrooms & rosemary
Chicken Tettrazini † / 20
pulled chicken with mushrooms, cream, & fresh oregano
Chicken Vincenzo / 22
garlic cream sauce with mushrooms, tomatoes & fresh tarragon, served over fettuccini
Chicken Picatta / 21
fresh lemon, butter, capers, served over linguini
Veal Picatta / 23
fresh lemon, butter, capers, served over linguini
Chicken Marsala / 23
with prosciutto & roasted mushrooms in marsala wine sauce
Chicken Livers ala Ernestina / 18
breaded livers, mushrooms, & Romano cheese in pan gravy over spaghetti
Seafood Fettuccini / 26
shrimp, sea scallops, fresh clams, & mushrooms in a cream pesto sauce
Cream Scallops with Mushrooms † / 25
in egg-cream sauce
Eggplant ala Parmigiano / 16
marinara or meat sauce
Tri-Colored Tortellini / 12
with choice of red, white, or pink sauce
A Side of spaghetti is served with meat, seafood, eggplant, and chicken dishes that are not already served over pasta.
Our Famous Neapolitan Hand-Thrown Pizza - 13``
Marinara / 12.50
The original pizza: tomato sauce & fresh garlic with spices & romano cheese, no muzzarella
Cheese / 12.50
Anchovy / 12.50
(no cheese)
Around the World / 16
a fourth each of cheese, sausage, anchovy & mushroom (no substitutions)
Pizza Mista / 19
sausage, mushroom, pepperoni, beef, red onion & black olive (no substitutions, no additions, no subtractions, no halves) (a favorite of Larry Jegley)
Giardiniera (Veggie) / 18
mushroom, black olive, bell pepper, red onion & zucchini (no substitutions, no additions, no halves)
Calzone / 18
baked filled pizza crust with spiced ricotta, muzzarella, romano cheeses, & prosciutto, served with marinara sauce for dipping
(NOT a stuffed pizza turnover) (maximum 1 added ingredient)
Choice of Toppings for “Build your Own” with Cheese as base (Max 6 Toppings)
Per Standard Topping / 2
extra cheese, mushroom, anchovy, red onion, Canadian bacon, seasoned beef, garlic, black olive, pepperoncini (mild), zucchini, & green olive
Per Premium Topping / 2.75
white anchovy, soppressata, Italian sausage, bacon, prosciutto di parma , pepperoni, roasted bell peppers, Italian hot peppers, & fresh spinach
Torta di Ricotta* / 7
cheese cake
Chocolate Torte* / 7
Matcha's Tiramisu / 7
Cannoli Siciliano* / 8
Italian pastry (two per order)
Zabaglione* / 6
a light, sweet, whipped custard with marsala or amaretto, served with lady fingers
Brocato’s Spumoni / 5
Italian tri-flavored ice cream
Brocato’s Cassata / 5
Italian tri-flavored ice cream with cake layer
Brocato’s Torrincino / 5
Italian cinnamon-almond ice cream
(all ice cream selections have nuts of some kind)
* all housemade
Meat Balls / 5
Italian Sausageº / 6
Meat , Marinara, or Alfredo Sauceº / 3
by the pint to-go 6
Iced Tea / 2.50
free refills
Coffee / 2.50
free refills
Coca-Cola Products / 2.50
coke, diet coke, sprite, dr. pepper / free refills
Mountain Valley Water / 2
bottled or sparkling
Espresso (Demi-Tasse) / 3
Ask your server for our beer and wine selections
º Gluten-free † Gluten-free when served with a cup of Minestrone or a House Dinner Salad Substituted for pasta.
Your food is individually prepared. You wait a little longer, but it’s so much better!
Bread basket refills are available upon request.
Due to limited seating, we can only seat (at a single table) parties of 12 or less.
No checks accepted.
Gift certificates and T-shirts available
The vast majority of our recipes are exactly as our father, Jimmy Bruno, handed them down to us. Our family came over from Naples in southern Italy at the beginning of the 20th century. Therefore, our recipes may be different than you expect from previous at-home, family dining, or restaurant experiences. But, we believe you will find a dish from our family’s legacy to be to your liking.
Gio and Vince Bruno
Historical Video & Audio
Povera Mamma!
by Giovanni Bruno and Gennaro Giuda. Sung by Giuseppe Milano.
A Brief History
by Gio Vanni Bruno
Between 1900 and 1905, brothers Nicola, Gennaro and Vincenzo Bruno (sons of Stanislas Bruno) each arrived in the United States from Naples, Italy. Vincenzo soon returned to Naples, but his brothers remained here and encouraged another of their brothers, Giovanni Bruno, to join them in America. Giovanni arrived on the boat at Ellis Island sometime between 1903 and 1907. It is two of the three brothers, Gennaro and Giovanni, that my father credited with helping introduce Pizza as a commercial product in the United States by opening one of the first pizzerias in New York City. Nicola remained proprietor of an Italian grocery store.
My father was Vincent “Jimmy” Bruno, Giovanni’s son. Giovanni (6/21/1883-7/9/1950) was considered an extraordinary chef and baker (at one point he was supposedly head of the local baker’s union), but was probably better known and revered as a gifted Neapolitan poet and lyricist. He was friends with the great Italian tenor Enrico Caruso (Caruso was godfather to my Aunt Clara) and wrote several published tribute poems in Caruso’s honor.
According to my father, from age six he worked and learned in the kitchen of his father’s restaurant and bakery. Coming from a lineage that reportedly cooked for the kings of Italy, he mastered the authentic recipes of Italian cuisine handed down through his family, as well as studying under other renowned chefs.
Even as a child, Jimmy was sent out by his father to teach the skill of pizza-making to others for a fee. While serving as a staff sergeant in the army during World War II, wearing both hats of chef (in the mess hall) and entertainer/emcee (with the USO), he was stationed at North Little Rock’s Camp Robinson, getting his first taste of Arkansas.
Upon leaving the service, he and some of his army buddies opened the first pizzeria in Chicago’s famous Loop, as part of the Yacht Club at 421 South Wabash Avenue. It was a turbulent time in Chicago, with organized crime trying to sell …
Location
310 Main Street
Little Rock, Arkansas 72201
Dinner Hours
Tuesday – Thursday
5:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
Friday – Saturday
5:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
~ NO RESERVATIONS ~
Closed
New Years Day
Thanksgiving Day
Day after Thanksgiving
Christmas Eve
Christmas
background video & photos by Markham Park
