Food was really good! The swordfish special was buttery and soft. The duck was served in a really yummy sauce and potatoes went well with it. The Sunday sauce came with the meat on the side which I was surprised by but very filling. The only thing was that most things were served in red sauce so that was a bit repetitive but overall still a good meal. Good service; food came out in a timely manner. Dimly lit/romantic vibes. read more

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This was the Valentine's dinner destination for my wife and me. The dining room is small but cozy. Reminded me of some of the restaurants I have visited in the north end of Boston. Our waiter was very personable and graciously saved us from having to pronounce some of the wines and dishes on the menu. The food was great. We started with the grilled octopus and charred bread with Ricotta. Both were delicious. The balance of the charred bread against the ricotta was my favorite. The vinaigrette on the grilled octopus had great flavor and complemented the octopus and greens well. Would have liked a little more char but not a big deal. For the main course my wife had the scallops special which came with olive oil potatoes. The scallops were perfectly cooked and the olive oil potatoes were simple but tasty. I had the NY strip with balsamic and added foie gras as it is not something I come across often in Rochester but love it with steaks. It came with some nice crunchy onion rings and those tasty olive oil potatoes. We were hesitant to get dessert as we were stuffed but ultimately shared a butterscotch Budino. It was a custard dessert with a syrupy topping that had almonds which provided a perfect balance to make it not too sweet. Overall great finish to a satisfying and delicious meal. read more

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always wanted to try this place. cute quaint place, not too big and the lighting was dim and romantic. love the italian table cloths. i got the scallops which was delicious but which there were a little more and the friend mozzarella bites were flavorful and gooey. service was quick, didn't wait long and very helpful with questions i had. can't wait to return read more

We have been here a few times and the food is always delicious. We especially love the polenta side dish, charred bread and ricotta and the butterscotch budino. I will say the menu has no details which was a little bit frustrating when trying to decide what to order. An example: there's a pizza on the menu named "Paulie Gs" with no explanation. I feel like it's something simple to add to improve the experience and not have to ask the waitress about so many items. read more

It's been a long time since I've written a review like this. Maybe we ordered the wrong items but I was super disappointed overall. You have to order everything at the same time. Apps, salads and dinners etc. for someone like me who needs time to look over the menu but wants an app in early, this didn't really jive with me- but okay. There are no descriptions on the menu of the food. I had no idea what most of it was or what it came with so I had to annoy my super busy waitress for a description of a bunch of items. Wish I had a picture of the menu because it looks like a hot mess and is not easy to read. I ended up ordering the gnocchi and a Caesar salad because I thought it was the safe route not knowing what these dishes were. Boy was I wrong. The salad could have been bigger and the lettuce wasn't cut. The gnocchi was not the traditional gnocchi one would expect. I got 3 logs of who knows what and barely any sauce. When compared to the other dishes with sauce, mine looked pathetic. The scallop dish only had 3 scallops over coleslaw. Not filling at all for a main dish. We ordered the bread pudding for dessert and it was a cold slab of tastelessness. Dishes were so small so no leftovers. Other Italian restaurants we go to we have a large Togo box to bring home. No pre-dining bread was offered. The good parts were The ricotta bread app was delicious and the person who got the pork chop enjoyed his meal. We spent 400 for 4 people. I had high hopes for this place and was excited to quench my pasta thirst. Sadly it was the opposite and we won't be returning. read more

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Food was great and service was spot on! I have been wanting to come here for a while and now I know why people speak so highly of it! I will be back! read more

Enjoyed Rocco for the first time last night and left wondering what took me so long! The first treat I received was a cosmopolitan, which was made perfectly. The other two people in my party had a delicious red wine recommended by our extremely friendly and attentive waiter. The charred bread and ricotta, which will be impossible not to order any time I go back, was a perfect way to start our meal. Plenty of bread to share with 3 guests and the fresh pesto that covers the large mound of soft ricotta I could eat with a spoon. So delicious. My son ordered oysters on the half shell and loved them. My main entree was the Paccheri pasta dish. Paccheri is a large rigatoni noodle. This is served with a tomatoe based sauce and roasted eggplant chunks, topped with parm! I ate all the noodles and still have enough sauce/eggplant left to whip up some pasta and enjoy it again at home! If you love roasted eggplant, this dish is for you! Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of its beautiful presentation. The spaghetti with marinara was also ordered, and as simple as that sounds, Rocco does not disappoint! It is served with 2 buttery garlic knots and the portion size is large! The 3rd dish ordered was roasted chicken served over potatoes. I did not taste the chicken but the potatoes were delicious, with a lemony taste that was so good! Dessert was a butterscotch budino, which I could only describe as Crème Brule on crack! Topped with whole almonds, the combination of the three ingredients was perfect. Thank you for a fabulous meal! Will be visiting again for sure!! Highly recommend!! (Small venue, however, so be sure to call in advance to make a reservation) read more

This was a delightful Yelp find at the end of a long day of driving between New Hampshire and Indianapolis. We were seated immediately on the charming patio, even on a Saturday evening around 8 p.m. Our waiter was friendly and offered some great recommendations. The charred bread with ricotta was our favorite thing... so tasty with a glass of wine. I also enjoyed tomato/mozzarella salad - very fresh and much bigger than I was expecting. We also shared a Paulie G pizza, an interesting combination of pepperoni, tomato sauce and hot honey. All in all, a great dinner. Would go back again if I'm ever in the area. read more

Rocco - Charred bread with ricotta - Italian Near Me - Rochester, New York

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Nice food and good service!! I real liked the Caesar salad. I got food poisoning the other day from a different restaurant and needed to eat something light and healthy- this was a great option! I was full and comfortable after my meal. Thanks read more

Rocco - Caesar salad - Italian Near Me - Rochester, New York

The location is great and easy to find. Parking space you can find is a small parking lot next to one restaurant before Rocco or can find a parallel parking lot as well. The space in the restaurant is pretty tight but the service was excellent which is I would have given 5 stars for their service. But I gave 3 stars instead because of the food. The appetizer - bread was overtoasted like the whole slice was too black for my preference. The crab stuffing pepper has some crabs but it's more stuffing with panko and some veggies. I can taste very salty which is too much for me. The pepper itself is overcooked. I am not sure why food was not great as it is very popular spot that people go, but it could be very busy that chefs didn't pay attention carefully on food. I do hope that they'll do better next time with food if I ever come to have a meal there. read more

Rocco - Crab stuffing pepper - Italian Near Me - Rochester, New York

5 stars for service and the food The reason one had to be taken away is that the tables were so jammed together and there was a huge like dining room table in the middle of one of the sides of the dining room taking up so much space for nothing. The menu was also terribly hard to navigate with random emojis and no headers or sections... literally looked like my 5 year old nephew typed it up on an ipad It was our first time here and our waitress, Diana was so helpful and knowledgeable with the wines that they had and helped us understand the menu. She was so kind and really led to us having a great experience. We were a little confused and asked her if there was bread coming and she said that they don't offer bread for the tables but if we did want some that the ricotta and charred bread is phenomenal. She didn't steer us wrong as it was absolutely divine worth every penny! We shared the ricotta and charred bread 10/10 ceasar salad 10/10 best i've had in ROC grilled octopus 10/10 must have!!!! margarita pizza 9/10 very good but nothing crazy lasagne pizzaiola 7/10 tasty, but it was just cheese and sauce no meat overall, one of the top italian restaurants in the city, really great food really great service read more

I haven't been to Rocco in a few years and it is still the best Italian in Monroe County. The Ricotta with charred bread was as amazing as usual. Every time I order it the food just melts in your mouth. The service is fantastic. I brought my parents for my Mother's birthday and she had a wonderful time. My father ordered the Sea Bass and loved his meal. My mother ordered the buccatini puttanesca baked in a phyllo dough. The pasta was great. The phyllo dough was chewy and tasteless. The definitely did not butter the dough before putting ii tin the oven. I have to admit the buddino was disappointing. It used to be there signature desert and I was looking forward to it all week. I can honestly saw I doubt I'll ever order it again. read more

Great service, good food and ambiance! I recommend for a really good but simple meal. There were 4 of us and we each had a great meal.

Menu has changed not as good very limited. Bread sticks are an insult. We had a wonderful meal there last time it was 1/2 duck with stuffing and root vegetables. Please invest in some bread. read more

This is certainly one of the best two or three restaurants in Rochester. The food is extraordinary. From low brow to high brow Italian cuisine. A few things to be cautious about: although there is a small parking lot next-door, it is mostly on-street parking; the restaurant is very busy and hence can be quite loud and it is often difficult to get a table. Unless you have a reservation, I doubt whether you will get a table when you want it. All items speak to the quality of the food. It's worth to it to bear these issues in mind. Enjoy! read more

Service 6 stars / 5 Food 4/5 Ambiance 3 Chef visit to table 6/5 thank you Budino 3/5 Cannoli 3/5 Fruit crisp 5/5 read more

The food was amazing! The service was excellent. The waiter was attentive and prompt efficient and very kind. The place is small and intimate but we had reservations and were seated right away. Highly recommend this authentic Italian restaurant. read more

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Nice place. Small bar, friendly people and a nice Italian red with dinner. I got rigatoni and meatballs. The past was cooked perfectly, meatballs were great. Deal breaker..... no bread. What Italian restaurant doesn't serve nice fresh bread and butter or oil?? I'm sure there's some fine bakeries in Rochester.. they offered some kind of grilled bread or something, but no.. Real Italian bread....all I needed. read more

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Food was great. Generous portions. small, cozy dining rI'm. Friendly staff and the owner made time to welcome us to the city and make us feel at home. read more

What I consider one of Rochesters finest Chef-owners. Everything on his rotation is delicious. The atmosphere is a great vibe. I tell everyone that ask to go here!! You won't be disappointed! read more

I am not opposed to paying for a nice dinner. However to pay$26 for a 1/4 cup of ziti and 3 medium sized meatballs in very salty red sauce was remarkable. The pasta wasn't even aldente. Appetizer: ricotta and charred bread was flavorless and burnt- hence the "charr". They advertised rappi salad with walnuts and gorgonzola. There was no apple, no walnut and I paid an additional for the gorgonzola. French fries still hard/ undercooked. Prices online didn't match receipt. 1 app, 2 salads, 3 1/4 pasta dish with 3 meatballs and side of fries $135.13 + tip! And menu description didn't match what I was served or the price advertised. One days wage for one meal and was inedible at that. read more

Food- We ordered the ricotta and charred bread as an appetizer, it was good but not something I would rave about like I seen it other reviews. We then had a Margarita pizza, which we were very pleased with!! Service- Waiter was nice and described the menu well, but my husband waited a long time with an empty glass, and when he finally asked for a refill- he still waited a while before getting one. Ambiance- Small but intimate, and very nicely decorated, read more

My daughter raved about this place so we invited her to join us for dinner on a Thursday night. Why is Thursday so significant in my review-well, unbeknownst to us, Thursday Rocco's decided to reduce their menu, put in a special that included 3 course meal that each entree had asparagus as its highlight-the other unwelcome surprise is that at $49, each , everyone at the table had to order it. So back to the extremely limited and reduced menu-no meat entree's, one pasta entree and some salads. Great if you are a vegan, not so great if you are not. The service was very good as was the bar service. But the bottom line is do not , without fair warning to potential customers decide to make radical changes-my daughter was shocked because all her favorites from previous visits were not on the menu. One last thing-the ricotta appetizer with brunt bread is a must try-really good. read more

The chef//owner is quite inhospitable. Food is good and servers are good but the owner has some quirky "rules' that can ruin the dining experience. For example, we were told that if a fish dish was served with the head on, the head could not be removed from the table regardless of the diner's request. read more

We haven't been to Rocco's in over a year , the service was excellent, our waitress was very friendly, and of course the food was just as I remembered it , EXCEPTIONAL! My husband I ordered two different pizzas which were both AMAZING! The only sad part is I didn't get a photo opportunity!!! We devoured it too fast! The one thing that was my absolute favorite and the only restaurant that has been consistent with this delicious appetizer was the octopus!! So SO DELICIOUS! I was excited to order it and Rocco's did not disappoint! The dining room is very quaint and cozy , just as I remembered. If you are looking for something delicious, or just want to impress on a first date , Rocco's is the place ! read more

Rocco - Octopus appetizer! So Delicious! - Italian Near Me - Rochester, New York

Always cozy, always consistent. Great spot for an intimate meal with attentive and kind service. Warm olives and ricotta with charred bread to start for me. Parking lot right next door or plenty of street parking. read more

Garlic bread with ricotta 5/10 2 pieces blackened beyond saving. Pork sandwich 10/10 Butterscotch Buddino 10/10 read more

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I'm sad writing this- after our fourth visit, Rocco has never lived up to our first 5 star experience. In fact, it has consistently gotten worse and let us down. We've had multiple negative experiences with the staff (i.e. showing up for a reservation and not being seated for an hour, waters not being filled regularly, being overcharged on the check). I get sometimes we have a bad day, but now we're seeing a pattern. We always get the ricotta toast app- it's delicious. But tonight it was over-charred, like eating charcoal. I was surprised they served it. And we ordered fried mozzarella (which we've loved before) and I swear it was fried goat cheese. It was not mozzarella. Or at least it wasn't the same dish we've gotten before. Weird! And our crispy fish dish was overly slathered in cream sauce. Just not a 5 star experience. I couldn't in good faith leave my review 5 stars because its not statistically reflective of our experience. I think Rocco is a potential hidden gem and I believe in them, but at some point we have to cut our losses. There are too many other good restaurants in Rochester!! read more

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Good and drinks were good! Very good dim ambience and people! We loved where we sat! Menu could use some work lol

What a great little place. The food the service all excellent. If you love Italian food you need to visit it'll bring you home to grandmas. read more

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Outstanding meal. Superb grilled octopus. Garlic broccoli. Charred sourdough bread. Friendly service. Highly recommend.

Great food & service, what else can you ask for? I have told my friends about this gem. We will definitely be back.

We were walking up and down Rochester and fell into this sweet little slice of Italy. We were taken to the patio in the back, quiet and intimate. We started with a lovely bottle of Pinot as well as the house made Ricotta ball. The ricotta was so creamy with slices of grilled flatbread. The bread was a bit charred but it was still edible. The wood fired (i think) Tomato Basil Pizza was so delicious; they gave you scissors to cut your slices with was so cool. I ordered off the specials list, Caprese pasta, so incredibly creamy, they should honestly make it a staple in their normal restaurant menu. We also enjoyed the Chicken Parm, for obvious reasons you must order this at any Italian restaurant, naturally they did not disappoint. I don't find myself in Rochester often, but i would make it a point to venture back to this amazing spot. read more

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Rocco is up there on my list of all-time favorite Rochester restaurants. My boyfriend and I tend to go for celebratory dinners and have always had wonderful service and food unlike anything else available in the city. I also always need to be essentially rolled out of there so, order with caution. We always always always start with the ricotta appetizer. Skipping it would be shameful and if you go to Rocco and don't order the ricotta...did you really go to Rocco? No. You need to order it and eat it and weep. It is doused in olive oil and served with a charred bread that will have you full before dinner. Again, caution. For mains, we'll usually do a pizza and a pasta. The gnocchi is not the same kind of ricotta or potato gnocchi you'd get at say a Pasta Villa or Papa Joe's - it is larger and triangular and still completely delicious. If you're a fan of mushrooms the funghi e fontina is a must as well. But then you'll also need to contend with the fact that their pizza specials usually all sound amazing, too. I don't know, friends. Order it all. Don't turn back. Roll away happily. read more

4 stars for the food, 2 for the service= meeting in the middle at 3. I came here on a Monday, figuring that it would be a little less cramped and crazy than a weekend. This assumption was wrong! Rocco was popping. It is a small place, and I was glad we had reservations weeks in advance. Even the bar space was reserved. Some patrons without reservations were trying diligently to vulture spots before people left and had their spots cleared, but the bartender informed them they still needed to wait. Again, make a reservation. Ours was for 6:30 p.m. We were seated promptly. There was a nice little old school checkered table cloth and a vase with packaged Abruzzi bread sticks. A candle would have been nice, but I understand with trying to bus tables quickly, or ensuring they stay lit might have served as an issue. I ordered a glass of Cabernet-Syrah ($10) and was pleased with it. It took awhile to get put into the bar and poured. We ordered the meatballs as an appetizer. They come in a trio over a grilled piece of Italian bread and sauce. The sauce was very good, thick and not too acidic. As an entrée my partner ordered the pork loin with the fried mozzarella. He ordered better. It was presented well, had a lot of flavor, was juicy and tender. It came with a small bed of lettuce. I had the white clam pizza. The texture and taste was great, but it was too heavy handed on the garlic (even for me, a person that puts triple what the recipe calls sometimes). All of the food came out piping hot by a polite runner. They clearly serve dishes as soon as they are ready and I really appreciate that. The service, however, was lacking. I will put a disclaimer: restaurants are very understaffed right now with the pandemic/unemployment debacle. I love and support local businesses and wanted to go somewhere that was romantic for my birthday. I hope they can get on their feet soon. The seasoned server we had had too many things to keep track of , and didn't seem like he could move quickly enough. We didn't have an introduction, no specials were listed, and putting in drink/food orders took an eternity. The couple sitting next to us had a reservation and it took them 45+ minutes to put an order in, and set a timer. If it hit an hour they were going to leave. They finally got the order in under the wire before the timer went off. After finishing one glass, we ordered another and it never came. He had 5-6 tables with some larger parties, whereas his younger female counterpart had only 3 and seemed to have more time to stand up against the wall; she could have helped him. The hostess tried to help with bussing tables and pouring water but it wasn't enough to keep things afloat. Hopefully, they will find the staff to properly schedule in the future. I was disappointed to spend $80 on dinner and not have the wonderful, intimate experience that former diners have outlined in their reviews. I left frustrated. read more

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They have a small parking lot that you enter from the side street, not Monroe Ave. It allows 7~8 cars tops. We arrived around 7 pm on a Saturday and was able to score a spot out of the last 2. The back entrance looked nondescript (nice garden though) but open the door and I saw the bar. The size of the main dining area is similar to the bar FYI. I called several days ahead to make a reservation and we were promptly seated. We two people shared the ricotta and the octopus, as recommended by many Yelpers. We also got the lasagna. The ricotta looked crumbly and covered in a generous amount of grounded black peppers and minced green herbs (chives? too dim; can't look closely). It had a milky scent and tasted creamy. The bread had an excellent texture and was charred just right. The octopus came on two sticks and had a small salad in lemon-y green dressing underneath. The acidity was bright and appetizing. We finished the two dishes right away. The portion of the lasagna was not too big, perfect for sharing between two people. The pasta must be freshly made because it did not taste like the dried sheet pasta (al dente/chewy). It was soft and airy. The red sauce was most likely made from fresh cherry tomatoes and did not simmer for too long: light, some barely-there sweetness, and not thick or chunky. read more

Rocco - Outside the back entrance - Italian Near Me - Rochester, New York

Strong first impression. Came in for dinner two weeks ago with family for a great meal in a small space...Rocco nails the "local Italian joint" feel right when you walk in. I tried the house-made ricotta and the veal; both were great and there was so much veal on that plate (along with the pasta that comes on the side!!) that I immediately tapped out to get half of this thrown into a doggy bag. $10 cocktails never hurt either and our server moved quickly to get us food...even though the service was moving a bit too quickly for me (nothing screams "get out of the large booth" like a meal for five where we get in and out in just over an hour). When I'm back in town craving Italian I will check this out! read more

I went here a long time ago now, so maybe things have changed, but I thought this one of the best meals I have ever had in Rochester when I went. I can still remember the amazing pork chop from that meal, which was huge and perfectly cooked and came with fried mozzarella (if I remember correctly). Amazing. The rest of my group had gnocchi, which was different from what you typically find at Italian restaurants, but still good. Definitely think I will be making a return visit in the near future. read more

Everything we had was tasty and fresh. The appetizers and pizzas were pricey but not overly expensive for this kind of higher-end restaurant. Not "knock you on your butt" quality (thus the 4 stars) but a very good, solid restaurant. The portions are small, but most of these higher-end places are like that - forewarned is forearmed. Don't expect breadbasket and oil when you sit down; there are thin prepackaged bread sticks - maybe a reaction to complaints from people expecting the standard Italian family restaurant. The waitress was friendly and helpful and our menus were in English (maybe a reaction to some of the complaints about their unreadable menu). If you get there early, there is parking in the rear. We ate outdoors and it was comfortable and not noisy. read more

I was disappointed by this place to be honest. I liked the ricotta cheese appetizer but I thought the charred bread paired terribly with it. Even my pizza was alright, and didn't feel too filling or flavorful. I felt as if the prices were expensive as well for what the food is. The service was good and I do think I potentially ordered wrong. I would try one of the pasta dishes next time. read more

Rocco - Italian Near Me - Rochester, New York