Rocco’s Café & Pizzeria

The thin crust veggie pizza is good.
Nice outside seating.
Bar is filled with flat screens.
They have specials every day, on Wednesday ½ price bottles of wine and beer– Not too shabby.
Service is ok.
After 10 PM they have a special bar menu filled with bar food … the .22 cent sliders caught my attention!
My only beef with Chicago is that EVERY place serves ice berg lettuce which lacks nutrients.

My girlfriend and I came out here for a quick meal. We were so impressed. The patio was beautiful and spacious. The food was really great too. The bruschetta was some of the best that I’ve ever had. We also ordered a thin crust pizza and a vege sandwich. Both were great!
The absolute best part of the evening was the (Russian) waiter. We received the best service I’ve seen in a long time. He unfolded the silverware, recommend and served us the food in a very professional manner and reminded us about the dessert before we had a chance to get too full. He even wrote the date on our to-​go box. How thoughtful! He was also super polite.
Overall we highly recommend the place and will be visiting again soon.

After watching the Gypsy Kings and playing slots next to sweat pant wearing patrons at the Horseshoe Casino we all hand some serious hunger pangs. We drove back into the city and decided to check out Rocco’s Pizzeria in Lincoln Park.
Like most places along that old strip on Lincoln and Wells, Rocco’s is in a cavernous basement location. But the place is clean and the server was great. It was about 10:30pm and our server, I’ll call him Dane Cook, was attentive and funny. I choose to call him «Dane Cook» because he was quirky, funny and threw in vulgar (appropiate and funny) language and jokes at times.
We had four $ 5 12inch pizzas and two rounds of beers all for about $ 40. What a deal, right? The pizzas were good too. They were saucy, I like it saucy, cheesy and the toppings were plentiful and perfect. «Dane Cook» was great and made the end of our night out perfect. I will definitely be back to Rocco’s for their great servers and their delicious $ 5 pizzas.

I don’t know what I expected coming here, but I do agree with the other reviewers that the outside patio is where it’s at! The day we were there it was cold and raining so we didnt get that chance, but I can see how on a nice day it would be so awesome. Inside is just so-​so, sort of blah, oddly decorated in a sports/​italian/​TGI Fridays style.
Andy and I both got the Rocco burger which was the special of the day. For $ 6 you can’t beat it, it is a rather sizable sandwich with caramelized onions and a cajun remoulade. Our server was very nice but then again, there was hardly anyone in there while we were there so it wasn’t very hard to be attentive!
It’s tough to park around here but if I was in the area again I would definitely try Rocco’s again. It looked like they had a pretty nice pizza!

The best way to describe my lunch at Rocco’s is: A decent lunch at a tasty price.
On Sunday’s they offer a $ 6.00 Rocco-​Burger special. The Burger is huge and tasted pretty good. Other than the size, the Burger was typically what you would get at any Chicago bar.
The interior is quite strange. It looks like they assembled a collage of pictures and art that had nothing to do with one another. I saw a Gary Cooper, Cigarette advertisement, some Italian Art and a Jimmy Durante album cover all on the same wall. It looked like Ray Charles did the interior decorating
For right now, I give Rocco’s three stars. I would like to go back for some pizza and a couple of brews. The food was decent, and the décor was weird, but it was good enough to warrant a second visit.

Apparently Rocco’s is now… Rocco Ranalli’s. What I have learned is that there was a merge of the two restaurants. And from some of the reviews I have read people are not in love with the merge and want the old Ranalli’s back.
Well, my only experience is with the new merged restaurant and it was a good one. We called in an order for pick up and it was ready in 15 minutes. Everyone was super nice when we walked into the restaurant and I swear every single worker there greeted us and said «come back soon!». I had the Italian Beef sandwich and my boyfriend had the Chicken Parmesan sandwich. Both we really good and the side of sweet potato fries made them even more enjoyable! I do have one complaint that the toasted ravioli was a little rubbery.
I will definitely be ordering there again for a quick weekday meal!

My boyfriend and I average a once a week visit to the LP spot. Needless to say we love it. Enough with the thick crust Chicago-​style pizza! This place has great thin crust! I would even go as far as to say this is my go to spot for pizza in Chicago — for both carry out and dine in.
We always order the Meat lovers, no sausage, extra bacon. The pepperoni’s are HUGE. The sauce has just enough sweet to mesh well with the salty of the meats and cheeses. Brilliance in a pizza pie.
In the summer they have a fantastic (and large patio). It is mostly shaded and makes for the perfect lunch spot. A true gem in the LP area.

Unfortunately, even though our first experience was delightful, the aftermath has not been. They charged us twice for our meal on our credit card and it’s been days trying to fix it. Both people I’ve spoken to on the phone have been so rude and when I finally got to someone that could help she said she needed to «take a few days and research it.» I’m glad I have the money in my checking account to cover their mistake… and here’s hoping they can get it together so other people don’t have to deal with this problem. Note to self, pay cash.

1. The number of coupons I had set to expire.
40. The number of minutes between placing my order and walking in my house, pizza in hand.
5. The number of times I shook the ultra light pizza box to make sure there was actually a pizza inside.
30. The number of seconds I had to nuke my practically cold pizza.
Cold pizza really chaps my hide! For a minute I wondered if I had blacked out and inadvertently carried out from HomeMade — you know the cook it yourself place. I should have been more skeptical when the bottom of the box didn’t feel hot, let alone warm. I was too tired/​lazy to take the pizza back, especially since the problem was easily remedied on my side.
Despite the temperature of the Margherita pizza, my carryout experience left me very disappointed. The pizza itself was just ok; I liked the ultra thin crust, but felt like they skimped on the toppings. I also didn’t find the pizza very filling at all, I could have easily put away 75% of it without trying. Consider that a warning if you’re ordering from here for a group.
I haven’t written this place off, after all they do have that fantastic patio, but I think I’ll stick to dining in.

Took a friend here on a Friday night in exchange for helping me with some electrical work. I started with an X Martini which tasted better than I expected, she had beer. We split the antipasto platter, which we had ordered for two but apparently was the large by accident. It was fine for two, I think it would have been kind of small for 3 – 4. It was pretty good though. She had a bowl of minestrone, and I had the vegetarian pizza. It was okay. I must confess I prefer NY style, so I am not the best judge of Chicago pizza, account for that when weighing my review. The service was friendly and very quick to take care of the error for charging me for the large antipasto platter, I appreciated that. The restaurant itself has a nice cozy feel, and the patio is awesome in warm weather.

After hitting quite a few bars, we stumbled into Rocco’s for some pasta and wine to finish off the night (just what we needed). The bartender Aaron (I think. Tim thought it was Eric.) was so fun! I’m going to assume he has a following because they were cheering «Give me an A!» (or E) and spelling out his name from accross the bar. The cheer was well deserved. We both had pasta (mine with sausage) and it was fabulous.
We’ve never had a bad experience at Rocco’s. We’re lucky that it’s in our back yard! Five stars to you Aaron er… umm. Eric!

My review is based on the late night hours of 9-​midnight. I laugh as I read the one star reviews on here for Roccos. They all are essentially regarding the harshness of the patio staff late at night and the prevalence of the rats on the same patio. Perhaps they are related?
On one of my trips to Roccos (my softball team has come to enjoy hanging out here post-​game on Friday nights) we did see the rats outside. Um, hello. This is a place with great smelling food and a very very large patio nestled in a neighborhood in the middle of a large city. Are you really shocked at the rat factor? Or, the urgency of the staff to remove their guests from having to experience something they have no control over? I invite anyone to venture about a ½ mile east to the park to witness the cohabitation of the rats with the rabbits in the fields, flowers, etc. Unless Daley goes all Giuliani on the rats, they aren’t going anywhere.
Anyway, we enjoy the $ 1 and $ 2 draft and $ 5 12″ pizza specials on the late night menu. The place is always calm and inviting with the staff being very helpful yet cognizant of our lack of need for babysitting at that hour.

Since my review in June, I have been back to Rocco’s several times and today I’ve made the decision to just skip this place all together in the future.
It seems as if the food goes downhill each time I come back and I keep bringing new people because I used to love it here and I end up looking like the schmuck who doesn’t know how to pick a good spot.
Today I came late in the afternoon and I was in awe at the condition of the patio. There was not a single customer in place, yet there were at least 4 dirty tables covered in used glasses and dishes while the staff was just sitting around inside and the hostess was doodling.
It’s sad, when my friend and I left she goes. wow, the only good thing there was the bread in the basket that they gave for free. We got chop salads and 30% of the lettuce was brown, it tasted like it was made the night before and stuck in the fridge overnight.
The pizza is still good, but I would rather have delivery then dine in at this place. Pizza will most likely be the only thing I’ll order from here.
The servers have always been friendly but not very attentive and then they seem to rush you at the end to close out.
It’s a shame because their outdoor patio gives them such potential.

My wife and I were on the way to eat at Bricks pizza and the wait was at least an hour. So we headed down the street to see Ranalis gone and Roccos in its place. Ordered the double dough pizza and it was really really tasty. Though we’ve been in Chicago, we love NYC style pizza with softer dough and we loved it at Roccos. Prices were mid-​range and service was great. Hard to find really good pizza around town that is not Chicago Style besides Pequods…
Definitely fans of this place…

I was very excited to have a big group of friends sit outside on the gorgous Rocco’s patio to celebrate my husband’s birthday on a lovely summer evening. I had never been before but after talking to the friendly person on the phone and being assured that we would be able to have drinks outside until midnight I decided to have everyone meet there.
When we arrived the host tried to get us to sit inside even though the weather was perfect and it was only around 10. After some insisting, she let us set up outside and it went downhill from there. Aside from the disgusting rats scurrying under our feet from nearby dumpsters, the staff was incredibly rude to us despite our large group racking up quite a hefty bill. Our waitress was impolite and snippy with the birthday boy and nearly ruined our celebration! It was such a damper on an otherwise enjoyable evening. While the patio is lovely, I do not recommend this place at all. I cannot comment on the food as we just went there to have drinks on the patio.

The patio is huge and a big bonus but would have been better with some heat lamps for the chilly evenings. However, it’s June and the evenings shouldn’t be chilly so i’m not faulting the restaurant for this-​just hope they get some before fall. Our service wasn’t the greatest, but i know the place has only been open for a little over a month so i can look past this. The waitress was friendly, just not attentive.
i gave Rocco’s four stars because while i really enjoyed my meal (Linguine Con Vongole), it wasn’t anything extraordinary. It did taste very fresh but was lacking something i can’t place. My husband ordered the Chicken Scaloppine and he said it was tasty but should have gone with his gut and ordered something different. The menu says it comes with potato wedges, but they are more like buffalo chips hidden under the chicken. He thought they were left out until he went digging for them. We split the lava cake for dessert and that also wasn’t anything spectacular but it was good. The serving portion wouldn’t typically be split-​able but i only wanted a little bit. Other guests around us ordered the pizzas and they looked amazing. i’ll definitely come back-​ideally on a warmer night so we can enjoy the patio again and i plan on trying a pizza.

Went to soft opening, which was the first one that I’ve ever been to, and had a great time. I sat at the bar and received excellent service. The bartender was very attentive and pleased to hear of any compliments or concerns that I had to say.
The food was actually very good. I had the Chicken Limone with potato wedges. I was given two nice size pieces of chicken which were both full of flavor and an ample amount of potatoes. For dessert I had the lava cake, which had a nice presentation but failed as far as overall taste goes. It was a little cold but the dessert could easily be corrected.
The wine list was decent. I had the house pinot noir which was average. The draft and bottled beer list was pretty good with lots of choices. Overall, the food was good and the atmosphere was fun and energetic, so Rossco’s can expect a return visit from me.

I have been anxiously awaiting the opening of Rocco’s for several months! This new pizzeria is just a few feet from my front door, so I have been watching their progress with interest. When they finally opened to the public on May 11^th, I was determined to check it out. With it’s amazing patio space, this place could be my neighborhood hangout this summer!
My girlfriend and I walked in at 6:30 pm, and there was a decent crowd at the bar. This place prides itself on having LOTS of TVs, which is NOT my favorite thing about a restaurant. (On their website they say that have over 20 flat-​screens). They seem to have them installed in every nook and cranny! On the plus side, not ALL of them were tuned to sports — one near our table was showing the Travel Channel. So, probably not a good spot for a date, but could be a good place to grab dinner and watch the game or hang out with a group of friends. Rocco’s also seems to be quite kid-​friendly. I saw several families with little kids, and their kid’s menu is very reasonably priced — nothing more than $ 5!
Rocco’s wine list isn’t huge, but they have a nice variety of domestic and imported selections. All of their house wines are $ 6 a glass, and the Cabernet my friend ordered was drinkable. The wine is served in lowball glasses, which I always find charming. It was also a very generous pour! The beer list is already a hit with me, because they have my new favorite beer, Goose Island Matilda, on tap for $ 5.50! NICE! They also have the usual suspects, plus some Three Floyds selections and a few Italian beers.
The menu covers all the basic Italian classics. For an appetizer, our waitress recommended the bruscetta. I wanted to try something different, so I ordered the artichoke fritters, which she said were also one of her favorites. I thought the portion size was a bit skimpy, and the flavor was just average. The aioli dipping sauce was really good, but somehow the flavor did not compliment the artichokes well. Next time I will try the baked clams.
My friend wasn’t super-​hungry, so she just ordered a small salad, but she couldn’t resist getting a side order of meatballs! Our waitress really talked up the meatballs! I had read that the owner is from a Sicilian family, so I was expecting the meatballs to taste just like something out of Nonna’s cucina! But alas, they were mediocre at best. The texture seemed very mushy, and the sauce wasn’t all that either. Kinda chunky, but watery at the same time.
I ordered Rocco’s Special pizza, with Italian sausage, mushrooms, onions and roasted peppers. Rocco’s has thin and «double dough» crust options, but for some reason double dough wasn’t available that night. No worries, I like thin crust. The pizza came out looking very tasty, and was actually pretty good. The crust was nice. Decent sauce. Good proportion of toppings. I like their Italian sausage, it has a nice lil kick to it. Was it the best pizza EVER? No, but since Rocco’s is so close, I would definitely go there again for pizza.
The menu also features a variety of pastas, entrees and sandwiches. Our waitress said the spaghetti & meatballs are great, but after trying the meatballs and sauce, I don’t know that I will be ordering that any time soon. However, the penne with shrimp in pesto broth and the rigatoni with Italian sausage in garlic-​cream sauce both sound tasty.
Of course I had to order dessert as well! We ordered the tiramisu, and after 1 bite, my girlfriend declared that it was the best thing we’d ordered all night. Again, I thought it was fine, nothing to write home about.
So what would make all this so-​so food worth it? The patio! Nothing makes food taste better than a little sunshine and a warm breeze! In my opinion, Rocco’s patio is their main attraction. They have just re-​bricked it, and added a wrought-​iron fence around the whole thing. Unfortunately the patio was not open for seating that night (still a bit chilly!) but it will be a GREAT place for a few drinks and a pizza on warm summer nights!
Rocco’s food is mediocre, but I think their patio is what will draw me back. A great place to go before hitting the bars around LP or Old Town, or after a day at the zoo or the beach!

I went to Rocco’s for their preview night with no expectations. I’m pleased to say my no expectations have been surpassed!
The calamari was well portioned, tho slightly overcooked. It was their first day, so it’s forgivable. The pizza was flavorful, with a particularly nice sauce.
My date had the scampi, which looked good, and it made her smile a lot while she ate it, so good work there.
They twisted my arm and made me get their house made tiramisu, which was light, rich, and wonderful.
Service was attentive, courteous and prompt.
It’s also some of the best pizza in the immediate neighborhood aaaaand they have a huge patio.
Don’t let this one slip by, people. Stop in and eat it up!

Rather than update, I’m just going to edit, and edit with really big props. I was a little skeptical at first because I have a long time relationship with the Ranalli organization who operated the venue for a really long time. They were exceptionally good to me and I even pulled shifts there between gigs and always had a place to call home.

Times changes, deals went bad and eras ended. A friend was involved in the deal to reopen but pulled out, my neighborhood «Cheers» was never going to be. And then it was. Courtesy of a savvy nightlife veteran and a really ambitious and driven Chef.
My original review was «Went to soft opening and service was rocking. Went back again and it was still spot on. The food is pretty good and the menu is focused on pizza, pasta, salads and sandwiches. Not huge or overwhelming, but good and decent.
Tried the antipasto platter and liked the selection of cheeses and meat except the prosciutto was cut so thick, it didn’t look like proscuitto. Tre Colore salad with lemon vinagrette was outstanding as was the Rigatoni and sausage. Loved the Chicken Limone although the potato wedges were actually slices, not wedges. Desserts (lava cake) could use a little work as well but its the first week. Will update accordingly.
Wine list needs some work but there is lots to choose from as far as draft and bottled beers. Place is definitely family friendly, clean and most importantly, by my pad. Very welcome addition.»
My new star is for for me. Me being a pain in the ass, always ordering something that isn’t on the menu, configuring my own creation. And Rocco’s always going above and beyond to meet my crazy dietary restrictions, picky habits and borderline nuisance request. Really, you will make a au jus reduction from scratch because I want an Italian Sausage but not with marinara or bread that is too dry? I can have special tomatoes on my caprese? Seriously, the menu might be limited but only by your vision. The patio is amazing and the service is still spot on. All of the things I had hoped for in a replacement restaurant to my beloved Ranalli’s and then some.
My high school year book had the saying «After change upon change, things are more or less the same» and that rings true for Rocco’s!
Bouna fortuna!