Rocca

This is our FAVORITE restaurant in bergen county. Our kids also love it. Every dish is delicious and we love the menu. We recently dined there in a party of 8 people, and everyone raved about their food. Awesome restaurant.

Rocca continues to be one of our favorite local restaurants. They seemed a little off their game last night. Server definitely was not what we expect at Rocca. Was less than attentive and we had to actually call him over twice.
Desserts did not seem to be up to their past standards. That being said, we had a wonderful meal and will continue to go here.

Had lunch here yesterday and have visited many times over the years. Still a ‘go to’ place for well-​above average food in the area.
Service was great and I appreciate the focaccia being served warm. I had the gnocchi and was very happy. Others had chicken and salmon dishes that were good. Lunch also comes with a salad and fruit/​coffee.
It is a very good value and BYOB.
We will continue to come here for a great meal at a reasonable cost.

Love the back door take out family meals!!! Where else in NJ can you get a meal w salad, entrée, pasta and bread for $ 40? It’s quick and taste great!

We live in Glen Rock and this is our local go-​to restaurant. Was there last night — my husband had the swordfish, which was great & I had the duck. The duck was the best that I’ve had in ages. A good all round dinner, from the salads and appetizers to the entrees and desserts. We’ll be back!

Rocca rocks! We are never disappointed when we go in person and even more impressed by their take out menu (the family package is such a great option and very affordable, we get it on a regular basis). We just wish they have a delivery option because then we would get their food even more. We try to minimize the cooking & cleaning on weekdays. lol

Great restaurant. Service, food atmosphere, everything. Not too cheap, but not very expensive either. Highly recommended.

Great spot for lunch. The food is very good and the service is excellent. I highly recommend the butternut squash soup.

Being from the area, I have often heard rumblings of the sub-​bar experience at Rocca but when I was invited by a group for a Saturday night dinner, I decided to give it a try.
The group was originally 4, but grew to 6 about an hour before the reservation (strongly recommended for weekends) so when we called ahead to alert them, the hostess said it should be alright if we just came about 15 minutes later (8:45pm). We did as instructed and ended up waiting an additional 15 minutes, which would have annoyed me but they offered to open up one of our wine bottles and the hangry in me was easily appeased by this kind gesture. Once we sat down, we ordered a few appetizers for the table: Calamari, Burrata and Fried Artichokes. In my opinion, this part of the meal took way too long to come out — about 30 minutes. I wasn’t a fan of the artichoke dish because it was covered with olives + their juice and it just wasn’t my cup of tea. The Calamari had been fried with a cornmeal batter so they were extra crispy but lacked flavor. The marinara was the only savior here really. The Burrata dish, albeit small, was the best. Two decent sized balls with grilled crostini, pesto and a roasted tomato. delicious and light! The entrees took yet another 30 minutes after to come out, and since most of them were fresh pastas, I didn’t really understand the delay. That being said, the dishes were all pretty average. I ordered the Papardelle Bolognese and only because they were out of the Mushroom Tagliatelle. It was alright, to me the pasta was undercooked and all the noodles were kind of stuck together on my plate even with the sauce. The bolognese itself was good. The best pasta I tried from someone else, was the gnocchi. Holy cloud nine! HUGE, pillows of light pasta stuffed with cheese. uhm yes?!! The crab fritters were just alright and slightly greasy, which was a huge disappointment sitting next to the gnocchi.
The service is pretty good; our waitress was super friendly and very attentive. The ambience is exactly what you expect for a casual Italian restaurant: dimly lit, lots of chatter and some music in the background. The meal though, was exactly what I had expected based on the reviews from local papers and other patrons. Try the grab-​and-​go close by for great baked goods, sandwiches and salads.

We live in Glen Rock and love the food at Rocca. We have family coming to town in 2 weeks and wanted to bring them there for dinner. I just called Rocca and asked if they could accommodate a table of 22 for the 21^st at 6pm. I was told that they could but they just needed to check their open table reservations first. When the gentleman came back on the phone, he said that the owner didn’t want to take the reservation unless we wanted to rent out the whole space because it’s a busy night. I’m not sure what that means because if they offered us the entire space then obviously there is availability so I’m not sure why they would turn down our business. We’re disappointed as we were hoping to support a local business in town but now we will be heading to Ridgewood to a restaurant that was more than happy to accept our reservation.

This is our favorite local restaurant. We’ve been going to Rocca since 2006 and have always had a great meal. I love how they change the menu up all the time while still keeping true to fresh farm to table ingredients. I usually try to go on Thursdays so I can do the pasta tasting menu– they only do it the one night a week. I never thought I’d eat some of the things in the pasta tasting menu (it changes weekly) but I’ve never had a course I didn’t like. I usually get the caprese salad which is always amazing but last week I tried a meatball appetizer. The meatball was melt in your mouth good. My husband says he’s never had better pasta anywhere, ever.
Kids eat free 2 – 3 nights a week– I think Tues, Wed and Sun. We’ve gone with other families on Sunday nights and it’s such a plus to be able to eat adult food in a place that is also kid friendly. I definitely recommend making a reservation. I’ve seen people have to be turned away. Also, plan to spend a little time. They make every dish fresh so you’re not going to be in and out for a quick bite. It’s a great date restaurant or group. I’ve had my birthday dinner there five years in a row.

Excellent service & delicious dinner!
Creamy Parmesan cauliflower soup was amazing!

Last night was our 5^th time at ROCCA, and we rave about it after every meal. The food is unbelievable, and the service is even more impressive. Everyone is friendly, personable and makes you feel like you’re having a great meal at a friend’s house. I had the Chilled Seafood Salad app (amazing!) and for dinner, Brook Trout over rosemary spaetzle, celery root purée, chopped pancetta and heirloom roasted beets. I wasn’t going to order dessert, but… homemade cannoli ice cream is not something I can pass up. LOL My wife loves that they offer half portions of pasta specials, too. (She couldn’t pass up the molten lava chocolate cake for dessert. Just sayin’!)

Quaint BYOB restaurant in the charming town of Glen Rock. Ingredients used for the salads and sandwiches were from high quality produce. I felt healthier after eating my soup (blended cauliflower) and half sangwich (their blt). No complaints from lunch.
Great place for a business lunch or to just catsup with friends.

Went thanks to a groupon and can’t wait to go back. The crab appetizer and chopped salad were divine. The homemade ravioli melted in your mouth and my fish dish was heavenly.
Outstanding service as well.
Loved everything about it!

Sadly I have to give Rocca only 3 stars. It really deserves 2.5 stars but I am giving the benefit of the doubt.
The place has changed completely since I was last there around a year ago. The menu has been pared down from a full Italian menu to a one page menu with barely any choices or traditional Italian entrees.
I only remember the waitress telling us about on special. I have to say that I was disappointed at the new approach.
I ordered the broiled sea scallops that was supposed to come with a side of mango risotto. The dish was $ 30. The scallops were pretty big and nicely cooked but there was only two small spoonfuls of the risotto. For $ 30 I expected a larger, more generous helping of the side dish.
The décor is the same as it has been for the last 10 years. It’s elegant but three is no reason to rate the place a 4 or 5 as previous Unilocalers have.
Also since it is a bring your own wine I can never give it a higher rating. I am at the point in my life where I don’t feel like dragging around a bottle of wine everywhere.
Still the food was good and if you don’t drink wine or care about side dishes with your meal then it’s fine.

I give Rocca five stars for consistent excellence. I have been there both for lunch and dinner, and have never been disappointed. The menu is constantly morphing, as the restaurant uses primarily fresh, local produce and meat. My favorite meal thus far has been the mushroom tagliatelle. The pasta (made on-​site!) has a satisfying, soft chewy texture while the mushrooms and sauce are savory, robust and, quite frankly, addictive. I kept swiping pieces of bread across my plate long after I finished the meal.
Rocca is a warm, cozy restaurant perfect for making some great food memories with loved ones. I’d recommend it again and again.
P. S. It’s BYOB! And the local liquor store delivers!

Here’s the scoop. These folks are training their staff to know food and food service. That’s a plus and makes them in the top 10% right there. Good service is hard to find even at the most expensive restaurants. This place gets that part of the equation correct.
Now onto the food. They embrace local ingredients more than most. It is not one of those places that is latching on to a trend. The menu changes every two weeks to reflect the latest ingredients available in the area.
Food is prepared to fantastic specifications. Creative cuisine that is not over sauce and over season. In short, the ingredients get to speak for themselves.
Compliments to the chef for a wonderful first experience. I reserve the fifth star for consistent performance, so looking forward to the next visits.

We’ve been going to Rocca for years. Just getting around to giving it credit on Unilocal.We think it’s great, with friendly service and excellent food (breadth of options and prep). The farm-​to-​table format move has been a lot of fun.
Main dishes… My favorites have always been the housemade pastas (most are housemade but not all), including the pappardelle bolognese and the orecchiette. The lasagna is also very good. 3-​cheese ravioli, gnocchi… Really all are solid. Lots of good options. They recently added a Bronzino that I’ve had 3 times. Perfect texture and flavor. My only ask on the main dishes is that they go back to the French cut chicken they served way back when. The boneless skinless breast is a boring use of a Goffle Farms chicken, I think. Although… if they can get that French cut chicken back on the menu, that would solve everything! I know lots of people want the BSB and they have to please the crowd.
Among the appetizers, I love the fried artichokes and olives. It had disappeared from the menu for some time but recently came back. Ask them to go light on the dressing and do expect it to be oily. Maybe not for everyone but I love it. My daughter ordered the mussels every time for a long time. Love the broth. She now orders the seafood salad (without dressing… Her choice). The mozzarella tasting is great — a few different types and textures.
Desserts… We like the ice cream and the occasional chocolate desserts, but we haven’t had many desserts there.
A suggestion to the chef/​owner… Come into the dining room now and then. We’ve been going there for years but couldn’t pick the guy out of a lineup. I appreciate the focus on the kitchen, but I think it’s important. That’s something the Ridgewood Latour guy does very well.
We’re obviously regulars, and we’ve always had very good service, end to end. I don’t doubt that the November poster had a bad night there, but that seems a bit over the top and attention-​seeking. I suggest you look at the total picture. This place is excellent.

It’s been a while that I’d find a restaurant worth returning to in the area. Today I thankfully broke that streak.
Rocca rocks. We’re were gladly lured in by a living social. To our surprise it was the first time that an establishment properly leveraged a living social. Providing such a good experience that I’d want to Unilocal about it. As a marketer, kudos.
The mozzarella, mussels, fish, fresh pasta… All were well cooked, tons of flavor, fresh, and tasty. The combination of ingredients and flavors put it over the top. A little too salty on shrimp, and a little more needed in the bread, but sailed through.
Everything else, atmosphere, service, etc… All good.
It was a great date night.
Cheers!