Coco’s Pasta and Grill

The food was great, service was perky, and the price was right. It’s a shame the CIA bought them out last week because my husband and I were looking forward to going back soon.

Coco’s has been around for several years and I’ve been slacking on the review because it simply hasn’t been on my mind. What does that tell you? The food has gone slightly downhill during the years and it’s hard to even say that. When they first opened, the food was stellar and quite promising.
Lately, it seems like the food is «phoned in» and there’s no true excitement to the dishes. On the other hand, the table service has ALWAYS been excellent and will never get complaints from me. The food just doesn’t have that «wow» factor anymore. Even though, the menu is still pretty good and I’ll still go there hoping to be amazed again.

I have no idea if there is a limit to the number of updates you can write for a business. But as long as Coco’s continues to reinvent itself, I will continue to provide updates. Their most recent repackaging is to bill themselves as a smokehouse. That is blatantly obvious as soon as you get out of your car in the parking lot; the wood smoke smell is almost irresistible, pulling you in the moment you get out of your car.
Dinner was, to some extent, a comedy of errors. But the overall dinner experience was very good, primarily because it was ultimately all about the food.
An intriguing wine list/​happy hour ad features «$ 10 wines, all day, every day,» and a reasonable selection of them. I was wondering whether they simply purchase these wines from the bulk bins at Liquorama next door, or maybe from the same supplier. But you know what, 2 beers would have been just as much, and I can be quite content with an inexpensive wine for dinner. So good for them for the option.
Instead of bread, we got fried tortilla strips and salsa. The tortilla strips were very slightly stale, but they had a nice kick, and the salsa was definitely homemade and worked well with the strips.
BIG problems with the new menu… or should I say MENUS. The 2 of us at my table each got a unique Smoked House Menu. The waiter assured us they were aware of the problem, and that everything on both menus was available. So we opted for the smoked platter. It is billed as enough for 2, and it contains ribs, brisket, smoked chicken, and Italian sweet sausage, plus one side per person. We wanted bbq sauce on the ribs and brisket, but our server told us the chef preferred we get the sauce on the side for everything. Anyhow, my preferences:
#4 — the brisket — a bit fatty (that can be expected), but tasty. The bbq sauce on the side, with a tomato-​y base, worked best with this.
#3 — the Italian sausage — again, a good flavor, but for me a slight greasiness and spiciness that might give me trouble later (your mileage may vary)
#2 — the ribs — not fall-​off-​the-​bone tender, but very tasty
#1 — the chicken — This was, for me, addicting, a great rub which worked well. Unfortunately, this menu option only gives you 1 leg and 1 thigh. When I come back — and I will — THIS will be what I order most frequently.
I did not feel the sauce was necessary for anything beyond the brisket.
Well done, Coco’s.

My family went for to Coco’s for dinner. We have had take out in the past. As far as take out goes.3 stars. good, not great, but quantity for the price and diversity is fine. In person I kept saying «this place needs to be on Restaurant Impossible».
In general, the service was pretty weak… forgot my salad with my pasta (she only had one other table). The food was ok. My husband needs gluten free and he really liked their gluten free pizza. Likely frozen, but hey, he likes it. I had angel hair with meat sauce… good, not great. The portion was insane… a whole pound of pasta. Our son had the kids pizza and didn’t like the smell so he ate my pasta.
The owner is nice and she brought over a huge cookie for my son (after asking if it was ok) which certainly was nice.
I think we will do the occasional take out, but in house dining… maybe ask for Robert Irvine to stop by. Your intentions are good, but the execution is lacking.

I’ve eaten at a lot of places, and this place by far was the worst meal of my life. You go to taco bell and you get the quality of food you expect. Peter Luger’s in Brooklyn, same thing. When you go to a «bar and grill», you expect to pay $ 7 — $ 10 on a decent satisfying meal. We were wrong.
We went with a party of 6 and opted to get the steaks. I think they changed owners because the menus did not include steaks anymore. But our wait staff insisted they had steaks in the back. When a waiter tells you that, it should be a clear warning to not get it, but 5 of us opted for it. Heck, why not? We want MEAT!
Out came the food. The one friend who did not order the steak got Amaretto Chicken. But it was a plate of this creamy liquid… Where’s the chicken? It was literally hidden in this soupy sauce. The sauce tasted just like the name… Amaretto. And nothing else. And the steaks? They were tough, with lots of sinewy texture that was next to impossible to cut through with a knife. None of us finished our steaks. It was seriously the worst thing I ever had.
Oh, but to top it off, on our ride home, we actually pulled over because one of the girls had to vomit out of the car. We called Coco’s completely disgusted, not only with the meal, but having to deal with a girl projectile vomiting outside of the car. They had little to say, since we «finished our meals».
Coco’s, thanks for being forever in our minds as the worst meal of our lives.

Probably just ate the worst buffalo wings I have ever had in my life. They had really hearty sloppy fries and complimentary cold (but good) corn bread… but I can not forget how bad the wings were. The sauce tasted like a bland and watery barbeque sauce that was trying really hard to become a buffalo sauce. but didn’t really make it. Several of us who ordered the wings also got a couple of raw bits of meat at the center of our wings. The service is great so I’d be more than happy to give this place another shot, but I’m not going to order the wings again.

I used to eat here. It was a good place to grab some food that was reasonably priced. The service is fantastic, but the quality of the food is the issue! They MICROWAVE the dinner rolls! That’s a big NO, NO in the food service world! The mashed potatoes were served with an old school lunch lady style scooper! They just need to regroup and get back to serving quality food! Sorry guys!

Great customer service and food! Best gluten free pizza crust I’ve ever had!

Very nice place to eat. Cozy and prices are excellent for quality of food received.
They recently implemented a different buffet option every night of the week, which is an interesting change and definitely allows for more food for your buck.
The pizza rolls are awesome and I could easily down a plate of these. Their BBQ wrap and all wraps to be honest have never failed to deliver.
I’ve noticed their buffets that include the prime rib always seem to serve it cold, which I do not think is common.
Overall, good place to eat, not a loud environment, good place for sit-​down buffet style now-​a-​days though you can still order off the regular menu if desired. Atmosphere is warm so this can be a good place for a date or for family outings.
Reservations have to be 8+ people or they do not take them.

Don’t waste your time or money, you will only be disappointed. The location is nice, and the staff is very pleasant. But the food was dreadful and the open front door let in many pesky flies. So do yourself a favor and keep on looking…

How? How could you not like this place. And I’m sorry but to the below reviewer, you really have to give this place a bad review because of a pita??? This place is the BEST in the area when it comes to wheat pizza, hands down, end of story. The tastiest and most creative Italian food in the area made with pizza dough is their whole wheat dough pizza rolls — nothing comes close. Just so insanely delicious. Also, ANY of their wraps are huge, delicious and just sooooo well cooked. I don’t know what planet the other poor reviewers are on, but the $ 7 appetizer of Pizza rolls has enough to feed a family of 4… it’s a great dining experience. Not a 5 star review because of the culinary art of the food, just because I’ve been going here for years because the food is uniquely delicious, every time, no matter what I order. Stop by Coco’s and you WON’T be dissapointed.

We want to love you! But you always fail us!!!
For example, we always get the greek salad – love the dressing. And it comes with pita, cucumber, feta, olives, etc… BUT if you want it to go… sorry, no pita for you!!! And now they have taken away like half of the toppings, it’s all lettuce!!!
I have to say we have gone for a long time due to good value and convenience. But the past few times we have gone our experience has been horrible. Bad, weird service, the food has gotten «skimpy» and I think it’s finally time to take this place off of our list.

Good food, good prices. As a student at Marist, I loved this place. Always had to bum a ride to get there, but always worth it. Simple food like pizza and wraps for casual nights, yummy pasta dishes and desserts for a nice night out. Love it, will always come back.

There will always be a special place in my heart reserved for Cocos due to their many years of delicious service to me during my time at CIA. I particularly enjoy this establishment because everything that I have ever eaten there tastes like it was made with tender, loving care and the fact that I could always rely on them to carry my faves (especially the PIZZA ROLLS… mmm). Not to mention I have spent many a good times and have had many a good laughs with my friends here as well. To me Cocos offers pure and simple comfort food in a laid back (but not too laid back) environment.
The top things I ordered at Cocos:
1) Soup. I usually do not order soup because restaurants typically overcharge for an item that requires little food cost to prepare, BUT Coco’s soups tastes like they are homemade so I never did mind.
2) Wraps. Come to think of it I don’t remember ordering much of anything else that could be considered an entrée except the wraps. I remember ordering pizza once (not to be confused with their pizza rolls which I discuss below) which was decent; as well as their pasta which was also at a par playing field with other establishments in the area; but their wraps are practically all that my friends and I ordered while dining there and with good reason. I would suggest the BBQ or buffalo chicken wraps.
3) Pizza Rolls. Now if you remember only one thing from my review, please for the sake of mankind remember these two words: PIZZA ROLLS. If you eat at Cocos, this appetizer is a must try. I tasted them on my first visit there and have ordered them on every returning visit since, even making special trips to specifically pick them up. Whether you choose cheese or pepperoni it doesn’t matter, but be fully warned you will become hooked for life. Very, very good. I believe Coco’s delivers, but if you have to walk here from CIA or even Marist in sleet and snow to try, trust me it would be worth every step.
Additional comments about Coco’s:
Plenty of parking,
service is how it should be,
and there is even a hint of local mom ‘n’ pop charm (I remember for about a year straight they would always send my party home with complementary house-​made rice pudding which is pleasanly good).
The only negative comment I have about Cocos is although I enjoy their food (esp their PIZZA ROLLS, did I mention their PIZZA ROLLS?) I was rarely won over by their desserts with the exception of the rice pudding which I always got for free.
All in all I am most certainly a fan of Coco’s Pizza and it is definitely on my list of things to do if I am ever find myself in Hyde Park again.