Rocco - Rochester (NY)

5 /5 Kathleen Moll: I had oysters, strip loin with bone marrow, a blood orange martini, and a salted caramel budino with almonds. I was in heaven. Highly recommended. Plus, the atmosphere was so homey.

3 /5 JueJue: The appetizer was the standout at this restaurant, truly the only highlight. The pizza was average, and the lasagna was disappointing with no meat. The service was exceptional, and the table setup was charming, with a nice brick wall as a backdrop. However, the atmosphere was overwhelming—tables were packed too tightly, so you could hear every conversation around you. The loud, chaotic vibe made it unbearable. This isn’t a place I’d return to for a date. We ended up getting a much tastier pizza elsewhere, and the high prices here didn’t match the food or ambiance.

5 /5 Lauri Mattle: We had a great dinner tonight at Rocco. Annika at the bar was awesome. The blood orange martini and the spicy margarita were fantastic! Started with Sausage pepperoni pizza which was cooked to perfection and every bite delicious. We then shared the octopus appetizer and it was tender with such a refreshing sauce. I wanted bread to sop up the sauce. Next we shared the chicken dish with bread salad and I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised. The chicken was tender the salad was savory with pine nuts and cranberries. All courses were perfect and we thoroughly enjoyed our meal.

1 /5 Carolina Marcus: We have been coming to Rocco for many years. It’s always been one of our favorites, a place we’ve celebrated birthdays, etc. Tonight we left and will never come back. We had a horrifying experience. As I took a bite out of my daughter’s lasagna, I felt something pierce the inside of my mouth. I promptly removed said object, which was a piece of steel wool. We immediately told our server, and she frankly couldn’t have cared less. She was utterly dismissive and rather disgusted that we dared even complain. Basically a “That happens from time to time, they do have to scrub the pans you know..” My husband and I explained that we truly did not mean to be alarmist, but as physicians, we know well that swallowing steel wool is extraordinarily dangerous. People could die, and in the best case scenario, emergency surgery is all but guaranteed. This was my fifteen year old daughter’s lasagna that the object was in. “We’re here for her birthday, we explained. Don’t you understand this is really scary? You shouldn’t be serving the lasagna to anyone here.” Anyways, it devolved from there. Be careful, folks. Stay safe.

1 /5 Olivia: We were really disappointed with our visit. The food didn’t match our expectations in either taste or presentation, especially considering the high price point. The menu lacked clear descriptions, so we were surprised by what we received — and not in a good way. The garlic bread was burnt and bitter. Almost every dish came overloaded with salad, including the grilled octopus (a very tiny portion) and the white fish, which was unexpectedly deep-fried in mostly batter and tasted off. If we had known that every main came with so much salad, we wouldn’t have ordered a separate salad appetizer. The pasta was overly salty and lacked flavor. While the service was friendly, the overall dining experience just didn’t justify the price. Unfortunately, we won’t be returning.