Meeting the Owner
Coming from Ohio, it’s nice to meet people who love the Mid-West just as much as I do. It’s clear to see that Rocco’s Little Chicago owner Rocco DiGrazia couldn’t be more proud of his hometown by the love that he puts in his food. Rocco started Little Chicago ten and a half years ago, and has accrued quite a large following throughout Tucson. Located on the north side of Broadway between Country Club and Campbell, it’s location is easy to get to from the nearby University of Arizona Campus, but it’s really worth traveling any distance to taste what Rocco’s has to offer. You can find the restaurant easily by it’s sign with quirky sayings such as “Best Pizza in Iran!” and “Eat it, Tweet it.” (I think that last one was specifically for us Taste Casters.)
All About the Atmosphere
I’ve had very few experiences like my first time in Chicago. I went downtown in the Windy City and tasted my first deep dish pizza amongst of bustling servers and guests eager to dive into their favorite fares. It’s been years since I’ve had that feeling, and as soon as I walked into Rocco’s, all of those wonderful sights and smells came flooding back to me. Little Chicago is a great place to take friends, family, and co-workers for a great casual dining experience. The servers are phenomenal, and our glasses were never empty! What I find most attractive about the restaurant is the patio. It’s nice if you want to hang out with a group of your friends, or especially nice when you have children!
Savor the Flavor
We were treated to an array of items that highlighted the entire menu. First, and my personal favorite of the entire evening were the Spicy Hot Sticks. Described on the restaurants website as “Rocco’s award winning sauce twirled up in tender dough,” it does not even begin to describe the avalanche of spectacular taste that I experienced. The award winning sauce has a Frank’s Red Hot base, with lots of other flavors mixed it. It is also the same sauce they use for their wings. Make sure you have a cup of water next to you, because the sauce will definitely heat you up! Excluding the pesto, the rest of his sauces are all made on-site at the restaurant. Rocco prides himself in the fact that almost everything at Little Chicago is homemade. What else I found really interesting is that the beer menu changes every few days, and Rocco personally types up a new list every time that it does. A crowd favorite among those is the “Old Style” beer. We were also served a great tomato and mozzarella caprese salad with a vinaigrette that was to die for! I highly recommend every salad at Rocco’s for their flavor and quality.
Nothing quite compares to the amazing deep dish pizzas we were showcased on Tuesday. The “Kitchen Sink,” the “Angry Samoan,” and the “Spin City” were topped with a vast variety of locally grown ingredients. My personal favorite was the Spin City with delicious spinach, fresh basil, four cheeses, garlic & olive oil. If you can’t make up your mind between what to choose, you should go for the Kitchen Sink which has Pepperoni, sausage, green peppers, mushrooms & red onions! The Angry Samoan was really flavorful and has pancetta, fresh jalapenos and pineapple all in the mix. If you aren’t really into pizzas, you can dive into a Grilled Sausage & Marinara Sandwich. It’s cut right in two, so if your stomach can’t handle it all at once, take it home and enjoy again!
As if you aren’t already stuffed by just reading about the pizza, make room for some cookies and cheesecake! The cookies at Rocco’s are one of the most talked about cookies in town. They are made fresh daily, and taste amazing. If you are looking for something else equally as spectacular, the cheesecakes are shipped from Chicago to Tucson for you to enjoy!
Stop By for a Visit
No matter what part of town you live in, or if you are just stopping by Tucson for a visit, Rocco’s needs to be on the top of your “To-do List.” The best times to make it out without much wait are Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. Wednesday night is 25 cent wing night which draws quite a crowd. Weekends are pretty popular as well. If you can’t seem to make it for a sit-down affair, you can always place a famous carry-out order as well. Just call 520-321-1860 Monday through Saturday 11a.m. to 10 p.m. and they are closed on Sundays. Even if you can’t make it for lunch, Rocco’s delivers!! Check out their site for delivery areas.
A big thanks goes out to Rocco and his crew for making a great night of delicious flavor for us! Stop in and visit them anytime. Let them know that the Taste Casters sent you, and you will get a complimentary beverage. Just print the coupon below and bring it in. Also, if you have been to Rocco’s Little Chicago before and want to rave about it, leave us comments below!
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Disclosure: TasteCasting is a promotional review site. We are treated to the food we taste at no cost. Team members are encouraged to share their experience good, bad or indifferent via the Social Web and to state their own, genuine opinion.
http://caps.fool.com/Blogs/ViewPost.aspx?bpid=218994&t=01006992510278919724
WOW! Rocco’s Rocks!If you are from the NorthEast or MidAtlantic you have lamented to your friends and family about the lack of decent pizza West of the Mississippi. Well, Rocco’s got it right.
If you like pizza and especially Chicago style deep dish pizza, then Rocco’s Little Chicago Pizzeria is where to go in Tucson. They have the best deep dish pizza in town. I love the Kitchen Sink pizza! The crust is awesome and the ingredients are fresh and tasty. I would recommend this pizza to any of my friends and definitely my out of town friends from the East Coast.
If pizza is not on your list, then try one of their calzones, pastas, sandwiches or salads. There are great choices on the menu with something for everyones taste. The other thing that I love about Rocco’s is their selection of craft beers. It’s the American dream, great beer and the best pizza. On my last visit, I enjoyed a good stout and a hefeweizen beer. The whole meal, salad, pizza and desert was fantastic!
My husband and I were invited to try Rocco’s Pizza. We have driven by this place and never stopped in until two days ago. We are so glad we decided to join our new found friends for some grub. We were very happy with all the delicious dishes we had to choose from. I loved everything, even the spicier plates (I have a weak palate…hahah. My favorite pizza was the Kitchen Sink deep dish…I am not a big mushroom lover but the mushrooms on this pizza were the fresheset I have tasted and very good. And I couldn’t get enough of the delicious soft deep dish bread. My husband loves the spicier foods and really liked the Angry Somoan. He also liked the sausage in the sandwich provided for us. We are so happy we tried Rocco’s Pizza and we will definately go back again; in fact I plan on ordering something tomorrow on my way home from work….lol Great Job Rocco and staff.
Rocco’s is a a little slice of heaven!
http://tasteoftucson.blogspot.com/
This sounds like a place I should visit when I travel West this fall.
@robblandon
Awesome!
I’d never been to Rocco’s until I read the Tastecasting reviews and decided I had to try it. Now I’m disappointed I’ve waited so long to eat there, the food is phenomenal! The deep dish pizza was to-die-for, the wings and salad wonderful and even the pasta kids meal was plentiful, tasty and very reasonable. I can’t wait to go back with friends for an enjoyable and tasty evening on the patio!