Rocco's Restaurant - South Bend, IN

I wish I could report back that I finally made it to Rocco's, had a wonderful meal, and I took a bunch of pictures. But I can't. They are closed on Mondays! It was just like I hoped it would look on the outside, with the all-important classic pizzeria criteria of "Since 1951" proudly written on the building. But it was sadly not to be, and we had to go elsewhere. Since I will be back there by the end of the year, I decided to start a thread anyway! Maybe someone else can add some of their experiences there in this thread.

I did get to try another South Bend pizzeria - Polito's. I read that it was a decent NY style pizza, but the atmosphere in there didn't feel 'right.' It felt like a cheap, rundown offshoot of a Pizza Hut complete with tiny salad bar. I read an online review that said initially this place was very close to a good Brooklyn pizza, but they had to change the recipe to suit the locals!!! The pizza ended up being a pleasant surprise with a definite east coast style crust, light and airy, good char, with some chew. The sausage was the crumbled type however, a big no-no. The sauce was a bit acidic and was not my favorite, but overall, we were expecting something so much worse that it was pretty good!

Polito's had a fire over a year ago. I saw where they relocated. Its much smaller than their old place, and looks a lot less nice. Have not been there since the fire, but I suppose the facility is not what they used to have. We went more for the calzones and stuffed pizzas, which, for South Bend, were quite good.

Rocco's is great. Me and my buddies frequented it late at night years ago when at N.D. The Mrs. treated us like her kids. I understand the quality has remained, one of my kids was friends with one of the family, and she and her friends ate there often.

The neighborhood used to be heavily Italian, with several delis and restaurants. Most are gone now. There is another restaurant not too far from Roccos, the Sunny Italy. It is also a tradition. I ate there with my parent's when I was a kid, and recall being impressed. I've eaten there several times in the past few years. It has always been good, and on one ocassion, very good.

There's also Macri's Bakery and Deli about 6 blocks from Roccos. The baked goods are very nice, if pricey, and the selection of imported Italian foods is satisfactory. Their take out salads are pretty good. I've found the lunches there passable, but unremarkable.

gdenby

Polito's is in abuilding which was originally opened 40 years as a Village Inn Pizza Parlor, a national chain. The lack of soul in the new place is the result of multiple fast food restaurants and multiple renovations. Polito's had to install new ovens after the fire. As a result, the pizza suffers.

The back up choice for pizza would have been Barnaby's on Jefferson near the river. There is another Barnabys about a mile from Polito's on the corner of Edison and Grape Road. The Jefferson location has the best Barnaby's pizza in the MIDWEST.

Rocco was a former Italian POW who married a Mishawaka girl after the war. The POW's were in Berrien County, MI picking fruit.

Growing up in South Bend my family's phone number was oone digit from Rocco's.

I ate at Rocco's twice when I was back for the ND/Michigan State game in September, and can attest that the quality is as good as ever, or at least from my days in South Bend in the late 90s/early 00s. The place was completely packed as it always is on football weekends.

Rocco's story of how he ended up in the US is pretty amazing:

http://www.wndu.com/home/headlines/27976629.html

Funkyfrank, nice to see you chime in as I think it was you who first mentioned Rocco's to me in the Q's Pizzeria thread.

We didn't want to go to Barnaby's for a few reasons. First, we have the best one I ever ate at in Northbrook which is still one of my favorite thin pizzas anywhere. Second, my Dad who was with us didn't want to eat at a place that he can go to any day of the week. Third, we didn't want to even take a chance on an unknown Barnaby's (some are ok, some are bad pizza period that have nothing to do with the real Barnaby's), though I had heard at least one of the South Bend area locations was good. So you say the Barnaby's on Jefferson is the best anywhere? Better than Northbrook? Please confirm this! (But even if you do... would I still go there if Rocco's is great? I'm not so sure, but I am very curious, and if it's on a day when Rocco's is closed then I guess Barnaby's would be the first backup).

Thanks for your replies so far everyone.

I finally had the pleasure of going to Rocco's this past Saturday. It was a nice, friendly family atmosphere to be in, similar to other old school places like Marie's, Maria's, Wells Brothers, etc. However, I was glad I didn't order first at the table. Their regular crust is not a typical cracker thin, tavern-style crust. It's a little thicker, more like a hand tossed style. They also have a much thicker crust. The server said you could also order pizza extra thin, which was what I did. Everything was great. My dad loved his sausage pizza, saying it was one of the best pizzas he's ever had. I thought my pizza was excellent, nice and crispy, and the sausage was great too, reminded me of Wells Brothers sausage. One other thing - they cut it pie shaped, not in squares which I kind of prefer for really thin pizza, but I can understand why they did this since the normal pizza there is thicker.

Funkyfrank, you were right on the money - this definitely belongs in our ring of great thin crust pizzerias around Lake Michigan. The only one left on the list for me to get to is Fricano's and that will happen next year!

Thanks for the review. I forgot to order it extra thin the last time I was in SB. It was good, but the extra think crust is much better. They do a good job with vegetable toppings.

Had Rocco's again Saturday night and I gotta say, I really love this place. Cool, old school vibe, family owned, and great food. The pizzas were superb once again. I ordered mine extra thin, which is not on the menu, but they'll do it, no questions asked. It's right up there with any of the Chicago area joints, a real treasure. My sister and my girlfriend got a regular crust pizza (still pretty thin on it's own) and they loved it. My nephew got a classic spaghetti and meatballs and he loved it as well. This is definitely the go-to pizza place in the region for us as of now. The supposedly great Barnaby's on Jefferson St is on the radar, but I won't go there if Rocco's is open because I can get Barnaby's of Northbrook 7 days a week.

funkyfrank wrote:The back up choice for pizza would have been Barnaby's on Jefferson near the river. There is another Barnabys about a mile from Polito's on the corner of Edison and Grape Road. The Jefferson location has the best Barnaby's pizza in the MIDWEST.

My sister and nephew went to Barnaby's on Jefferson and said it was thick, doughy, and bland. It was not like the Northbrook institution many of us on this board love. I still want to check it out based on your praise for it.

But please try the Northbrook location and let me know what you think Frank!

I'm going to be in Southwest Michigan over Labor Day weekend and we usually go down to South Bend/Mishawaka to eat. Rocco's is always on the list now, but with it being a football weekend, this might make things a little tight in there. Is it best to avoid Rocco's altogether on football weekends?