Rocco Italian Grill & Sports Bar

The pizza here is the best we’ve had in Wilmington! Ingredients are super fresh. We’ve only had takeout, but would definitely come here again.

First time here from a recommendation of a friend. Ballgames on the multiple televisions, very cold beer and probably the best Margherita Pizza I’ve ever tasted. The young man that waited on us, tyler, was such a good person and we had just a wonderful time there. Will definately go there again. !!!

Great food, atmosphere and service, doesn’t get much better!

Went in on a Friday night and they had great live music for the bar crowd. We got a table in the back and although the music was a little loud, we knew what to expect and it was very enjoyable. We had great pasta and great pizza! Large portion sizes, very delicious, and cooked just right. Our server was awesome and incredibly warm and friendly. The décor is awesome and makes it feel classy. Will definitely be back!!!

Regarding the previous low reviews and people complaining about drunks on a Friday/​Saturday night… Rocco’s is a local SPORTS BAR. You should know what you’re getting yourself into if you come in at 10pm on a weekend. To try some of their delicious Italian selections with a more quiet atmosphere, might I suggest a reservation at 5pm on a Tuesday?
All in all, we had a great time and had a nice dinner with great service. Yes, the bar was loud on Friday at 10pm. Live music added another level of noise. But given the nature of the establishment, that didn’t bother us one bit. Had great pasta (get the gnocchi) and a decent beer selection. Can’t wait to go back!

We have been going to Rocco’s for years. The food is great and we love the pizza. Only problem is we like to order take out and eat at home. The past four times we’ve called, placed an order, and gone to pick it up. Every time without a doubt, something is missing, the order takes way longer than mentioned, and it seems that they are understaffed. Our most recent visit was very disappointing to say the least. We arrived, paid for the order and was told it would be just a couple minutes. Then after waiting about another 10 minutes was greeted by the owner saying they were out of some ingredients on one of our pizzas ordered. Then we found out the rest of the order was not even ready either. This was already an hour since we called to place the order later. They did refund us our money but it was a shame it was not handled better. Unfortunately we will probably never be back after giving them several chances to get it right. My advice is do not order take out.

Big thanks to Rocco’s for helping me host a family reunion dinner over the Christmas holidays. Had not seen my dad’s family in over 30 years since I moved out of town. My dad grew up behind the old Pala’s (now Rocco’s) and it was so cool to be at the same place he used to hang out in the 40’s. They did a great job reserving a large table and took great care of us for hours. The servers went above and beyond, clearing the table for us and helping us take family photos that we will remember for many years. Great selection of beers. Hope to get back there more often.

Apparently I should have gotten pizza… The eggplant parm was less than savory, nothing compared to Ioannoni’s, the marinara held a strong resemblance to pizza sauce. The cheese on my boyfriends cheeseburger wasn’t melted. Both our fries were overcooked.
Service was fine and the place was clean, definitely a solid spot to watch Sunday Night football but base line opinion, this place is average.

Best Stromboli and best bartender Felicia!!! clove coming for football because of all the tvs !!

Review update: All below is still true. Loss of star due to staff. We were there and had terrible service coupled with extremely drunk men next to us being annoying the entire time we were there. No server around for us so it was a pain to pay and leave (i had to go to the bar and ask). Meanwhile, the drunks just continued getting more beers and more shots. Made for a terrible experience. Pizza was good, atmosphere sucked.
Love this place. Great pizza. Friendly staff. Pleasant atmosphere. I’m vegetarian and there are several options. Love the portobello salad! It’s a regular local place and almost dangerously close to my house. Did I mention the great pizza? One star lost only bc of some inconsistency with the crust. I like it thin, And usually it’s great but sometimes it’s thicker and doughy. Depends on chef I guess.

I ordered a pizza from Rocco’s last night and was pleasantly surprised. The young man who answered the phone was awesome, really chipper and friendly. He informed me that they have a special on Tuesdays for a large cheese pizza for $ 8 so that’s what I got. The pizza was fantastic! I’m sad that I didn’t try it sooner, I’ll definitely be back to dine in soon.

How ridiculous is it that I’ve waited this long to Unilocal Rocco until now. I failed you Unilocalers, and for that, I can only apologize. Until recently I’ve never steered away from their elite pizza. Although great, toppings are unnecessary. My favorite is a large cheese pizza. The sauce to cheese ratio is flawless, the dough, most frequently thin, is perfectly chewy, yet crispy. Impressive right? I’ve tried spin/​artichoke, pepperoni and the margherita but the cheese solidly has been the most satisfying.
As for the other menu items, I’d recommend the grilled calamari, mussels, the portobella salad and a random sandwich they let me create!!! All very good, generous portions and the product is consistent no matter who the chef is!
My creation is a long roll, mayo, roasted red peppers fried long hots, broccoli raab, fresh mozz, toasted of course. Not to mention I added the $ 2 garlic parm fries. So much yum happening here.
The menu is pretty extensive, I look forward to trying more but each time I enter, it always seems to be pizza:30.
Staff are welcoming (great with menu altering), locals are chatty and they have great specials throughout the week.
Rocco, you got this food game on lock, 5 stars deserved!

I want to like this place. The pizza is always great and they have a good assortment of drinks. But the service is… they have a couple of really nice servers. But some of the bartenders are just flat out rude. The male bartender and the female bartender with black hair who was there when I went back in march. aloof, snobby and just kinda rude. The male bartender was nice to some of the male patrons who I assumed were regulars but short and curt with my boyfriend. Think his name was Dom from what I heard. Find some nicer and not so jaded servers please and I’ll definitely be back

Get the pizza! The crust is crunch and cooked just right. They also give generous topping portions. We got the big pizza for 3 people and had leftover. My other friend got the chicken parm– average.
We also got the calamari and meatballs for apps– average, nothing special.
Four stars for the pizza! Service is super friendly! They have an outdoor seating too so we sat outside because it was nice outside.

The BEST PIZZA, an AWESOME neighborhood watering hole!
Great service and warm atmosphere.

This place is great! Was back last night after several months. The portobello mushroom salad is so good and we had the di Parma pizza as well. Great blend of tastes and the crust was perfect — nicely crisp. Kept it simple with the drinks– a draft beer and a glass of wine.

Rocco’s Itlian Sports whatever was pretty good. When my buddy told me he was taking me to a place for happy hour I’d assumed it would be the usual shit hole he always takes me to since he just gets drunk wherever anyways.
I was pleasantly surprised at how well kept, tidy, and aesthetically pleasing his choice was for once.
The bar food is hit and miss though. The Italian Nachos were amazing and I would absolutely recommend them. The bacon cheddar fries were lacking in comparison, and the wings while well cooked were somewhat lacking in flavor.
Service by the bartenders was excellent though.

Good neighborhood bar with some great food. Try the crab soup — lots of crabmeat and a nice amount of heat in the spices.

Great pizza and sides here. The bartender was more into her cellphone and texting than actual customer service. Sadly this is common in bars/​restaurants that aren’t super busy.

Nice impromptu dinner date. You can have a intimate conversation whereas you may also enjoy the fact that it’s a sports bar too.
Friendly staff and patrons.