Rocky's

It’s like stepping into an old New York City mobster Italian type restaurant movie. The food is fantastic! The people are amazing! It brings back every memory of growing up with an Italian and family right from Italy. I live in Florida now so every time I go back to New York, that is the first place I go and I get their famous tripe. For some reason, it’s not on the list of foods that they offer. It’s become a tradition now. I’ll call it in the day before, go pick it up, and bring it back to my Dad and Mom’s so that me and my brothers can all have lunch together. It’s a wonderful memory we will have for decades to come.

This place is like being in Italy it's a small Italian restaurant where as soon as you walk in you feel like you are in Italy and the smell of the food is amazing Joe is a fantastic chef and I can't even explain how good his food is it's a must must try if you haven't been there yet!!

The selection of food is limited to each day of the week. I ended up with stuffed shells w/ meat ball and sausage. The meal tasted home made as if it was like the day they opened. Great food service and they kept the nostalgic decor.

I love the look of Rocky’s inside and out. It’s like stepping back in time with the staff and the regulars. The decor can’t really changed much since opening and that’s the charm. The staff are friendly and it’s like going to a relatives house for dinner. My great grandfather was from Naples and my great grandmother grew up in little Italy so I know good authentic food when I taste it. Everything on this menu is phenomenal and generous portions are the norm. There are Italian eateries that are edible but none come close to enjoyable like Rocky’s. I always look forward to returning for the Lasagna and meatballs. This food is as close to my family’s recipe I’ve ever had and that’s saying a lot. This tastes like going to my moms or grandmas back in the day every Sunday. Thank you Rocky’s.

Rocky's is fun, if you're up for an adventure. The food is the best I've ever had - including in Italy. It was unusually busy when we went for lunch and they ran out of food - so go early. Think small, family, neighborhood diner and you'll have an idea of the ambience. Nice place.

Amazing food. The tripe with meatballs on the side was amazing. The tripe was nice and buttery not chewy and the sauce was just as delicious. The stuffed shells were also great (in a different red sauce than the tripe but the same as the meatballs). Anything you get here will be amazing. Cash only but they have an atm on site

Been going to Rocky's for over 35 years. I have watched it start to decline in the last few years. The last time i was there they were out of almost everything, and besides the service, it sucked. I invited a bunch of guys recently, and at 12:30 they were out of everything, but pasta and sausage. Looking in the kitchen, it look like a disaster. They had a shortage of staff, and the service sucked. I was embarrassed I picked this place. I would suggest they take a step back and look at what they have done to an Icon of Rochester, and fix it fast before it becomes the past.

This is agreat little Italian spot. They have authentic Italian food large dishes for a great price. The servers are great and have a good attitude. The atmosphere is loud but the food is good.My wife and I come here often for lunch and have never had a bad meal. Service is always great also. Just wish they had better dining hours.

This is a classic restaurant. It has a fresh Italian American menu that changes by the day. The sauce is great, the service is friendly, and the food is pretty spectacular. It is clean but kind of dim inside in a charming way. It is cash only and seat on a first come, first served basis. Importantly, prices are very, very reasonable for 2025. In addition to the small parking lot there are street spots at all intersections. This place is very well worth a visit.

Finally trying my the historic Rocky's. -Sauce is spot on -eggplant was meh. A bit soggy. But prob because theres a ton of sauce. -Family style salad was fantastic! -Aesthetic of the location and building can't be beat. Old school nonna's cooking up Italian comfort food, in a small diner like setting surrounded by pieces of our shared Italian American history in this area. An experience 9/10lll

I will start this as I always do by saying that I don't give out five stars and less I am really blown away. I love this place. They make their own homemade pasta only have so many servings of it a day and change it up on a daily basis. I will come back every Thursday if possible to get these raviolis. I should've gotten a whole plate of them and skipped the chicken Parm . There's anything wrong with the chicken Parm but the raviolis were that good. The ambience makes you feel like you're stuck in the past some old Italian home cooking joint. They are not trying to be fancy just trying to make damn good Italian food. The staff was great right on top of things. Family run family owned family operated. The food feels like family See you next Thursday and Thursday after and the Thursday after.

The hospitality is lacking to say the least. I haven't been in about 20 years. It's a far cry from what it once was. The employees look like the border on homeless. They have no organization. It used to be in the door, sat, order, dine and pay in 30 to 40 minutes. Today I finally was able to order 40 minutes into sitting at the table. I had to ask for bread. 40 minutes later we were asked what we were waiting for like we were holding up the table. I expressed the fact that it took 40 minutes to order and it's been another 40 minutes without food. I also explained that the 2 dinners sat right before us left 30 minutes prior. I was told lunch was on the house. 10 minutes later the waitress came to the table and asked what we ordered. We had had enough at 2 hours in. We got up and left. The man bun guy that said lunch was on him said it would take 2 minutes and we said why now will it be so speedy. We were done. We walked out. Man bun chased us out saying we were running out on a 20 dollar wine bill after he already said our lunch was on the house. They totally dropped the ball big time and didn't even have respect enough for a customer to admit it. Instead of being apologetic man bun, who I think may be family, acted getto and chased us out yelling and screaming over 20 dollars of crap wine that we drank in 2 hours for a bowl of pasta. Terrible. It's a shame. I was so excited to introduce my boyfriend to Rockys. It was pretty much the worst dinning experience I've ever had.

Went to lunch with my wife and the stuffed shells they were homemade and very delicious sauce was on point meatballs were excellent in Italian sausage was excellent prices were right. Service was excellent. Wouldn't hesitate to recommend going there thanks, Rocky's!

Place never had ambiance but it was a family that worked it. What happened. I've been going since I was 8 years old with my Grandfather and brother. The son charged me $60 for 2 tripe 2 gnocchi and 3 waters 3 side salads which are supposed to be included with the dinner. No personality, no greeting no thank you for your business. There was hardly anyone in there and it took forever to get the food. It was never a place you went for their personalities but at least the food used to be good. Not anymore! Won't be going back!

Cash only. If you are tired of chain Italian want to be restaurants, this is for you. Authentic! I recently had lunch and listened to the story of the Hickok Belt being told. WOW, when Rochester, New York was an American town on the map. The eggplant and gnocchi went down delicious. Menu on the wall hanging. Great service! Very satisfying!

The food was just like my grandmother made. The service was great, everyone made sure we were satisfied with our meals. I will definitely return.

Rockies have great food. I always love the food so much 10 out of 10 recommend service is great as well they always busy but always keep in mind that they have grateful so they service don't even matter

A friend brought me here, I moved to Rochester a year ago, and have kept hearing their name. Their sauce and tripe was incredible! I never had tripe before this dinner and I have to tell you, it was incredible. I will definitely be going back for it. We also tried the beans and greens and added an Italian sausage. Another huge win. I loved it! It is only available on Mondays, it's a shame because it was that delicious! One of our guests had the ravioli and it seemed homemade and he absolutely loved it. The culture is all locals and mostly Italian/Americans. It was awesome. Very casual, just the place for me. It was super clean. Most seemed like regulars, which I probably will become. What I didn't like was the chicken soup. It fell short of homemade Italian. Mine is much better. I also didn't like that the sodas were bottled, but it's a weird pet peeve of mine. If it's not going to be bubbly, fresh, soda from a soda fountain. I'd prefer a really cold can. Cans stay cold longer and cannot be spoiled sunlight. An ice cold can over ice would be. The dream. They were out of most soda collections and didn't have milk. I know sounds picky! But only took a star over it. The waitress was super friendly, on point, very busy, and just an overall around good person. I also want to make comment on how good the bread was. It was fresh, melt in your mouth Italian bread. It was thick and dense enough to not get soggy when dipped in sauce or soup. Spectacular!

What went well everything professional staff and the food is outstanding. If you enjoy tripe this is undoubtedly the place to go and as far as Italian foods, they can't be

Old school Italian treasure. Not many like Rocky's these days. All of the standard Italian fair, done unpretentiously and deliciously. Bread and butter served before ordering. I am a big fan of their tripe stew which is a Rochester thing. I recently took my best friend who is a bargain hunter, he loved his meatball parm sub for its size and affordability. On Saturday call for a reservation for lunch as they're quite busy. Enjoy.

The food here is phenomenal! My husband and I had lunch together today at Rocky's. Staff is very personable and friendly! I had the rigatoni with meatball and meat sauce. Hubby had the spaghetti and meatballs with meat sauce. Absolutely spot on authentic Italian food! Pasta was al dente and sauce was as flavorful as I remember my great grandma's sauce from my childhood. This is one of the only family run restaurants that has 5 generations working together! Great achievement Cash only for payment but that's okay because prices are so reasonable! We could easily have spent twice as much someplace else! Thank you Rocky's family for a very enjoyable meal! We'll be back

I shouldn't tell you this. Here come closer, I don't want anyone to hear This is my #1 place in town. It's my favorite. It's cash only, open from 11-2. They usually run out of the specials, so you should hurry. Everyone in this place wants the tripe. This is an institution that ain't changin, in a neighborhood that changed around it. This place is not for everybody but it is a special place. You know that saying, "At Olive Garden, your family?" Fuck Olive Garden. If you want Italian this is where you go to get the family vibe with old ladies cooking in a closet and old pictures on the wall and people crackin smartass jokes while they smell like they just inhaled a carton of cigarettes between construction jobs. Sounds appetizing eh? Trust me. It is.

So quaint, it reminded me of my granny's kitchen and the pasta with red sauce, meatball and Italian sausage was so delicious. The prices are such a bargain too and I can't wait to go back!

Had my first Rocky's experience today after having wanted to go for SO long! What a special relic this spot is. On an unassuming corner on Jay St, this repurposed house has a few different entrances and the restaurant weaves through three separate rooms. Take a sneak peak in at the kitchen if you get a chance - the size of most modern closets with three hearty Italians busting out ravioli like their lives depended on it. Day by day the offerings change, and our server said that Saturdays are the absolute best (albeit busiest) days to go. Thursday featured beef stew, ravioli, and some classic pastas like ziti. No specials, no nonsense, all delicious. I went with salad, a meatball, and the ravioli, and would order everything again in a heartbeat. It was a cooky February break day and the serve staff seated us quickly and got everything out at a great pace, despite the crowd. I cannot wait to come back and try the gnocchi and a few of their other beautiful looking dishes. So few of these kinds of spots remain (everything on the menu is under $10) and it was so wonderful to have this old school, straight up experience today. Stop in for some carbohydrate bliss ASAP!

As someone who has been to Italy many times, I can assure you that this is the best Italian food I've had in a long time! Great service 10/10 highly recommend

This is a place my wife frequented as a child. Our family stopped one Friday evening for dinner. It has the feel of an old supper club. We were the outsiders. Everyone else there were regulars. That being the case our waitress was very nice and explained what they did and did not have that night. The food was very good and it is a place i would visit again.

Great food, this place has character and is always filled with a variety of people from judges to basic workers. Don't expect linen table cloths and napkins, just good food!

Seems every time II go there, the staff, except for the owner, is different. Food still good, but they are definitely going downhill in service. Tables are often empty compared to a few years ago when you had to wait in line. Also the place should be inspected for cleanliness. I'm not sure it would pass.

If you are looking to step into your aunts or uncles Italian home this is where you need to go. Limited menu but honestly you won't go wrong with whatever you choose. I got the ravioli and it was amazing. They give you so much bread and sauce. Just a great place for lunch. We also had them cater my graduation party and have not stopped getting compliments to this day. If you have a chance try their homemade balsamic dressing! Good amount of parking in the lot behind the building and some on the street. I made a reservation but you don't need to.

I've lived in Rochester all my life and had never been to Rocky's until earlier this year. Boy what a mistake. Today was our 5th visit and the food was just dam good! Salad was fresh with really good crumbly blue cheese. Bread on the table was fresh and rigatoni with meatballs was just delicious. One of my lunch partners got the rigatoni with meatball and sausage and the sausage was tasty also. My other lunch partner ordered the minestra which was delicious! Our waitress was friendly and knowledgeable and had a smile on her face the whole time. They won't win awards for ambiance, but I felt like I was in a home. Everyone from old timers getting together for lunch to policemen, office workers and construction guys it's a hidden gem. And lunch for 3 was &48.00.

The place is a dump. Filthy. Nothing has been cleaned properly in this restaurant in 25 years. I don't know how they pass health inspections.

I love coming here and have for years. It's very homey with delicious Italian dishes and reasonable prices. 4 of us went for lunch recently for under $40. Make sure to check the menu online as the options vary by the day. I highly recommend the gnocchi!

I've been going to Rocky's since I was a young kid. I'm currently in my 50s and still visiting the greatest Italian restaurant in Rochester!

People mention and rave about Rocky's when I ask for good ol' Italian food so I finally had a chance to try it for myself. I was told it was in a sketchy location, but it wasn't as bad as I thought. It's on its own corner and not deep in residential territory. They have a small lot, but there's street parking available. I discovered later on when we were leaving that the restaurant is shaped like a U. We walked in on the side where the bar was located, but there's another section on the other side. The gentleman, I presume owner, was very nice and gave us a sample of the tripe dish after telling him someone recommended that to me. It tasted really good, but since we were having tripe the next day at home, we opted for the pasta specials. We ordered all of it - spaghetti, gnocchi, cheese ravioli, and meatballs. I believe the cheese ravioli are homemade; the gnocchi was good; and the spaghetti was my favorite. I guess I've never cooked spaghetti right because it was cooked perfectly and tasted scrumptious with their sauce and meatballs. While I enjoyed everything, I prefer trying different flavors so the only downside of the pasta dishes is that the red sauce is the same. The tripe sample I tried is in a red sauce, but seems like there's more seasoning in that so it may be a little different. Overall, really glad I had a chance to check out a well-known ROC favorite and enjoyed my experience.

I've heard about this place for years and finally got the opportunity to stop in... The building is ancient and a bit rough around the edges... As are the furnishings and decor inside... And I hope that never changes! The gentleman who took our order said that it was opened by his great grandfather in 1949 and now, four generations later, is being run by his mother, sister, cousin and himself. After tasting the sauce it is easy to see why Rocky's has stood the test of time. Not fancy but definitely FANTASTIC! Seating is limited. The menu is limited to a few daily items plus daily specials. Only open for lunch except on Friday and Saturday. Not only do I not take exception to any of the limitations, I love the place more for them. If you need additional recommendation, there were various members of the RPD and RFD having lunch or getting take out. I always trust the fire department and police department when it comes to great food! Do not expect a fancy, five star restaurant... But you will get five star food and feel like part of the family.

We liked the history and familia of the restaurant. Our waitress, Giana, told us that her grandfather opened the place in 1949 and that it is family run ever since. Our salads were exceptional, and the gnocchi was also very good. We told Giana that we hail from Long Island and she says, "lots of family Italian there", which is true, but not at these prices. Charming family restaurant where we also enjoyed cupcakes because "it's mom's birthday tomorrow." BTW, mom was in the kitchen....

the last of the big three. I love coming here but do it at 11am unless you've hit a day to wait. Also cash only and no ATM.

Best little Italian joint in the city. The Mastrella Family is still the King of Rochester.

I came with friends, and asked the waitress if they had any vegan options. She replied we don't do non of that here we are an Italian restaurant! clearly it's an Italian restaurant and I wanted to know if you would do anything vegan but I guess not the lady was rude I tried to tell her I spoke to a guy from the kitchen yesterday and he was willing to accommodate me and she responded no we don't do nothing like that she was just nasty

***DO NOT GO TO THIS RESTAURANT - DON'T EVEN CONSIDER GOING TO THIS PLACE*** As a preface, this review is not intended to be funny and is an accurate account of our experience at this restaurant. Moreover, its surprising to see all the positive reviews written when Rocky's is so bad on many levels! I took my wife to Rocky's in early September 2023 based on positive feedback on Yelp & Google. However, had a shocking experience, will never go back and warn everyone not to go to Rocky's located at 190 Jay St Rochester, NY 14608. From the moment we parked, we noticed that the exterior of the building is worn down and there was a pit bull tied up at the back door of the building. We walked in the business and it was dirty and smelled moldy and greasy. The tables were not cleaned off, there were particles of food on them from prior customers, the walls, floors and ceilings were old and worn. There was debris (paper bits, leaves, empty sugar packets) all over the floor. The male server who waited on us did not offer us a menu and asked what we wanted. We ordered water, I ordered rigatoni, my wife spaghetti, and we both got salads. We thought the server said something about salads being an extra cost but before arriving and before we placed our order, we visited Rocky's website on our iPhones where the menu is posted. www.rockysonjaystreet.com/Menu There, you will see "large" sized dinners are priced at $6.00, include a side of pasta and salad. It was at this point that we were talking about getting up and leaving. Our first impressions were not good and we felt like any minute someone was going to rob the place since its located in a high crime section of the city. Google Jay street and review the murders and other crimes that have happened in that area over the past several years. Our waters arrived in dirty glasses and our salads were served swimming in what tasted like dressing that was squeezed from low end convenience store packets. The salad was old, wilted and a bit strange with whole baby carrots. We did not eat the salad or drink the water. While we were waiting for our food, people would come in and out and we assumed they were mostly locals. Many of them were not groomed, appeared as though they had not showered in days and had picked their clothes out of a dumpster at the salvation army. Our pasta arrived and was served "prison style". Meaning, the server dropped the bowls in front of us and the appearance of the pasta was messy with sauce splattered around the edges of the bowl. The portions were average and were certainly not "large" as listed on their website. The pasta was barely warm, it was over cooked and the sauce tasted like it came out of a 5 gallon can from the local Aldies. There was not a single thing that was "authentic Italian" about the food. As we were planning to leave, we heard the server tell two customers who were trying to pay their bill that the restaurant "rounds up". Meaning if your bill was $20.15, you need to pay $22. Seriously?!!! The server then came over to our table and put a folded up, ripped piece of paper in front of us that had our dinners handwritten on it with the amount of $33.00!! That's right, the meal that is posted on their website as $6.00 with a side of pasta and salad is fraudulent. Before we could stop and ask the server about our bill, he went into a back room. In shock (again) we didn't know if these were attempts by the employee to extort money from first time customers or we walked into the set of some crazy hidden camera show. It was all starting to makes sense why Rocky's is a "cash only" business. If Rocky's accepted credit cards, customers would have a means by which to document their purchase and file for a refund with their credit card company based on the experience. Wait, it gets better........as we sat thinking about how anyone would ever go to a crap hole like this and eat their horrible food, a mouse appeared and ran along the edge of the wall next to us into another room. A perfect addition to our fine dining experience! That was it...we wanted out immediately. However, our homeless appearing server was nowhere to be found. We placed the $33 on the table and got the hell out of there. Aside from warning you not to go to Rocky's for any reason ever, we feel the business needs to be inspected by the NYS Department of Health for potentially numerous health code violations as well as the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). During the 45 minutes we were there, we did not see any process to track or document the transactions and realized that the owner must be grossly understating the tax they owe and swindling customers out of a lot of money. While Rocky's may have been a charming place to dine at in the 1960's, it's become a place for the impoverished living nearby who believe the prison grade food is scrumptious and the filthy ambience is appealing. ***DO NOT GO TO THIS RESTAURANT - DON'T EVEN CONSIDER GOING TO THIS PLACE***

Im not Italian, but I know that this culture is big on family values. Rocky's does not fall short on that. Family pictures everywhere. History all over the place. The staff makes you feel welcomed -- even if you are not a Rochester native. I felt a modest atmosphere. When it came to the food, it was great!. Pasta and sauce are home made. Each day of the week they are opened, comes with a different choice of menu. Only a few dishes are available all week long. I'v heard people rave about Rocky's, and they have the right to . Rocky's for me stood up to its expectation. Just letting you know in advance, don't expect to have some one waiting in the front entrance like many traditional restaurants. This is a "Mi casa, su casa" setting where you choose an open table and let a staff know you are there. I recommend this place to everyone!

Food is outstanding is always been around forever. The restaurant itself is not a place you take a date services great been going there since I was 15 years old.

Rochester treasure. Best in the entire area. I go about once a week and it never disappoints.

Food is absolutely delicious! Old school Italian! Delicious salad and soup! Pasta is outstanding! Sauce is to die for! Service was great!

Rocky Balboa owns this restaurant. It's the second location. The first one is on some steps in Philadelphia next to some statue. And the food at both locations is amazing and will fill you up and change the entire ecosystem of your body. Which is why when you come here, you're gonna eat lightnin' and you're gonna crap thunder. But you'll enjoy every minute because it's the best Italian-American food in Rochester. What to get: Chicken Parm is good, Lasagne is good, sauce is great, everything rocks. What else: Portions so enormous they could be in porn. Anything else: Don't expect any fanfare on Thanksgiving. To you it's Thanksgiving; to them it's Thursday. Yo Adrian. Good service. Good people. Absolutely *amazing* prices. All the prices are literally half of what you'll think they should be, if not less. They have huge portions of delicious homemade Italian American food and they're only open at lunchtimes. Friday evening is their exception. They run out of all their food nice and early so get there well before 1pm if you wanna try any given item on the menu. After that? Fuggedabahtit. I want to fight because I can't sing or dance. But I can eat. Although I couldn't get through even half of the portions that Rocky's delivered me of stuffed shells, rigatoni, Chicken Parm and Lasagne. They're just... so... big. That's what she said. An Italian chef in Rochester at a different restaurant recently said of Rocky's chef: "I mean, who am I kiddin'? I ain't even in the guy's league." He may be right. The cooking here is so delicious and wholesome and homemade. It's definitely not Italian though. It's decidedly and definitively Italian-American. Heavy with lots of sauce and cheese and pasta. Not too much in the way of spices and seasoning. That's the way America does it. I got my nose broken at this place, but honestly it's an improvement. I took my friend Paulie Gazzo here the next day and he finished his whole portion. Stuffed his face. I told him "you see, that's why I can't connect you with Gazzo. You know that, Paulie. Because you got a big mouth." They wanted to kick us out because he ate too much, so I told them, "You stop this lunch, I'll kill ya'!" As for most of this review, where the hell did I get it from, you ask? Oh I made that up one night while I was eating dinner - from Rocky's. I mean lunch. They say you gotta be a *moron* to wanna eat here. Well I'm proud to be a moron. And my friend Mick said that the fact that I eat off his plate makes me a bum. I was like, I ain't no bum, Mick. I ain't no bum. Tom Green on the other hand. He's all about the bum. OK so am I. There I said it.

We had an end of the month luncheon and as always Joe and the team at Rocky's delivered! The meatballs are AMAZING and we always have to order them and now our other new favorite the chicken parmesan! Reasonably priced, the food is out of this world! You will not be disappointed or hungry!

Best Italian restaurant in Rochester! Food portions are huge and the food is amazing! I used to love coming here with the owners of the company I used to work for years ago when they introduced it to me.

Never here before and made a special trip to pick up a surprise order of tripe for a friend who can't get there anymore. Not the friendliest service I've had, waited a bit to order then had to wait again to pay for it another 10 min. Dropped the order to my friend, lunch order came with tripe only nothing else in bag, next time I talked to my friend he asked where I got it, couldn't believe Rocky's said wasn't near as good as used to be. He was a regular before not being able to get around.

Ordered a big pan of lasagna and meatballs with bread for an at home get together. They were very helpful and the lasagna was amazing.

Not bad but heck it's not mom's. Large portion sizes, low prices. The folks at the counter were friendly. It was evident there are a lot of neighborhood regulars who are greeted by name and their order is already known. In addition it seemed like the guys working were able to recall all the orders at the tables when it came to check out and they were at about half capacity. The lasagna was thickly noodled, larger than needed chunks of ground beef and unevenly/sparingly cheese​d.

The palace of "Rochester Italian " cuisine. That rustic, red sauced based style that is unique to our area, and unlike Italian food found elsewhere. Only open for lunch, and located in an old house in a seedy part of the city, get here early, because daily specials go quickly. You'll dine among working folk and professionals alike, all getting their daily fix of some really good food, like your Nonna would make.

My daughter just had catering for her husband's 40th birthday this past weekend. When she told me she had booked Rocky's I tried to discourage her from ordering from there. I'm glad I did not the whole experience was handled very professionally. Everything was delivered piping-hot and and was delicious. I definitely will be returning there soon for more of their food.

I'll be back again to add that 5th star. Went for lunch. Considering there was little to no parking close by, there were 4 empty tables when we walked in. Everyone inside must've driven separately... It took almost 10 minutes before anyone took notice of us, but we were then told to seat ourselves. Another 5-ish minutes passed before someone came by to ask if we'd ordered, and after being told "no", menus were promptly delivered. If you want cheap, delicious, no frills Italian food, come here. Do yourself a favor and order a small salad. The medium is certainly enough to be a meal, especially when you (finally) get bread to the table. Ours took quite a while, but trust me, it's worth the wait. Don't eat it with the whipped butter-- that won't do it justice. We both ordered linguine in white clam sauce, the small portion. After our monster medium salad, that was more than enough. Mom wished hers had more garlic, but I think she's crazy. The dish wasn't heavy at all, and it has the potential to be so in the wrong hands. The "sauce" was more of a broth but still had tons of flavor and lots of clam, and the linguine was perfectly cooked. It's not overly seasoned, so the clams are definitely the star. Our waitress was a true gem and very much a conversationalist. I'd come back just to hang out with her. The main complaint for a lunch meal would be the overall wait time we experienced: upon arrival (despite empty tables), and then between courses, and the several promises for bread before actual delivery. But on the flip side, I suppose this is also part of the charm. For the next visit we'll make sure to add some extra buffer time.

I have been going to Rocky's since I was young, with my dad. They have the best, homemade, Italian food. It's a must try, but will be sure to have you coming back for more!!

Best sauce in Rochester. Home made raviolis served on Thursday are my favorite Service is always top notch Be sure to get there early if you want a seat The place fills up fast

Rocky's is by far the most authentic Italian food you will have in Rochester. This restaurant, located on Jay Street, is most definitely a hidden gem but non-the less a Rochester landmark. If you are down for a mom and pop home cooked meal, Rocky's is your go to lunch spot. Some may consider it a local hangout with old pals and others a weekly family ritual. The ambiance has a very old school, traditional Italian feel that you won't be able to find anywhere else. Amongst the casual atmosphere you will find old New York State license plates on the wall, tables with plastic table clothes and paper place mats on each. The staff is family and will make you feel like they have known you for years. The hours are limited Monday-Saturday they are only open for lunch and a few hours for dinner on Friday nights. Each day the menu changes and ranges from Monday's Gnocchi to Wednesday's Macaroni and Beans to Friday's Fish fry. Each table starts off with a fresh heaping loaf of bread followed by a soup (chicken soup) or salad, then your order is taken. The tripe, which is served daily, is outstanding and the only tripe I will eat. Each order has two sizes, which is small or large, and if you order the large you will be taking leftovers home. Any day of the week you are a guaranteed a fresh and consistently amazing meal. Take note on the fact that this is a cash only restaurant and come early because they fill up quick!

My boyfriend found this spot while we were driving through Rochester from Niagara Falls. Parking lot was completely full, so we figured that was a good sign. My boyfriend got the meatball sandwich open faced with marinara and cheese. I got stuffed shells, the Wednesday special. Both were amazing and everything was super cheap. I would eat here regularly if I lived in the neighborhood. You can tell a lot of people do, given the staff greets a lot of customers by name.