Rocco's Cucina — Restaurant in Hillsborough

My husband and I have been to Rocco’s twice now and the first time, we really enjoyed our meals. This would have been a few months back, sometime in Spring. They asked if we had reservations, and we didn’t, but they were able to get us into a table without issue. We both had pizza, and the dough had a great chew to it with a good amount of toppings on both. At the end of the meal, we were too full for dessert, but we had to try the cheesecake, so we took a couple slices home with us – they did not disappoint!

When we took guests out to Hopewell Rocks, we knew we wanted to hit Rocco’s up afterwards. We arrived there around 12:30 on a Monday (in August) and the place was packed inside but the patio was empty and they offered that as an option. It was a nice day, so we were totally fine sitting outside. After a long wait sitting there without any service, they finally popped their head out to say they were short-staffed and that we’d have to place our order inside at the counter and retrieve our meals when they were ready. Not a problem, we headed inside to do that. We decided against ordering any fancy coffee beverages since we didn’t want to be a nuisance during a busy time, but when we ordered water and canned pop, we didn’t end up getting them until our meals (and in the case of the water, not until mid-meal). It was a long wait for our meals, but we did anticipate that. We went inside to grab our order and I was a bit disappointed that they were in take out containers rather than served on dishes, but I suspect that was done to alleviate additional labor strain needed for cleaning.

After all that, the meal was… kind of awful. Three of us ordered the veal cutlet panino and one ordered a pepperoni pizza. The veal cutlets were very thick and hard to chew through in some places (I think because they were slightly undercooked). Also, I was expecting to have some sort of leafy green on the sandwich… just something more than a piece of meat, cheese, and sauce. Admittedly, that is all the menu said so I guess that’s my bad, but, just seemed a bit weird and it was definitely lacking. Since everything was packed in to-go containers, the salads weren’t premixed, and it was difficult to properly dress the Caesar salads. Also, the lettuce tasted a bit off. As for the pizza, the crust this time was significantly flatter and more reminiscent of cardboard, and the toppings were lacking. Nothing like what we had originally had.

I understand there are labor shortages, and I can deal with the lack of service because you’re down a person… but when the food quality isn’t there either, it makes me not want to come back at all. Perhaps this is a restaurant that is better to visit in...

Where do I start??? READ TO THE END

We drove out from Moncton Friday and were told they had no space and no takeout available because of limited space and covid regulations. We were so disappointed 😞 called Saturday to make a reservation and you guessed it...nothing available. We were TOTALLY BUMMED as it was our dinner choice for our anniversary(normally we hit the Keg). Made a reservation for Sunday as we really wanted to support local. We are from Vancouver originally and are both total foodies and have been so 😞 with dining choices since we moved to New Brunswick...we waited for Sunday...

SUNDAY...MY GOD!

First of all the owner is absolutely AWESOME. Friendly, kind, gracious, welcoming and made a point of visiting every single table at least twice, once before and once again after the meal. Introduced himself, spoke a bit about the history of his family and the restaurant.

Secondly, I challenge you to find a cleaner restaurant ANYWHERE haha wow! Really comfortable and cozy, decorated with their own personal family memories, photos and, of course, all things ITALIA ♡ we instantly loved it 💖

Thirdly...the food...Well....I am still, 3 days later, mouth watering over our meals. The Chicken Parm was cooked so perfectly, crisp crust, beautiful, FRESH, homemade sauce and cheese, true Italian pasta...freshly made in house...really the only part I enjoyed more than the chicken, was the pizza we brought home with us for the next day...WOW WOW WOW 👏 😍 👌 Even heated up, and as somewhat of a pizza connoisseur, it was the very best pizza I have had since moving here two years ago...maybe ever. (Although my childhood pizza hangout Golphis in BC and "Mama Georgia" the owner, cook and neighborhood mama to us all, may still hold that special honor...but its a close call)

Bottom line...the most underrated dining experience anywhere in New Brunswick. They have it all...amazing and friendly staff, wonderful and welcoming owner, food that keeps your mouth watering for days and so affordable.

Well done guys, what a treasure...and we will be seeing you at least once a month. NO WONDER IT...

We made a reservation for a Saturday afternoon and were promptly seated. The restaurant has a very relaxed atmosphere with comfy booths and a homey feeling. We ordered the Market Arancini with Basil Pesto, Spaghetti and Meatballs, Chicken Parmigiana and Cacio e Pepe. We also had a slice of Caramel Vanilla Cake for dessert and Tiramisu for take home. The arancini arrived at the table piping hot. It was delicious and the pesto was divine. I wish they bottled it and sold it by the jar - we could eat that everyday. The meatballs were very tender and needed just a touch of salt, but that marinara sauce was also out of this world - thick and rich with great depth of flavor. So so good. The chicken parmigiana was pounded and crusted and was very good, but with that tomato sauce it became a step above. The Cacio e Pepe with the cream sauce was pretty great. The garlic toast (focaccia?) served with the meals was simple but tasty. The caramel vanilla cake was excellent. It was delicious, moist with perfect caramel flavor and tasted like more. The tiramisu almost made all of us cry - why did we only get one piece? The creaming filling was smooth and almost fluffy like a cloud and the soaked ladyfinger sponge was such an incredible contrast. Just a lovely meal from start to finish. Definitely recommend going here for a real family style meal with attentive servers and...