Rosati's Pizza — Restaurant in Florida

I want to be honest. I want to love this place, I truly do. I'm originally from Chicago, I miss things like Italian Beef and Chicago style deep dish pizza, so when I come to Orlando I nearly always bring home Portillos and Chicago pizza.

Okay so here is my issue... the big thing with Chicago deep dish isn't the deep dish part as much as the crust. The crust is usually part cornmeal, which gives the pizza a very distinct flavor and the crust is thick and slightly spongy (texture is everything with that bad boy).

Both times I ordered deep dish from Rosati's it was a thin crispy crust wrapped tall to pretend to be deep dish. No cornmeal taste and no sponginess at all. If I tell you half of it is sitting in the fridge after DAYS cause no one wants it... yah that says a lot.

And I feel terrible admitting that. We don't waste food here. Ever. The Portillos got eaten up. The dough nuggets I got along with the deep fish were great and half eaten on my long ride home. My partner stole some the next day. They were good. And the girl behind the counter was adorable - very sweet and kind and polite. A total joy to meet :)

But the deep dish? Was kinda sorta heartbreaking... I waited months to get it again and it's sitting around cause I feel guilty that I dont want it after paying...

So I am very familiar with Rosati's when they had a few locations open in Colorado. It used to be my go-to on many Friday nights for years. After moving to Florida I was happy to see a location open up here. I ordered my standard thin crust with my favorite two toppings. I even drove from 30 minutes away anticipating the good old days of a Friday night Rosati. Turned out my pizza was overcooked and dried out. I know how good a thin crust Rosati's can be but I'm hesitant to return due to price. I don't know, this might be an experience I'll just have to think of fondly in the past. If you can get a pizza not burnt there is a good chance you'll enjoy it. Historically the franchise makes good spaghetti and meatballs also, but I'm hesitant to try again. I wouldn't go back to try pizza again unless they had a deal going on. Price is too high and there are several other extremely good pizza places in Orlando that aren't this much. I don't see how they could ruin spaghetti and meatballs so if you're thinking of that it might be worth it for you to try. I know what a good thing Rosati's can be so if you land on a good day where pizza isn't being burnt you...

We started ordering from Rosati’s at the beginning of the pandemic since they were “within a 10 mile radius” that delivered to us. While the pizza was good, not great, my kids seem to like it. We ordered online with no past problem. Zero communication with the restaurant, smooth transaction. Tonight, I receive a phone call from the restaurant, after I place my order, telling me that delivery fees have changed and that I need to pay an additional $2.66. Changing the delivery fee from $3.00 to $5.66. The excuse for calling to charge the additional money was because “it’s not fair to the driver”. I tipped the driver 35% of my meal. I paid $11.66 to have them deliver a 14” pizza... They made an attempt to fix it though. They offered me a $3 credit for my next order! So what was the purpose of calling to charge $2.66 again? Bottom line, their customer service sucks. When you do end up having to communicate them, save your breathe and go...