Joe’s Italian Restaurant and pizza — Restaurant in Rockdale

We had seen a sign for this restaurant along the road in Rockdale but didn't know anything about it. We found Joe's Italian Restaurant and Pizza online. Nice website and great menu online so we decided to try it. Prices were a little higher than we'd expect in Rockdale, but man was it worth it.

The restaurant was not anywhere near as full as I would expect given the quality of the food and wonderful service but they have only been open a couple of weeks and maybe the word hadn't gotten out yet. We were seated immediately and the young lady that was being both hostess and waitress handed us menus. LOTS of choices and because of that it's a little embarrassing to admit but we both settled on chicken parmigiana, mine with angel hair pasta and hers with spaghetti noodles. Salads were plentiful. I had the house Italian dressing and my bride had blue cheese. The Italian dressing was a perfect blend of tang and sweetness. She would have preferred a couple of chunks of the blue cheese in hers but it didn't detract from the flavor. We also sampled a small bowl of garlic, olive oil and pesto for dipping the fresh, warm garlic rolls. Outstanding.

The entrees were HUGE! If dinner portions are larger than lunch portions we'd be taking home a lot of food. The chicken parmigiana was tender and moist and cooked to perfection. Both pasta sides were perfect as well. My first thought was that we'd be taking home at least 1/2 of our meals because we don't normally eat that much food at once, but the taste was just too good to walk away from. Both of us finished every bite on our plates. We opted for no desserts because of that but I've got a feeling they're as good as the meals.

Adrianna (hope I spelled that correctly) was very attentive and anticipated our needs perfectly. She's doing a fantastic job there and it's obvious she really cares about what she's doing. The same can be said for everyone we saw working there, watching the interactions with other diners, something almost impossible to find anywhere these days.

The restaurant itself is rather unassuming, tucked back in an area that must have been the old restaurant in the Sky Inn hotel. There isn't a lot of decor inside yet though I'm guessing as time passes they'll add some. But we didn't go to see decor. The Sky Inn hotel is a small one-story motel on the north side of Cameron Boulevard (the main drag through Rockdale) and on the same side but just east of the Sonic drive-in. The restaurant is actually inside and off to the right of the hotel check-in desk. The building is pretty easy to miss and there isn't a large sign saying Joe's Italian, but as of today they do have two large fabric banners next to the entrance.

We'll be going back. As far as I know, there isn't another restaurant this good anywhere in the triangle area made up of Rockdale, Cameron and Caldwell. With Italian food this delicious, the prices are still a great bargain. Thanks to all for a great lunch today, and a great experience as well.

P.S. I didn't receive anything free for this review and wouldn't have taken it if offered - it wasn't. It's...

We went for dinner tonight with the whole family; that's mom, dad, a 9yo, a 3yo, and a 10 mo. Our waiter was excellent, extremely attentive, polite, and had a smile the entire time, even away from our table. The rolls were SO good. Nice homemade bread, and it was evident. Our appetizer was out promptly, along with our salads. Our kids ordered a lasagna, and a kids cheese pizza... listen. We didn't realize the size of the kids pizza was going to be so big! It was the size of a dinner plate, and was just as freshly made/brick oven baked, as the regular pizzas were. Usually on the kids menu, it's little frozen pizzas, not here! We were impressed on that front. My daughter devoured her lasagna, and said it was the best lasagna she's had. I had shrimp fettuccine Alfredo, and my husband got a trio with Alfredo, chicken Parmigiano, and lasagna. The Alfredo sauce was absolutely delicious. The pasta was cooked perfectly. We also ordered a small pizza because we had heard good things, and it definitely didnt disappoint! The portions were large, and filling! At the end of our meal, our waiter put our pizza in the to-go box for us, and a waitress came and bagged our to-go boxes! We tried the tiramasu as well, and it was the perfect cap to dinner. Overall we were pleased in every aspect. The food was fresh, tasted wonderful, and the service was top notch. We will definitely be back. Thank you all for a...

I wish I'd have taken pictures. I didn't though. Let me paint a mental picture for you. Waitress was amazing. 🙏 Booth was broken and covered in sauce from many hours prior because it was crispy. Appetizers were tempura cheese not Italian at all. They weren't gross but almost. Meal was a combo of ziti, lasagna and manicotti. I assumed it would be 3 different things. It was one casserole that was sitting in water and oil. The middle was frozen informing me that it wasn't made fresh. The meat appeared to be pate type cat food or the worst ground beef I've ever seen. My first bite immediately went into 1 ply paper napkin. The ranch on my salad was barforama... they could take lessons from Gatti's for sure. The salad bar at Gatti's is an exquisite delicacy compared to the salads they served at Joe's.

I wanted to like this place but it's was disgusting 😪. The bus boy and waitress were so very friendly. I recommend it if you want to smile and meet two nice people. If you plan on eating though... pack a lunch! Or.... go to Bandas, Gatti's... anywhere but Joe's. Get it...