Rocco's Little Italy - Portsmouth, RI - Review
The subway-tiled room at Rocco's welcomes you under lazily spinning ceiling fans. Clean wood floors stretch between black leather booths—industrial meets Italian-American comfort, Dante's gateway to a universe of satisfying carbohydrates.
The garlic knots hit the table first. As big as a legit RI clam cake. Not dainty, not cute—feral lumps of dough transformed by heat and garlic into something that should border on illegal. Dense and chewy, they fight back just enough. Dunking them in marinara feels and tastes absolutely necessary. They stay with you. Hours later, strangers will know what you've done.
The meatball sandwich arrives next. These aren't sad, flabby, meatballs swimming in watery sauce. They're large, probably three ounces each—dense but tender with a faint smokiness that probably comes from a proper initial sear. Maybe they finish them in the sauce, maybe not, but that first hard meeting with heat leaves its mark. Flavorful in a way that transported me back to Uncle Tony's in its heyday. The texture, the taste—pure nostalgic alchemy. Delicious.
Then the chicken parm sandwich. No over-breaded, over-fried shell to fight through. Just really great quality chicken with the right amount of that tasty, perfectly seasoned sauce. Tender enough to easily bite through cleanly every time. The bread contains the sandwich rather than smothering it. This is not only a spectacular tasting sandwich but one that doesn't require strategic planning to eat or a shower afterward.
Josh works the floor like you've known him your whole life. Comfortable, conversational. When you ask him something, he doesn't just answer—he completes the thought in a way that makes you feel like you're catching up with an old friend rather than talking to your server. The kind of ease that can't be trained or faked. He's very attentive without interrupting. Definitely the kind of person you want representing your business.
Italian music, in various forms plays at the precise volume that suggests they're not making a point about it, just adding to the atmosphere without interrupting you and your conversations.
Rocco's isn't selling an experience or a concept. It's selling food made by people who understand the seriousness of feeding their community as well as strangers. This place is worth the drive to Portsmouth. Try it for yourself and see.
