Elegant atmosphere dining for our group of 14. Delicious dinner with excellent service from our server "Russell"! Be sure to order the ROC drink and save room for a cannolis. Highly recommend for Italian food. read more

Good food but man is the owner of this place a pompous entitled prick. My father is a few generations removed from Italy and my husband and I were excited to take him for an authentic meal for an early father's day dinner. The nice evening i planned for turned into an hour of sitting at a table taking insults from Rocco all because we asked for cheese on a dish that apparently wasn't meant to have parmesan? Clearly he was insulted because he felt the need to aggressively yell over our table and tell us "would be punched in the face and given a black eye if we made this request in Calabria". He proceeded to engage with our table the entire time after and belittle my father over the ordeal. I am all for authenticity and taking great pride in your food but his outburst at us in front of the entire restaurant was uncalled for and unprofessional. Worst part is we kept our mouths shut through all of it then gave him almost 300 dollars for the meal. If you eat at this place, be sure to keep your mouth shut and ask for NOTHING outside of whats on his menu unless you want to be ripped to shreds for a simple request. My advice, take your money elsewhere. This man and his establishment are not worth your time. read more

Excellent Italian food for a nice evening out!! The gnochhi and torta were in excellent! read more

ROC Restaurant - Torta Caprese - Italian Near Me - Louisville, Kentucky

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WOW!!! Amazing service, gluten free options, amazing pasta. Also friendliest owner ever. Everyone was very nice to us despite the fact we were teenagers. Get the vodka sauce pasta and dates. read more

ROC Restaurant - Vodka Pasta - Italian Near Me - Louisville, Kentucky

First time at this restaurant and it didn't disappoint. We had a large party of 16 for a bday celebration on a Tuesday evening at 7pm. We didn't leave the restaurant until approx 10:30... as in normal Italian fashion, dinner is not a race and you are expected to sit around and enjoy the fellowship with wonderful food and we did just that. Apparently the Cacio e Pepe (the noodles, cheese, pepper dish) is only served on Tuesday so that made my dinner choice easy as I can get the other dishes on another day. This Cacio preparation is a show of mixing table side in a parmesan bowl. You can add meat on the side to add to your pasta. I chose chicken. Devoured this dish! Of the 16 people at our table, I believe 9 or 10 ordered this for their entrée and cleared their bowl. Some of the other items I saw ordered through the night at our table were crab cakes, the mozzarella/veggies app, the grilled octopus, carpaccio, salmon, veal scaloppine, and salsiccia con peperoni (sausage with peppers). Everyone seemed to love their choices. Our wait staff (including the chef preparing the Cacio) were outgoing, fun, and informative. Can't wait to go back to try another menu item. read more

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When I tell you I crave this pasta from @rocrestaurant more than I crave any other dish from anywhere, I'm not kidding you. I will wait to have pasta until I can have THIS pasta, that's how good it is. The sweet butternut squash, the savory but light cream sauce, and the spicy sausage are the perfect combination and together they comprise what is my favorite pasta dish! I mean it when I say do not order this if you are not prepared to experience an authentic and flavorful pasta dish that will set the bar at a level that no other pasta dish will reach. And that's just the pasta! Here's what all we ordered: Roc & Lady Roc Burrata Fresca Rigatoni in a Cream Sauce with Sausage and Butternut Squash Salmone Scozzese con Asparagi Roc Tiramisu read more

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The welcoming warmth from the owners, the charming ambience and decor...we felt like we had been transported back to Venice, and even ordered a Peach Bellini to toast to our memories of Harry's. A lively, cozy, neighborhood gem of a restaurant with wonderful food from a varied and creative menu. The table-side preparation of cacio-e-pepe was entertaining AND so delicious, and the swordfish was truly an unexpected treat...cooked to perfection. Make sure you order dessert, even if you think you have "no room" and have to split one with your party...you won't regret it! If a bourbon fan, you will be amazed at their selection, all displayed in what I would call a wall of bourbon, at the intimate bar. The staff were very attentive but not intrusive...and they were happy, yeah!!!! It was so much more than dinner. It was a very special evening out. read more

Best black truffle pasta in the city. Thank you for the authenticity you bring to this city.

Had a great dinner here with my daughter. We went specifically for the Cacio e Pepe special on Tuesday night. It did not disappoint. Very small, quaint restaurant. We sat in the inside patio where it was a little quieter. The food was great and the experience was worth it! read more

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Saturday night date night at ROC Restaurant! Delicious dinner from start to finish! The restaurant had a great atmosphere both upstairs and down. The private rooms upstairs look great for small groups. We started with a few cocktails - titos moscow mule, bellini, and a rossini. The appetizer was a special for tonight truffle beef carpaccio with toasted almonds, microgreens, parmesan fondue and tableside shaved black truffle. This was a great night to be adventurous with this appetizer! Next on to soup and salad. - Insalata di pera, noci e gorgonzola - a salad of pear and artisan lettuce, caramelized walnuts, pomegranate, gorgonzola and honey dressing The honey dressing was a perfect light touch to this salad - Zuppa di nonna Rosa - a lentil soup with potatoes and escarole Entrees included: -Lombata di maiale alle parmigiana - crispy fried pork loin with mozzarella served with garlic broccoli -Veal scaloppine with prosciutto, mozzarella and tomato sauce served with wilted spinach and garlic Dessert ROC tiramisu - homemade savoiardi biscuits with mascarpone cheese and cocoa read more

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The atmosphere and service were amazing. The options are endless- pasta, chicken, veal, steak, lamb, seafood, etc. Started with appetizers, main course and finished with a desert sampler and limoncello! What a spread. I order the veal, perfectly prepared with a red sauce and cheese, spinach on the side. The chicken with a mushroom glaze was delicious, and the pistachio pasta with shrimp was delicious and unique. The steak with peppercorn was cooked perfectly. For dessert, we sampled the cookies and cannolis! The cannolis are a must! read more

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Roc is a two-year old restaurant that steals the crown from Grassa Gramma for the best Italian food in Louisville. It's owned and operated by Italian-born chef Rocco Cadolini, who had a New York City restaurant of the same name. On a beautiful night, we dined outdoors. On Tuesday they prepare a special dish called Cacio e Pepe (Cheese and Pepper), which is pasta prepared tableside in a large wheel of cheese. The preparation, with narration by the owner, made my mouth water. We started with the Calamari Zucchini Fritti and the Meatball Sliders (which were massive). For entrees we enjoy the Pappardelle and Penne Vodka, in addition to the Cacio e Pepe. Beyond exquisitely tasty food, this restaurant doesn't gouge you on price. Highly attentive service, with oversight by the owner. Everything about meal moved with precision. read more

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Best authentic Italian in town, fine dining atmosphere and service. Expect to pay well and get your money's worth.

Cené en ROC en Bardstown camino el 28 de enero. Comí el fetuchini a la boloñesa, y la berenjena de parmesano. Bebí el agua. La berenjena de parmesano fue tan buen como mi plato principal. El fetuccini a la boloñesa fue muy delicioso y cosi mejor que la pasta. El agua fue muy refrescante. El Servicio fue muy bueno! La comida tomó menos tiempo como esperado. El camarero fue muy amables y graciosos! Me encantó El fetuchini a la boloñesa. El chef me lo preparó. El restaurante no fue muy ruidoso. La mejor parte definitivamente, fue El fetuchini boloñesa! La peor parte fue esperar para la comida a ser hecho! El servicio fue muy bueno! El servicio fue mejor esta vez, porque fue menos personas, porque fue domingo por la noche. Se lo recomiendo a otras personas porque, ROC tiene el mejor comida italiano, y servico, incluso el ambiente! read more

ROC Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Louisville, Kentucky

We haven't had a dinner out quite like this is some time. It almost felt normal. Weird, I know. I called to make reservations just an hour and a half before we planned to go. Was pleased to be the first to arrive at the restaurant. We were able to eat outside. We had Deanna as our server. We opted to try the special appetizer, melon and prosciutto. It was a tasty combination. My mom ordered the seafood pasta entree, I ordered the kale pasta with mushrooms. It was so tasty. We also had the cannoli as a dessert. Great service and food. It was so great to have a somewhat regular night out with great company, service and food. read more

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The first time I went to ROC was when I was having dinner with a friend. I was really excited about going on a Tuesday since that meant it was cacio e Pepe night. This was incredible. We were sitting in the window area and they make the pasta right at your table. They use a large wheel of cheese as the spot where they make your pasta and add pepper and create your dish. It was delicious and very much worth the experience. I must add this was pre-Covid. I've noticed from their Facebook page, they are doing dine-in and takeout, and Tuesday remains Cacio e Pepe night. It's a great experience and worth having in whatever form you decide. read more

Traveling out of town and decided to try this. Enjoyed the zucchini appetizer, as they were thin and lightly fried. It came with 2 large fresh fried mozzarella balls. This also came with a bowl of marinara that was outstanding. I did not care for the fried mozzarella, as it was soggy and wet. I understand fresh mozzarella is wet but didn't enjoy the texture of the breading anyway. The main dish, spaghetti something something, don't remember was - ok. The noodles were stiff or not as tender as I'm used to. The sauce was chunky, which I do not enjoy at all but it did have great flavor. What I didn't like the most were the biased comments made by the waiter to me as it took over an hour to get my main dish so I asked about it. The waiter stated he doesn't fire up the pasta until you are completely finished with the appetizer, he said this is why we keep asking you if you are finished. I just kept saying I was working on the appetizer because I was picking at it, starving as I was waiting an hour on pasta. He said we are professionals here, and the room laughed. I said oh I'm not used to that. And made some comments that I didn't quite understand or get. He then brings me my dish and says "see, once you are finished we are fast like McDonald's." I'm not usually bothered by people's comments but I felt uncomfortable and out of place here. When I left he said enjoy your stay perhaps assuming he knew I wasn't a local or that I was out of place again, assuming. Idk just seemed awkward and biased. I did not appreciate the McDonald's comment. I do not eat at McDonald's! read more

ROC Restaurant - Fried zucchini - Italian Near Me - Louisville, Kentucky

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Best Italian in Louisville coupled by great service. I've tried most of the menu and always want to order more because it's delicious read more

ROC Restaurant - Octopus cooked to perfection - Italian Near Me - Louisville, Kentucky

Lovely evening eating outside under their terrace. Drinks were great (had Old Fashioned) Appetizer was nice. Had Lasagna on special. It was an amazing lasagna. I was quite impressed. Staff were taking all appropriate precautions for Covid. read more

ROC Restaurant - Good old fashioned - Italian Near Me - Louisville, Kentucky

The owner was fabulous. Very friendly and engaging. Had the Cacio E Pepe (Tuesday night special dish - which he prepared by our table) and Ceviche. Beautiful restaurant interior. read more

great food. great service. caring owner and staff. wonderful homemade pastas. chill vibes all around.

Had an excellent birthday dinner at ROC on Tuesday night. Tuesday is their Cacio e Pepe special and they did it right. Prepared by the chef at the table with a flaming cheese wheel. Also had the carpaccio, veal scaloppine parmigiana, spaghetti pomodoro and the linguine frutti del mar. All delicious and service was fantastic. Will be back soon! read more

My daughter, just took a trip to Italy so of course she picked this place for her birthday dinner. I first would say, there must not be many minorities that dine there, as we are an interracial family. That squeeze us in a corner 6 top table. Two of us ordered cocktails, two not one was delivered 20 mins later server(Megan) came back and seen other drink had not arrived. The whole time we could never understand her. At first we thought it was the loudness in restaurant but actually the whole time she leaned in to talk she was whispering and very all of the place. We had to ask about nightly specials, she was so confused and confusing. The food: We ordered an appetizer that was clearly not explained well by Megan, but it was two hush puppy size mozzarella balls fried and a pile of zucchini straws on the side. The mozzarella balls were cold. The breading on both zucchini and cheese was so bland I had to use salt, no Italian seasonings, nothing. I'm sure it was at least $20 The Prosciutto wrapped dates, were disgusting. It was a plate of 6 enough for all of us at table to have one and we sent 5 back after at least 3 of us sampled the one and about gagged. They didn't offer to bring us another appetizer and they still charged us for them. My 9 year old ordered spaghetti and a meatball, no sauce as he does not like it, his noodles were oily and meatball was still submerged in sauce, $20 We also had chicken Parmesan sliders and truffle fries and it was nothing to rave about. Birthday girl had fettuccine Bolognese, which I found odd normally a bolognese sauce is with spaghetti, penne...fettuccine is more of a white wine sauce or Alfredo. It was still only thing at table that was doable. $150 Tab, so many places in Louisville I would rather spend that at and have! I would spend it at a chain restaurant before I ever go back here. P.S. most places offer a birthday dessert, we paid for hers, $10 and got a free song. No thanks. read more

Best Italian food around! The service and the ambiance is fantastic- there is nothing better than feeling at home with your Italian family. Stacy and Rocco are fantastic hosts- the hospitality is 5 star from the moment you walk in. We've been here before and thoroughly enjoyed it- coming back we had high expectations and they did not disappoint! Be sure to check them out!!!! read more

Our service and cocktails were both amazing. The carpaccio was so-so and we weren't a fan of the almonds and micro greens which seemed to detract from the quality of the beef. We went partially because gluten free pasta was available and needed with our group. It was only ok and I suspect the house made noodles would have been far superior. The outdoor patio was a nice place to have a meal. read more

Best home made pasta in town. Service is always top notch. Can't recommend highly enough.

This place came recommended through an article.on places not to miss this summer. I'd say it would be ok to miss. They staff was friendly enough, but the food was average at best. The caprese salad, while visually beautiful, lacked flavor. The fries that came with the panini were cold, and the wine pours are short (the first glass of while was warm the second was a little.better). The dessert was weird. The pistachio ice cream had the right color, bit no flavor. The torte seemed under cooked. The first floor was packed and loud, bit there are tables.on the second floor which seemed to have a little more subdued atmosphere. For the price (expensive) it was average. read more

ROC Restaurant - Looks.beautiful, nit don't be duped...no.flavoe and the tomato slices were paper thin. - Italian Near Me - Louisville, Kentucky

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The Louisville restaurant scene is abundant with amazing, eclectic and delicious options, so there's really no reason for us to return to ROC. Service was terrible - slow, inattentive and even rude at one point. It took more than 2 hours for 2 of us to order, eat and pay. We ordered salads, gnocchi and a classic spaghetti with pomodoro sauce, none of which was worth the price tag. The sauce tasted like it came out of a can. The restaurant is very noisy and the acoustics made conversation quite difficult. I'm not sure what folks love so much about this place, but the service, atmosphere and cuisine are much more pleasing at Silvio's and DeFabio's. read more

ROC Restaurant is a joke. Don't get your hopes up for a good night out, heed the warnings of the other poor reviews. Was excited to have tableside cacio e pepe, but didn't even make it to the food. I'd generally expect an upscale Italian restaurant to be a chill, quiet vibe. Not here. Incredibly loud, no sound dampening at all in a converted gutted house. Very little attempt to incorporate any Italian decor, and we were seated at a table in a glass room so full of people you'd think it was a display of fresh sardines. The owner was an absolute prick to his staff in front of customers, at one point berating a young lady over which tables she was to serve and which were the other servers. Glasses of wine priced per glass at the same price as a full bottle retail and no option to buy wine by the bottle. Talking $16 a glass for a $13 bottle. I expect an upcharge for by the glass, but there's upcharge and there's highway robbery... We finished our drinks and left. What a pitiful excuse for 'upscale' Italian. We won't ever be back, not until the owner makes a public apology to his staff and talks about how he'll make sure it never happens again. read more

Having been to this spot a couple of times, it came to mind when my children said they wanted Italian for dinner. I crossed my fingers hoping they'd have a table for us even though we didn't have a reservation. We lucked out and the hostess said she could seat us. We were promptly served drinks and our order was taken. The appetizers, salad and entrees were served with precision and were delicious as they had been in the past. ...Then they forgot about us. Drink glasses were drained. Bellies were full. Twenty minutes passed without a single acknowledgment from any server or hostess. We wanted to take our three half-eaten entrees to go, pay the bill and leave, but we could never catch the eye of anyone to make that happen. I saw a friend at a nearby table and went to say hello. It was at this point that I asked the passing hostess for our check. After informing me that she was the owner (I thought Rocco was the owner), she said that she did me a favor by "squeezing" us in and said that they were very busy. I told her that she could've easily told me that they were booked for the evening and turned us away. Never once did she apologize for the wait or poor service. When our waiter brought the check, he said, "You never asked for the check." I told him that I would've asked for the check if he'd been by the table to ask us if we wanted dessert or coffee, or heaven forbid, to refill our drinks. I inserted my card with the check and took it to him for processing, at which time I also told him that we wanted to take our leftovers with us. Interestingly, while I watched every one of our neighboring diners get their leftovers packaged in the kitchen and returned to their tables bagged to go, our indifferent server brought three containers and a bag to our table so we could do it ourselves. I'm so grateful that they "squeezed" us in so we could pay the same price as all the other diners for our meals and get incredibly substandard service. I will never go back. read more

The food is alright the service is horrible. After waiting over an hour, we decide to order dinner at the bar. The tables around us had been waiting for their bills for about 20 min. So we did not want to take a chance waiting any longer. Food finally arrives...10 minutes apart from each other. We take our first bites, look at each other with the same 'we waited for this?!' Look. Suffice it to say. I will not be returning. read more

Hands down one of my favorite restaurants! Rocco is great and always very friendly. Love the atmosphere... feels like Rocco opened his home to everyone so he could make them an Italian meal. It's not cheap to eat here but if you want something special you won't be disappointed. I'm a big fan of the beverage selection too. read more

ROC Restaurant - Linguine Con Frutti Di Mare - Italian Near Me - Louisville, Kentucky

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I visited this restaurant yesterday with super excitement.. the resturant is nice..However the food was not up to par! The food was ok nothing spectacular at all. Very over priced I had the LINGUINE CON FRUTTI DI MARE with clams, mussels, shrimp and salmon. Something was fishy tasting don't know maybe the salmon. I was so disappointed. I would not recommend this resturant read more

Too posh to treat others as human beings. Safe to say as a former customer, I will NEVER be eating here again now that I know what their "rules" are. Have a question? You can ask it once. Any more and you will be removed. Have to use the restroom? You better be buying something on the way. If you're a delivery driver, they don't care how close you are to wetting yourself. No bathroom access. Waiting for take-out to be ready and want to wait inside because it's raining cats and dogs outside? HA. No. Wait outside only. Cross someone as any bit rude or unprofessional? You're banned from the restaurant. read more

ROC Restaurant - You are FAR below them if you order take out and are not dining in and tipping. - Italian Near Me - Louisville, Kentucky

We came during the time where there was only outside seating. We were in a tent with a bunch of heaters. Not exactly spread out enough, but given the small space that the owner had, understandable enough. The owner personally talked to us about the restaurant and the food selections, and overall was a happy man, though he did complain about the restrictions. The food was overall good. There were some choices that are harder to find in the area. But did find it to be a little overpriced. I suspect that usually the atmosphere of being inside would make it worth it - while inside during a restroom break, looking at the dining area, it was beautiful (Vs a tent). read more

One of the best restaurants in Louisville . Amazing atmosphere amazing drinks and amazing food.

It was a beautiful enchanting evening out with my wife and her friends we sat in the fishbowl patio. The server was authentic and the owner as well. bit of confusion on the bill, needed multiple bills split up between five couples. Instead of giving us individual checks they made us do the calculations. It really wasn't a five-star experience. read more

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We did not have a single item that wasn't excellent! Probably one of the best beef carpaccios I've ever tasted. Perfect zucchini frite and aldente pasta. Next best thing to being back in Italy. Molto bene! Mille Gratzie!! read more

The food is fabulous. Menu very Italian. We were not sure of descriptions of the menu items. Our waitress was Alexandra. She was outstanding. Very knowledgeable and helped us order. The selections were awesome. Homemade pasta and best desserts ever. Definitely recommend. read more

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Do yourself a favor and experience the great atmosphere, incredible food and service . Five Star Review!