I went here last night for my youngest daughter's birthday. Fine dining it isn't but it is ideal for families. I've been here several times over the last couple of years and have always enjoyed it.
We had calamari and the King prawns for starters. Both were fine. For main courses I had the pizza Iberica and my eldest had the Piccante. Pizzas are what they do best and these were very good. My wife had the lamb chops with lentils and celeriac mash which she enjoyed enormously. My youngest had the chicken salad which she pronounced as excellent. Both plates looked good. Only my eldest went for a pudding - the Ciocolata - which she ended up sharing with her mother and sister. They all loved it. We drank the house Barbera which was excellent. I finished with a corretto (espresso with a slug of grappa).
Service was friendly but a little haphazard. Ambience was busy and noisy but in a good way. Bill came to £82 not including tip which was excellent value.
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Had dinner here on Saturday. It's a large, busy place full of young families. It's authentically Italian with all the staff seemingly being Italian too. I actually opted for a less traditional Italian dish - sea bass with root vegetables. The sea bass was fine and flavoured with sprigs of Rosemary, not the best ever sea bass, but as I say fine. The root vegetables of parsnip, carrot and potato wedges were disappointing though - they were bland, not very tasty, or well seasoned and quite hard in texture. They could have done with being cut into smaller pieces too - I literally had half an under-cooked carrot plonked on my plate. A sauce and some greens was needed to bring it altogether. The pudding was the star though. I had orange and lemon tart as in the photo with raspberry type jam/coulis. It was delicious, really tangy. It had little caramelised bits which I liked and made it look a bit like a creme brûlée, but it also had extra sugar sprinkled on the top which it could have done without. Serving it hot rather than cold might even make it taste even better. For some reason when we saw it we assumed it would be hot - probably the caramelised bits? I would definitely order it again. My cappuccino was also very good. My friend had a tea which was served in an odd way with the customer needing to add the tea leaves, but fine and generous cup/pot with dinky milk jugs. The service and atmosphere was very good and friendly too, my friend also spotted a celeb - James Nesbitt! The prices were much cheaper than I expected they would be in Dulwich. I thought it was very good value overall - a main course, Pud, large glass of wine and coffee for all under £25 per head - it would have been even cheaper if we'd ordered pizza. I would go again if I was nearby, but might have something more mainstream Italian for my main. It seemed like the sort of place it would be good to have a coffee & cake mid afternoon, as they have sofas at the front and less formal seating outside. They also have chess and paper hats with stickers to keep kids entertained too.
I love Rocca. Come here often and always excellent service and food, especially the specials.
But this Friday, dating couples and happy families, the buzz and the food made for a wonderful night.
Best lamb I have had in a long time.
Go, just go.
Easily the best ambience of any restaurant in this area. The staff are brilliant and friendly. They help to make for a memorable night-out. The food is generous, good value and tasty. Highly recommended.
The Best in Dulwich. Rocca is by far the best restaurant in Dulwich! The Manager Abdul is so welcoming and works hard to create a really pleasant ambience and customer experience. The staff are all very friendly and the food is freshly made and hot. There is a good variety of choices on the menu and wine list. Excellent value for money and we always feel very well looked after and would recommend this restaurant in the heart of Dulwich Village without any hesitation.
We were treated like Kings. We went to Rocca for our sons 30th birthday meal. The meal and service was fantastic our waitress Katolina was so nice and attentive the staff in general made an enjoyable time wonderful. We would highly recommend it and we will be going back. They deserve to do well because they are so good, we eat out often in London and can honestly say that Rocca is the Tops.
Fabulous. I'm amazed to see an earlier report criticizing the food! We had lasagne and spaghetti carbonara (our standards to check out a restaurant that we haven't been to before) and they were both absolutely fabulous! Literally they were perfect, and we eat out a lot at excellent restaurants so I would rate this as the best Italian I have been to outside of Italy!
Rocca _ dulwich village ..I went last night food and service were great despite being very busy. A couple of very good looking italian waiters hovered round our table rather pleasingly amy.
Onthebeach. This restaurant is a breath of fresh air for Dulwich Village ... it's relaxed, the food is great and good value and staff are lovely ...it seems to have been well received as I have had to wait the three times I have been
It was a lovely Sunday when I last went and my only complaint was they have a garden but they had not opened it !
Rocca is almost always full of the young families that seem to populate East Dulwich. Make of that what you will but do not underestimate the deliciousness of their dishes.
Taking a bite of the food here makes you feel like you've just gotten a marvellous mouthful of real Italy. There is nothing try hard about the food- it is simply authentic Italian cuisine that you just can't get enough of.
As you'd expect from a place such as this, the service is warm, friendly and inviting. Moreover, the food is just so reasonably price, you'll wonder why you ever spend more than ten pounds on a pizza when you can get one that is so delicious for less than six! To top it all off, you can get a bottle of their house wine for £14.50. Unbelievable!
The restaurant was very busy at around 6pm with the family crowd, we had to wait 20mins for a table, then quiet and a lot of free tables around 7:30pm. We had the goats cheese salad, seafood risotto and seafood linguine. All were fine but I’d try something different next time. They don’t have children’s menu but do the pastas and pizza’s in children’s portions.
04/06/2023
An impromptu early dinner at Rocca Dulwich Village.
Seating outside was full so I accepted a table inside. Inside had a few diners spaciously sat around the restaurant. My server was well presented, smart, clean, smiley and pleasant.
I ordered the Grilled Prawns. VERY nicely flavoured, tasty and well cooked. The Goats cheese salad wasn't quite what I was expecting visually but tasted nice and flavorful. Chocolate Cake was more like a moose/gateau texture than an actually baked chocolate cake which was nice. Pinot Grigio was an ideal addition to my meal and perfect for the summery day.
Overall a pleasant meal, pleasant service.
Only downside was the circling of a few flies obviously due to open windows and doors. A tad jarring but aside from that a nice experience.
For a Tuesday it was quite lively, however when we arrived the staff could have been a bit more inviting. The restaurant itself is nice and prices are reasonable. The food portions were a good size and tasty.
First meal al fresco of 2023 for us and it did not disappoint! Excellent food and the crab pasta was perfect. Service left a little to be desired, though.
I have been coming to this place for years. It has always been a great spot to have a lovely meal with a great atmosphere. 😊👌🏾
Best king prawns I’ve ever tried! This nduja butter sauce is something exceptional! Friendly and fast service , Al fresco beautifuly arranged,
Definitely coming back !
Went here for our Valentine's day meal and had a good, but not amazing, time. The biggest downside was that we were often forgotten by the serving staff so tables that were seated after us were served before us, and the staff weren't particularly friendly. I understand that it was probably a busy night but we do appreciate a smile. The starters (we had arancini and gamberoni) were lovely and my boyfriend's pizza was great. I ordered the spaghetti carbonara, which is one of my favourite pasta dishes when done well, but it was bland. The egg had begun to scramble and the guanciale was cut into the tiniest strips which didn't give the dish enough salt. The pasta was all stuck together too.
That said, the restaurant itself has a nice atmosphere and the prices are reasonable. Might come again but I'll be ordering a different main.
Best pesto pasta in London! also always a reliable neighbourhood spot for a good weekend lunch or a quick dinner. Service is always good and there are lots of menu options including pizza, pasta and salads. Very affordable as well (the pizzas are cheaper and far better than Pizza Express)
Great meal in a buzzy Saturday night atmosphere. Restaurant had a mixed clientele. Service was friendly and very quick, we lingered over our meal but if you wanted to be in and out quickly they could cater to this
Fantastic food!
We started with spritz and a few starters and all was very tasty, especially the cheese and the muscles.
I must admit that I was disappointed by the size of my main but the taste of the crab dish was mind blowing and it was the perfect portion. Some crab shells left over so that wasn't very good though.
We had tiramissu which was very light and tasty.
Wine was great and liquors were nice too even if there was some miss match by the waiter.
A great place to go to with friends, it's a pleasure for the eyes and it's delicious. Will definitely go back.
Rocca is a family favourite, I'd highly recommend the pizza & if you're a dessert/coffee person you should definitely try the Affogato - it is delicious! Wouldn't be a visit to Rocca Di Papa without getting this (no matter how full you might be). Great location, atmosphere & friendly customer service
Delicious Italian food. Loved my risotto main and stuffed pepper starter.
Dessert was slightly misleading as the chocolate cake was actually a chocolate gateau, which i am not a fan of.
Service was excellent.
The restaurant does get a tad noisy indoors when busy. Would recommend sitting outside on a warm summer’s day.
Great restaurant, fantastic quality of food and excellent customer service. Accommodated all of my requests for me and my partner when celebrating our engagement.
There’s lots of places that offer good food, but often service isn’t up to scratch. Rocca excelled with both - highly recommended.
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