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La Rocca has been serving homemade, authentic Italian cuisine since 1986.
I ate lunch here with my wife today. It's a nice little place, inside looks great and our waitress was very friendly. We had the fettucini bolognese for $10 and the Pollo Marnnato for $13. Both dishes were good. They told us that they have live music some nights so we will be returning to try out the dinner menu in the future.
I just had lunch at La Rocca and it was my most delicious meal there yet. I go pretty regularly as I really enjoy the atmosphere and the servers are top notch. But this lunch was especially tasty. After going there so often during evening hours, I think I'm going to have to switch it up and eat more lunches there too.
So I was at home watching the hockey game and decided to get delivery. After reading many reviews I thought I would check this restuarant out.
I ordered the Penne Boscaiola, thinking that it would be okay. After a bit of a problem with delievery (who ever packed the items at the restuarant didn't fasten/close the containers properly) I opened my dish. Well if looks could kill? It didn't look very appetizing, but i thought it can't be that bad? What a mistake -- do they even season anything? It was very bland .. no flavor at all! You would think the sauce had something - but no.. it was like they just threw some penne pasta with some sauted baby button mushrooms chopped in half, and a bit of peas and what looked like sliced ham, and bland sauce. -- -urhg! I had to season it up myself..
If this dish is a reflection of what is served at their restuarant, there is NO WAY I would want to eat there.. so gross! I had to throw it out - what a waste of money! Now I have to go find something else to fill me up.. thanks alot!
had lunch with my sister at la rocca. delicious!! had eggplant parmigiano which was to die for. my sister had the pasta and prawns which was also yummy. we had a great table by the window and could watch the comings and goings of commercial dr. while we ate. i will be going back for dinner. soon!
Just had dinner here it was probably the worst mean in terms of quality and price I have had in a long time.
These old commercial places are just TOURIST TRAPS for suckers. Overpriced you can get way better food for 1/2 the price on Main or other locations. Crappy house wines, fatty meats, with some salty sauce on them. Boring and 3/4 empty place. Sad.
came here since it was in the coupon book. it was late and the place was busy. it was quite dark and i dont remember the decor. the server was nice enough but at the end of the meal when we really needed to leave there was an issue with getting the bill to us. then my husband noticed an issue with the coupon on the bill and more time was wasted. (altogether about 30 min paying the bill)
we ordered the antipasto platter and it was pretty disappointing. however im not an antipasto expert and i am only comparing it to the locus one on main which is much more creative and appetising. la rocca's had some cheese cubes, a very small quantity of canned artichokes, sandwich meat (no thanks, but i guess this is traditional) a few olives and a bit of lacklustre fruit. the other item we tried was a salad (not just a green one but not memorable at all) not really interested in returning, it doesnt seem worth the time
We sent our previous review to the restaurant as...its only fair that someone is able to respond. And they did. They provided us with an apology and offered a gift certificate if we would come back. We did and have to say the food was great and the service was great. Its back on our list.
I just want to say Thank You! to all of the staff at la rocca that made my birthday amazing! I just moved to Vancouver from Toronto, where I don't know that many people and a friend of mine from work highly reccommended la rocca and took me there for dinner. I have never felt so welcomed!! The live music was awesome! the servers were so friendly and warm... not to mention the food, which was delicous. It was packed and everyone was having a good time! What a great night! Thanks again and I can't wait to come back
What a lovely, friendly neighborhood dining experience we had at the Rocca on sat. nite. Terrific pasta was had by all, great wine and some really funky tunes were being played in the other room to give the evening a quirky but romantic atmosphere.
I had the same pasta dish that the previous reviewer had and can only say that I ate the whole thing!! He must have hit them on a bad nite because I loved the creamy rose` sauce with just the right amount of garlic. They make their own bread at this place and any kitchen that can make bread like that is ok with me.
Can't wait to go back and try other menu items.
Being that I am from Italy the food at La Rocca was just like home. The atmospere created by the owner was amazing. I have never experienced anything like this in my 10 years in Canada and I also travel quite a bit to the home country. I asked the owner how he made his tomatoe sauce and it was just like the way my mom makes it at home. I was invited in the kitchen and watched and everything is freshly made on the spot.
The sea food pasta and veal was incredible. You can sense the Napolitan passion that the owner has, in his singing and fun atmosphere with many customers asking for an ancore. Its nice to see that there is a dining establishment still run by true blood. I will certainly reccomend La Rocca for their pricing and the large amount of food they serve.
After wandering the neighborhood, I turned in at LaRocca for a late lunch. The room is high-ceilinged and airy, with abundant light from windows at the front. I sat by the window and checked out the interesting variety of people walking the Drive.
I wanted to try a wine from the Okanagan, and the agreeable waitress offered me a sample, but it was too sweet. On her recommendation, I drank an italian one that was well-matched to my pasta entree.
I chose the penne. It was an unusual flavor combination. It was also more than I could eat.
I wished I had a dining companion to bug into sharring and ordering something else we could have shared, but at this point a doggy bag would have to do.
I like this place. Good food and good people. Simple as that.
I'm going to have to agree with the reviewer below. I was here with my date for dinner last week for the first time. I liked the casual ambience, and the servers were just great. The menu reads very much like an Italian American restaurant. I can appreciate that they didn't attempt to offer pizzas, and their menu was limited but focused. I liked the pasta dish we ordered (Linguine with Clams, Mussels in a butter-white wine sauce). Very rich, and noodles were al-dente. And thankfully, fresh shellfish was used.
The main dishes were fine, but forgettable at the same time. The Chicken Parmesean tasted like a microwave was involved in its cooking. Nonetheless, I was impressed with their vegetable side dishes - sauteed young carrots were crisp and just warmed through, a nice alternative to the usual mashed spuds. My date complained of overseasoning - but I thought seasoning was OK for the most part. I would come back to this place to try their other pasta dishes.
Hmmm . . . where should I start!!!
Food - My friend had the Chicken Parmigiana which came with 1 small roasted potato cut in half, 3 stalks of asparagus and 2 pieces of carrots. Tasty but very boring looking platter.
I had the Penne Pesto Pollo. Decent size and very tasty. Found it too grass green for me.
Tasty bread with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.
We also shared Bocconcini & Tomato Salad. Probably the best I ever had. The Bocconcini was so fresh and soooooo tasty. Just salivating thinking about it!!!
Service was okay. No one came to ask how our meals were. We had to ask for hot water. Oh yeah, they charge for hot water!! I wouldn't mind paying for it if it was mentioned when we first ordered it but to be charged . . came off the tip!
Ambiance was very good. They were playing music from the 50's - 60's - Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra etc. Very comfortable sitting area.
We used our Entertainment Card so great deal for the meals. Will probably go back because the food was good but just lacking in service.
My dining partner and I had a hankering for some Italian and found this place. I had the pasta puttanesca and he decided on the chicken penne. Both were great. The puttanesca was scrumptious and the portion was perfect. The chicken penne was okay, a little "soupy" for his taste and a bit skimpy on the chicken pieces, but good none the less. The house red wine paired well and the Modello washed down the complemntary foccacia well. Overall, was good. A bit pricey for what could've been made at home, but I guess the point of dinner dates is so one doesn't have to cook :) Our waitress was great, very bubbly. We got there and only 2 other couples were in the dining reoom, but as we tucked, in the dining room filled nicely. We may or may not be back...We do recommend though.
Ate at La Rocca's last week for the first time since we were craving Italian for a decent price and found this little place to very solid experience. We were seated by the window and I got to eat a good meal and do some people watching.
The food was excellent, she had a prawn pasta dish which was good, and I had a halibut entree which was good but a little on the boring side. I wish I got a pasta dish.
The service was solid, servers were attentive and welcoming.
The value was solid especially since I had a entertainment card. If I didn't it might have been a little bit over priced for what we got.
The ambiance was outstanding, great looking restaurant with DJ the night I was there. DJ was playing music maybe more fitting for Yaletown or Granville lounge but who am I to say.
Wouldn't mind trying other menu items next time around!
Unless you live in the eclectic neighborhood around the main drag of Commercial Drive, you might never really notice La Rocca, a family-owned trattoria style Italian eatery, a few blocks from East 1st and Commercial. It's intimate, inviting and romantic, without being pretentious or artificial. There are touches of personal art works and a wall mural replicating a town near Florence. Ask the owner about a quirky detail of the mural, should you ever get the chance to sample this wonderful Napoli-style restaurant.
The cosy bar consists of two small areas, the front of which is grotto-like-- great for people watching. The second section is where the actual bar counter is, complete with leather bar chairs. From here, you can see into the kitchen and watch the chefs scrambling about to fulfill orders.
The menu offers a varied selection in each category, from antipasti to dolce (starters/desserts). You'll certainly be spoiled for choice, which means you might have a hard time deciding what to order, like I did.
I started the meal off with a glass of Sangiovese red wine and a Pear and Gorgonzola Salad with Candied Walnuts with spring greens and orange vinaigrette. On that evening, I requested bocconcini instead of the gorgonzola, which was my mistake. The sharpness of the gorgozola definitely would have been a better pairing with the crisp ripe sweetness of the anjou pear. I suppose I was feeling more in the mood for a lighter and creamier cheese, which ended up being fine, just not as spectacular as the gorgonloza would have been. The candied walnuts was a nice accent and there's nothing better than a honey roasted nut to add some sweet crunchiness to a salad like this one. The orange vinaigrette was light without being overly tangy--an excellent match with the salad.
On the evening I visited, they had sold out of veal, a very popular choice. Upon the owner/manager's suggestion, which I'm glad I followed, I ordered the Prosciutto Wrapped Halibut. The tender and moist, yet firm, white fillet came encrusted in moderately salty and and crispy prosciutto. It was simply the best fish I'd had in a long while. Not overdone, it was truly moist and lightly savory, with the prosciutto imparting a delicate seasoning note to the freshness of the halibut. The entrees came with roasted potato nuggets and fresh steamed, tender crisp vegetables of the day--which happened to be broccoli and sweet baby carrots. My only complaint here is that I wish they'd added an extra nugget or two of potato and an extra two flowerets of the broccoli. Nonetheless, it's not a deal breaker.
To round off my meal, I'd ordered espresso and a slice of Italian Orange Ricotta Cheesecake. I originally wanted to try the house-made tiramisu, but instead was suggested to try the cheesecake that evening, instead. I'm glad I did. I guess the tiramisu would have to wait for a return visit. The cheesecake, being made with ricotta instead of cream cheese, was truly a taste of italian dolce. The zestiness of the orange was very pronounced and the cheesecake was very light and almost creamy souffle and cake-like. It's now one of my favorite desserts.
The Sangiovese red I'd ordered to accompany the meal was a suitable match (inspite of having fish) as it was sweet, with notes of cherry, cinnamon and black pepper. I'm normally not a fan of italian wines but this one was my favorite, by far, and I've since consistently ordered it whenever I dine at La Rocca.
The service was hospitable and friendly, though at times, it was hard to get the attention sitting at the bar. My subsequent visits would prove much better in this department.
All in all, it was a real splurge and treat, salad, entree, dessert, coffee, glass of wine and tip came to about $65. Definitly not cheap but worth every single hard-earned dining dollar and far cheaper than a trip to the old country. You can have a little or a lot, and I certainly did have more than my fair share! I was more than satisfied and I'll be back.
Unless you live in the eclectic neighborhood around the main drag of Commercial Drive, you might never notice La Rocca, a family-owned trattoria style Italian eatery. It's intimate, inviting and romantic, without being pretentious or artificial. There are touches of personal art works and a wall mural replicating a town near Florence. Ask the owner about a quirky detail of the mural, should you ever get the chance to sample thise wonderful restaurant.
The cosy bar consists of two small areas, the front of which is grotto-like and is great for people watching. The second section is where the actual bar counter is, complete with leather mid-height stools. From here, you can see into the kitchen and watch the chefs scrambling about to fulfill orders.
On the evening I visited, they had sold out of veal. The menu offers a varied selection in each category, from antipasti to dolce (starters/desserts). Upon the owner/manager's suggestion, which I'm glad I followed, I ordered the Halibut
i am a new reviewer, but am a bit surprised with some of the questions of quality on La Rocca here. It is one of our favorite places and it's tough to beat in terms of value, imho.
I've tried pretty much all of the pastas over the years, and the spag and lasagna would be fairly priced if it was 50% more.Appys are fine, though i miss the calamari. but if you want decent, wholesome and hearty Italian food, you won't be disappointed here.
The ambiance is great, and stop by for on the weekend and listen to the owner serenade the guests. The only weakness I can see, is that there is some turnover in the servers and some of them seem to be a bit inexperienced. The service problems i hear about here don't shock me, but usually a bit of patience and some gentle coaching does the trick. Failing that, just talk to the manager, he's a great guy.
My girlfriend and I decided to dine at La Rocca for her birthday this year as she had tried it before and really enjoyed the food.
Turns out that's all that we enjoyed....
As we walked in the door about 45 minutes early for our reservation we were told by the hostess that they were not currently seating people as they only had one chef working at the moment, which was understandable. Once I told her that we made reservations, and that we were early she went and talked to the chef and came back out and told us "We can seat your right now but it's going to be quite some time for your food" which was understandable as well, so we sat down.
The initial service wasn't too bad, we sat down, ordered some drinks, and then shortly after ordered our meals. After about 10 minutes the server came back and told me that unfortunately they do not have any lasagna left and that I'd need to choose something else and apologized. I chose something else, and a few minutes later she came out again and told me that unfortunately the alternate that I had chosen also wasn't available... so I made another choice. Thankfully they had that one....
After that there was no sign of our server from what seemed like an eternity... our drinks stayed empty for a good half an hour. There was a huge table of like 10 people beside us that had an awesome server checking on them every couple of minutes, bringing them bread, and refills on their bread before we even got any bread at all. We finally got fed up after about 45+ minutes of absolutely no service and empty drinks, and asked the server at the table next to us what was going on. She got us some drinks, and shortly after that our appies came.
I tried the bruschetta, which was really good, and the mussels marinara that my girlfriend ordered looked awesome as well. After the appies, it didn't take too long for our entrees to come, which were awesome as well. I had the spaghetti w/ wine and cream sauce and shrimp and it was to die for!
One other small gripe I had about the place was that if you wanted to drink the beer they had on tap, you had to order a litre for sharing. So unless you're going with a few other beer drinkers, you're stuck with domestic, etc which I found a bit odd cause I wanted to try the ale they had on tap.
Overall decent experience once we flagged the second server down. They also discounted part of our drink bill to try and make up for the service we received, which was a really nice gesture. I'd definitely go back again and hope for better service.
The layout of this restaurant is uniquely layed out. There is a small bar and lounge in around the entrance and a main dining room. As you make your "washroom break" before or after your meal, you will notice a small patio behind the restaurant. It gives you the feel that you're on a deck in an isolated alley. I would like to go back and request to sit there next time.
Their food was decent. I wouldn't say anything spectacular. Like the other reviewer said if you go in with a high expectation then you're likely to be disappointed.
Prices are fairly reasonable. Starters vary from $8-11, salads are $5-13. Pasta prices are no more than $14, and the entrees are about 17. If you decide to swap the veggies for pasta it's an additional $3.
I was too full to try their dessert menu.
The service tonight was really slow, the server made a comment about having the "fireworks" crowd but 15 mins before getting our drinks? It took about 20 mins for our salad to come and another 10 after that. They didn't pay much attention to us, but I do like that, gives me space to enjoy my meal.
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