Rocco’s Little Chicago Pizzeria is spicing up its menu with new additions and returning favorites. To help spread the word, they hosted the Tucson Foodie team to try the dishes and capture content.
Now, Rocco’s is serving nostalgic crinkle-cut French fries alongside its famed pizzas. At its most basic form, diners can order a Basket of Fries with a sweet and tangy house-made Southside sauce, inspired by a particular Chicago chicken shop.
The kitchen created four fry-based dishes, each piled with flavorful toppings. Pesto Fries come smothered in creamy pesto and parmesan cheese.
The Buffalo Fries are tossed in hot wing sauce and topped with blue cheese crumbles. Ranch or blue cheese dressing comes on the side. An add-on for a grilled rosemary chicken breast is available.
Meanwhile, the Irish Nachos turn crispy fries into a full meal with sharp cheddar, bacon, tomato, red onion, chile de árbol salsa, and sour cream.
In an ode to Tacos Apson, the Carnosaur features a combination of carne asada, red onions, mushrooms, bacon, and green chile with a side of chiltepín salsa.
The Spin City pizza piles on extra spinach, garlic, olive oil and fresh basil.
The Paisan pizza packs an umami punch with oil-cured olives, sun-dried tomatoes, capers, Asiago cheese and anchovies. This one falls more into the acquired taste category; you’ll probably know if you’ll love this pizza or not just be looking at the ingredient list. But with its savory and salty intensity, it is advised to go the thin crust route for this specialty pizza.
Chicago Roots and Local Legacy
Owner Anthony “Rocco” DiGrazia opened Rocco’s Little Chicago in 1998, bringing a taste of Chicago to Tucson. He grew up on Chicago’s South Side and started making pizzas at 16. In the early ’90s, hemoved to Arizona. He saw a chance to introduce Chicago-style deep dish pizza to Tucson’s food scene.
Over the years, Rocco’s became a Tucson staple for pizza and more. It won multiple “Best of Tucson” awards and even earned a feature on season 28 episode 10 of Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. The restaurant is also beloved for its chicken wings, which Guy Fieri praised on his visit.
The pizzeria recently moved a few doors down to a larger space on East Broadway Boulevard with an expanded kitchen and seating.
Rocco’s Little Chicago Pizzeria is located at 2555 E. Broadway Blvd. For more information, visit roccoslittlechicago.com.
Article written by:
Jackie Tran
More about JackieJackie Tran is a Tucson-based food writer, photographer, culinary educator, and owner-chef of the now-closed food truck Tran’s Fats. Although he is best known locally for his work for Tucson Foodie, his work has also appeared in publications such as Bon Appétit, National Geographic, and the New York Times.
An adventurous foodie, he enjoys culinary experiences ranging from seasonal omakase to sloppily devouring green chili patty melts in his car afterhours. His favorite foods include aguachile, garlic noodles, and leftover fried chicken illuminated by the fridge light. His favorite drinks include morning micheladas, fireside imperial stouts, candle-lit negroni, and grassy mezcales.
Outside of food, he also loves playing musical instruments, karaoke, Tetris, Super Smash Bros. Melee, and petting Addie’s dog Spaghetti.
If you’d like to stalk him, visit his Instagram @jackie_tran_ or jackietran.com.
