Southern Arizona, especially here in Tucson, culinarily wise, is known far and wide for maybe a few items:
The Sonoran hot dog, which involves wrapping a dog in bacon, served on a soft roll then smothered in beans, various sauces such as mayo and green chile salsa and cheese. Elote, basically grilled ears of corn slathered in spices, mayo (again) and queso fresca. And then there is fry bread, a Native staple of dough that is deep fried in oil or lard then topped with honey, sugar or sometimes turned into a sort of taco with meat and local vegetation.
But pizza? Yes. In this age of Tucson enveloping itself into the national culinary landscape, seeing as it is the first US city to be recognized as a city of gastronomy via UNESCO, the pizza options range from the obvious corporate to certified Neapolitan concepts. But what is one to do when it comes to dealing with the want of a real deep-dish Chicago style pizza?
Here there is really only one option.
Rocco’s Little Chicago.
Yes, there are a few that offer up the thick and cake like Illinois created staple, but none do it as correct, seeing as Rocco’s owner, Anthony ‘Rocco’ DiGrazia, actually hails from the windy city.
Rocco got his first job making pizzas at the age of 16. He claims to have gotten the pizza bug from Sesame Street, just some kids visiting a New York pizzeria watching how dough and sauce is made. When Rocco moved to Champaign, IL to attend college, he wound up working in the best local pizza joint, Papa Dels, which has been serving up legendary deep-dish pizza since the early ‘60s.
His girlfriend at the time was living in Tucson, this being the early 1990s, and long distance phone bills were very expensive. So, after graduating, Rocco moved to Tucson and hustled in various kitchens across town for nearly a decade.
During this time, Rocco was experimenting with his own version of Chicago style pizza, after acquiring a deep-dish pan. He studied from various cookbooks along with the recipes he learned from Papa Dels and before long started to perfect the art of the deep dish. Encouraged by friends who were in love with his pizza, Rocco found a small spot on Broadway Blvd. that used to be a bagel shop. Taking a chance and taking the plunge, Rocco’s opened in December of 1998. At first, the idea of deep-dish pizza was not a big hit here in Tucson and it took a few years for the concept to catch on. But once it did, Rocco’s easily outgunned any other pizza joint across the old pueblo that even considered trying to create and serve Chicago deep dish pizza.
Now when locals or visitors are craving a thick, cheesy, saucy deep-dish pizza there is only one place those in the know point to: Rocco’s
In 2018, The Food Network came to town with Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and stopped by Rocco’s featuring him on an episode. Since then, the success of Rocco’s boomed, so much in fact that he is looking into relocating to a much larger location just down the street. But moving a fully functioning and fast paced pizza joint into a space once occupied by a clothing store takes not just a whole lot of work but a whole lot of capital. Rocco hopes to be in the new space by mid to late 2020, provided that things go right.
Outside of nationally recognized and award-winning deep-dish pizza, Rocco’s also serves some of the best hot wings in southern Arizona. They are perfectly baked and served with mild to hot house made sauce or a tangy BBQ. There are also delicious pasta options, such as homemade meatballs and spaghetti, spinach stuffed ravioli or rotelli tossed with a bright and basil-y pesto.
The sandwiches at Rocco’s are huge and served on locally made baguettes. A must have is the Italian Sub, which is packed with turkey, prosciutto, pepperoni, tomatoes, red onions, red bell peppers, two kinds of cheese and a secret recipe vinaigrette. For lighter fare, Rocco’s also has a selection of salads and all pizzas, either thin crust or deep dish, along with the sandwiches and can be half sized with vegan options as well.
The beer selection is always in rotation and always adventurous, but you need to give Rocco’s award winning Limoncello (an Italian lemon liqueur) margarita a sip. It is a citrusy nod to a classic cocktail.
Rocco’s also has happy hour Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays with drink specials and $6 snacks and bites.
And if you are one who frequents the local music scene, Rocco plays in a few garage and punk bands so you just might see the pizza master rocking on stage after he rocks your taste buds with the flavors of his hometown Chicago.
