Rocco's Grill

Having lived in Austin all of my life...and traveling all over the world, I have learned to appreciate good things and great food unique to that specific culture. I frequently check city search for updates on comments/reviews on true ""Austin"" style eateries. However, I too, found the negative remarks about this unique and truly ""Austin"" eatery to be off character. I have taken my family there, recommended it to business associates and out-of-towners...and never once had negative feedback. It is a fabulous dining experience with a view of the golf-course...one heck of a way to relax after a long day at work. Love the mesquite grill and reserve wine list! Bravissimo! more

Well, I was looking for a restaurant in the Lakeway area and heard several favorable comments about Rocco's - I decided to look at Citysearch to see what else was being said ... not too nice lately. BUT ...\r \r After looking more closely it seems as if this is a smear campaign - nothing else. Look at the dates. Fully half the posted reviews started in the second half of July (13 of 29 between July 19th - 24th). Why the surge of comments? I've checked - same owners for six plus years, same General Manager, stable menu - it doesn't make sense.\r \r This was too intriguing - I had dinner there. I talked to the manager and owners. I talked to my server and the bartenders. There was no indication from anyone about being mistreated. The place was busy (better than empty and dead). The food is generous, not pretentious and fairly priced. The owners couldn't have been more hospitable. The bar is hopping - what would you expect of a bar?\r \r It's hard to imagine that this is the same place described in recent reviews. I say ignore what is obviously someone with a personal axe to grind or possibly worse - an unscrupulous competitor. This is a genuine pleasurable evening out. Pros: unique surroundings, generous portions, huge martinis more

I`ll make this short and sweet, Two lunch pastas-no taste, 3oz chicken,broken cream sauce looked like oil slick and the pasta had the texture like chicken noodle soup. $ 19.95 ( Lunch ? ) I had small pepperoni Pizza couldnt really figure out what it was at anyevent didnt eat it. $ 14.95 waters,tea one beer and two B-Ms total plus tip close to $90.00 Pros: Learn food value Cons: what do you think more

I was out there and as you would guess, I ate at the bar. Now mind you it was Sunday night, after a full moon mid-week, but I would classify this place and weird no matter what the moon is doing. There was a couple at the bar giving Dr. Phil advice, who met on match and had been together less than a year. It is a singles scene, but for the older crowd. In fact, this place is a wildlife refuge for Cougars, Gold Diggers and the likes. \r \r As for the food, it was OK. The lasagna was bland, and it needed a little more meat. The chicken and goat cheese pasta dish was fairly good . \r \r The bar was visually nice. Had a cool ""fat man belly"" curve to it and there were bunches of cocktail tables. The bartender was funny, even poking fun at some of the folks and a fight that broke out last week between two old guys over ""I saw her first"". \r \r I hear this place is bumping on Wednesday and Thursday's, but that was from an older friend who hits it up for the older chicks. Pros: Food decent Cons: Scene was weird - definite pickup scene for older folks - very uncomfortable more

If bad italian food and bad service is what you seek, have I found the place for you! seriously, the only thing to reccomend this place is it's within a couple blocks of my place, but then again there's a lot of good italian within the same distance. I'd eat here if it were the only italian for miles, but since it's not , I'll never be back. Pros: Not much Cons: mostly negative - would rather have left a negative tip - but left $2 instead of 20% more

Really had the worst experience of my life, we didn't have a reservation, but the food tasted like it came out of a frozen dinner pack, lacked flavor and appeal, the use of some creativity in the Menu is non existent and boring. I am from Paris however not that much food snob but this was bad. The waitress was nice, however, it did not make up for the rest of the evening, I was Embarrassed I recommended this place.\r \r Oh and then upon leaving restaurant, you have to walk by bar and some drunk spilled his cocktail all over my poor husband and then almost knock us both down trying to help us clean him up.\r \r THey should quit trying to serve food and just serve drink. That seem what they good at. Pros: nice little waitress Cons: we found nothing appealing more

Service is bad - we ended up taking 15 min to place our orders by a waiter that insisted on talking about his acting career. In the end, the food was very disappointing, the pasta were dry, the fish was dry, really not great italian food. The only thing that was decent was the bread and they were a little stingy with it. Service was terrible, we waited almost 45 min to get our food, waitresses were not friendly, really overwhelmed, and very rude. I don't recommend this place at all, and I was very disappointed. Pros: location Cons: food, service, more

Terrible. I went with a friend that was craving Italian, so I figured we try the place. Having grown around Lake Travis I never actually ate here, but now I'm glad I didn't. We sat inside by the bar - very loud 3-4 deep so the rear ends of the overly-intoxicated mid-life crisis 50+ crowd pushed right into dining tables. I cannot for the life of me figure how all of these people made it home safely as it was clearly a martini fueled, drunken, pick-up scene. I was quite laughable and some what entertaining but I was actually quite embarrassed to even be scene next to such display. I guess the Lakeway community hasn't figured out yet that it is not cool to be drunk anymore.\r \r I ordered ribeye and iced tea, and my friend ordered calzone. Service took forever. The small pieces of sourdough weren't that great, but it was filling enough in between the long wait between bread, salad, and food. Surprisingly the ceasar salad was quite good. Too bad the rest would be a bad let down.\r \r I never got my Iced Tea. Then, we waited about probably 25 minutes until we actually got our food. They gave me the wrong order. After I told the waitress that she got the order wrong, she quickly apologized and I had my order back in like 2 minutes (???). Why did I wait 25 minutes for a messed up order only to have the right one in 2 minutes? Did they reheat it in the back or something? I wasn't expecting the best, but the food at this place wasn't very good. Mind you it probably tasted even worse there were so many screw-ups.\r \r I noticed that I never got my Iced Tea, they apologized, yet they still tried to charge me for it. My friend didn't think his dish was that superb either, but lamented that it was at least better than the horrid service i had.\r \r Bad service, sub par food, overpriced food, and very bad rating. Very arrogant and condescending staff. It was like we were privileged to even be i there restaurant. Would NEVER go again and would never recommend do anyone.\r Pros: If you like to get intoxicated with 55+ crowd Cons: Ubnoxious bar scene, bad food, bad service, snotty management more

Let me try to describe my experience at this place. Hmmm....A bunch of 55+ year olds standing around the bar (that butts directly against the interior dining area so you get to hear just how ""hot"" Gertrude is) slamming martinis ( I mean one after the other) while trying to pick each other up. Very loud and a disturbing scene. Not sure who drove these folks home. Food that was absolutely overdone and looked to have been under a heat lamp prior to serving...in a nutshell, if you find this place acceptable, let alone authentic Italian, you simply have never been anywhere else. Don't bother. more

I visit Lakeway regularly and always stop in for dinner at Rocco's. Rocco's Ribeye is my favorite item on the menu. Last time I ate at the restaurant, I had a cup of tomato basil soup for an appetizer. It was great. The service can be a little slow at times, but it makes for a nice relaxing evening. Pros: great food, pleasant atmosphere, friendly staff Cons: a little pricey, service can be slow more

Food was OK but service was horrible. From the waitress who offered no pepper on the salads to delivering the main dish before finishing salads to bringinning cold coffee to the manager who had an attitude about adjusting the bill for coffee.\r \r Blame it on management for poor / lack of service training. Plenty of other places to go to. Pros: Ambience Nice outdoor Patio Cons: Poor Service more

I am echoing the comments of several previous reviews... The best thing about Rocco's is the interior decorations, the food and service are average at best. If you are looking for your Italian fix, keep heading South on 620... more

My family and I, went to rocco's saturday night, however the overall service was awful, the waiters are young guys who dont know the difference between a red wine glass to a white wine glass. Our appetizer was full of grease, the children's pasta was sitting in a bowl of sauce, they did not eat any of it. The last plate was a quarter of a chicken breast, that was over cooked, telling the manager was a complete waste of time, he had nothing to say. I will NEVER go back I would of been better going to wendys!!! more

The service is good but the food is bland. It is pretty run-of-the-mill in terms of ambiance and menu choice, although the mural is a nice touch. I suspect the recipes for several items on the menu were ""borrowed"" from other restaurants around town, as I've had them at other (better) restaurants. I think the owners are well-intended, but I wasn't that impressed. It doesn't make my top 20. Pros: friendly, clean, Cons: ordinary, boring more

I visited Rocco's in Lakeway last week and was blown away by the service. Our server Rick was incredible, he basicly ordered for me and my friends. The wine he selected was a perfect match for the steak he also recommended, also it was not the most expensive on the menu like most waiters tend to recommend. If you decide to try out Rocco's ask for Rick and take his advice it made our evening perfect. Pros: service, steaks, seafood more

I am a huge fan of Rocco's Lakeway & Downtown. It's one of the only family owned restaurants in Austin that cares about their patrons. One of the family members is always there, adding a wonderful touch to the whole experience. My favorite appetizer is the Bella Baci (jalapenos stuffed with cheese and shrimp, wrapped in bacon then grilled!!!) & the Shrimp Alesondra (shrimp scampi). The house salad is the best salad in Austin. It comes with spicy pecans, blue cheese and green apples. I have it once a week. I order the Pollo Piazza, chicken breast stuffed with Fontina cheese and procuitto served with this delicious lemon butter sauce. It is so good. My husband has the Pepper Steak or Pasta Johnny. It really is a one of a kind restaurant that offers a romantic, friendly ambience with the warmth of a family touch. I just love it! Pros: 2 Locations, Family Owned, Great Value Cons: Not Enough Parking, Sometimes Crowded, No Valet in Lakeway more

You gotta try that steak..I love it more than Austin Land & Cattle. The bread and dipping oil was very good too. I went there for a late dinner (~9PM), everything was perfect, the restaurant is pretty, with an outdoor area by the lake. The place is a little far but Lakeway is surely a pretty nice little resort town. Will go there again and again. Pros: FOOD, Good parking, Nice Decor more

Absolutely the best food in town. The beautiful thing about Rocco's is the eclect atmosphere and the selection of food that is nothing less than outstanding. Try something different each visit and you will taste the greatness. more

We were a party of five at Rocco's and much to my surprise, the food was excellent and the service was second to none. We first sat at the bar to have a few drinks, the wine and beer was served in a most professional way. At dinner we were hosted by a very professional waiter that knew the menu and all the specials. I was very refreshing to patronize a resturant with such flair, professionalism not to mention the excellent food. BRAVO ROCCO's Pros: Good Food, Good waitstaff, Goos bar staff more

This is a great restaurant located right in Lakeway. Good ambience, great service and very good food. The house salad is unbelievable and so is the tenderloin. You can cut the tenderloin with your fork. Order it medium rare. If you are in a decadent mood the miles of chocolate for dessert will hit the spot. No need to always drive downtown when you have a gem like Roccos out by the Lake. Pros: Great food, no drive, easy parking more