Incredibly salty food. Meatball small and salty, pizza with sausage…almost too salty to eat but I was hungry so grimaced through it. Ate mostly crust to avoid the salty flavor. Chocolate cannoli was good (although small size despite ordering a large - how small must small be?) The Rosa Insalata is my last hope - will eat tomorrow. I had high hopes for this place but won’t be repeating the experience. Not a positive experience. Dial back in the salt, please!
Christopher Engler
A quaint Euro coffee shop shifts into a fine-dining eatery at night. The eggplant parm is the best I've ever had, and the dessert selection is impressive: gelato, cream puffs, chocolate eclairs and more.
Kathy DeMaria
Our first time here and the food was great! Loved the atmosphere and Rosa is really a nice person! We will go back again! I had eggplant parmigiana and it was the best!!!
David burwell
Wonderful evening. We were down from Beloit, taking care of family matters when we went looking for a place to have dinner. We turned into the little, what I call a strip mall, parking lot to turn around when we saw Cucina Di Rosa , in this small cluster of shops. We decided to check it out, thinking it was probably just another cookie cutter Italian restaurant. We were wrong.Upon entering we saw that it was decorated with charm and personality, with a good open, colorful design and efficient layout of the dining and seating area.We were greeted by Maria, who was open and warm and showed us what tables were available despite us not having a reservation. She was friendly and attentive in a balanced professional manner, throughout the evening.I had the eggplant parmesan dinner and my wife had the eggplant panini. The portions were generous and very good. The bread that was brought to the table, before the main dishes was fine, nothing special, and my salad could have had leaf lettuce mixed in with the head lettuce. The dressing on the salad was flavorful without drowning the lettuce. We shared a Cannoli for dessert, that was very good.On this particular night there was live music with the the duo Trinadora, a treat in and of itself. At one point the owner Rosa and one of her staff were dancing!Great atmosphere, great staff, great food. GO.
SunnyD N
I had a very pleasant experience on a Thursday evening from the moment I walked into this very fine dining Italian restaurant, small and quaint, warm and inviting. Got to talk with Rosa the owner and the waitress as well, both very nice. The meal was exquisite and at a reasonable price. I very much enjoyed the spaghetti and meatballs which were soft and tender and topped with fresh shaved Parmesan and plenty of sauce. The pasta was cooked perfectly. It came with a salad of green lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers dressed in a balsamic vinaigrette and accompanied by a bowl of crusty French bread and butter. Ended the meal off with one of their Italian cookies which was a salted caramel cookie topped with frosting and chunks of chocolate and walnuts. The entire meal from start to finish was divine. I will definitely be back. They have live music from 6-9pm on Fridays and Saturdays. Outdoor seating is available. Highly recommend this place!!!
Kim G
We waited 1 hour after ordering before the waitress came to say "I'm sorry, your order is coming right up" then we waitied another 20 minutes for our food. My food was not hot nor warm, but not cold. And it was average. Had to move our dishes off the tiny table to have some table room. The band was amazing!
Chuck Baumgartner
Food is just OK. We waited for over an hour for our meals which should have been served in 15 minutes tops. Very limited menu which should be a quick turn around. This is more of a café and is not fine dining.Interior is nice and they have live music.
Tina Digellonardo
Awesome, the best tortellini and really good pizza also the waitress we had on Wednesday evening was so nice, best waitress I've ever had. Cookies are delicious. Thank you.
Brad Walker
First visit to Cucina Di Rosa. I liked the inside atmosphere and there were a few covered tables outside if we had wanted to go that route. As a group we had 5 different entrees which all received rave reviews. (Oysters with garlic pasta, tortellini with sausage, meat ravioli with meatballs, eggplant parmesan, and a caprese salad. An eclectic duo performed, playing a wide variety of old and new which filled in the gaps between courses. Staffing and supply shortages have had a small impact here (much less than other places we have eaten recently), but the excellent food and homemade (Yes!) gelato easily made up for any noticeable delays in service. Doesn't authentic Italian cuisine in a cozy atmosphere sound like what you're looking for tonight? Order up a Blue Moon/Peroni and sit back, relax and enjoy... you've earned it.
Mike Gray
Had a spaghetti and meatballs dish. Was hot and very good. Also had a couple of lemon cookies. Good.
This is a small cafe with crowded seating and small tables, more appropriate for coffee and a pastry, than for dinning, which happens to be attached to a slot machine establishment. The reviews online seem great, our experience tonight, unfortunately was not.We arrived just before 6 pm on Thursday evening with a party of 4 and told to sit anywhere. There was one employee in front of house, who was greater, bartender, server. As it got up to 9 tables, she was very busy indeed, yet stayed pleasant. She was a definite plus!The food was a definite disappointment! They could not make any dish with white sauce. They had not made any today. There is no option for marsala or picatta, etc. Every dish from pizza, calzone, or pasta has only one sauce...tomato sauce. We had 2 orders of veal parmesan, beef ravioli with meatballs and beef tortillis with meatballs. They all come with bread and side salad.The bread is a hearty brown bread, but apparently sliced ahead of time, very dry. The butter just out of fridge was hard and unspreadable. The salad has only one dressing option...oil and balsamic vinegar. We asked for other options, told that they have nothing else. The table next to us ordered it with no dressing. The lettuce was wilted, it was filled with tiny shards of cucumber.Apparently, the veal parmagian was cooked well. The pasta was a bit undercooked. The tortilini and ravioli were extremely undercooked, not even aldante...leathery with a cold filling! So chewy that we were choking. The meatballs had no taste except the tomato sauce. The tortilini was cheese instead of beef that was ordered. The sauce/gravy was absolutely horrible!!! It was apparently just crushed tomatoes. No salt, pepper, garlic, basil, oregano...Nothing!!!We never had the waitress check back to see how the food was or to refill the very small glasses. We ran out of drink. As she was doing her best by doing everything for 30 plus people.. She came and asked if we wanted desert. We wanted capacheno and home made cannoli which are supposed to be awesome here. We were told that all they have are the pre-made shells, but no filling!!!Visiting the women's restroom was a bit starting. As I turned to close the door, I saw what I thought was a woman in the mirror, and thought I had walked in on someone. It was instead, an old school manaquin in a blue dress. The scarry thing is that it is soo unstable. One two year old who grabs a hand or leg in curiosity...it will fall on top of them!We asked for our check and got the plentiful left overs to go. Discussing our experience in the car, we all agreed that it was horrible and threw it away! What a waste of money and time!
Scott Taylor
Great Gelato and cappuccino! Need to come here and have a meal next time. A taste of Sicily in Rockford.
Claire Maas
Excellent Service. Great Food Choices. Excellent Desserts & great prices. I loved this place.
Sanci Foerster
Everytime I get takeout or dine-in at Cucina Di Rosa, I have the best time enjoying authentic Italian with the family flair on specials and delicious desserts. It's a great place to go solo, with your best friend, family, or your significant other. On the weekends expect to see live music you won't help but sing along and dance to. You'll find yourself eating all your food, eyeballing those perfectly made cookies AND the gelato, singing along in a fun, yet romantic setting. If you stay long enough you might like a cappuccino with biscotti. To summarize, Cucina is a hidden gem of Rockford! I could simply go on and on about how wonderful it is, but GO see for yourself!
Lloyd Wellen
Excellent food Excellent service, great waitress very knowledgeable friendly. Very reasonable prices. Very clean and cozy
Incredibly salty food. Meatball small and salty, pizza with sausage…almost too salty to eat but I was hungry so grimaced through it. Ate mostly crust to avoid the salty flavor. Chocolate cannoli was good (although small size despite ordering a large - how small must small be?) The Rosa Insalata is my last hope - will eat tomorrow. I had high hopes for this place but won’t be repeating the experience. Not a positive experience. Dial back in the salt, please!
A quaint Euro coffee shop shifts into a fine-dining eatery at night. The eggplant parm is the best I've ever had, and the dessert selection is impressive: gelato, cream puffs, chocolate eclairs and more.
Our first time here and the food was great! Loved the atmosphere and Rosa is really a nice person! We will go back again! I had eggplant parmigiana and it was the best!!!
Wonderful evening. We were down from Beloit, taking care of family matters when we went looking for a place to have dinner. We turned into the little, what I call a strip mall, parking lot to turn around when we saw Cucina Di Rosa , in this small cluster of shops. We decided to check it out, thinking it was probably just another cookie cutter Italian restaurant. We were wrong.Upon entering we saw that it was decorated with charm and personality, with a good open, colorful design and efficient layout of the dining and seating area.We were greeted by Maria, who was open and warm and showed us what tables were available despite us not having a reservation. She was friendly and attentive in a balanced professional manner, throughout the evening.I had the eggplant parmesan dinner and my wife had the eggplant panini. The portions were generous and very good. The bread that was brought to the table, before the main dishes was fine, nothing special, and my salad could have had leaf lettuce mixed in with the head lettuce. The dressing on the salad was flavorful without drowning the lettuce. We shared a Cannoli for dessert, that was very good.On this particular night there was live music with the the duo Trinadora, a treat in and of itself. At one point the owner Rosa and one of her staff were dancing!Great atmosphere, great staff, great food. GO.
I had a very pleasant experience on a Thursday evening from the moment I walked into this very fine dining Italian restaurant, small and quaint, warm and inviting. Got to talk with Rosa the owner and the waitress as well, both very nice. The meal was exquisite and at a reasonable price. I very much enjoyed the spaghetti and meatballs which were soft and tender and topped with fresh shaved Parmesan and plenty of sauce. The pasta was cooked perfectly. It came with a salad of green lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers dressed in a balsamic vinaigrette and accompanied by a bowl of crusty French bread and butter. Ended the meal off with one of their Italian cookies which was a salted caramel cookie topped with frosting and chunks of chocolate and walnuts. The entire meal from start to finish was divine. I will definitely be back. They have live music from 6-9pm on Fridays and Saturdays. Outdoor seating is available. Highly recommend this place!!!
We waited 1 hour after ordering before the waitress came to say "I'm sorry, your order is coming right up" then we waitied another 20 minutes for our food. My food was not hot nor warm, but not cold. And it was average. Had to move our dishes off the tiny table to have some table room. The band was amazing!
Food is just OK. We waited for over an hour for our meals which should have been served in 15 minutes tops. Very limited menu which should be a quick turn around. This is more of a café and is not fine dining.Interior is nice and they have live music.
Awesome, the best tortellini and really good pizza also the waitress we had on Wednesday evening was so nice, best waitress I've ever had. Cookies are delicious. Thank you.
First visit to Cucina Di Rosa. I liked the inside atmosphere and there were a few covered tables outside if we had wanted to go that route. As a group we had 5 different entrees which all received rave reviews. (Oysters with garlic pasta, tortellini with sausage, meat ravioli with meatballs, eggplant parmesan, and a caprese salad. An eclectic duo performed, playing a wide variety of old and new which filled in the gaps between courses. Staffing and supply shortages have had a small impact here (much less than other places we have eaten recently), but the excellent food and homemade (Yes!) gelato easily made up for any noticeable delays in service. Doesn't authentic Italian cuisine in a cozy atmosphere sound like what you're looking for tonight? Order up a Blue Moon/Peroni and sit back, relax and enjoy... you've earned it.
Had a spaghetti and meatballs dish. Was hot and very good. Also had a couple of lemon cookies. Good.
Restaurantji Recommends
This is a small cafe with crowded seating and small tables, more appropriate for coffee and a pastry, than for dinning, which happens to be attached to a slot machine establishment. The reviews online seem great, our experience tonight, unfortunately was not.We arrived just before 6 pm on Thursday evening with a party of 4 and told to sit anywhere. There was one employee in front of house, who was greater, bartender, server. As it got up to 9 tables, she was very busy indeed, yet stayed pleasant. She was a definite plus!The food was a definite disappointment! They could not make any dish with white sauce. They had not made any today. There is no option for marsala or picatta, etc. Every dish from pizza, calzone, or pasta has only one sauce...tomato sauce. We had 2 orders of veal parmesan, beef ravioli with meatballs and beef tortillis with meatballs. They all come with bread and side salad.The bread is a hearty brown bread, but apparently sliced ahead of time, very dry. The butter just out of fridge was hard and unspreadable. The salad has only one dressing option...oil and balsamic vinegar. We asked for other options, told that they have nothing else. The table next to us ordered it with no dressing. The lettuce was wilted, it was filled with tiny shards of cucumber.Apparently, the veal parmagian was cooked well. The pasta was a bit undercooked. The tortilini and ravioli were extremely undercooked, not even aldante...leathery with a cold filling! So chewy that we were choking. The meatballs had no taste except the tomato sauce. The tortilini was cheese instead of beef that was ordered. The sauce/gravy was absolutely horrible!!! It was apparently just crushed tomatoes. No salt, pepper, garlic, basil, oregano...Nothing!!!We never had the waitress check back to see how the food was or to refill the very small glasses. We ran out of drink. As she was doing her best by doing everything for 30 plus people.. She came and asked if we wanted desert. We wanted capacheno and home made cannoli which are supposed to be awesome here. We were told that all they have are the pre-made shells, but no filling!!!Visiting the women's restroom was a bit starting. As I turned to close the door, I saw what I thought was a woman in the mirror, and thought I had walked in on someone. It was instead, an old school manaquin in a blue dress. The scarry thing is that it is soo unstable. One two year old who grabs a hand or leg in curiosity...it will fall on top of them!We asked for our check and got the plentiful left overs to go. Discussing our experience in the car, we all agreed that it was horrible and threw it away! What a waste of money and time!
Great Gelato and cappuccino! Need to come here and have a meal next time. A taste of Sicily in Rockford.
Excellent Service. Great Food Choices. Excellent Desserts & great prices. I loved this place.
Everytime I get takeout or dine-in at Cucina Di Rosa, I have the best time enjoying authentic Italian with the family flair on specials and delicious desserts. It's a great place to go solo, with your best friend, family, or your significant other. On the weekends expect to see live music you won't help but sing along and dance to. You'll find yourself eating all your food, eyeballing those perfectly made cookies AND the gelato, singing along in a fun, yet romantic setting. If you stay long enough you might like a cappuccino with biscotti. To summarize, Cucina is a hidden gem of Rockford! I could simply go on and on about how wonderful it is, but GO see for yourself!
Excellent food Excellent service, great waitress very knowledgeable friendly. Very reasonable prices. Very clean and cozy