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Boston Restaurant Blog >> 2009 archives >> January, 2009 >> blog entry

Boston Restaurant Blog -- January, 2009

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

More Pizza: Rocco's, Wilmington, Leo's, Walpole

After having some excellent pizza at the Flatbread Company in Amesbury recently, I went on a pizza kick and tried some pizza at two more places over the past few days. The results were mixed--and surprising in some ways.

photo of Rocco's, Wilmington, MA Late last week a group of us went over to Rocco's Restaurant on Route 38 in Wilmington. I have probably been by this old-school Italian restaurant hundreds of times, but this was my first actual trip to the place. The restaurant is fairly spacious, with a sunroom off to the side and a cozy, comfortable dining area with a bar and a fireplace (didn't look like it gets used) in the middle of the place. We sat in a large booth in the middle room and ordered a number of items, including a spuckie, a couple of burgers, a pasta entree, and some pizza. I tried the eggplant pizza, was wasn't bad, though the crust was a bit thick and doughy, and the sauce had very little taste. But the bottom of the crust was nicely charred and there was a good amount of cheese on top, making up a bit for the sauce, taste-wise. The eggplant was breaded, but a bit soggy, and some of the pieces were rather bitter. To me, it was an average pizza overall, and a bit disappointing, as I know that Rocco's is known in part for their pies. Service was definitely a big plus, however; our server was about as good as you'll find, as she was friendly and always nearby when we needed her. Prices were pretty good as well, and the atmosphere was nice in an old-fashioned kind of way.

Last weekend I was at a party that included pizzas from a little sub shop and pizza place called Leo's Pizzeria. I had never heard of this place before, and frankly, when I saw the rather generic-looking place from the road as we were picking the pizzas up, I wasn't too optimistic. But was I ever mistaken; the North End-style pizza here was fantastic, with thin, gooey slices that were easily foldable and had a variety of cheeses on top, adding a tremendous amount of flavor. The pizza reminded me a bit of Regina's in Boston (though not quite at that level) or perhaps Bianchi's at Revere Beach. Overall, excellent pizza that is probably the best I've had in the Walpole area (and I've had many pies around there).

If you would like the address for Rocco's in Wilmington and Leo's in Walpole, here they are: Rocco's Restaurant, 193 Main Street (Route 38), Wilmington, MA, 01887. Phone: (978) 657-7361. Leo's Pizzeria, 1363 Main Street (Route 1A), Walpole, MA, 02081. Phone: (508) 660-0141.

Related Blog Entries: Italian restaurants, pizza places, Walpole restaurants

1 COMMENT:
Duane Carr said:
I was raised in Wilmington for a few years, went to Mildred H Rogers school with a kid whose last name was Rocco. His family had a pizza place. It was in the middle 60s.
Posted on 2/19/09

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