Rocco’s Pizza, Scheveningen
We were looking for a pizza place in the Hague or Scheveningen when Google suggested Rocco’s Pizza. Their website is seemingly permanently under construction, so no info there, but the reviews on Iens and TripAdvisor were so positive we had to give it a try. Rocco’s Pizza is a low-profile, casual, and unpretentious Italian restaurant. It seems the place was first an Italian wine dealer that transformed itself into a restaurant with a small menu. Pizzas, pastas, a small selection of antipasti, some meat and fish dishes, desserts, and a huge selection of wine is what you can get. The best kept secret of Scheveningen? Perhaps. And we’re outing it…
Upon arrival we were given bread with olive oil and green olives. Rocco’s Pizza boasts an impressive wine list of exclusively Italian wines which are fairly priced. We chose a half bottle of Principiano Ferdinando ‘Laura’, a very nice Barbera d’Alba. After studying the menu we started our evening with a mixed platter of three different appetizers, which is not on the menu but when we requested it, it was no problem. First of all the vitello tonnato: the tuna sauce was smooth and not overwhelming on the tuna-side, and the veal was delicate and still moist. Next was the caprese salad with buffalo mozzarella. The mozzarella was tasty but what really surprised us were the tomatoes, they were delicious! We told the waiter and he said they came from the green grocer next door and were Dutch tomatoes. “We have good cherry tomatoes in Italy, but these tomatoes are excellent. But you have to pay like it’s gold!” When they’re this tasty, it’s worth paying a bit more. Lastly were different types of Italian salami, all good. A promising start to the evening!
Next up were our pizzas. Pano checked the bottom of the pizza and there was a slight char. The pizza was good. Thin, not too thin though, good toppings. However, the crust was a bit too crunchy. Still, the flavor of the dough was very good. It’s a shame that the place doesn’t have a wood burning oven, because the pizza’s would have really benefited from a higher cooking temperature. I had the Margherita and Pano had the Calabria with spicy sausage which the waiter warned would be “like on fire”, but it wasn’t overly spicy.
To finish we had tiramisu for dessert, which was nice and creamy, the extra dollop of whipped cream next to it was perhaps overkill. We were offered a free glass of grappa or limoncello, yes please! It was a good, simple dinner with pure flavors that weren’t messed with too much. The service was very friendly and the ambiance relaxing. For a Wednesday night it was quite busy, so I imagine the weekends are even more hectic, so reservations are in order. If you happen to be in Scheveningen, definitely give Rocco’s Pizza a try. Oh, and they do take-away pizza too!
