Pizza Rock (Downtown Sacramento)
food: 4/5
experience: 5/5
overall: 4.5/5
Do you like pizza? You like rock music? Boy have I got a restaurant for you. Pizza Rock serves up pizza with a dose of Foo Fighters and their menu, well, rocks! And yes, it can get a little loud in here.
With locations in Vegas and Sacramento (for some reason), Pizza Rock sells several award-winning pizzas (literally, they've won awards) as well as a bunch of other pizzas and cool stuff to eat and drink with said pizza.
Here's a Pizza Rock hack: if you want plain cheese pizza, order the breadsticks for eight bucks. They're pizza crust covered in cheese cut into strips.
See? It's delicious pizza in disguise. 5/5 for the best breadsticks-that-are-secretly-pizza ever. Another hack: follow them on social media for free meatballs.
Eh, they taste like meatballs with tomato sauce. What can I say. 3/5. At least they're huge. You can also get them on top of pasta.
But on to their actual pizzas. Crust makes the pizza and Pizza Rock does crust right. It's crisp but bread, thin but not full-on thin-crust, and yanno, just everything a crust should be. I've had even better crusts than this but Pizza Rock still scores a 5/5 from me on the crust front. Oh, right, so the pizzas. They have these tempting-looking Romana pizzas with three different sets of toppings that are laid out in an 18-piece sheet but I've yet to try any. But I have tried several of their other creative concept pizzas.
Truffle Pizza Napoletana: 4.5/5
This was my first salad pizza. Yes I know that's not the proper term but edible leaves = salad to me and it's on a pizza so there. This one comes drizzled with truffle oil and burrata cheese. Raise those pinkies. The oil adds a very subtle shroomy flavor to it, and the cheese is so creamy and milky and mwah. The cheese was definitely the star of the show. The earthy combo of arugula, 'shrooms and cheese makes this the best vegetarian option on the menu in my opinion.
Buffalo Chicken Classic American: 4/5
I love my spice so I wanted to try me a spicy pizza. The buffalo chicken, which comes with ranch dressing. A decidedly American pizza indeed. Buffalo chicken, as we all know, is delicious enough as is, but on pizza? Gotta say, it was pretty damn decent. The buffalo flavor wasn't too prominent so it wasn't that spicy. But ranch dressing in place of sauce was a nice treat, even if it was just a drizzle. Gotta have ranch with your buffalo chicken if you wanna do it right.
Cal Italia Classic Italian: 3/5
This one came with a fig sauce so I was expecting a sweeter pizza, but what I got was a surprisingly cheesy slice - a little too cheesy for my tastes (I know, one might think there's no such thing). The bitter balsamic drizzle on top was definitely not my favorite. Also not a fan of prosciutto. But hey, it's offered during happy hour if you wanna try it on the cheap.
Picante Classic American: 5/5
Available in a personal during happy hour for nine bucks. It's got a bunch of meats: pepperoni, linguica, chorizo, plus garlic, three kinds of peppers, ricotta, green onion, and Cholula hot sauce. It's spicy for sure and if you're prone to acid reflux this will most definitely ignite it. But I love spicy and I love meat and this was just perfect. That ricotta cheese helped too. I love soft cheese, especially on pizza.
Tony Two Times Classic American: 3/5
Another happy hour pizza, this one's pretty basic. It's got pepperoni, salami, and sausage plus mushrooms. A classic to be sure, but not my favorite by any means. Linguica is the superior pepperoni in my book and salami is for sandwiches. The sausage wasn't prominently featured.
Pesto Paradise: 4/5
The last of the happy hour pizzas. Pesto and pizza are great together and their pesto measures up for sure. Heavy on the cheese but it's simple in a good way.
It was only after my tenth or so pizza I found out they put cornmeal on the crust. Stupid me. No more Pizza Rock pizza for me I guess.
More delicious happy hour offerings include the garlic-garlic bread (okay, this one's actually bread this time), zucchini fries, and three types of fries - gorgonzola, truffle, and rosemary garlic.
Garlic-garlic bread: 5/5
As far as garlic bread goes this was a winner. Definitely double your garlic pleasure, as the name indicates. They put a couple types of cheese on it as well as fresh roasted garlic cloves. The garlic cloves really make the difference here. They aren't overpowering and don't have a bite to them, rather just add a somewhat sweet garlic flavor. Crispy and perfectly seasoned.
Truffle fries: 4.5/5
These just taste like enhanced regular fries. I don't know if they taste like truffle per se but they're really good. The oil has a rich flavor. They pour it on top I think so the fries in the middle of the bowl have the most flavor. An unexpected winner, especially after I heard they were overrated. I think they are quite adequately rated.
Some other appetizers not on the happy hour menu but that still make me happy are the Italian Coccoli, honey pancetta fries and fried calamari (calamari fritti).
Coccoli: 5/5
This was a small delight. It's a small appetizer made of fried pizza dough with prosciutto, stringy burrata cheese and arugula. I believe it used to be called "zeppole." Anyway, something different and I'm glad I tried it. I'd compare the flavor to that of a Chinese fried wonton (the ones with cream cheese inside). Crispy yet doughy, and you can stack all the sides on top to make a tiny open-faced sandwich.
Honey pancetta fries: 5/5
I don't know whose idea it was to put honey on fries but they deserve an award because these are amazing. It tastes exactly what it sounds like. They also have cheese on them and I think pancetta is another word for bacon? Like holy shit these are amazing and what? Definitely try these.
Calamari fritti: 4.5/5
It's hard to make bad calamari and they didn't. The breading is standard, the calamari is good, but what's best about this is they give you quite a bit. Oh yeah and the marinara and buffalo sauces that accompany it are awesome so take advantage. The buffalo sauce is nice and thick and the marinara is a little sweet. Both definitely enhance the flavor of the calamari.
Pizza Rock has burgers for the crazy people who don't like pizza and/or order burgers at a pizza place. Notably, they have one made with burrata cheese, balsamic reduction and Kobe beef. One person has said it's the best burger in the city. Sure sounds fancy at least. I don't tend to order burgers at pizza places though, for obvious reasons.
And pasta at a pizza place? Sure, why not. They're tangentially related. Simple carbs with sauce, amirite? The winning combination. I tried (almost) all of them and can confirm based on this that, unlike their pizza, Pizza Rock can make a bad pasta.
Spaghetti & meatballs: 3/5
Just the aforementioned meatballs on top of some pasta so the meatballs are the key players here. And they just don't hold up. They're basic.
Fettuccini Alfredo: 2.5/5
Boring and unimpressive to be honest. It's a cream base but there's nothing to it besides cream. Even if you're craving fettuccini Alfredo, this probably won't satisfy you. Gonna be honest, this is the worst fettuccini Alfredo I've ever had.
Mac & cheese: 2/5
No longer offered at happy hour RIP. They also no longer have the mac trio RIP. It's all just as well because this one is bad too. In fact I couldn't tell the different between this sauce and the Alfredo sauce. Both the same bland cream with a hint of Parmesan. Definitely not the cheesy mac I was looking forward to that was so stated by the menu, promising multiple cheese of the pancetta, cheddar, asiago, romano, and mozzarella variety. How do you make such a bland sauce with five cheeses? Do they all grey each other out or something? The focaccia that came with this, by the way, also functioned as a doorstop. Pro tip: don't order focaccia that's a day old by the time evening strikes.
Chicken parmigiana: 4.5/5
Alright finally we have a winner. I mean, it's fried chicken, you really can't go wrong there. It's the same batter as the calamari. Topped with marinara and parmesan all over a bed of spaghetti. The chicken parm itself, of course, is the star of the show here.
After a very tenuous relationship with their pasta I had to give up on that portion of Pizza Rock's menu. They also have lasagne, chicken parmigiana, and a few others for what it's worth. It's pretty damn hard to screw up those two but I'm not gonna wait up to see them do it. Stick to the pizza, guys.
Gotta finish off the meal with dessert, right?
Bread pudding: 4.5/5
Oh god. Who doesn't love bread pudding? I'll tell you who: people who have never had bread pudding. This was decadent. Very moist, flaky, and served hot. I would've liked it to be a little less soaked in butter but it's not exactly healthy in the first place. Our totally cool waiter gave this to us for free after I told him I had a coupon for free tiramisu and wanted this instead. Thanks dude, you rock.
Tiramisu: 5/5
Another home run for the dessert portion of Pizza Rock's menu. I got this one free too (hehe) by checking in on an app. I've only had tiramisu from Rick's and here so far and this makes Rick's tiramisu look like Twinkies. Rich coffee cream mixed with ladyfingers and a big dollop of cream with espresso granules on top. It's so sweet and fluffy and light and I just love it. Tiramisu is henceforth redeemed in my book.
Nope we're not done yet. Did you know Pizza Rock has brunch? They have Acoustic Sunday Brunch (until football season starts) where they serve up such offerings as breakfast pizza and Ambrosia French toast.
Now if you know me you know I love my French toast. Theirs is made with focaccia and has a very slight garlic flavor. No I know, I know, it sounds weird. But it works! They also put strawberries, apples and walnuts on top. Apples on French toast does not work for me so skipping that part, I give this a solid 4/5 plus extra internet points for creativity. (Note: this toast looked a lot more appealing on their Instagram.) They also make pizza with focaccia which I have not tried but already vouch for.
Bonus: if you're into Mexican Coca-Cola, they serve that here.
Since this place is so busy the service is incredibly slow. It may take up to a half hour to get your food, no joke. Even if it's pasta. (Yes, this happened.) So pay for a half hour extra on the meter just in case. Parking here is also no joke so you don't wanna have to walk all the way around the maze that is downtown to feed that thing again, only to find your own food still hasn't come.
Welp, there you have it. Pizza Rock, offering a wide variety of cheesy, carb-a-licious delights for your fattening pleasure. Park in the garage on 10th and K, there's plenty of room and Pizza Rock validates so it's free. Hooray for free parking! Except on the weekends! Then it's ten dollars and that's not free at all.
experience: 5/5
overall: 4.5/5
Do you like pizza? You like rock music? Boy have I got a restaurant for you. Pizza Rock serves up pizza with a dose of Foo Fighters and their menu, well, rocks! And yes, it can get a little loud in here.
With locations in Vegas and Sacramento (for some reason), Pizza Rock sells several award-winning pizzas (literally, they've won awards) as well as a bunch of other pizzas and cool stuff to eat and drink with said pizza.
Here's a Pizza Rock hack: if you want plain cheese pizza, order the breadsticks for eight bucks. They're pizza crust covered in cheese cut into strips.
See? It's delicious pizza in disguise. 5/5 for the best breadsticks-that-are-secretly-pizza ever. Another hack: follow them on social media for free meatballs.
Eh, they taste like meatballs with tomato sauce. What can I say. 3/5. At least they're huge. You can also get them on top of pasta.
But on to their actual pizzas. Crust makes the pizza and Pizza Rock does crust right. It's crisp but bread, thin but not full-on thin-crust, and yanno, just everything a crust should be. I've had even better crusts than this but Pizza Rock still scores a 5/5 from me on the crust front. Oh, right, so the pizzas. They have these tempting-looking Romana pizzas with three different sets of toppings that are laid out in an 18-piece sheet but I've yet to try any. But I have tried several of their other creative concept pizzas.
Truffle Pizza Napoletana: 4.5/5
This was my first salad pizza. Yes I know that's not the proper term but edible leaves = salad to me and it's on a pizza so there. This one comes drizzled with truffle oil and burrata cheese. Raise those pinkies. The oil adds a very subtle shroomy flavor to it, and the cheese is so creamy and milky and mwah. The cheese was definitely the star of the show. The earthy combo of arugula, 'shrooms and cheese makes this the best vegetarian option on the menu in my opinion.
Buffalo Chicken Classic American: 4/5
I love my spice so I wanted to try me a spicy pizza. The buffalo chicken, which comes with ranch dressing. A decidedly American pizza indeed. Buffalo chicken, as we all know, is delicious enough as is, but on pizza? Gotta say, it was pretty damn decent. The buffalo flavor wasn't too prominent so it wasn't that spicy. But ranch dressing in place of sauce was a nice treat, even if it was just a drizzle. Gotta have ranch with your buffalo chicken if you wanna do it right.
Cal Italia Classic Italian: 3/5
This one came with a fig sauce so I was expecting a sweeter pizza, but what I got was a surprisingly cheesy slice - a little too cheesy for my tastes (I know, one might think there's no such thing). The bitter balsamic drizzle on top was definitely not my favorite. Also not a fan of prosciutto. But hey, it's offered during happy hour if you wanna try it on the cheap.
Picante Classic American: 5/5
Available in a personal during happy hour for nine bucks. It's got a bunch of meats: pepperoni, linguica, chorizo, plus garlic, three kinds of peppers, ricotta, green onion, and Cholula hot sauce. It's spicy for sure and if you're prone to acid reflux this will most definitely ignite it. But I love spicy and I love meat and this was just perfect. That ricotta cheese helped too. I love soft cheese, especially on pizza.
Tony Two Times Classic American: 3/5
Another happy hour pizza, this one's pretty basic. It's got pepperoni, salami, and sausage plus mushrooms. A classic to be sure, but not my favorite by any means. Linguica is the superior pepperoni in my book and salami is for sandwiches. The sausage wasn't prominently featured.
Pesto Paradise: 4/5
The last of the happy hour pizzas. Pesto and pizza are great together and their pesto measures up for sure. Heavy on the cheese but it's simple in a good way.
It was only after my tenth or so pizza I found out they put cornmeal on the crust. Stupid me. No more Pizza Rock pizza for me I guess.
More delicious happy hour offerings include the garlic-garlic bread (okay, this one's actually bread this time), zucchini fries, and three types of fries - gorgonzola, truffle, and rosemary garlic.
Garlic-garlic bread: 5/5
As far as garlic bread goes this was a winner. Definitely double your garlic pleasure, as the name indicates. They put a couple types of cheese on it as well as fresh roasted garlic cloves. The garlic cloves really make the difference here. They aren't overpowering and don't have a bite to them, rather just add a somewhat sweet garlic flavor. Crispy and perfectly seasoned.
Truffle fries: 4.5/5
These just taste like enhanced regular fries. I don't know if they taste like truffle per se but they're really good. The oil has a rich flavor. They pour it on top I think so the fries in the middle of the bowl have the most flavor. An unexpected winner, especially after I heard they were overrated. I think they are quite adequately rated.
They also have rosemary garlic fries which sound like a lovely flavor combo. Didn't get a chance to try them but they sound self-explanatory. Loaded with big chunks of garlic, to be sure; plus a sprinkling of parmesan and parsley.
Some other appetizers not on the happy hour menu but that still make me happy are the Italian Coccoli, honey pancetta fries and fried calamari (calamari fritti).
Coccoli: 5/5
This was a small delight. It's a small appetizer made of fried pizza dough with prosciutto, stringy burrata cheese and arugula. I believe it used to be called "zeppole." Anyway, something different and I'm glad I tried it. I'd compare the flavor to that of a Chinese fried wonton (the ones with cream cheese inside). Crispy yet doughy, and you can stack all the sides on top to make a tiny open-faced sandwich.
Honey pancetta fries: 5/5
I don't know whose idea it was to put honey on fries but they deserve an award because these are amazing. It tastes exactly what it sounds like. They also have cheese on them and I think pancetta is another word for bacon? Like holy shit these are amazing and what? Definitely try these.
Calamari fritti: 4.5/5
It's hard to make bad calamari and they didn't. The breading is standard, the calamari is good, but what's best about this is they give you quite a bit. Oh yeah and the marinara and buffalo sauces that accompany it are awesome so take advantage. The buffalo sauce is nice and thick and the marinara is a little sweet. Both definitely enhance the flavor of the calamari.
Pizza Rock has burgers for the crazy people who don't like pizza and/or order burgers at a pizza place. Notably, they have one made with burrata cheese, balsamic reduction and Kobe beef. One person has said it's the best burger in the city. Sure sounds fancy at least. I don't tend to order burgers at pizza places though, for obvious reasons.
And pasta at a pizza place? Sure, why not. They're tangentially related. Simple carbs with sauce, amirite? The winning combination. I tried (almost) all of them and can confirm based on this that, unlike their pizza, Pizza Rock can make a bad pasta.
Spaghetti & meatballs: 3/5
Just the aforementioned meatballs on top of some pasta so the meatballs are the key players here. And they just don't hold up. They're basic.
Fettuccini Alfredo: 2.5/5
Boring and unimpressive to be honest. It's a cream base but there's nothing to it besides cream. Even if you're craving fettuccini Alfredo, this probably won't satisfy you. Gonna be honest, this is the worst fettuccini Alfredo I've ever had.
Mac & cheese: 2/5
No longer offered at happy hour RIP. They also no longer have the mac trio RIP. It's all just as well because this one is bad too. In fact I couldn't tell the different between this sauce and the Alfredo sauce. Both the same bland cream with a hint of Parmesan. Definitely not the cheesy mac I was looking forward to that was so stated by the menu, promising multiple cheese of the pancetta, cheddar, asiago, romano, and mozzarella variety. How do you make such a bland sauce with five cheeses? Do they all grey each other out or something? The focaccia that came with this, by the way, also functioned as a doorstop. Pro tip: don't order focaccia that's a day old by the time evening strikes.
Chicken parmigiana: 4.5/5
Alright finally we have a winner. I mean, it's fried chicken, you really can't go wrong there. It's the same batter as the calamari. Topped with marinara and parmesan all over a bed of spaghetti. The chicken parm itself, of course, is the star of the show here.
After a very tenuous relationship with their pasta I had to give up on that portion of Pizza Rock's menu. They also have lasagne, chicken parmigiana, and a few others for what it's worth. It's pretty damn hard to screw up those two but I'm not gonna wait up to see them do it. Stick to the pizza, guys.
Gotta finish off the meal with dessert, right?
Bread pudding: 4.5/5
Oh god. Who doesn't love bread pudding? I'll tell you who: people who have never had bread pudding. This was decadent. Very moist, flaky, and served hot. I would've liked it to be a little less soaked in butter but it's not exactly healthy in the first place. Our totally cool waiter gave this to us for free after I told him I had a coupon for free tiramisu and wanted this instead. Thanks dude, you rock.
Tiramisu: 5/5
Another home run for the dessert portion of Pizza Rock's menu. I got this one free too (hehe) by checking in on an app. I've only had tiramisu from Rick's and here so far and this makes Rick's tiramisu look like Twinkies. Rich coffee cream mixed with ladyfingers and a big dollop of cream with espresso granules on top. It's so sweet and fluffy and light and I just love it. Tiramisu is henceforth redeemed in my book.
Nope we're not done yet. Did you know Pizza Rock has brunch? They have Acoustic Sunday Brunch (until football season starts) where they serve up such offerings as breakfast pizza and Ambrosia French toast.
Now if you know me you know I love my French toast. Theirs is made with focaccia and has a very slight garlic flavor. No I know, I know, it sounds weird. But it works! They also put strawberries, apples and walnuts on top. Apples on French toast does not work for me so skipping that part, I give this a solid 4/5 plus extra internet points for creativity. (Note: this toast looked a lot more appealing on their Instagram.) They also make pizza with focaccia which I have not tried but already vouch for.
Bonus: if you're into Mexican Coca-Cola, they serve that here.
Since this place is so busy the service is incredibly slow. It may take up to a half hour to get your food, no joke. Even if it's pasta. (Yes, this happened.) So pay for a half hour extra on the meter just in case. Parking here is also no joke so you don't wanna have to walk all the way around the maze that is downtown to feed that thing again, only to find your own food still hasn't come.
Welp, there you have it. Pizza Rock, offering a wide variety of cheesy, carb-a-licious delights for your fattening pleasure. Park in the garage on 10th and K, there's plenty of room and Pizza Rock validates so it's free. Hooray for free parking! Except on the weekends! Then it's ten dollars and that's not free at all.
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