Rocco's Pizza in Glen Burnie

Rocco’s Pizza in Glen Burnie
April 6, 2011

Pizza is an essential part of childhood. Many people have happy memories of pizza experiences that do not necessarily stand the test of time when revisited as an adult; this is not the case with Rocco’s.


Chris Freeland hosted the most recent pizza club meeting, luring us out to Glen Burnie with boasts of “the best pizza ever”. It was not until we were sitting down that we discovered Chris had been going to Rocco’s since he was a child. His father owned a bicycle shop in the same strip mall and young Chris and his father spent many happy afternoons eating Rocco’s pizza together. However, now Chris was ready to subject Rocco’s to scientific assessment by the Baltimore Pizza Club.



We ordered two extra-large pizzas. One had just cheese, the other had one half mushroom and one half green pepper. These pizzas were huge! They also were extremely cheap, the cheese pizza was $9.75 and each topping cost an additional $1.75. For those of you who happen to have an Entertainment Book, there is a coupon for Rocco’s for half-off a pizza. What a deal!


Our initial responses were positive. Katie Goodwin said that “it is like the pizza that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turles eat.” Franco stated that “this is the pizza I’ve been looking for in Baltimore.”




Many were won over by the soft and pleasantly chewy consistency of the crust. This is pizza of the large, floppy slice variety. It can be difficult to manage, and the timid may resort to eating with a knife and fork, but the messiness is part of the experience of a thin-crust pie. The sauce was mild, and the viscosity of the cheese “just right.” Together, they achieved a delicious symbiosis.



The toppings are rather secondary in this kind of setting; though Rocco’s does offer specialty pizzas, we felt that the classic style was the most important to evaluate. Our mushrooms and peppers were clearly fresh rather than canned. The pools of grease spotting the pie’s surface were another topping of sorts; for a pizza this vast, with this much cheese, that’s to be expected, but the grease-shy should be warned.


In terms of atmosphere, this is primarily a take-out joint and thus the accommodations are minimal. We enjoyed the colors-of-Italy decor, and there was plenty of seating for our group, but our pizza “for here” arrived in a to-go box, suggesting that we proceed to the skating rink and/or bowling alley for someone’s 9th birthday party. In fact, you can go straight to the bowling alley from Rocco’s: there are a number of bowling options in the area, and lucky owners of an Entertainment book can get some pretty sweet discounts.


In the final assessment, would like to lay out the factors that might justify a trip to Glen Burnie for Rocco’s Pizza. We wouldn’t recommend making the journey just for pizza, but if you’re going to Value Village, traffic court, or to any of Glen Burnie’s numerous bowling alleys, Rocco’s is a perfect place to pick up a slice.

6.5/8 slices