Richardson | August 2025

Dining

BY HEATHER MCCULLOUGH

Rocco’s serves scratch- made pizza, pasta dishes In August 2020, Willie Stewart opened the rst Rocco’s Italian Cafe in Richardson with chef Javier Muniz. “My chef at the catering company [I owned] called me around June [saying he wanted] to open an Italian restaurant,” Stewart said. “I told him he was insane … [but] this was really a hit from day one and I was welcomed with open arms by the community,” Since opening, Rocco’s Italian Kitchen has served scratch-made Italian dishes and strives to treat all customers like family, Stewart said. “When people see us smile,” he said. “When we thank them for being here, when we ask them to come back, they know it’s genuine.” What they oer The restaurant serves dishes made fresh every- day, Stewart said. Some favorites include chicken parmesan and Rocco’s trio, which is a sampler platter including meatballs, lasagna and ravioli. “Everything’s made from scratch except for the [pasta],” Stewart said. “What we do here is not easy and it’s very labor intensive but it’s done with love.” Stewart said he was worried about not making pasta from scratch, but his friend Rocco Soo, who the restaurant is named after, told him to forget about it. “[Soo] said ‘your marinara is the denition of great marinara,’” Stewart said. “[He said] it would cover up everything. And he’s right. A great mari- nara [and] a good commercial pasta is a great pasta.” Soo owned an Italian restaurant in Flower Mound on Long Prairie Road about 12 years ago, Stewart said. He’s from New York but his family is from Italy and they owned multiple Italian restau- rants around the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. “He also worked with the chef a little bit to make sure we are as authentic as we can be for our price points,” Stewart said. Along with the pasta dishes, Rocco’s also oers a variety of New York-style hand tossed pizzas, calzones, sub sandwiches, salads and more. Dessert options include Italian staples tiramisu and cannolis. What’s else? Though Stewart had no intention of opening Rocco’s, he expanded the operation with a second location called Rocco’s Italian Kitchen in Flower Mound in May 2024. “If [you’ve been] looking and scouting locations for 30 years, an endcap on a high visibility corner

A sampler platter ($13.99) includes meatballs, lasagna and ravioli at Rocco’s Italian Kitchen.

HEATHER MCCULLOUGHCOMMUNITY IMPACT

From left, owner Willie Stewart stands with Rocco Soo, Javier Muniz and Muniz’s wife, Martha, in the kitchen.

Since opening in 2020, Rocco’s has served scratch-made Italian dishes.

COURTESY WILLIE STEWART

HEATHER MCCULLOUGHCOMMUNITY IMPACT

can’t help but draw your attention,” Stewart said. Stewart said he’s not planning on expanding to any more locations. “I’m 66 years old,” he said. “I want to run these the best I can.” Along with his two Italian restaurants, Stewart owns the Wizard Sports Cafe in Richardson and Toadies Bar and Grill in Bedford. He also does catering out of all the stores he owns, oering Italian food, brisket, ribeye steaks, pot roast, stued bell peppers and meatloaf.

CENTENNIAL BLVD.

AUDELIA RD.

BUCKINGHAM RD.

908 Audelia Rd, Richardson www.iloveroccospizza.com

RICHARDSON EDITION