Rocco Restaurant. Food, Music, Friends.

November 2026

Rocco is a kosher Italian dairy restaurant in Kiryat Shmoneh. This restaurant, in northern Israel, is known for its excellent pizzas and pastas, generous portions, and warm, relaxed atmosphere. Full disclosure, we have not yet personally visited this restaurant, yet from afar and from perusing the amazing menu, this restaurant is worth visiting.

Israelis have returned to the north. Lodgings, restaurants, and attractions are now open. When you travel to Northern Israel this dairy restaurant should be on your route.

Rocco is a family restaurant with a mix of classic dairy Italian dishes and some chef specialties. The menu is so complete you can be sure that both discerning adult diners and the younger set in your party will find favorite dishes.

My favorite starter at dairy Italian restaurants is Arancini. This dish of cheese-filled rice balls served with tomato sauce and Parmesan, is ubiquitous at Italian dairy restaurants. Rocco offers Arancini for classic diners who like a sure thing, and several more exotic starters. The salmon cigars starter, thin pastry rolls filled with salmon, served with a cream cheese dip and spicy chili sauce, caught our eye. Hold the spicy sauce. Another unusual starter not seen in most dairy Italian restaurants, is the vegetarian Eggplant tart: an Eggplant pastry with mozzarella, basil pesto, tomato, onion, tahini,and garlic.

How many different ways can you prepare pizza? The Rocco menu will surprise you. First there are the familiar Neapolitan-style pizzas. Then there is the white pizza. At the top of the list of Neapolitan pizzas is the classic Margarita pizza with Tomato sauce, mozzarella, basil, and a choice of additional toppings. That'll work for the conventional diner.

The more adventuresome diners may opt for the Four Cheeses Pizza with Edam, mozzarella, Gorgonzola, and aged Italian cheese, with basil pesto and Gouda. White pizzas get their color from the white sauce, the base of the pizza filling, and here too there is a choice of plain classic white pizza or white pizza with truffles, or with mushrooms.

There is an impressive selection of salads, starting with the basic Caesar Salad, with the Lettuce, cucumber, tomato, Kalamata olives, and grated Parmesan. You can dress up that salad with cherry tomatoes, artichoke hearts and croutons. Add a Burrata to that and your salad becomes a full meal.

The selection of pasta Gnocchi and ravioli dishes would be impressive for a much larger restaurant. The selection is so complete it may take you a while to decide.

Not just a pizza/pasta restaurant, The Rocco menu offers a full selection of fish. Fish dishes appear in the starter menu and a there is a full list of fish main courses. For your starter enjoy salmon carpappacio or sardines cured in Rocco sauce. Fish main courses include Amnon fish from the north, not to be missed. There is classic oven-baked fish and Salmon fillet served over fettuccine pasta with tomato sauce and artichoke hearts or over creamy risotto.

The best part of dining at a dairy Italian restaurant comes at the end, when we order dessert. At Rocco after all the delicious starter and main dishes you may not have appetite for dessert. Get over it. You cannot leave this restaurant without at least trying the Italian Tiramisu with cream, ladyfingers dipped in coffee, and cocoa. And then there is the classic Crème Brûlée French vanilla cream dessert. The Rocco menu with surprise you again with a few other unexpected desserts. Try the unique Italian-style chocolate-filled Pine Nut Balls and the sinfully enticing Italian White Chocolate & Hazelnut Cheesecake filled with white chocolate and hazelnut praline, with chocolate and biscuit layers.