Rocco's Pizza

Rocco's does pizza the way people remember it, especially if they're from New York. Families and vacationers cycle through here repeatedly, sometimes multiple times during a single week-long stay. The staff remembers regulars, crack jokes, and hand out suggestions without being asked. It's the kind of place you hit on your first day at the beach and keep coming back to.

• Vacationers make it their first stop, year after year.
• Fried pickles are crispy, golden, and properly proportioned.
• NY-style cheese slice is what nostalgic looks like.
• Staff gives real suggestions and remembers your order.

Start with a cheese slice. The fried pickles are worth ordering separately, served golden and tangy. Fried dough satisfies cravings people have carried for years. Ice tea works on a hot beach day. One diner noted a side-by-side comparison with a competitor across the street went decidedly in Rocco's favor.

Quick service, beachside energy. The room moves fast, benches scattered outside for eating while you watch the boardwalk.

The pizza is the draw, especially a simple cheese slice if you want to test the waters. But Rocco's also leans into fried sides that shouldn't work as well as they do. Fried pickles arrive crispy and golden, with enough batter crunch without drowning the tangy core. Fried dough happens here too, and it's the kind of thing people drive across the country to eat again.

Regulars come back multiple times during single vacations and make it their first stop upon arrival. A New York native who lived away for years still craves the cheese slice. One recent visitor compared Rocco's and a competitor across the street, and the choice was clear.