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Robert Ripps book
History of Tribeca Buildings
Roc Has Closed
After hearing a rumor that Roc was about to close—and seeing the listing that James discovered—I reached out to owner Rocco Cadolini, who let me in on what was happening. He’s been having a ball building out the new Roc in Louisville, while operating a restaurant in New York City has been getting harder and harder (as he explained in the recent Spotlight Q&A). Then a friend asked if he’d be up for testing the waters… and someone was interested. Until the deal was officially done, however, he asked me not to post anything—if the deal went awry, the restaurant would continue as before. Also, he knew that once word got out, he and his wife, Stacy, would be inundated with questions and congratulations. They’ve lived and worked in Tribeca a long time, and while it’s exciting news for them—we should all follow our bliss—it’s undoubtedly bittersweet.
Rocco quietly let many of his longtime customers know that this past weekend would be the restaurant’s last, so they could come for a final visit.
Roc is one of those restaurants that has always seemed ingrained in this neighborhood, and it will be missed. Here’s wishing Rocco and Stacy all the best on their next adventure! I look forward to visiting them in Louisville, and of course they also have a restaurant in Williamsburg, Baci & Abbracci.
UPDATE 3/1: Rocco and Stacy posted a goodbye note.
34 Comments
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A huge loss for the neighborhood. We will very much miss ROC, Rocco and Stacy. Best of luck to them.
Buona fortuna Rocco, thanks for the memories. See you in Louisville!
So sad to see them all go the restaurant and a wonderful family and neighbor! Wish you well!
Sad to see them go and wish them well. Any news on the incoming restaurant. Please not a Starbucks!
Or please no–another bank.
Best of luck to Rocco and Stacy! They will be missed as they other restaurants prior to their opening! What’s going on with Cornerstone????
It’s having issues with Con Edison.
ROC was our family’s go to restaurant for 17 years. We are truly sorry to lose this wonderful institution and one of the reasons a neighborhood becomes a place people want to live. Tribeca loses some of its personality losing ROC. We wish Rocco and Stacy great fortune. Louisville is lucky to have them
So sorry to hear you’re leaving. Ali and I had our second date at Roc and remember so many great years together with you and your kids at PS234. And of course your wonderful truffle fries! Hope to one day wait to hear you say ‘Louisville’ with your Italian accent ;)
Matt Murray
Hard to believe that one of the City’s institutions is gone. We will have to meet you, Jack and Josette in Louisville, a home coming for us since two of our children were born in Louisville.
Buon viaggio e tutto il meglio.
WE ARE SO EXCITED TO WELCOME ROCCO & STACY AND FAMILY TO LOUISVILLE…
WE LOOK FORWARD TO BEING BLESSED WITH A NEW VENUE HERE IN THE HEART OF LOUISVILLE….THE “HIGHLANDS”
LOOKING FORWARD TO CREATING MANY NEW GREAT TIMES AND MEMORIES WITH THE CADOLINI’S
Well the minute it becomes harder and harder to operate a restaurant in Louisville, he’ll leave you high and dry too! Thank Gosh for nail salons! They are the only ones that show some loyalty to this neighborhood and its nail-polishing-challenged women!
one of my favorite restaurants..
the best calamari i ever had!!!!!!!!
Sweet the devine Jesus, stephanie, clearly you haven’t visited one of the nearly thousand+one Red Lobster locations on this planet! Try traveling above Canal Street, for Gosh sake! Laughing at you!
Jim smithers, if you had a point, it might be worth refuting.
But your juxtaposition of a decent, albeit not necessarily Michelin star worthy, NYC restaurant that has been a staple of the community for years, with a mall based chain catering to a fly-over state clientele belies the absurdity of your sophomoric commentary.
Tell us, is the smug artifice, which your posts project, really working for you?
It’s so easy to be a critic.
Roc was the restaurant I celebrated at following the closing of my first Tribeca apartment in August 2001. A memorable night for sure. My 14 year old dog and I have spent countless nights on the sidewalk patio and greeting the Roc delivery guy was her favorite activity on most evenings. Best of luck. Roc will be dearly missed as a neighborhood staple.
Tanti Aguri Rocco – Stacy —–you will be missed more than you know. TriBeCa will not be the same without you.
arrivederci e buona fortuna, amici miei
We went there once about eight years ago and had a very bad experience. We never went back. We are hoping a nice restaurant takes its place.
Seriously? You think that’s an appropriate comment in this context?
Sorry. I thought honest comments were welcome. I now understand that you want us to follow your lead, lockstep.
Honesty is welcome, but so is politeness. Would you insult someone at his/her memorial service? Maybe I’m overly touchy about this because I know Rocco and Stacy, but does it not occur to you that they might read this and be hurt? If your comment was serving some greater purpose, then fine, but it wasn’t. I’ve said it before: Comment as if you weren’t anonymous.
I do not equate this thread with a memorial service. It is a post about a restaurant closing and the proprietors moving on to greener pastures in Kentucky. If I met the proprietors in person, I would certainly be polite, as is appropriate. But in the context of an online discussion as to why the restaurant closed, I thought it relevant to gently point out that the place was not universally loved. After all, it was never crowded, and that that may have had something to do with its closing.
IJM is incorrect. You are being a true idiot. No offense. Have you been there for 9/11 where Roc treated people for months? I suppose not. Have you seen the restaurant on New Year’s Eve? No. Have you ever seen any parties? Have you ever even considered that others peoples feelings might be hurt by your rude comment? Of course not. Cause you are a mean and hateful person that has nothing to do with your life. Roc is family. Roc is home. A person like you wouldn’t know that cause you are disrespectful. We don’t need your comments on this page. It’s not necessary. Sometimes you should keep things to yourself, it would be better everyone anyway.
It’s so easy to be a critic. As I tell my boys, if you have nothing nice to say, don’t say anything.
Louisville is our daughter’s second home. While we are unhappy about, literally, losing a cornerstone of our street and neighborhood, Aria will now have another great restaurant to take her many many Louisville friends to dine and enjoy. Sob! Guess I’ll get to eat there if I go visit again.
Rocco and Stacy, we wish you all the best. You will be missed.
We went to ROC the the night my doctor suddenly told me we had 3 hours to get packed and head to the hospital for our first baby. It was also where I had my first Mother’s Day brunch. And Rocco always, always came through for Friends of Duane Park. We will miss this neighborhood gem! So excited for your next chapter!
After 9/11, no one was permitted to travel below Chambers street. Many residents and others waited at the corner of Reade and Greenwich for hours and days after that terrible day. I was just trying to return home to retrieve some belongings. Many others, sadly, were searching for their missing loved ones. Rocco stood in front of ROC with trays of pasta which he served to anyone who wanted some food – gratis. That food provided more than just nourishment, it provided a sense of comfort. During those dark and desperate days, Rocco stood as a beacon of hope to the neighborhood and beyond. Thank you Rocco & Stacy for a kindness that may never be repaid!
We’ll remember the many, many wonderful times we had there over the years. Whether it was meeting with friends in the dining room, gathering our family together or enjoying a simple date night at the corner table outside, Roc provided many memorable evenings. Our thanks to Rocco and Stacey. We wish them the best of luck with their new adventure. We will certainly look them up at their restaurant in Louisville if we are out that way.
To Rocco and Stacy
We will miss the best restaurant in Tribeca !
For me and my friends, it was the “go to” place for a great lunch or for dinner after a presentation at New York County Lawyers Association or for a New Years party always guaranteeing great food and wonderful people.
Best of luck in d’Ville,
Joe Bambara,Esq.
I have conducted business with Rocco and Stacy and they are just generally kind and sweet people who are full of heart and love which is reflected in both their restaurant and their lives.
Sadly, and in Roc’s own words: “the days of the big expense accounts are over, the rent is insane, the bureaucracy and the minimum wage make it tougher and tougher”.
No truer words…greedy landlords are the killer for small business in Tribeca/Soho. How many plates of gnocchi or glasses of wine do you need to sell each night to offset a monthly rent of say $30-40K (I have no idea what Roc was paying, but that’s pretty typical for that size and location), coupled with insurance costs, payroll, liquor, food and dry good costs, dealing with the city’s bureaucracy, and on and on. Anyone who thinks any restauranteur in NYC is somehow getting rich is sadly mistaken.
In 5-10 years, the only way to get a decent meal at a restaurant in Tribeca/Soho or have a drink at a bar will be to go somewhere in midtown or uptown or Brooklyn, because the model is seriously broken for anyone trying to earn a decent living in the hospitality business in this neighborhood.
I will never forget the first time we walked into ROC. We had just moved to Tribeca from LA and Rocco met my young daughter at the door and asked her name. We immediately felt at home and continued to dine here over the years. Best of luck of luck with your new adventure! You will be missed!