Giuseppe’s Italian Restaurant: A humble neighborhood favorite for more than 40 years
Rockford Region Restaurant Week runs Jan. 25 through Feb. 4 as a celebration of the area’s culinary scene. We’re getting in the spirit at the Rock River Current, too. Throughout Restaurant Week we’ll be sharing stories, photos and features about the Rockford area’s foodie scene and restaurant industry.
By Andrew Wright
Special to the Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — In a city that takes pride in its Italian heritage, almost every neighborhood could lay claim to the home of the best pizza in Rockford.
Iconic families and landmark buildings, neon signs and eternal flames mark locations where you can find beloved Italian restaurants operated for generations by families who share stories, recipes and years of history.
But in an unassuming building behind the Walgreens off of North Main Street, on the city’s west side, there’s a neighborhood restaurant that has been quietly making top-tier food for 41 years.
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Giuseppe’s Italian Restaurant, 950 Halsted Road, is owned by the Lattuca family. Frank Lattuca, son of Margaret and Carlo Lattuca, has been running the day-to-day operations, having worked in the family business since he was 16.
“We use a homemade recipe on our sauces that comes from my mom,” said the soft-spoken Frank Lattuca, noting their Sicilian heritage and influences. “People come here for our thin-crust and our stuffed-crust pizzas. Families frequently order our lasagna, and everybody loves to take home a cannoli, a recipe that goes back with my mom, who’s been making them for 40 years.”
Lattuca isn’t driven by going bigger, instead his team is focused on putting out the best ingredients for his regular customers.
“We’ve always had good steady business here. We grind all our meats here, try to make everything as fresh as we can,” he said. “We have a lot of repeat customers, people who have been coming here for 20 years.”
Neighborhood regulars recall growing up coming to Giuseppe’s with their parents, and Margaret would occasionally give youngsters a bit of pizza dough to play with. It’s that feeling of being a part of the family that keeps people coming back.
About | Giuseppe’s Italian Restaurant
Where: 950 Halsted Road, Rockford
Hours: 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. daily
On the web: pizzarockfordil.com
Phone: 815-877-3029
On social: On Facebook here
If you go | What to try
- Stuffed, Pan-style and thin-crust pizza
- Pasta with homemade marinara
- Lasagna
- Cannoli
This article is by freelance journalist Andrew Wright. Email feedback to news@rockrivercurrent.com
