After seven years, this popular Birmingham pizzeria is set to return

Seven years after closing its doors on Birmingham’s Southside, Rocky’s Pizza is slated to make a comeback.

Watts Realty Co. said the team behind Rocky’s Pizza has signed a lease to reopen the restaurant in the former Little Italy space at 1924 11th Ave S.

Rocky’s owner Joshua Dunlap has tapped René Mercado Angeles, who spent more than 16 years at Gianmarco’s Restaurant, as co-owner of the pizzeria. Mercado Angeles will also run the kitchen.

Dunlap and Mercado Angeles plan to open Rocky’s part-time for two weeks starting in mid-August. The goal is to be open full-time by the start of September from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.

Rocky’s Pizza closed in 2016. In 2015, commercial real estate agency Retail Specialists announced plans to build a multi-million mixed-use development project on the property that housed Rocky’s Pizza on the corner of Richard Arrington Jr. Boulevard and 7th Avenue South. That development is now called The Waites.

Dunlap initially planned to find a new location for the restaurant. He looked into moving the pizzeria to the corridor on 280, but the decision to relocate took a back seat once his father Dennis’ health started to decline.

Dennis Dunlap opened Rocky’s Pizzeria on Green Springs highway in 1986. The restaurant moved to the Lakeview district in the early 1990s. In 2001, Dunlap moved the restaurant to Richard Arrington Jr. Boulevard and 7th Avenue South.

In a list of statements provided to AL.com, Joshua Dunlap said he was glad to start the process of putting Rocky’s back on the map after taking years to mourn the death of his father.

“A lot of people have wondered why Rocky’s never re opened after the building that we were in was torn down,” Dunlap wrote in the statement. “If I remember correctly, we were told that we would need to find a new place for Rocky’s around 6 months before the building was set to be demolished.

“As fate would have it, about 2 days after them telling us that news, my Father was diagnosed with Cancer. Obviously anything having to do with Rocky’s was placed on the back burner. About a year and half or so later my father passed away and so did part (of) my heart. We had spent so many years together running Rocky’s. It just destroyed me inside to lose him. I just didn’t have it in me to pursue re-opening at that time.”

Dunlap said he received a call from someone in 2020 who asked if he had any desire to reopen Rocky’s. While he was intrigued, the COVID-19 pandemic put a damper on plans to meet and it would be two years before serious talks about Rocky’s could resume.

Reopening on Birmingham’s Southside was important to Dunlap, but he changed his mind when a new location became available in Five Points South.

“It would have taken a lot of convincing to get me to agree to re-open the first location outside of southside,” wrote Dunlap. “So I was very happy when I found out the location of where we would re-open. I think being in the heart of 5 pts south is better than I could have ever imagined.”

Back in the day, Dunlap was in charge of the kitchen at Rocky’s while his father ran the front of the house. Dunlap said bringing on Mercado Angeles to run the kitchen will get the new location of Rocky’s Pizza back where it needs to be.

“Gianmarco’s has been good to me for 16 years. Only an opportunity for ownership and something special could have pulled me away. Rocky’s offers both,” Mercado Angeles said in a statement. “I’m just happy to bring Rocky’s back to where it once was.”

Dennis Dunlap named Rocky’s in honor of boxer Rocky Marciano. Joshua Dunlap says that concept will mostly remain the same. The team may possibly update the names of the pizzas to more modern boxers, but customers who loved Rocky’s should expect a lot of the same dishes: Calzones, pasta, salads, sandwiches, and Rocky’s famous wings and muffuletta.

Customers should also expect to see the Rocky’s wall of famous boxers. All of the photos in the same frames are set to make a return in the new location in Five Points South. Patrons should also expect to see another photo on the wall at Rocky’s-- Dunlap and Mercado plan to frame a large photo of Dennis Dunlap to pay tribute to the memory of the late restauranteur.

The new location will also have a full bar.