Rosaria’s Brunch Offers A Feast For The Eyes, Mouth, And Soul

Rosaria’s on 3rd Street in Downtown Perrysburg is the newly opened sister restaurant to Rosie’s Italian Grill in Toledo.

Rosie’s was established in 1982 and started out as a deli on Sylvania Avenue and then was a deli with pizza and had an adjoining arcade. From there the brand expanded to five local restaurants around NW Ohio with the slogan “A Tradition in Pizza and Pasta”.

In 2004, they closed the other restaurants and remodeled the McCord location and rebranded it to Rosie’s Italian Grille. Rosie’s Italian Grille was the first part of the brand leaning into a more upscale environment. Fast-forward to 2022 with this new restaurant, Rosaria’s on Third Street, is meant to expand upon the idea of a fine-dining restaurant with deep Sicilian roots in pasta and seafood.

Now, in my visit to Rosaria’s, I only experienced the brunch aspect of what the restaurant had to offer. I did not try any dinner entrées, but I plan to sometime in the future.

As I said before, Rosaria’s is located in the always charming Downtown Perrysburg. Tucked in its own little nook on 3rd Street, you can tell from the sleek lettering and lines, that Rosaria’s is definitely a more upscale and modern experience than its’ sister restaurant.

Every Sunday, they open the doors a little earlier at 10:30 a.m. and offer a special Sunday Brunch menu.

Walking in, my assumptions about it being upscale were confirmed.

The venue captures the essence of the Amalfi Coast — a dining room with warm wood tones, inviting lighting, friendly and welcoming, open and airy. The walls are accented by black and white photos depicting movie stars and other celebrities enjoying pasta and Italian treats. A colorized picture of Rosie, the company’s namesake, hangs above the grand piano, which is played on select nights. It felt pretty fancy.

Our reservation was at 11am, and I was a little surprised that the spacious dining area only had a couple more people other than myself. I assumed my time was a fairly popular time for brunch, but maybe Rosaria’s is known to be busy for dinner.

The brunch menu was not what I expected.

There were a handful of breakfast options, but also just as many if not more lunch options. The chef created an array of choices from Steak and Eggs, Pizza, Pancakes, and of course Hot Mama Bread. More lunch forward dishes consisted of various seafood and pasta. There seemed to be a little something for everyone.

I also saw an assortment of boozy morning cocktails like a Mimosa Flight which includes 3 different fresh juices, a bottle of 1925 Prosecco, and a variety of different fruits. There was also an array of spritzers, and a Bloody Mary topped off with Peroni. I was also told by our waitress that every Sunday they host local musicians on the veranda to softly serenade us through the afternoon from 12:00 – 3:00 p.m. We didn’t eat out there, but I did snap a quick photo of it.

Our waitress was friendly and helpful with the slightly overwhelming menu. Upon her suggestion, I ordered their signature Espresso Martini for $13 (photo below) which consisted of espresso, Tito’s Vodka, King and Dane Coffee Liqueur, and RumchataLimon. It was also topped with espresso beans. The drink naturally had a strong espresso punch, and the lemon definitely came through in a surprisingly pleasant way. It was bright and really cut the bitterness of the espresso. I wouldn’t have thought those two flavors would have gone together, but I was happy to have been proven wrong.

To be honest, I couldn’t really taste the vodka, but, that could have been a dangerous thing if my wallet could have afforded more than the one drink.

My friend got the Sicilian Spritz ($11) which had Asperol, blood orange, soda water, Prosecco, and key-lime mandarin yuzu. I tasted it, and it was delightfully fruity and light. It fizzled on your tongue in the fun way that carbonation does. However, the drink reminded me of being on hot sandy beaches instead of a warm and cozy restaurant in the middle of winter.

For an appetizer we shared an order of Hot Mama Bread ($13) which I feel is just a must when you go to either Rosie’s or Rosaria’s. It’s their staple cheesy bread and worth it every time with the flavors of garlic butter, mozzarella, and provolone melting together in ooey gooey delightfulness. Top it with a bit of the marinara and, we could’ve probably ended the meal there and would’ve been satisfied.

My main entrée was The Breakfast Pizza ($16). It had brie mornay, roasted cremini mushrooms, carmalized onion, spinach, egg, and bacon. I once heard a kid say “this slaps” when referring to something he really enjoyed, so in the words of a pubescent teen, my breakfast pizza did indeed, “slap”. It was salty from the brie and bacon, slightly sweet from the carmalized onion, The egg was over medium and still velvety smooth. The crust was cooked even and crisp, and was able to sustain all the hearty toppings. It was also a decent size for a personal pizza and not a small four piece like I was expecting. I definitely had leftovers.

My friend got the Frittata ($13) It had egg, mushroom, shallots, sour cream, chive, and served with a dressed arugula salad. The frittata looked like a breakfast piece of cake. The fluffy eggs gave it height, and it was a delicious medley of savory flavors. The arugula salad was simple and tasty, but didn’t really add anything to elevate the main dish. She also got one Ricotta pancake from the à la carte menu ($5) which was topped with lemon honey and fresh fruit. She said the pancake was the highlight of her whole meal. It was fluffy, tart, and sweet, and the drizzle of lemon honey was to die for. I was kind of jealous that I didn’t get one for myself.

My entire meal was definitely pricey, totaling $45 with tip. However, the experience was worth it to me. I got to spend time with my best friend, just relaxing and catching up, the restaurant’s atmosphere was upscale yet casual, the live music was calming and not overpowering. The food was delicious. So, if you’re looking to treat yourself once in a while, I would look to Rosario’s for your next brunch outing.