About Us

Our Story

RED SAUCE JOINT OF YOUR DREAMS

Red checkered linens, drippy wax candles, the sound of Mario Lanza, Connie Francis, and Elvis, yes Elvis crooning in the background. Generous portions of your favorite American Italian dishes served with a side of pasta in a rustic marinara with enough garlicky, buttery, perfectly crunchy bread to soak it all up and a cheap, but solid Sangiovese to wash it all down.

Sound like your idea of heaven? Us too!

WHEN LIFE THROWS TOMATOES YOUR WAY…

You make red sauce! Cocozza American Italian is the brainchild of Patrick & Deni Reilly and the team behind The Majestic Grille. What began in 2020 as a pop-up ghost restaurant to get their Majestic staff emotionally and financially through the pandemic, Cocozza American Italian immediately found its way into the hearts & stomachs of its fellow Memphians. It now serves up your favorite red sauce comfort foods six nights a week in a brick & mortar location of its own in Downtown’s Harbor Town. 

Visit our sister restaurant The Majestic Grille!

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

We take our name from co-owner, Deni’s New Jersey Italian roots & her maternal grandfather’s family Cocozza, who made their way from the hills of Filignano, Italy to the American Italian neighborhoods of Philadelphia, Brooklyn, and New Jersey. Like many of the tens of millions of Italian immigrants who landed on our shores at the turn of the last century, some of our family changed their surname on purpose, others, including our famous cousin the singer & movie star, Mario Lanza, had it changed for them. But we’re all still famiglia, still Cocozza.