Cafe Roka comes highly recommended as THE place to eat in Bisbee by my friend, Paul. We were not disappointed, nor were the many other diners. It may be the only place in the small town where a reservation is a must.
We had a table in front of a second story window with a view of the downtown street and the hills – great views but a little chilly. The restaurant had just opened for the evening and the heat had not yet taken the chill off of the large, old building. Bisbee literally seems to be built into the side of the hills. To help you visualize this, one of the other guests at our bed and breakfast, The Schoolhouse Inn, told us that there is a four-story building – each story has a ground level entrance.
Back to Cafe Roka, we both ordered the special, a four course meal consisting of, a black-eyed pea and kale soup (perfect since it was New Year’s Day), a salad with a basil vinaigrette, sorbet, and sea bass served with shrimp, lobster ravioli and grilled vegetables. As I recall, the price was about $20.
The meal was fantastic. The portions were not large, but that was fine. It left you satisfied, but not stuffed. The ingredients were at the peak of freshness and the chef presented a beautiful composition of flavors that left me with an urge to lick the plate. There will be a return visit!
An accountant by trade and a food blogger since 2009, Lois Britton fell in love with Polish cuisine during the years she lived in Poznań, Poland. As the creator of PolishHousewife.com, she loves connecting readers with traditional Polish recipes. Lois has a graduate certificate in Food Writing and Photography from the University of South Florida. She is the author of The Polish Housewife Cookbook, available on Amazon and on her website.
windersblog
Black eyed pea AND kale soup? That sounds very interesting!
Lois B
Black eyed peas, kale and mushrooms actually.
abby jenkins
Thanks, that inspired me to make some simple grilled shrimp with herb pesto for dinner. I need to stop all these comfort food posts! Being snow/housebound it’s natural for me to want to cook cozy, heavy meals all night and day. My husband is happy but man are my jeans getting tight!
Happy New Year!
Lois B
Thanks, Abby! I love your comfort food posts!
Izak
Cafe Roka is the best restaurant in all of Southern AZ. I grew up in Bisbee and work at Roka for 4.5 years. I learned how to work hard from the owner Rod (the restaurant is his name “Ro Ka” for Rod Kass). Every year I insist on having my birthday dinner there, no substitutions.
Interesting note on Bisbee, we do have a few other restaurants that take reservations but Roka is by far the most notable. The 4-story building you speak of is the Old High School in the Old Bisbee area of town. What you heard is correct, it sits on a long, very steep hill and each floor exits onto the ground.
Thanks for sharing!
Lois B
Izak – thanks for sharing a local perspective; I’m glad to hear that Rod’s employees think so highly of him.