“The entire N4U gang was invited in to do some sampling, and they brought out so much food, we all had doggie bags. My most sincere compliments to Kevin Roberts and his staff for such a clean and efficient kitchen. (They even have cameras to ensure the highest quality of food.)”

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            Back in the 50s, Charles Tooley and John Rogers – the Roca Bar owners –  needed something to boost business. They hired a Lebanese kitchen manager, George Haag, to dish up some new and exciting cuisine. Haag, coming from Chicago, knew of a simple concoction containing meats, veggies, cheese, sauce and dough. George, knowing the power of the palate, would bake up a few these pies every day and would sit in what was then the middle of Hwy. 41 and Kentucky Ave. and pass out samples. All of George’s marketing strategies worked! Before they knew it, he had outgrown the Roca Bar and needed a place of his own. The Evansville Brown Derby was born but caught on fire – so George and his clan had to move down to the street to what we now know as the House of Como.

            In 1996, Fred Schreoder and Jerry Ritter purchased the original Roca Bar and decided to take the restaurant business head-on. Though George’s recipe had been tweaked and fiddled with over the years, they decided to go back to the original recipe. Back in the 50s, each square piece of pizza had one piece of topping on it. Now, you’ll have to come in and order one to understand the shear amount of toppings they can pile on one pizza pie.

            We were brought a Round the World Pizza (all your basic toppings) Chicken BBQ pizza, Roca Garden, Roca Pesto, and Margherita Pizza. With such toppings as broccoli, sun-dried tomatoes, chicken, pesto sauce, basil and spinach, this wasn’t your ordinary carry-out pizza. This was gourmet! And, they are all served on a thin cracker-style crust. My favorite was the White Marg Pizza. With olive oil as a base and mozz cheese, tomatoes and basil, I was in foodie heaven.

            Of course, we didn’t start out with the pizza, we started out with a monster selection of appetizers and Italian salad. If I am to have any hope of getting my kid, or my husband to eat greens, it has to be in a Roca Bar Italian salad – lettuce topped with ham, cheese, olives, bacon bits, pepperoni, egg, tomatoes and signature Roca Bar Italian dressing sided with Bosco Mozz Bread stix (garlic bread sticks, filled with cheese and sided by herb butter). There was entire table FULL of fried appetizers, but my favorites were the broccoli and cheese bites, the corn nuggets, and the BBQ wings with tiger sauce, paired with a Roca Rita (a margarita with coconut rum and sprinkled with cinnamon).

            The fun didn’t stop there. Though I was stuffed, I took home the next course and gorged myself later… the ham and cheese sandwich and Roca Boli were piled with meat and cheeses and perfect for a really hungry man – or woman! Jerry assured me his Roca (strom) Boli would measure up and even surpasses any other strom in the city. I urge you to take the taste test.

            We concluded the meal with some fried brownie bites and apple crisp bites. Yes, some dark chocolate to make my meal absolutely complete.

            I settled in to write this article and looked at the menu for a glance at the other RB fare. They don’t just serve the pizzas and sands; Roca Bar boasts rib-eyes, chops, spaghetti, fried bologna, and even a kids’ menu. You know how mom always says, “what do you think this kitchen is, a restaurant? You’ll eat what everyone else is having!” You no longer have to! It’s the perfect place to take your very diverse and very picky family. Dad wants a steak, mom some pasta, teens a pizza and little one a PB&J. Hey, it’s all here at the Roca Bar on KY Ave! Jerry even informed me, if you want something special, hey – they’ll make it! Call ahead if it’s really off the wall or they can work with you on any ingredients they have in stock.

            There are several RBs scattered throughout the tri-state (Mt. Vernon, Newburgh, Owensboro and N. 41) but you have to try the original core location. All the chefs are trained there and you can’t beat the ambiance and history of the place that served the first pizza in Evansville!

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Photography | Mark McCoy