The Food

Cafe Roka serves modern American food. The 'signature' of Chef/Owner Rod Kass' cooking is a style rather than a particular dish or dishes (although you won't find his Portobello Mushroom and Artichoke lasagna anywhere else). He offers many different tastes, textures, colors, and looks throughout a four course dinner. We are one of the few remaining restaurants in the United States to offer four courses (soup, salad, sorbet, and entrée), without a prix fixe menu.

Rod often uses nuts, polenta, pasta, and citrus, to create opposite palate combinations of crunchiness/softness, tangy/sweet, spicy/muted, or subtle/rousing. Plates are artfully presented, because the eye plays a large part in anticipation of taste and appreciation of food, often with bright accent sauces complementing the natural color of the food.

Soups, which vary nightly, are vegetarian based and might be for example, black bean/smoked white corn or mushroom/potato, or tomato/green chile/cilantro.

Salads are generally a mix of organic greens. Dressings might be a roasted pine nut/white truffle oil vinaigrette, an apple/sherry vinaigrette, or a creamy basil dressing.

Sorbet, lime or lemon, is a palate cleanser and prepares the way for the entrée.

Many people are on restricted food diets. Fortunately we are able to provide interesting and good food for those who are vegan, have problems with gluten, or are on special diets. We also offer innovative and tasty vegetarian food with two or three vegetarian options on every menu.

Generally, we change our menu twice weekly. About 35 different dishes are rotated through the menu depending on the season and product availability.

The 1907 Building at 35 Main Street

The Costello Building was constructed in 1907. Because pressure fired bricks (a new technology) were used in the construction, the building withstood the terrible Bisbee fire of 1908.

The ground floor of the building was a shoe store and the mezzanine was used by the Fair Department Store next door as an annex for its dry-good's and men's department. The large door along the wall next to the stairway was a fire door that was open allowing traffic into and out of the main department store. It was secured by metal fastener. If a fire began in either one of the buildings the metal would melt allowing the door to close isolating the fire in one building.

After the shoe store closed, the main floor was converted to a bar, aptly named The Tavern, which was open for about 70 years. The building was bought by Rod Kass and remodeled in 1992 and Cafe Roka opened in January of 1993.

The restaurant operates on four levels; the main floor seating 45, the bar in the center of the main floor seats 10, the mezzanine-a half floor seats 20, the second floor seats 45-60 and is used for banquets and musical events, as well as regular service. The third floor, "Starlight Room", which seats 50, is used for events and banquets.

The Chef/Owner

Rod Kass is the chef and owner of Cafe Roka. From 1986-1989, Rod apprenticed at the Phoenix Biltmore, worked at the La Champagne Room at the former Registry Resort, and was chef at the Market Room of the 8700 Club in Scottsdale. He moved to Bisbee in 1990 and after working in a variety of food settings, opened Cafe Roka in 1992.