Corned Beef Rolls At Roc City Bar & Grill In Rockdale 'Are Magical'

ROCKDALE — With St. Patrick's Day almost here, many Joliet area bars and restaurants are dishing up corned beef sandwiches and pints of Guinness, but here in the small town of Rockdale, at one of the Joliet region's most popular and lively establishments, Roc City Bar & Grill co-owners Kevin Batus and "Tommy Z" Zoretic have done it again.

While the Roc City Bar at 508 Moen Ave. is widely known as the "Home of the Beef Roll," during the month of March — and only through St. Patrick's Day — Rockdale customers have the opportunity to take a bite of something delicious, something that other area bars and restaurants typically don't offer for St. Patrick's Day.

What is that?

It's the Roc City Corned Beef Roll!

And if you're tempted to try it, you have four days left: Friday night, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, which is St. Patrick's Day.

"The business is continuing to escalate. We introduced it on March 1st, and it's such a snowball effect," Tommy Z said.

During Friday's interview, Tommy Z explained that the corned beef roll has been an enormous hit with his customer base.

"We're just overwhelmed, overwhelmed with orders making them in our kitchen," he explained. "We've had to cut orders on certain days. We're very sensitive to what we put out here. Quality control is a very big thing for us. People come there expecting the food will taste like the last time they were here."

According to Tommy Z, the Roc City corned beef roll is available for orders in 8 inches, 12 inches and 16 inches.

The 16-inch size is the most popular, Tommy Z explained, because "it gives you like 18 slices, and it feeds four or five people."

A few important things to know about the Roc City corned beef rolls:

Roc City does not include sauerkraut inside its beef roll. Also, the corned beef rolls feature tender chunks of corned beef as opposed to thin deli slices.

Roc City's corned beef roll includes a homemade Russian dressing as one of the dipping sauces.

However, one sauce has horseradish because some customers do not like the kick, Tommy Z said. "So essentially, the one without the horseradish ends up being like Thousand Island doctored up."

Comments on social media about the Roc City corned beef rolls have been outstanding.

Tommy Z explained that one customer who ordered the Roc City corned beef rolls commented on Facebook that "it feels like a touch of heaven. So, I thought that was funny," Tommy Z remarked.

Tommy Z said he's geared up for lots of orders this St. Patrick's Day weekend.

"Honestly, it's pretty amazing, and I'm not a corned beef guy," he said. "It's magical when you put it together. We make our own Russian dressing, which really sparks and brings it all together."

Despite being located in the small village of Rockdale, with only 2,000 residents, Roc City draws many of its loyal customers from several area communities, plus it's open 140 hours every week.

Roc City opens at 6 a.m. and closes at 2 a.m. seven days a week.

It's been open for three years now. "Appreciate the love and support," Tommy Z notified Joliet Patch. "Even after three years, it all just seems so surreal. The fan base just keeps growing and growing."

Roc City Bar & Grill has accumulated 536 Google Reviews, averaging an impressive 4.5 out of 5 stars. "Casual sports bar featuring food such as burgers, pizzas, and the famous beef roll, plus pool tables and darts," is how the Rockdale establishment is described on Google.

And while some customers might love to see Roc City offer the corned beef roll 365 days per year, Tommy Z wants to keep it as a special menu option leading up to St. Patrick's Day.

"It gives people something to talk about craving for another year," he joked.

Related Joliet Patch coverage:

'Legendary' Beef Roll Puts Rockdale's Roc City Bar & Grill On The Map