Rolly Rocket’s BBQ

Had dinner here tonight with a bunch of people. Décor is exactly how others on here have described. I tried to order a Heineken but they did not have that beer. Odd. Our table ordered a variety of things. Some had chicken. Others ribs and still others had the pulled pork. One person ordered the catfish. I ordered the brisket dinner. Most of the people at the table felt the food was good and portions were generous. Being more discriminating, I felt the food was ok but not great. The brisket was cooked well but lacked any memorable flavour. It was slightly spicy. I didn’t eat the buns it was served on. They were a basic dinner roll that you can buy at most grocery stores. The coleslaw was alright. The fries were bland. The beans seemed extremely smokey. Maybe they use liquid smoke in these? What you get for the price is decent. However the pulled pork that I make at home tastes better. Service was okay. Too bad they don’t have table service. You have to go get your own food and drinks just like McDonald’s. I have no reason to return. I tried it and now I know it’s okay but not memorable.

This place was absolutely amazing. I’d totally recommend for when you want to hang out with friends. Its within student budget, and the food is definitely worth it.
The atmosphere is super chill, they have a pool table and dart boards for you to play with friends. There’s a new-​school jukebox in the corner & they play different things on every TV screen so you’re never at a loss for what to watch. You can choose to sit at picnic tables or the bar or regular tables or high tables, there’s a lot of options.
I highly recommend any of the poutines, they’re delicious. I also always get a corndog because I love them. They’re 100x better than any pogo I’ve tasted. Also better than the corndogs you get at the fair or whatever.
The service is great, they’re extremely nice and I have no complaints about that.
The only thing that ever worries me is the state of the bathrooms; its not that they have no supplies, its that they are just never actually clean whenever I use them.
OH. Also, it’s cash only which I always seem to forget.

One of my favourite places. Food is great and reasonably priced, though service can be a little slow.
Can’t go wrong with the ribs, though I don’t know if I’d order to brisket again. Overall, great value for price.

I’m coming to the conclusion that I’m a bit of a pulled pork snob. There’s nothing wrong with putting pork in a slow cooker with a can of coke and calling it «pulled pork» if that makes you happy. Not me. This summer I walked away from a «rib festival», heartbroken at the candied-​meat excuse for pulled pork that I ate. I’m saying that to set up how much it means when I say, Rolly Rockets may have raised the bar for pulled pork for me.
I had their pulled pork dinner, and asked them to ditch the slider buns (save room for what’s important). I upgraded ($ 1) to sweet potato fries with trepidation; often you end up with so few and they’re so soggy, I hate myself for «falling for it again.» These fries were plentiful, and had the right amount of crisp. The cole slaw was a little dry. The cornbread was the right sweetness for me (yes, I’ll wade into the cornbread sweetness war), but it had a little too spongy texture in my mind. The beans were a bit of a surprise, being vinegary rather than sweet. (And who expects a surprise from beans?) My only beef about the beans was that I didn’t have a spoon to scoop up the last drop. (Didn’t ask either; maybe I shouldn’t complain.)
The pork? Well, first off, while most pulled pork is served drenched in sauce, this came with (I’m pretty sure) none on it; only available on the side in a bottle on the tables. I thought that was a bad thing until I tried it. On its own, it had a great flavor and was very moist. It has started me thinking about what pulled pork should taste like on its own. Digging around in the generous serving of pork, I found bark, which is a sign of true smoked pork. It was delicious, and a bargain.

I like Rollys when I don’t feel like cooking on weeknights.
I usually end up here in the middle of the week. It’s never been too crowded.
Prices are good, and the portions are nice (the wings are huge!), but taste can be hit-​or-​miss. Sometimes the fries are soggy, sometimes the pulled pork is… off… but the wings have always been good. Service is usually pretty quick.
This place is Cash Only!

My favorite food from rolly rockets is the catfish. It’s so moist with a crunch batter, delish! Every time I order, they never have any left. Today for instance, I called and asked if they had catfish, the girl on the phone said that they did so I placed an order. I get a phone call back less than 10 mins later saying that they didn’t have catfish for the catfish dinner, but the had the po boy so I ordered that. The delivery guy comes up and says they only had enough catfish for one sandwich (the meal comes with 2 small sandwiches) but they gave me extra corn bread instead. Unacceptable. The cornbread is either soggy or stale and it never gets eaten. 3 small corn muffins to replace a sandwich??? The delivery guy was apologetic and offered to take $ 4 off the bill for the inconvenience. Disappointed yet again.

Where do I even begin with this place? Food is definitely not as advertised. Completely wasted my money. Describes their food as authentic southern BBQ. Ordered the chicken, it was undercooked and the fries were extremely soggy. Also ordered chicken fingers; and it tasted like they’ve never changed their oil. Customer service is lacking and the place was extremely dirty. I have never regretted stepping foot in a restaurant as much as I have with this place! I still cringe thinking about it.

I like Rolly Rockets. No, it’s not authentic southern BBQ, but it’s good food that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. It feels gritty and authentically Hamilton, quite a contrast the trendy upstarts that are popping up all over the place. I like the weird, cheap décor and picnic tables, and although it’s small, the patio offers excellent people watching.
Two minor improvements, followed by one major — those small buns they use for the pulled pork need to be swapped out for something a little more robust. They have the consistency of Wonder bread and fall apart way too easily. Also, the beers on tap do not match what is on their web site. I was eager to try a pint of 8^th Sin, but the server looked at me like I was speaking Greek. The Barking Squirrel was okay, but not what I wanted.
And the biggie — these guys need to clean their BBQ sauce/​ketchup bottles. Every time I have been there, the plastic sauce bottles have practically stuck to my hands. So nasty. EDIT — last time we were there, the sauce bottles were spotless. Incredible!
4 hickory smoked stars.

Meh. I went today for the 1^st time, expecting a great dinner because of the reviews I had read. It did not live up to expectations.
The food took about ½ hour to arrive which seemed really long to me, for what is essentially a takeout restaurant with seating. The fries were good and the BBQ sauce on my ribs was great. However the ribs (baby back) were tough — not even close to fall off the bone. Beans, coleslaw and the cornbread were all very average. I was expecting more considering the food isn’t really cheap — $ 30 for a full rack dinner & a pint.
Also had to walk to the bar to grab my own condiments because the server (more like food deliverer) declined to even offer ketchup.
It’s too bad really, I was hoping to have found a great BBQ restaurant.

This place use to be the best in town for late night food. I haven’t been there in 4months till last night. They use to be fast, when I walked in and order food to go. Last night it took forever and besides me, there was only one other person who ordered food. They also tell me they have a limited menu at night, which I never encounter before. This is after I ordered a dinner that comes with sides. At 10pm no coleslaw, beans or cornbread, and I was looking forward to them, and know I’ve gotten them at a much later time before, so I was given extra fries. I ordered pig knuckles and the counter girl laughed at me and said they are pork knuckles. Well I get to my friend’s house with all the food to find the knuckles are brunt, dry and inedible. Both of us split the very small amount of baby back ribs and double order of fries.

Smokey ribs!!! Yummy and great chicken wings — drum and wing are attached. Good food for the price. Very laid back atmosphere, casual.
Many many other things on the menu to try too. Great place to bring a crowd, music and sports available too.

Friendly staff. Big, clean space with pool table. Tasty wings. Good Brisket and pulled pork, only downside was hamburger style bun, a better bread would help. Highly recommend if or when in Hamilton!

Lunch special is super cost effective and worth coming again. Brisket bbq is so good! This place becomes my favorite spot in Hamilton

Great spot for Pulled Pork or Beef Brisket! Wasn’t expecting much when I first entered but this is how good ‘ol southern style BBQ should be served! HUGE portions, great prices and an awesome atmosphere!
I’d eat here everyday if it wouldn’t make me so fat I couldn’t fit through the door to eat more!

So, let’s start with the best part of the meal, and that was the tequila lime bbq sauce. An awesome sauce with some spectacular flavor and just the right amount of heat. The second best thing about the meal was the atmosphere and the service. This place just looks and feels like a bbq joint should. The woman who served us was very friendly and attentive, and they did get the order right.
And now to the other end of the spectrum. The most disappointing thing about the meal was the meal itself. I had the brisket dinner, and it was sad, to say the least. Maybe I just wasn’t there at the right time,(6pm on a Monday). The meat was dry and almost had no smoke flavor if any at all. The beans were not cooked completely, but I will say that the coleslaw was pretty good. I expected to have some sliced brisket, since it was called a dinner plate, and what I got was 3 brisket sliders. There was plenty of food, especially the fries, but it was disappointing.
I will go back to try it again. Like I said, maybe I just hit them on the wrong night. I will try the ribs next time.

Gf and I ate here and we loved it. She ordered the ribs and sweet potato fries while I had the fish po boy sandwich. Perfectly cooked and reasonably priced. Place is a dive, but it is what it is. At least its not trying to be something its not. Will be back!!!

This place has truly gone down gill.
I now find the wings dry and not saucy like before.
I will say their corn dawgs are still AH-​MAZING. I will love those for ever.

We ate here on a Saturday night and the food was as authentic as real Southern food. We tried the Pulled Pork, Pulled Chicken, & Brisket Rockets (sliders) and St. Louis Ribs. Both dishes come with sides of corn bread, beans, coleslaw, and fries. It’s great food with great prices! It has a very casual environment with a pool table at the back, and quite a few flat screen TVs lined alongside tables at the back. There was also a band setting up around 9 pm. I will definitely go back the next time I’m in Hamilton.

mmm mmm mmm BBQ get in my belly!
I love the good ol’ southern feel to this place. From the road it looks tiny but passing through the doors it’s like you’ve entered a big BBQ joint down south. Picnic tables protected by plastic red and white checkered tablecloths with rolls of paper towel on each to wipe up after yourself.
No table service here, you go straight up to the counter and read your order off the chalkboard menu. Just like you’re at a ribfest. Step up the stair and around the corner to the saloon (bar) to order a cold pint from the barmaid. They have a great selection of micro, local, and the big breweries too. Thankfully we went on a hot summer evening so the misses (girlfriend) and I grabbed a table outside, looking over our pasture (a park). My brain just switched to a southern drawl accent while typing this, it must be the BBQ scented breeze getting to me.
The food is brought out to your table once it’s ready, and boy did it ever look and smell spectacular! We went with what the lady at the counter recommended — a half-​rack of baby back ribs and the slider sampler. The sliders consisted of 1 pulled chicken, 1 pulled pork, and 1 brisket. It’s a great way for first timers to taste a bit of everything. The ribs were fall off the bone delicious.
Rolly Rocket’s left me stuffed to the max but begging to go back again.

Passing by this place on the way to work every day, and I still would never have ventured inside on my own. It took a friend’s suggestion that we head over to spark my interest. I was pleasantly surprised!
The unassuming outdoor décor is rivaled by a unique setup inside. Picnic tables, with full red/​white checkered table cloths lined up, giving the feeling of sitting in a very open area. This was further reinforced when a large garage door was opened to the outside. To the back half was an area for bands to play, which looked to support an acoustic act or small band. Move a few tables, and DANCE-​FLOOR! (Bring your own Disco Ball).
The food was of the southern comfort variety, with pulled and smoked meats, corn bread and thick smoky sauces. I started with the hushpuppies, or deep fried corn bread. The batter was nice and tasty, and the insides were quite moist. I couldn’t figure out what the side sauce was; it looked like tartar, smelled like tartar, everyone else at the table said it tasted like tartar, but I thought it was lime and chipotle [edit: confirmed! Lime and chipotle). For my lunch, I ordered the pulled pork «rockets», and was certainly not let down. A very healthy (or unhealthy, depending on how you look at it) helping of pulled pork was placed into 3 buns. While no sauce came on the sandwiches, the pork was moist and tasty enough on its own. Various sauces were available, with the tequila lime being my favourite.
They are licensed, and I was pleasantly surprised to see Hop City’s Barking Squirrel on tap. Someone here really knows what they’re doing.
I can’t wait to come back on a nice summer day.