Cafe Rolle, a small Sacramento restaurant with ‘big success,’ is closing, owner says
Cafe Rolle, the beloved east Sacramento French restaurant that once earned a high position on a national Yelp restaurant listing, will be closing.
The cafe’s proprietor, William Rolle, announced Wednesday in a post on the restaurant’s Facebook page that it was time to close up shop at 5357 H Street for good.
“After taking a much-needed vacation and careful consideration, I have decided to retire my career as a restaurant owner and close Cafe Rolle permanently,” Rolle said. “Thank you so much for your support, loyalty, and friendship over the last 17 years and for making my small restaurant such a big success for me.”
Cafe Rolle opened in 2002 and established a glowing reputation among Sacramento eateries over the years.
Rolle told The Sacramento Bee on Wednesday night he is ready for a change after all these years of running his eatery.
“I’ve had the restaurant for 17 years — and it’s me,” Rolle said. “I’m the first one to get in and the last one to leave. After 17 years, you start to get tired.”
The restaurant was highlighted by Guy Fieri on his television show, “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” in 2009, launching it into the national spotlight.
In 2014, a Sacramento Bee reviewer wrote that “Many of Monsieur Rolle’s most ardent fans insist that a visit to Cafe Rolle is the next best thing to ducking into a Paris bistro or happening upon a quaint cafe in Provence and coming face to face with French country cooking at its best.” Although the review was less than favorable overall, The Bee praised the cafe’s lunchtime sandwich fare.
Later that same year, Yelp included Cafe Rolle on its first list of America’s 100 best restaurants, now a reoccurring annual event, giving it the 36th slot, just a few below from the only other Sacramento mention, The Kitchen.
Again in 2016, Cafe Rolle appeared on Yelp’s list, this time at 74th and as Sacramento’s only envoy.
Rolle said that reading all the reviews — both positive and negative — always pushed him to do better. But as for the road ahead, that’s yet to be decided.
“I’m just a small guy who opened a small restaurant,” he said. “I’m looking to find a job that brings me as much happiness as my business.”
This story was originally published January 8, 2020 at 6:45 PM.
