Merichka's Restaurant

The Poor Boy sandwich is unlike any other 'po-boy' or roast beef sandwich anywhere else in the country, despite the shared name. The preparation begins with a long, soft Italian-style roll that is split, generously buttered, seasoned with a proprietary blend of garlic powder, paprika, parsley, and other spices that has remained a closely guarded family secret since 1933, and then broiled until the butter has soaked into the bread and the surface is just turning golden. Thinly sliced roast beef — slow-roasted in-house, never deli-sliced or pre-packaged — is layered on warm, and the sandwich is served open-faced or closed depending on customer preference, with the buttered, seasoned bread doing most of the flavor work.

The result is a sandwich that is impossibly more than the sum of its parts. The buttered, seasoned, broiled bread is itself a revelation, and the roast beef adds substance without overwhelming the bread-forward character of the original recipe. Regulars order the sandwich with various add-ons — a slice of cheese, a layer of horseradish sauce, sometimes peppers — but the classic preparation is the only way to truly understand why this single sandwich made Merichka's famous. The price has stayed remarkably reasonable at around $11 to $13 for the standard size, with larger 'Big Boy' and family-size versions available for travelers wanting to take some home for the road.

The sandwich's reputation has spread well beyond Joliet over the decades. Food historians have credited it as the precursor to several regional buttered-garlic-bread sandwich traditions, and traveling food critics including those from Chicago newspapers, regional magazines, and national television programs have made specific pilgrimages to Theodore Street to try the original. The family has been offered numerous opportunities to franchise or commercialize the recipe but has consistently declined, preferring to keep the operation family-owned and the recipe within the original family kitchen.

While the Poor Boy is the headline draw, the broader menu rewards repeat visits. The Croatian-American specialties include sarma (cabbage rolls stuffed with seasoned ground beef and pork, slow-simmered in a sauerkraut-tomato broth), pork schnitzel (lightly breaded and pan-fried to a golden crisp, served with mashed potatoes and gravy), and a slow-cooked beef goulash that delivers exactly the kind of deep, comforting flavor that defined immigrant-family Sunday dinners across the industrial Midwest. Each of these dishes is prepared from recipes the founder brought from Croatia and adapted over decades for local ingredients and tastes.

Italian-American influences are well represented, reflecting the broader Joliet immigrant mix. House-made meatballs over spaghetti, lasagna layered with multiple cheeses and Bolognese, and chicken vesuvio (a Chicago-area classic of bone-in chicken pan-roasted with garlic, peas, and crisp potato wedges) are all reliably excellent. The Friday fish fry deserves special mention — generous portions of beer-battered cod or Icelandic haddock served with crinkle-cut fries, coleslaw, and a slice of lemon, all for under $20 per plate. Friday nights at Merichka's are extraordinarily busy and reservations are essentially mandatory.

American steakhouse classics round out the menu for travelers wanting more familiar territory. A 16-ounce strip steak, a half-pound burger that is among the best in Will County, ribs in a tangy house-made barbecue sauce, and roast chicken with all the traditional sides are all available. The kids' menu is generous and affordable, making the restaurant a strong family destination. Desserts include classic American options — cheesecake, apple pie, brownie sundae — plus a Croatian-style walnut roll that is worth saving room for and is available to take home by the loaf.

The Theodore Street location is the original and is the recommended choice for first-time visitors. Free parking is available in a dedicated lot, the dining room can seat about 150, and the atmosphere is the most evocative. The downtown Joliet outpost added in recent years is smaller, more modern in design, and convenient for travelers staying at downtown hotels but lacks some of the historical character of the original. Both locations serve the full menu including the Poor Boy. Reservations are recommended on Friday and Saturday nights, and the restaurant is happy to accommodate large groups with advance notice.

Mary 'Merichka' Drnjevich emigrated from Croatia in the early 1900s and opened the restaurant during the Great Depression after working various jobs to support her family. The business survived World War II rationing, the postwar boom, the decline of Joliet's steel industry, and the steady changes in American dining preferences across the late twentieth century. Each generation of the family has contributed to the restaurant's evolution while preserving the core identity. The current owners are deeply involved in Joliet community life and Route 66 heritage organizations, and the restaurant frequently participates in local festivals, fundraisers, and tourism partnerships.

For travelers planning their Joliet Route 66 day, lunch at Merichka's followed by afternoon stops at the Joliet Area Historical Museum and Rialto Square Theatre, then dinner downtown elsewhere, is a popular pacing. Alternatively, a late lunch or early dinner here after touring the Old Joliet Prison and Iron Works in the morning works equally well. Be sure to order at least one Poor Boy to share among the table even if everyone is also ordering a main course — it is the dish that defines the restaurant, and missing it would be a genuine Mother Road oversight.