Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brwry
Approval Rate: 87%
Reviews 37
by irishgit
Thu Jul 29 2010Mediocre to poor food, shoddy service, and by the high standards of Portland, poor taps. This is one of a chain, and it has none of the charm that many Portland brewpubs have. Dropped in after an absence of several years to see if it had improved, and was disappointed, if not surprised, to find it hadn't.
by pdxtown3312986_34030
Wed Nov 12 2008Great place for a nice handcrafted Brew made on site. The "Wheat" is my personal favorite. Friendly staff, great food. Pool tables offered upstairs as well as TV's, also offers a 21 and older Bar. Don't forget to try the Chicken Genevesse Pasta and the Carrot Cake is a must for desert.
by vick0981
Mon Nov 03 2008I've never been a fan of this place but it had been years since I ate here and years ago I remember it being bad. A friend had a gift card so we ate there yesterday. Not only was it cold and dreary in the place, but the chairs have to be the most uncomfortable chairs I have ever sat in. The food was worse than I remember. My burger was awful and very small. It seriously reminded me of dennys. No joke. There were 4 people in our party and every single entree horrible. My friend got the fish taco's (should have known better) and they tasted soooooo fishy it was unedible. I wouldn't be surprised with our economy, and how bad the food is that Rock Bottom goes under. It wouldn't surprise me at all. The place was like a ghost town. The service was poor as well.
by andrademom
Mon Jun 30 2008A few friends and I went on a slow Tuesday night and sat outside. Our waiter was horrible! He forgot our food order and never even acknowldged it. We just didn't eat. He also forgot a straw for my friend when we first arrived that she needed because she'd recently had jaw surgery. We had to get it ourself! I was so disgusted that when we left I left a note on the "tip" line on the bill- "Thanks for the food and the straw!" I won't be back anytime soon!
by cj9991
Tue Apr 29 2008I went to Rock Bottom for a private party upstairs and just had drinks and one appetizer. The drinks were 50% water and a splash of alcohol. I had one lemon drop and one vodka and soda. Neither you could really taste the alcohol. Even my friends beer tasted like water! He refused to drink it and made them poor another one. I asked the waitress about my drinks and she asked if I wanted a double. No, I want my original drink to taste like it has alcohol in it! These drinks are not cheap! The service was also slow, I think they had one waitress for the whole upstairs; that is 3 separate large parties to work. We were always looking around for her. The last time I was there was several years ago and I don't recall the drinks being watered down, so apparently they must be trying to save some money.
by minckler1
Wed Apr 09 2008People who want to eat out with their families to eat a nice burger or a amazing salad need to come to this restaurant. It has sincere service and you can have a variety of yummy foods from a fruit bowl to a desert. I recomend for you to eat here!!. Good'Day!!
by emh20071
Thu Apr 03 2008We have tried twice to schedule two large parties at Rock Bottom-both times we have had to switch locations due to their ongoing lack of accomodation. They want to charge outrageous prices for minimum purchases (anywhere between $900-$1,800.00) on top of that if you want to rent out the upstairs room (which is actually the best place to put a large party in their crowded establishment) you have to tack on an extra $50 an hour! It's really unfortunate this restaurant is unwilling to host local community members wanting to use their space to celebrate with a large group. Thankfully there are other restaurants around town (Macaroni Grill and The Ram in Clackamas) who graciously and happily took our parties!
by bakkerh1
Tue Apr 01 2008Although Rock Bottom has generally good food and drinks, I have to give them a bad reccomendation for their customer service. I recently had reserved a group space there for a birthday party, but two days before the party they told us that we could not come because of the size of the party (24 people..easy to fit to a few tables). The employee who I spoke with on the phone was not polite and did not appreciate our desire to have a party and bring a large amount of service to the restaurant. I quickly called another restaurant (Ram at Clackamas), who with two days notice made our reservation with no hassles. The service was amazing and I'm sure we would not have had that at Rock Bottom. We do enjoy the food and beer at Rock Bottom and wanted to try once more to have a party there. This time it was for my Fiance and I's engagement party. A friend called them to make the reservation, and again the employees were rude and not the least bit accomodating. They were overbearing with many st... Read more
by choiceman16444_45522
Wed Dec 19 2007Good beer selection. Close to many other bars downtown.
by artist2gir
Mon Oct 29 2007The food is generally good - love their garlic mashed potatoes! The only draw back is that the restaurant is very noisy. Nice for a rowdy evening out but not a date place. My husband and I love to go for the drinks, steak and potatoes. Fun on a rainy winter evening.
by wormpaste1
Sun Jun 24 2007The atmosphere is busy, the food was about average and a little spendy, and the beer was hoppy and bitter just like I like it. But then towards the end of the meal some jerky that worked there put a bucket of soapy cleaning water on top of the booth directly where my girlfriend and I was sitting. Some of the soapy water splashed over and ran down the back of the booth wetting both me and my girlfriend's backs. I immediately stood up and said something to the guy and he looked at me as if I had antennae coming out of my head, with an expression like "WTF, it's only soapy water." I then I told our waiter who was moderately pleasant until now, and he just laughed at us and said "Oopps sorry". I tipped him like a dollar and my friends who were with me were very surprised and tipped him nothing. I am not asking for anything special just good treatment and a real apology (maybe a free dessert) when your cleaning guy screws up and soaks us with whatever foul chemical you use to disinfec... Read more
by nottoman113327_24279
Fri Feb 23 2007They brew their own root beer too. One of the reasons I went, for sure. The first time I was there was for a group get together on a midweek evening. I couldn't believe how noisy it was. It was like a giant bar, which is fine since it's a "pub", but it was terrible for a group meeting. You couldn't hear someone talk two people away. The food was yummy, though 20 bucks for an appetizer platter with the sour cream, guac, and chicken was a bit ridiculous, even though two people could barely eat it. The service was good and the waitress granted my request for a different seating area since my seat was in a high traffic area. Yummy root beer. Everything on the sampler platter (14.99 with no sour cream, guac, or chicken, 20 with) was very good. My wife and I couldn't eat it all along with a very yummy bow of tomato basil soup ($5).
by bls591_1230478955
Tue Nov 14 2006I have been there a couple of times, Wednesdays of course, the beer great, the food average. The service slow both times!!!!
by nicky789918508_48819
Sun Nov 12 2006Rock Bottom is a great place to go for a drink after work or to meet up with friends. The atmosphere is great, the service is good and they do have a great wine list as well as great beer for those who love beer.
by katkin1_1547091404
Mon Oct 23 2006I must say, this is some of the best pulled pork that I have ever had. A bit pricy for everything else though. Get the slaw on the side, and get fruit as your side dish. It doesn't dissapoint. Oh, and the beer's good too!
by contributo_1613956875
Thu Jul 20 2006In Short As night falls, so does the age of the clientele, and the bar is taken over by grown-up Greek system alumni. The menu is a mix of standards (nachos and burgers), and more trendy dishes (sesame calamari, seared ahi tuna). Entrees like fried chicken and ribs are massive. House-brewed beers are available to go in moonshine-style jugs. Try the Black Diamond stout, a dark, smooth brew with a hint of licorice.
by trischli1
Tue Apr 25 2006The food is awesome, the service too, and the beer is fantastic! The prices are low, and almost everything is made from scratch! where else are you going to find that at such low prices! to the person with the party of ten, It clearly states on the menu that there is an auto-gratuity on parties of 8 or more. You'll find that in almost any restaurant!! Your waiter was not being sneaky, it's called AUTO gratuity for a reason!
by mealsfortw
Sat Jan 21 2006I have tried and tried this place over and over just in hopes the food presentation will improve. Yet it does not, time and time again! If I am going to have a $10 burger I has to be great. The bun was wet and the lettuce was old! This place has a great feel to it but the food always terrible. The manager was happy to pass out free dessert tickets for our next visit. But I can promise never again will I set foot in this place.
by tylersmomm
Mon Dec 05 2005My husband and I went to Rock Bottom and got the pretzels and nacho's. So good although the nacho's could have had more beans. Service was good and we didn't have to wait long. Enviroment is fun and a nice change from all the chain places around where we live. There is a parking garage just a block away so parking was not a problem. I am vegetarian and there was a lot of choices for me which was a suprise. There was a pasta dish I considered but it was almost 14.00. yikes. Had shrimp and I don't eat that but never asked what it would have been with no meat. Still....little spendy.
by mschrock137243_8703
Sun Nov 27 2005Great location! Wonderful service and prices. We will be back!
by b00pi3flak_1297919845
Fri Jul 01 2005Its all about the mad beer at semi-rock bottom prices. This place is crowded during any weekend night and is a nice place to enjoy a good meal while chugging beer.
by citysearch4320_12107
Tue May 24 2005This place is really yuppie. The food is okay, but it's like a glorified Applebee's. It's right by Pioneer Square mall, and seems to be a to...
by citysearch8118_02720
Tue May 24 2005There's nothing special or unique about Rock Bottom Restaurants, but their food and beer is really good. They always have a special and at l...
by michele213
Tue Sep 28 2004Some friends of mine from school introduced me to Rock Bottom and I love it. We went there one night after school and two nights later I took my boyfriend there. He loved it as well. I recommend an order of the pretzels, we also tried the nachos and those were awesome! My favorite is the wheat beer. I'm so picky about my beer but the wheat is awesome!! The staff is great, not too pushy, they pretty much leave you alone which I like because if I want to go to a bar I don't necessarily want a bunch of waiters/waitresses bugging me every 10 minutes. Rock Bottom is a new favorite of mine!
by truckdrivi
Sun Aug 15 2004I recently went to dinner at RB with my boyfriend and the food was horrible!! I had the chicken w/ asparagus. The veggies were cold and not so tender for being "steamed". The roasted red potatoes were I believe microwaved, and the chicken...well lets just say I've had better tv dinners. My boyfriends cobb salad was just as bad, the dresssing was gross and the presentation was a mess he said. I think the only thing worth eating was the bread. The service was good though, our waitress was very nice. But I will never eat there ever again!
by kmr13331
Mon Jun 28 2004I do not recommend Rock Bottom to anyone! I had the worst experience ever. We had a party of ten, and at first we were told they don't take reservations, which we found out later was a lie. The hostess didn't want to seat us and told us "Sorry you will have to find somewhere else to go." It took 20 minutes to even get the waiter to our table! He screwed up our bill, and would not admit he made a mistake. He then tried to sneak his gratuity onto the bill without telling us! I will NEVER go to Rock Bottom again and plan on sending a nice letter to them...
by gemini9291
Mon Jun 07 2004You can get the full menu anywhere, big time plus when there is a wait for a dining room table. The food is great, especially the spicy spinich dip. Their Wheat beer is much better than Widmeir, and the beer sampler is lots of beer for like 5 bucks. My friends and I have a great time there friday and saturday nights!
by halfpint1
Wed Aug 06 2003Rock Bottom has a great alder smoked salmon fish &chips platter that is to die for. Thou I don't drink I'v hear the beer is great also. The service and atmospher is wonderfull. Of all the time we've dinned we are always pleased.
by portland_m_1282116596
Mon Jul 14 2003I haven't had the opportunity to try the beer here, but I can comment on their burgers. The one I had tasted almost exactly like the Carl's Jr. Western Burger, which would have been cheaper. The burgers aren't bad, but I think they would have went down easier with a cold one.
by camhu1
Mon May 05 2003How many restaurants have the name of their proprietor, their chef AND their brewmaster lettered on the door? Damn few. But Rock Bottom is one of them. They take pride in their food, their beer, and their establishment. And rightly so. Rock Bottom is a great restaurant that deserves praise. I've never had a bad meal there; everything is good. The appetizers are huge and delicious. And the fish and chips are some of the best I've ever had. But let's get right down to it. The beer is outstanding. Even in a city where everyone knows beer, the beer at Rock Bottom is great. Give the IPA a try. You won't be sorry. And join their Mug Club while you're at it. You get more beer for the same price. Outstanding!
by chowhound3_743354035
Wed Mar 19 2003On a crowded Sat. night with a preschooler (5 y.o.), my husband and I were wary of this franchised pub 2 blocks from our hotel. But overall it was fine. The wait, though crowded, was only 5 minutes. After settling down comfortably in one of their dark paneled booths, we chowed down on some seared ahi-tuna (delish) and had a few beers. Their amber ale (similar to a lemony hefeweizen) matched my fresh halibut perfectly, though the halibut's grill marks were a little off-tasting (bitter/burnt). My husband enjoyed their rich stout with his top sirloin -- cooked perfectly medium rare. Service was fabulous. We ordered dessert (carrot cake) and a gallon of amber ale to go and both were outstanding. Will return.
by ribs_eater
Wed Nov 20 2002The ribs here are excellent, especially the chicken and rib combo!! The barbecue sauce is one of the best that I've ever had!! delicous!! GO THERE TO EAT THE RIBS!!
by batman291
Tue Nov 19 2002This is a good Brew restaurant for any college student who wants to splurge a little bit, while still maintaining enough money for the high class PBR later. The food is good and the atmosphere always feels vibrant. It's always crowded, so expect to wait around a 30 mins. (though they'll tell you 45). The beers are good enough to warrent the trip alone and you can't beat the happy hour specials and appetizers.
by scarlet1223670_19193
Mon Sep 23 2002one of the best porters i have had...great salads too. they have an amazing deal for happy hour too!
by cephira1
Sat Aug 10 2002The staff and food of the Rock Bottom Brewery make it a wonderful experience for casual dining. Though crowded at times, the waiters are always chipper and the food is great for an even better price. It's a great place to dine in Portland.
by markd1_974419234
Sat Jul 20 2002The food is mediocre except the Ahi appetizer which is cooked perfectly. All the beers are house brews and some are better than others. The porter is tasty but the stout is not as strong as a stout should be. Friendly bartenders and a nice atmosphere.
by stewboss1_1781299414
Tue May 21 2002Rock Bottom has a nice location. Rock Bottom has great decor and the pool tables are some of the best kept in the downtown area. Their food is good but corporate in nature (think Red Robin). However, their trade is supposedly beer and their brews are terrible. TERRIBLE.