Rock It Grill

Me– could I see your draft and bottle menus?
Bartender– we don’t have one.
Me– ok, what do you have on draft?
Bartender– ummmm… what, like, other than bud? let me get you a beer list.
Me– look, I’ll just have a double IPA.
Bartender — what, like two IPAs?
Me– never mind, I’ll take a look at that beer list…
Bartender– here you go
Me– this just says «IPA». What is it?
Bartender– I don’t know.
Me– whatever. I guess I’ll have that.
Just… wow…

The fiancée and I are up from Ohio and we had such a blast on Friday night. The crowd was fun, the bar tenders were friendly, and the DJ was the master of karaōke!

Only came to play pool and ended up singing karaōke which was so sad because the song I picked was way faster than I expected, I made such a fool of myself but had a blast!
I don’t think the kitchen was open at the time so I didn’t get anything to eat. Service was good, I’m not a big drinker so when I got a rum pineapple with their rail rum, I had to return it because I couldn’t drink it, and although I saw the bar tender roll her eyes when my server got to her I dudnt care. I know how frustrating it is when a customer returns a drink of good, I’m a server and I sometimes get in trouble for that.
Definitely a cool hangout place!

Live in the neighborhood seen it many times, today we decided to try it, ordered the mussels with marinara sauce, it was amazing, I have cooked since I was a kid, specializing in seafood and Italian, this is one of the best Marinara Sauce I had in quite a while. The mussels were tender and sweet all open and the lemon was juicy and fresh. Highly recommend it. Yes it’s casually designed interiors-​wise; but worth the food. The rest of the party loved their food too.

Laura,
I appreciate you commenting back on my rating and asking for clarification on the matter. It shows you have a devotion to your work/​ownership and it also shows that you are committed to improving the conditions of your establishment.
First — Calling Valerie (or «Valeria»?) a «hard worker» is the same problem we are facing throughout our society right now — Everyone gets a trophy. I’ll try not to say your assessment is way off the mark, but from the brief snap-​shot I was able to witness, she was FAR from working hard. Socializing with a group of friends and not tending to tables was more inline with what I was able to gather. Now I understand a waitress’s job is in fact to socialize, but when it’s directed to one specific table with which she clearly had a history with, it’s hard to say she was working hard.
When we sat down, nobody came to take the order, the table was sticky to the touch and there was a vacant table next to us which hadn’t been bussed yet. The tip was laid out so it was clear the occupants had already left. I had to get up and wave to the bartender in order to get someone’s attention. Most restaurants tend to have waitresses or waiters who come to you… Not the other way around. «Hard workers».
When she did finally take our order, her explanation of the specials and the REQUIREMENTS (rules) were NOT clear and concise. You asked about the «Rules». I thought I did a pretty good job explaining this up front, but I’ll go in to it with a bit more detail — Rules: As per your sign posted in the window facing King Street, it talks about Thursday being $.50 wings. It also states there is a 10 Wing MINIMUM. Underneath that, in small print it talks about having to purchase a beverage. Even though that part is covered by something in the window and hard to see, Valerie made sure to point it out when we initially ordered water with lemon. Got it — Soda, beer, wine or tea. Soda was flat, tea was unsweetened, but again — According to Valerie: «That’s why there’s sugar on the table.» Thumbs up Val!
Back to the sign and the «rules». The sign outside does NOT reflect the sign as you walk in. As you walk in, the sign says «10 Wing LIMIT». So now the two signs completely contradict themselves. Which sign is correct? So that’s what I was referring to when I made a comment about the «rules». There was a list of other «rules» as you walk in and I was able to read them as I sat there with nothing to do waiting on service. I can’t recall what exactly they said, but I found it humorous none the less. Rules are there for a reason, right? I guess no one’s attempted to bring farm animals in to the bar yet, or else I’m sure I would’ve seen something in reference to that on the wall as well!
Look Laura, I’m honestly not trying to be a PITA. I’ve just had it with piss-​poor customer service and as I sat waiting in your restaurant I decided to write my first review and your place was the target. I see that you’re the owner and with that comes responsibility. Valerie isn’t hitting the mark… Not even close to a «hard worker». I’m sure she puts on her hard worker hat when you’re around, but when you’re gone, she blends right in with unsupervised employees throughout our workforce who are just filling a void and trying to get paid doing it. I’ve had up to (150+) employees under my charge at once throughout my career and if any of them were unable to operate under my intent through implicit communication they were either fired or put under the direct supervision of another subordinate. From what I saw at your establishment — Dalton from «Road House» needs to be hired-​on to turn that place around. R.I.P. Patrick Swayze.

This place was ok until about 8pm. The bartender changed and the new one was super inattentive. Also, the. Hi men tenders here were SO BEYOND lack luster and consequently overpriced.

Went in there on a Saturday night. To start out with the positives, the bouncer/​door guy was super cool. The DJ that was doing the karaōke was really nice too.
I was meeting up with a couple of friends. Two of us got there at the same time and we each ordered a beer. Another person showed up and she ordered food which wasn’t correct. It wasn’t crowded at this point but we were still waiting a long time for beers. We got our second beer and when I ordered a third the waitress says… you know pitchers are cheaper. So I ordered a pitcher. Waited about 15 minutes and as I was not looking and talking to someone the waitress puts a mug on the table and walks off. No pitcher of beer though. I waited another 15 – 20 minutes figuring they were a little busy. The problem was there was a large group and another table behind us that didn’t seem to have an issue getting service.
I went to the bar to order the pitcher. Later I went up to get a second one. One of the people that was with us was headed to the bar so I asked her to grab a 3^rd pitcher. When one of the people was ready to leave (just before the rest of us) she wanted to pay her tab. She told the waitress that she was going to cover 2 beers because they put her on my tab. When I went to pay they charged me for 4 pitchers. That I noticed right away. The waitress tried to say she brought me a pitcher which never happened. I knew which bartenders I had gotten the 2 pitchers from and as I said a friend got the 3^rd.
They didn’t care and the waitress was rude. I paid the tab and left because there was no point in arguing with the attitude I was getting.
I wont be going back and neither will the other folks I was with. Seems they double charged my friend for her 2 beers. Waiting on those charges to post so she can dispute that.
Yes we were in on Saturday May 7^th.

Let me preface by saying the food & staff were EXCELLENT! I had the very delicious crab dip with baguette rounds and my friends each had the Mexican tacos and fish tacos which they both said were excellent. My low score has more to do with the karaōke experience as I chose this place solely on this. Myself and two friends, all from out-​of-​town, hadn’t seen each other in a couple of years and our constant when hanging out is karaōke. If you’re not a regular here don’t expect to sing more than once! Myself and my friend each got to sing just once and, while we had signed up for more, the rotation became littered with the same 3 or 4 people, not lending to a balanced rotation. Definitely not the type of experience I had hoped for nor one I will be partaking in again should I be back in the area.

This place was such a joke. The service took forever, and our orders were messed up horribly from the beer to the food. Two in our party were served Yuengling but charged for the premium beer they never ended up getting. Our table ordered water first and never got it. My friend ordered the fry basket, a legitimate thing on their menu that was supposed to contain fried ravioli, pickles, etc, and all he got was a basket of fries for dinner.
We should have left before we sat down, and definitely when our order was so messed up. I don’t understand how a place can be so bad. Avoid at all costs, Alexandria has places that are worlds better than this disaster.

We arrived at 7 on March 30^th. It was so bad my husband had to get us our utensils. My friends were even behind the bar having to help our server to ring up the orders.

This is a hidden gem. Slightly above a «dive bar» and a good hang out for the locals. The Bar Tenders are OUTSTANDING… and always want your experience to make you want to return… The food isn’t too greasy and always tasty…
I recommend the 3 Mexican Tacos, and their Maryland Crab Soup… Both are outstanding!!!

I have never had a bad time here. No matter how busy it is we always seem to find the last open table. The waitresses are fun and the karaōke mixed in with dance music always has the crowd on the dance floor by the end of the night.
I have only sampled the food from other people’s orders, I haven’t ever ordered anything. The fries are really good though and everything else looks good. Standard bar food.

I REALLY enjoyed my night at this place They bartenders are GREAT and they karaōke was even better made me feel like a SUPERSTAR

Very nice homey type of bar. Has great food and prices. The pool tables and karaōke make this a plus and must visit!

Rock-​It-​Grill … Really Rocked-​It!
I really enjoyed my experience at the Rock-​It Grill this past weekend. I organized a birthday party there and everyone in our party had an excellent time. The location was really convenient and the lively, enthusiastic atmosphere encouraged some our less-​outgoing friends to dance and to even belt out a few tunes. This is definitely a go-​to spot for Karaōke and will be a go-​to again spot for me and my friends.
One of the highlights of the night was the absolutely excellent service provided to our group by our server, Valerie. We had a group of about 20 seated across 5 different tables. Valerie not only kept up with all of our food and drink orders, but she also organized the checks in such a fashion that each couple, group, or individual had separate bills. She even kept track of people who arrived later and integrated them seamlessly. She was simply amazing, I am still trying to figure out how she kept it all together.
The food we had was great, the price was less than I expected, the atmosphere was fun and enjoyable (love how the dance floor was packed for both DJ and karaōke performances) and as a first time visitor, they have made me a repeat customer.
If you have not been… check it out, summon up some courage (liquid or otherwise), perform a song or two, and enjoy yourself… you will not regret it!

Overall, Rock It is interesting in a good way. I’m happy to have discovered this spot at the edge of Old Town away from tourist central. Not to say tourists shouldn’t come here. Should you decide to walk a bit further up King Street you’ll be delighted with a comfy spot and impressive karaōke :)
Pros: Great staff and karaōke. I’m guessing there are some regulars as I felt like I was in Nashville at times. Country music scouts should check this place out. Typically people cringe at karaōke in the DMV but these people (for the most part and not including the guy who runs it) know what they’re doing! For once the music made me smile instead of cringe. Cowboy boot girl and cowboy hat man: you rule! The menu has an extensive selection of food which is always a plus. Without everything else I’d be willing to come back here just for the food so long as they get rid of the fruit flies… which we also noticed like a fellow reviewer. Swatting at fruit flies isn’t ideal when trying to eat. Pool is cheap and you pay per game instead of by the hour. Most places in the area are by the hour so that’s a plus. It’s nice to play without being glued to the clock and worrying about when your hour is up.
Cons: Please get new balls for the pool tables! They seem like they’re 100 years old! The guys playing pool next to us switched some up before we started to play that’s how bad they are. One of the guys was also hitting on our waitress which was weird. I felt bad for her as he was hitting on me too and making me feel the same way. He seemed like a regular so I didn’t know what to do. Honestly I’m not trying to offend anyone here. Still, the bouncer wasn’t carding anyone and seemed to know these guys. So I felt there was little I could do other than tell Mr. Creeper to buzz off myself. Hopefully the owners will look into this as it’s the one thing keeping me from returning. Lastly, never in my life have I ever seen the guy in charge of karaōke do karaōke himself. When we were there, there certainly wasn’t a lack of individuals wanting to sing. Yet he built in a few slots for his own performances. Oddly he didn’t have to look at a single word! Magically he knew his songs by heart! Imagine that. And he chose some of the longest songs ever! Bohemian Rhapsody isn’t short by any means. Can’t help but wonder if he’s trying to promote himself. Not cool with all of the other talent and customers in the room! Seriously we didn’t come here to watch the karaōke man sing. Cut that off!

Who doesn’t love karaōke? Who doesn’t like divey bars? Mean people, that’s who. We love it here! Yes it’s a bit dingy, yes there’s fruit flies, yes Jon Taffer would have a field day. but dammit it is a BLAST. Maybe that was the wine talking? I’ve been here a handful of times now and each time is better than the last. My bf and a gf arrived around 8ish, I think karaōke started at 9. maybe 10, I’m not positive. The two of them are karaōke masters and well I suck, so I opted out of singing but I made equally as much of a fool of myself dancing while they sung. Great amount of singers, some amazing, some like me. all enjoyable.you go Glenn CoCo!
Back to what I like… beer and all the foods. We had a couple pitchers of Miller Light which were around $ 13.we also had the fajitas. again, not sure if it was the alcohol talking but DAMN were they delicious. I’d be curious to try them again. Our bartender was attentive and friendly and dealt with some drunkies (not us, thanks) who were getting a bit out of control with dignity and patience I wish I could possess. Outside there was some weird stuff happening to which was pretty funny to watch, just strange convos and interesting groups of people. Can’t wait to go again and get weird.

Was in the area and stopped by… Just because I could… and I wanted to try their «World Class Chili» or whatever the hype was for it.
It’s a typical bar, which is good and no doubt underrated. Has all the requisites: long bar area, raised from the tabled seating area with pool tables in the back and a small stage off to the side near the entrance. I was here at 2:30 pm. I remember because I missed Happy Hour by a half-​hour (damn!). I had the chili and a Rock-​It beer. I grabbed a couple of their books of matches (been awhile since I’d see anything like that). The Chili was OK. A bit watery and not thick like I like it. But the onions were sliced and a nice touch. The house beer was also just «OK»…and «A-​OK» is a fair rating here. Maybe I expected more or felt like it had more to offer from the look of things but at the same time I was there at an off-​peak period and just wanted something to eat and a beer. The bartender was cool though and that’s always a plus.

So no. I was invited here for a co-​workers event. I arrived around 8:30pm. While the first thing I noticed after entering was the horrific smell, the bouncer was even more troubling. I understand the fine line with accomplishing one’s job but this guy was just rude, as he demanded to see my ID, ughh. Slow down killa, no one is going to bring the riot to King Street and especially not Rock-​it-​Grill, lol.
Now back to that smell. It was terrible, I can’t explain it but I’ll try. It was a combination stench mixed between stale cigarettes and a musty, mildewy, putrid odor. A little Febreeze or Glade Air Refreshners work MIRACLES!!! And then it was freezing inside. Freeezzzzzing!!!
I really wanted to stay on account of my coworker but I just couldn’t… I couldn’t see myself ordering or drinking anything either. I’m just totally leery of dining places where it doesn’t smell too sanitary. I left 30 minutes later; my coworker completely understood so I didn’t feel too bad.
I won’t be returning.

I’ve been to Old Town a bunch of times and never really even noticed this place. It’s a quasi dive bar with no frills and a slight dive bar smell. It’s not your usual tourist bar or stuck up DC place so don’t expect a weird theme and tons of tourists, instead they have a bunch of large TVs with sports, a couple of pool tables, a juke box, and a little stage in the front for bands and karaōke.
They don’t have an amazing tap selection, just the standards and their enjoyable Rock-​It Ale so don’t expect the latest craft brews. As for the food, the «small» nachos were huge and more than enough for two people and they were okay but nothing special. They had real cheese and lots of salsa and vegetables but the ground beef seemed more like something from Taco Bell than anything special.
The service was very friendly and totally absent of the «DC attitude» you get some places here. Expect a no frills, neighborhood bar and you’ll enjoy this place. Nothing amazing, just a solid neighborhood bar and I’ll come back here.