Rock Bottom Restaurant

For the first time in my Unilocaling career, I’m not sure about my rating. I went back and forth between three stars and four, so I’m going to give Rock Bottom a 3.5 but only for my most recent visit.
The reason I’m so jittery about rating this place is because I have a different experience every time I go there. I went to law school just down the road and often came here courtesy of generous professors. Some dishes were good. Others weren’t. Sometimes the same dish would vary in quality. Some servers were quick and chatty while others moved like the floor was made of wet cement.
I never know what to expect and that alone means I can’t go «Yay!» One thing hadn’t changed: It takes a while for the servers to take your orders. When they did, however, they were extremely jovial and patient with my special requests.
Now let’s talk about the food.
I ordered the mini street tacos with steak, salsa roja, and tomatillo salsa. I told our bartender to hold the Mexican crema and the cotija cheese because I’m one dollop of cream away from relapsing into my fat fuck days. I also love salsa of any kind. Combined with red meat and a fluffy tortilla, it’s usually enough for me. I hadn’t eaten anything but lettuce for six hours so I was ready for four stacked tacos.
They weren’t stacked so I scarfed them down in 27 seconds and looked over at my girlfriend’s plate. Her Waldorf salad was bigger than my head. She finished almost all of it and said it was okay. It had some fried apple chips in it which I thought was clever but nothing noteworthy aside from that. My own dish wasn’t particularly filling or very balanced in terms of flavor. I rarely tasted any actual meat. There needs to be more steak on those tacos. The salsas were delicious but they completely overpowered the other ingredients. Plus, there was a huge slice of avocado accompanying each taco. I would just make guacamole instead and throw some of that in there to mellow out the bold flavors of the salsas. The concept of the dish was so promising and they missed the mark. Still, tomatillo salsa does leave a pleasing tang and I sustained myself on that until the inevitable slide back into late night fatfuckery.
I hope they don’t get rid of the servers who worked on 6÷9÷2016 at around 7 PM. They’re great. Fix those tacos and this Rock Bottom will be a four-​star dining establishment.

The barbecue brisket pizza is on the same level as a good lay. It tastes like an orgasm you have to try it. Wash it down with the $ 3 beer of the week and you are all set. The only bad part about it is the temperature, feels like you are in a refrigerator.

I went in with some buddies prior to a concert. They tossed us in a booth, kept the beers coming, and provided good, hearty food without a long wait. The big pretzels as appetizers were awesome, and the Monte Cristo sandwich stopped a few arteries. I’d say it’s been pretty reliable to me through the years, and I like their local taps.

There’s a reason this place averages three stars, and honestly I wouldn’t be surprised if it slipped to 2 stars pretty soon. It’s very clearly on a negative downward trend and I can’t recommend it to anyone considering all the competition in the area.
I think it starts with the management. I saw everyone from the executive chef David Moreno down to the manager and bar tender be rude to people. It seems like there’s a toxic environment in this place which negatively impacts the customer experience. Quite frankly it’s too bad. I used to come here with my family and absolutely loved it. Now I think I’ve been for my very last time.
To put the icing on the cake, the food looked incredibly average. Fries looked so soggy and burgers inedible that we actually decided not to order. Save your money and your time.
I won’t give this place a 1 star because I know that it used to be somewhat decent. But until management gets replaced I think this place will keep driving down toward rock bottom. Sigh.

Very cool about reservation and needing to move it. Outdoor seating is nice. Waitress was actually very nice. They cater to the theater crowd so maybe they don’t need to try hard with the food. It sucked. Wife couldn’t eat her steak salad and my fish and chips was awful. Guacamole was disgusting. Bathroom a soaked mess without soap. Would never return.

Visited here late night on a Saturday while visiting friends in Boston. And boy was it busy! I’m a little spoiled with microbrews from Vermont and farm to table ingredients, but this place was pretty decent for what we were looking for. I tried out their Hibiscus wheat beer which was pretty tasty and had hints of ginger (yum!). I would also recommend the Red Ale, very flavorful with a cask-​aged taste to it. Food portions were on the large side and heavy. I went with the pasta and it was gigantic. Friend’s dishes were also on the massive side (nachos, enchilada, and mac & cheese. If you’re looking to get filling meal and some beers to wash it down before a night on the town, this is the place! Not to mention, it’s conveniently located (our hotel was just a block away)!

Great burger selection and fun environment. 2AM burger is my personal favorite; it comes with a sunny side up egg and hashbrown in the burger and a side of fries for about $ 11. Nice young crowd with occasionally families in there. Full bar and huge tv screens to watch games. Good place to be with a large crowd or group and even okay to have a small party of two.

Lousy service. You will never see me there again.

I came here with my family after seeing a show at the Charles Playhouse. It’s a great place to go after a show because of the convenience factor, and because it seems to really pick up later on in the evening.
My party of 7 had a reservation and as a result we were seated right away. They have a large beer selection (some they even make themselves), and a full bar. I had a margarita and it was delicious. The menu has a lot of variety. I think everyone in my party ordered a burger or sandwich, but the menu also has a huge selection of salads, steaks, seafood, and even tacos.
I had an avocado chicken sandwich. It was fresh and flavorful and filling. The fries that came on the side were also fresh and delicious. My party ordered two desserts, but I was so full from my sandwich that I couldn’t even partake (and it was my birthday!).
It was pretty loud, and the service was a little slow, otherwise I’d have given it a perfect 5 stars. I’ll definitely check it out again if I’m in the area.

I went here with a few friends to hang out since we go to school nearby.
I ordered the burger and specified no onions nor pickles. And guess what? It had onions and pickles. The actual burger itself tasted really good and was cooked to my liking (medium well).
I’m deducting too points because they messed up my order and the service was bad.

I have been coming here for 3 years. The food is good and the $ 3 beer specials are good value. The staff in general are friendly and attentive. Unfortunately this has gone downhill the last couple visits. After sitting at a somewhat empty bar, the bar tender walked passed me three times without any greeting. She went to go hide at the other end of the bar and it wasn’t until 15 minutes later that after flagging someone down I managed to get a drink and food order in. Also they have a new rule where if you are paying cash, you need to pay up front. First time in three years! This used to be a favorite place to grab a beer after work… Not any more!

I’m not from the area so just trying a location for the first time and definitely not the greatest. Being from the south I wouldn’t recommend getting enchiladas, but the pass the edible test. The mac n cheese is delicious along with the French fries. Mango ice tea was missing the strong mango favor however my waiter was great and catered to my needs. There is a serious up charge on items you wish to substitute so I recommend sticking to what’s offered. Did not try the variety of beers however many other customers seemed to enjoy in their binge.

The fish street tacos here are Delish. I really enjoy the ambiance but not only was there a drunk women at the bar who was being very annoying and the staff didn’t seem very happy. Must have just been too busy.

Pretty extensive beer and cocktail menu for reasonable prices. Don’t remember the last time I got a Long Island Iced Tea for under $ 9. However, our server walked away after taking the food order of only some members of our party. Shouldn’t they check in with everyone before doing that?
The guacamole was delicious and my smoked tomato and kale caesar salad were excellent and the food came very fast for a Saturday night. I will most likely be back.

Typical bar food with a convenient location. The prices were pretty decent too, about $ 7 and up. One cool thing the restaurant had on its menu was housemade rootbeer. For the entrée, I had the lobster and shrimp enchilada. While the side of rice really hit the spot on a cold late November night, the dish really skimped out on the lobster. It wasn’t worth the wait or the money. On another note, service started going downhill towards the end of the meal. It took 15−20mins to flag down the waitress to take our bill despite the place not being full. With so many great restaurants around, I don’t see a reason to return here.

Rock Bottom. Not a bad establishment. I’ve never had a dull moment or bad experience. When I’m in the theater district and craving good pub eats and a pint, I think of this place. It’s centrally located and has a decent menu.
Things to try: nachos, pretzels with jalapeño dip, turkey burger, southwestern egg rolls, and house IPA
Service has been good. There was this one time where they brought out the wrong order for a friend but they were quick to correct it so yay for that.
I’ll keep on coming back, Rock Bottom. :)

Cenamos mientras veíamos el partido de los Bears. La comida buena en relación con el precio. El sitio agradable. Me gustó micho. Si vuelvo a Boston, visitaré de nuevo este lugar.

I typically try to stay away from chains, especially when I’m in a city with such a variety of great restaurants. However! Rock Bottom is one of those chains that I could visit across the country and never grow tired of their food. We love home brews, creative comfort food and a laid back atmosphere and that was exactly what we found. The Rocktoberfest is one of the best Octoberfests I’ve had and you can see why it’s won the awards that it’s won. The pumpkin beer was great too and definitely a heartier beer than a lot of lighter pumpkin beers on the market. I ordered the Cuban Cristo sandwich which was everything I wanted in a Cuban sandwich… and then batter dipped and fried. What?! Yeah. It was as delicious as you’d imagine it to be.
I will 100% come back next time I’m seeing a show and in the area.

**bar review only**
Rock Bottom is a chain that I had heard of and never been to, so when I saw it walking around the city with my husband I was drawn in immediately for a beer. I’m glad I finally made the time to stop in and will have to test out the one near me now that we are home. The staff was welcoming and observant. We sat at the bar and both ordered flights and I was surprised with how quickly our glasses were bused after we were done with them. I loved their Saison, Amber Ale, Chocolate Rye Stout and their Ember City Red. I also really liked the chorizo pretzel bites we split. Although I can’t speak to what the restaurant experience is like, I would not hesitate to come back here for a drink.

I’ve only been here for drinks.
Here’s how you can get the most from your experience at Rock Bottom: go there for a televised event. Order a round of the $ 3 beer of the week. Cross your fingers and hope it’s good.
If it’s good, you’re going to have a good night. If not, then don’t risk your money for one of the other hand-​crafted beers. Just leave. Pro-​tip: they mark up the other hand-​crafted beers so be careful in ordering other drinks here.
Service is generally slow but the noise level is very social.

We came here on a bitter, bitter cold night (windchill of –16) before a show at the Wilbur, across the street, and it was a great find! At first there was a sign in front of the accessible entrance, and we could not get in on our own, but it did not take long before someone noticed us and we were kindly escorted inside.
We had about an hour before our show, and the service was prompt, and very friendly and accommodating.
I had the garden margarita, and the fish tacos, and the boy had a stout and the southwest salad with chicken. We also got the pretzel appetizer which would have been a meal in itself! Everything was so good!
This place is going on my list of spacious, convenient places to meet someone downtown, and I can’t wait to come back when I can feel my extremities and try their beer flight!