Roger Rocka’s Dinner Theater

We attended a Sunday lunch and show. The buffet had an excellent selection of salads, soup, vegetables, fruit, and a variety of main dishes. I enjoyed the roast beef. The beverage service was constant and we never had to request a refill. Very pleased with the quality and quantity of our meal. The Christmas Story play was superb. So enjoyable and we would give another 5 for the performance. It was a wonderful Sunday event because of the service, food and program.

Always a great place to come and catch a good show. Atmosphere is great and the place is always packed. Been awhile since I’ve had dinner here, but the desserts are from a local bakery that are great.

If you want to talk about a dynamic, explosive experience, I won’t have a doubt in my mind you are talking about roger rocka’s dinner theatre. It is a place where all generations come together to be whisked away to another place. People old and young dine and mingle before being taken on an adventure!
Let me tell you about mine:
Upon arriving, we shuffled inside and we’re seated right away. The atmosphere is exciting as if magic was in the air. Not knowing what to expect I was happy that my guide of a waitress came to my rescue! She talked us through our orders and we decided to try the shrimp. One bite took me to cloud 9. I was in heaven! The kimchi aioli was to die for and the shrimp were perfectly crisp. Next was a house salad with a delicious house dressing that was reminiscent of thousand island and Italian put together. It was fresh and yummy! Then we ordered dinner. I got the flat iron steak, medium rare. Everything on my plate sang in perfect harmony. Each taste had me drooling for the next. Each taste complimented the other and it kept getting better and better.
But it was time for the show to start! The production I saw was «all shook up» and was an elvis themed musical. The clothes, the make up, the hair took me back to the era of «the king». The play was fun-​loving and catchy. The acting was delightfully playful and exagerated. But what suprised me was the beautiful voices of the cast! A few of them could really get me caught up into the song when they sang. THEY had ME all shook up!
Roger rocka’s has dinner and theatre combined and they couldn’t have done it any better. There is a 5* chef in the back making memories happen for me. There is dedicated and hard working cast who makes every scene look so effortlessly natural and entertaining. I had the best experience here and I’ll never forget it. The staff was friendly and didnt rush me. The batrooms were clean! The ambiance is festive and lighthearted. It is not at all pricey for what you get. The show was a blast! This is one for the books! This is the place to take your first date, wedding anniversary, birthday, whatever! And if it’s your first time, there is a spotlight for you! Literally, if your friends notify them of it being your first time or special occasion, they announce it and the spotlight is on YOU! I had a great time, thanks roger rocka’s and company!

This is such a gem in Fresno. I wish we had something like this in Los Angeles. Now this is a good reason to visit Fresno.
I went with my partner and friends to watch a performance of Oliver the musical at this place and the performance was great. The show featured some local talents that included a lot of very talented kids. It’s nice to know that the community in Fresno really cares and offers an excellent opportunity for young talents.
The food was also excellent. Their bruschetta is worth coming back for. I had a steak dinner and it was coked to perfection. Their cocktails were also very exotic and fancy looking. I had such a wonderful time and I highly recommend for everyone to try this theater.

Performances always excellent. Food most of the time is pretty good. But the chairs are uncomfortable!

We had a group of 6 to see the play South Pacific. Being a City snob, I was unsure about going to a dinner theatre in Fresno. Which would be worse, the food or the entertainment?
I am happy to report that the food & service were very good! My swordfish was delicious, hubby’s filet very good. Also heard good reports on the chicken as well. Drinks were good, fairly priced. Desserts were fair.
South Pacific is not my favorite Rogers & Hammerstein musical. That was the only movie musical I didn’t like. Well, I am happy to report that not only was the play fast moving, it was very well done by this local company. I was thoroughly entertained, and everyone at the table had a great time.
I appreciated their recognition of special events — birthdays, anniversaries, etc.
Loved the intimate setting. We would definitely go back again! Highly recommend for a fair priced evening of entertainment.

Truly enjoyed the show — «Smokey Joe’s Café» — all the performers were great, but Issac was outstanding. We really had a great time.
But, the brunch buffet left alot to be desired. The cheese blitz and fresh fruit were wonderful, as was the variety of green salads, but the dishes that should’ve been served hot, were barely warm. The roast beef was cold and so stringy it was not eatable, the horseradish sauce had very little horseradish in it — not what I expect from a well known dinner theatre establishment. With a buffet like the one they use, there is no reason for barely warm food.
Ending on a positive note — the servers were friendly and efficient, we never had to ask for anything; the drink menu is outstanding and tasty and the desserts we ordered — cookie & cream cheesecake and apple/​cranberry cobbler were certainly top notch.
I would return to see another show, but I’m not too sure about dinner/​brunch.

I would love to give this place 5 stars… Food was good, play was great, service was spectacular… But I have to agree w the other reviews… The chairs are SOOO uncomfortable to sit for that long!!!

It took me far too long to get here. Now that I have, my only regret is not doing it sooner. I’m not a big buffet lover but the food was nice and hot, really fresh, and pretty tasty. We saw West Side Story and it was fantastic. I’d heard good things about past productions at this theater but I’m not sure those reviews did them justice. I found myself so wrapped up in the show that everything and everyone around me faded away until it was as if I had been trasported to Westside Manhattan back in the late 50s. The sets were great and the casting couldn’t have been better. I’m really looking forward to going back to see as many shows as possible. What a marvelous way to spend an evening.

The play West Side Story and dinner was really good. I have been here several times to see plays and everyone of them was amazing. I would highly recommend everyone to go by and enjoy a dinner and watch a play. The staff there is always very friendly and helpful.

I recently introduced my children to live theater. If you are a picky Eater I would recommend going on the Sunday buffet just because they have a better variety. I love coming her. Service is always friendly and it’s always a good show. I will probably buy a membership very soon

Great brunch Buffett. You must try the cheese blitz and Portuguese eggs. Awesome! Service couldn’t be better anywhere. We haven’t been here for many years and I don’t have a good reason for it. Will definitely make it more of a habit.
The show was top notch. Can’t write enough positive adjectives. Spent last week in San Diego and found noting close to compare to the great time we had at this place.

I can’t believe I’ve live in Fresno for 35 years and have never been to this place before! What a great time we had here. This place is great for a night out! The food here was VERY GOOD!!! And the service was even BETTER!!! They are all about the customer here!!! The customer comes first!!! The place is very clean, and the show was great!!! We had a great evening here and will definitely return again!!! This place is a gem and everyone should try this at least once!!!

What’s not to love about entertainment combined with great food? I surprised my husband by bringing him here for his birthday. The play was funny, and the actors were talented. We did the buffet because it was Thursday night, but next time we would really like to come on a Friday or Saturday and order off the menu. The food was really good. Very impressed. The service was excellent. I don’t think I ever saw the bottom of my water glass. I was sad to see that there weren’t any people in our age group there (early 30’s). I hope it was just a fluke. I’d like to think that more people our age appreciate live performances. :)
Can’t wait to go back!

Wed night pasta, come on just call it spaghetti night its ok!
Food and service was just ok, accustomed to better there,
show was GREAT, cant wait for West Side Story!

I am a city slicking food, art and entertainment snob. So when we received tickets for this place for Christmas… well I did not know what to think. So with great trepidation we went… I was pleasantly surprised. Now, it’s not the Met with a Mastro’s restaurant in it but it was fun.
The service was good. The food was actually very good. I had the beef short ribs which were tender and tasty. I also sampled the sole and chicken which were also good. The caramel cheesecake and pecan pie were lovely as well.
The drinks were excellent. I tried the «Monster» and the «Transylvania Tea».
The best part of the whole evening however was the show «Young Frankenstein». The show was funny, well acted and the cast were great. I watched the movie a few days before and it stayed quite close to the original script (with added music and songs).
We were there from 5:30 to 10:30pm, so a full five hours of food and entertainment. All for around $ 70-​$ 80 a person. I highly recommend it.
Went to see «The Pirates of Penzance» in December 2013 and it was very good. We will be seeing «Smoking Joe’s Café» this Christmas.

EDITED BASED ON OWNER’S COMMENT TO MY REVIEW:
Price break down: (for the Friday night show)
$ 50 Dinner and Show (Dinner only includes the main courses — not drinks or dessert)
+ $ 18.50 (one drink and one dessert)
or
+ $ 26.50 (3 drinks and one dessert)
So price ranges from $ 50 (if you’re just going to drink water all night and no dessert) to $ 76.50 (for three drinks and one dessert). Also, it’s a $ 5 charge to purchase online, which makes it total $ 81.50.
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This was the perfect thing to do for a low key, light fun, and relaxing Friday night out. The food was pretty good — loved the eggplant dish more than the sea bass «catch of the day,» and the entertainment was above mediocre. Prior reviews raved about this place, and overall, I enjoyed my experience!
Downsides:
1) Disconnected storyline: Some scenes were oddly placed, serving no purpose. Felt like they were «fillers.» Usually, storyline gradually builds with with every scene, but Curtains was very linear.
2) Food tasted magnificent, but the plating could have been better.
3) Chairs — they weren’t as uncomfortable as other Unilocalers mentioned, but they bring down the quality of the interior décor (considering my date and I paid around $ 70 a person). Not a cheap show, so not-​so-​cheap chairs would be nice!

My husband and I went to the Sunday night buffet last night, and we saw Monty Python’s «Spamelot». The food was absolutely delicious. Not at all your typical «buffet» style food. I tried a little of almost everything, and there wasn’t one bite I did not enjoy. The chicken was cooked perfectly, the shepherd’s pie was to DIE for, the pork had some large pieces of pepper that made a couple bites a bit spicy, but still moist and very yummy. Great sides, great drinks, just great. As for the show, wow! We had so much fun! The cast did an amazing job pulling it all together and putting a very interesting twist on the original «Holy Grail». We were dying laughing, left with full bellies, and we had to call a cab because the bartender did not skimp on the alcohol. Overall, a very good experience. I am looking forward to going again, and again!

We went to see Beehive last night. My review is only about the food at Roger Rocka’s. We got there pretty early (5:30) so we were hungry. There were several items on the appetizer menu — one was a slightly spicy shrimp scampi. I was totally «blown away» by this dish. It was the most flavorful appetizer I have EVER had — and I am 77 years old. We talked about getting another shrimp appetizer, but waited for dinner. The sauce was incredible! Roger Rocka’s has a really masterful chef!
I ordered chicken picatta? for dinner. It was also a miracle. The chicken was lightly breaded and covered with another great sauce and capers. OMG the chicken could be cut with a fork — I was in rapture from eating my meal — again the best chicken I have ever eaten!
I hope Roger Rocka’s doesn’t loose their chef — I would go there every night if I could afford to. Their buffet is good, but their dinner nights are wonderful!

I am so appallingly late in writing this review. Months ago I went up to Fresno to see my family and to celebrate my… um… soon-​to-​be sister in-law’s birthday. Demi, decided that instead of a party she wanted all her friends to go with her to go to Roger Rocka’s. I grew up around Fresno so I was familiar with what Roger Rocka’s was but I had no idea how fun this night would be.
We saw Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. The table where we were seated was right up front. We shared our table with a really nice older couple. They were regulars. They filled us in on the whole set up. It’s important to make sure you go to the bathroom before everything starts, when you have a chance. Out of consideration for the ladies, during the intermission they open the men’s room to the women so that the line can be absorbed in a timely manner. It was really good to know this beforehand.
Ok now, the food. I had the Grilled Filet Mignon with Buttermilk Onion rings. It came with Asparagus and Rosemary Whipped Potatoes in a Red Wine Black Pepper Jus. I paid an extra $ 10 for this meal. According to the menu, the chef was Eric DeGroot and his sous chef was Dan Walker. Holy Hell! do these guys know how to cook a steak. I am a steak person. I LOVE steak. I grill something about twice a week on average and a lot of it is steak. This was one of the 20 best meals I have ever eaten. This steak was one of the 10 best steaks I have ever eaten. The Red Wine Black Pepper Jus was incredible. This was SO worth the extra $ 10.
Other food. This may sound silly but I am telling you the single best piece of advice I can give about going to Roger Rocka’s is to get dessert. They have a few options and as long as you get something I am sure you will feel alright but what you do NOT want is to be one of the 10 or 20 sad people sitting there empty handed when they bring out delicious hand scooped ice cream to EVERYONE around you. I figured I’d be full from the meal so I didn’t order any. The meal was excellent and filling but we watched a big portion of the show before the dessert came so you have time to digest. Trust me, get the ice cream. This stuff is like gourmet ice cream and you WILL want some.
The show was great. I wish I had taken the time to write this when it was all still fresh in my mind and when I remembered the names of the actors and such. You get a little pre-​show with some child actors. It’s kind of nice. I really like theatre but I so rarely get the opportunity to enjoy it. This was one of those nights that leave you with the overwhelming feeling that you need to make a genuine effort to go to the theatre more often.
This is the kind, and quality, of entertainment that you expect from LA and SF; and sadly not from Fresno. Bravo Roger Rocka’s. Keep it up.
(and just so you know, Roger Rocka’s, I WILL PAY YOU FOR THE RECIPE FOR THAT RED WINE SAUCE!)