The Rookery Alehouse and Grill

just dropped in here before a show at the glasshouse and was not disappointed.
our server alyssa was worthy of writing a review right after — aka before I forget. super sweet girl and great service.
great selection of craft beers and good bar food. had the ipa battered fried cauliflower and asparagus both delish.

Had a great time! Great staff. Talked with the owner and bartenders. Great food and wonderful beer on tap. Rest of the scores and reviews got it covered. Come enjoy the vibe, the food, the brews.

I come here for the food and it never fails. It’s some of the best food in downtown Pomona. There is an artisan flair to their sandwiches and burgers. I often order the balsamic chicken sandwich with a side of salad, and the salad has always been consistent. It feels like they just harvested, washed, and prepared the salad. I haven’t found a salad like this anywhere else. The beer battered onion rings are also very unique and melt in your mouth.
A plus is the quality craft beer selection that is always rotating. It’s a pleasant surprise every time. To me though, the food is what is awesome.

Let’s start with the service. It took 10 min to get our 2 burgers with salad. We had to ask for forks and napkins. The patties were not over cooked which was good but there’s no my much flavor. The bread was slightly warmed. The burger overall has a decent taste but it’s too dry. I had to ask for ketchup which took another 5 min with one waiter passing by a few times without acknowledging us.
On the bright side, the place has a good selection of local brews and the atmosphere is nice. It’s a good set up with some cool décor. Much potential to be a better gastro pub.

Great food! The service can be slow when busy, but for the most part good service.
I recommend the Blue Collar Burger! One of my personal favorites. I usually get the blue cheese on the size so it not too overwhelming in the burger.
They have an assorted mix of beers, ciders, and wine. I recommend the Pear Cider its refreshing and not to heavy perfect after along work day!
Overall great burger joint in Pomona!

For those of you unfamiliar with the definition, a rookery is a dense collection of housing located with a «slum» area of a town. If you’re talking about a place «housing» a bunch of high ABV beers in Pomona… well, you’ve definitely got yourself a rookery.
This place is nice and quiet, but still carries the «pulse» of people chatting and music playing throughout the bar. Unfortunately on my visit, I had eaten prior to stopping in. Sitting at the bar and watching delicious looking burger after burger leave the kitchen, I had really wished I hadn’t. Those burgers looked just about as good as I’ve seen at any gastropub or high end restaurant.
Again, the majority of beers available for purchase (whether on tap or in bottle) were all high ABV. Additionally, they offer most of the selection on tap in 4 or 8 ounce pours. Some of the beers are available in pints (but they’ll be less ABV). Despite having plenty of taps, they were dominated by stouts and IPAs. Three 4 ounce beers in and I was «stouted out». Having a barleywine or belgian available would have been nice.
One of the servers (the one at the bar) was extremely nice and attentive. There were two others there the night I visited that didn’t seem like they could care less they were on the clock. Their faces were constantly illuminated from their handheld devices. Just an opinion, but I feel like any employee who is interacting with patrons at a bar needs to be polite and welcoming, it just keeps the atmosphere a little more like «let’s stay and have a few more».
I’ll be checking in again to see how they rotate the beer style selection and to try the food. Based upon the décor and what I can just tell this place has the potential to be (to me), I’m certain I’ll be able to go a full five stars.

What made this place 5 stars for me was the friendly atmosphere. I came here on a Thursday afternoon looking for a quick bite to eat. The place was pretty empty but seemed well decorated with a nice out door seating area.
I was immediately greeted by the waitress. She seemed super friendly and made small talk. She also made sure that nothing I ordered had nuts (since I told her I was allergic). I ordered the mac n cheese, and was delighted when it came out quickly. I loved the mac and cheese. It was heavenly (and only $ 6). Super cheesy and generous portions. It definitely hit the spot! The mac n cheese also had some interesting spices that made it super tasty and different from other mac n cheeses I’ve had.
After eating, I spent the remainder of the time talking to the waitress. She was super awesome and told me about other fun places/​things to do in Pomona. Definitely be on the lookout for Janet at the bar, she’s super nice and welcoming!

I’ve been to the Rookery twice for business-​related meals (lunch and dinner). It’s a simple and safe option when you are dining with people whose tolerance for more «exotic» fare is unknown.
The food is okay; I can’t recall what I ate on my first trip because it was over a year ago, but on my most recent visit a couple of weeks ago, I had the veggie burger with a side salad. I think they make their own patty. It was… interesting. It was seasoned decently but had a slightly sweet taste that I couldn’t quite figure out. My coworker also got the veggie burger and suggested the taste in question might be sweet potato. The real issue though was the texture: the patty was way too soft for my taste. The toppings, red onion, Swiss cheese, and aioli, were fine but nothing special. Ditto for the side salad, which was a spring mix with – you guessed it – red onion and tomato.
The steak dish ordered by our colleague didn’t look all that exciting either.
While the waitresses were friendly, it took quite awhile to get our food and then also the bill and the place wasn’t crowded. At some point I started checking my watch because we had a meeting right after lunch.
I wish I could come here for drinks but alas, this is usually a stop before a crucial work meeting, so I’m never able to imbibe. As it is, the Rookery serves as a decent option for lunch or dinner.

The food was a clear 5 stars, my husband and i enjoyed every single thing we had here, the restaurant itself I am not a huge fan of.
Strange set up, such a large space with 4 tables crammed on one side, 2 high tops on the other, the rest just open space.
Back room is even bigger and only has two communal style tables, so much space wasted.
Also the server is the bartender which is awkward to have him running back and forth the entire time.
Now on to the perfectly fantastic food!
For starters, I wanted ALL the starters, they sounded so good, best is to come with a small group to get to sample more.
I went with the fried asparagus, fried cauliflower and onion rings, all 3 were winners, the onion rings I could pass on next time, but both the cauliflower and asparagus so unique, perfectly breaded, perfectly fried, to die for!
The Veggie burger made in house also excellent, as well as the side salad.
My husbands burger was also exceptional, very juicy, great flavors.
Service was nice, the food did take awhile to come out and we got the starters after our meal.
So many great menu options, I will have to come back and try more next time, for now, so glad we stopped in, worth the trip!

Stopped by here for a quick snack and drink.
It was pretty empty here during a Saturday morning/​afternoon.
This restaurant is very modern and has a nice vibe to it.
Beers on tap and bottled beers.
Staff was very chill and friendly.
The Gunslinger Burger + House Cut French Fries $ 11
(dark ale reduction, tomato, red onion, bacon, pepperjack)
Prices are awesome and food was delicious. The burger had a very nice thick juicy patty. Ingredients were simple but was so fresh and tasty. Add garlic aioli, its amazing!
They truly have some good burgers here.
Emperor Norton Beer $ 6
(Dry Hopped Belgian Tripel with Apricots, 9% 8oz)
This beer was very refreshing. Slightly strong with a hint of apricots. Definitely recommend.
Overall, I like their variety of beer selections and food items. Definitely a great place to go for some food and drinks.

Located in Downtown Pomona and within walking distance from WesternU. Based on that I would come back. But would I drive here, out of my way, and dine here? That’s a good question.
Don’t get me wrong — the food is good. The environment is similar to a Back Abbey kind of thing, sorta like Eureka Burger in Claremont. We missed happy hour, and it looks like they have some good deals, but we went ahead and ordered off the menu.
The Iron Tummy:
Burger topped with bacon and spicy stuff. The patty was a bit dry in my opinion, but all the flavors were there. Served with a side of fries or salad. Bar food at its finest.
Los Iron Fries:
French fries topped with cheese and pickled jalapeños, served with spicy mayo. Simple — good dish to pair with any form of alcohol.
And of course the beer.
Order a flight to get all the tastings that you can. It took several attempts to find a decent tasting beer. But then again, it seems like they rotate their selection of craft beers so the one you like that day may be gone the next day. Everyone likes surprises, right?
Service? Meh. It was there, but nothing impressive. I guess I’ll have to come back during happy hour and give this place another shot.