The Rock NYC

Sometimes, the best part about Manhattan is leaving it. So glad we found The Rock NYC. The menu was simple. The food was good. The décor was intriguing and inviting. It had a nice wood interior. I especially liked the barrel table tops. All the mismatched pillows added interest to the bench.
We started with:
The Rock Cab Sauvignon & Reisling:
Both were good. The Riesling was delightful and sweet. But I definitely couldn’t do another glass. The sweetness really builds up.
Schofferhofer Grapefruit Shandy: sweet, fruity, & refreshing
Chorizo Arancini — Mini Saffron Rice Balls with chorizo and Gruyère cheese with spicy aioli sauce:
These little balls were so good. The rice had good flavor. Combined with the chorizo, the flavor profile gained depth. I couldn’t quite taste the gruyère, but I could still get a hint of the cheese. The unassuming sauce was spicier than I thought it would be.
Garlic Shrimp, Bread, & Blueberry-​infused cheese:
Good shrimp. I wish there were more shrimp in the bowl. They were tender and just cooked enough and soaked in a buttery sauce. I’m not sure how they decided to pair the shrimp with blueberry-​infused cheese. The sweetness of the berries cut through the thick cheese nicely and was great on the bread though.
Monkey Bread — cheese & pesto:
This was the most memorable dish. I don’t think I would call it monkey bread. It was a generous sized loaf that was segmented. Every crevice was loaded with cheese and pesto sauce. As it baked in the oven, this cheesy pesto-​y mixture permeated every reachable bite of the bread. As you pull apart each segment of the loaf, you can clearly see just how cheesy it is. Salty, cheesy, delicious carbs.
As satisfying as the food was, the stars of this establishment are clearly the staff. Our waitress, Marta, was so sweet. She generated a conversation with us about their wine selection, her personal favorites, and how much she enjoys the monkey bread despite having Celiac disease. She says the discomfort is worth the taste. Hearing this, I knew I had to try the monkey bread myself.
The bartender/​owner, who I believe is Cecil, was also a delight to meet. He asked us how our meal was, and seemed to be genuinely curious as to how much we enjoyed hanging out at this wine bar. We told him how much we enjoyed our drinks and the food. He brought us a couple more glasses of wine and comped them.
The only downside is this wine bar is too far for me to be a regular. The silver lining is it makes for a great trip away from the grid.

I love this place.
I’ve been here twice and definitely will come again for sure. It’s a little jewel in the community and exactly what a decent wine bar should be.
Firstly, service is amazing. Our waiter/​hostess was as sweet as pie. She was knowledgeable and took care of us both times extremely well. She knew all about wine and the food to a tee. The owner, who I assume if thats him is super cool. He is so sweet and you can tell the staff have good relations with one another.
The interior is small, but cozy. You get the warm and fuzzies when you nestle in one of the cushioned wooden benches. I love that they have live music, first time around when I went it was a girl singing acapella, which was amazing (and she was gorgeous too :3). Second time around I went out with the girls and there was a group of older gentleman jamming. It was nice but definitely waaay too loud.
The wine is great here, but the Sangria triumph it all. It is delicious and definitely get the carafe. Food is yummy. Not a huge selection but everything here is thought out, nothing is excessive. You always know when you are in a good wine bar when staff meticulously looks at each glass to make sure it is spotless, and I’ve seen it all night long during both of my dinners.
Overall? Awesome. Go here and relax.

Love the place. the best red sangria in Rockaway. The bar maid… i think that is what you call her is friendly and knows her stuff. I rarely think of Rockaway as a foodie destination, but the have these really great rice balls. Highly recommend, if your coming, please don’t confuse with the other wine bar a block, yeah that place has a nice yard… but this place has way better wine, beer and eats!

This is such a nice find on Rockaway beach. It’s off the boardwalk but I stumbled upon it.
It’s a nice small wine bar with a good selection of red and white directly from Long Island vineyards. I enjoyed the Pinot Grigio on tap.
They have small tapas to share ranging from garLIC shrimp to empanadas.
Service is excellent, bartender mentioned they have music and band on certain nights. Definitely a must stop while or after a day at the beach!

The food is absolutely incredible. I will be thinking about the chorizo risotto balls for a while. Now we just have to go back a few more times to try the remainder of the menu.

Labor Day weekend in Far Rockaway is a great choice for a NYC stay cation and this restaurant was a good reason why.
After being at the beach all day, my boyfriend and I just wanted to have a light meal before making our way out for the rest of the night.
Our waitress Marta, was very knowledgeable, welcoming, and gave terrific service. We decided to get the charcuterie board, which was excellent choice, we did three meats and three cheeses, which came with hot toasted garlic bread, apples, dried fruits, olives, and nuts. I had a glass of Pinot noir, which Marta has explained was made in Brooklyn, and it was one of the best I had tasted in NYC in ages.
I would absolutely recommend this to anyone that wants to great food with a low key atmosphere splashed with a little romance.

We love this place! My boyfriend and I stumbled in one Saturday for date night. The charcuterie and cheese plate we ordered was on par with some of the best we’ve had, including one in Paris. Marta and Hunter are super nice and helpful! They answered all the questions we had about the menu and were great! The wine is delicious! And because the food was so good, we ate too much and couldn’t get dessert (there’s always next time). We can’t wait to go back here! I can’t say enough good things about this place, you must go if you live in Rockaway or come for a visit.

Stumbled upon this place after coming from the Upper Westside to Rockaway for the first time in my life. Starving after a 2 hour train ride, we quickly looked up on Unilocal a place to eat and tapas + wine sounded really good compared to all the search results around the area.
Everything about this place was great. The décor looked cool. The service was awesome with very friendly conversation. The food was delicious (definitely get the Monkey Bread!). The wine and beer selection was good (and very affordable). You can tell a lot about a place by how their restroom is kept… and this one was very clean!
Next time we’re in Rockaway, this is definitely the place do go any time of the day! Go! Have fun! Drink! Eat! Be merry!

This is a beautiful wine bar with European style décor. Great wine, tasty appetizers, and reasonable prices in the same time. Friendly staff and owner, kind atmosphere. I liked that combination:) will visit again once I am in the neighborhood.

This is a small place for wine, beer and tapas Two blocks from Rockaway Beach. Reasonable prices. Food excellent. We had three different cheeses, chicken empanada and mini samosas. a mixup on our order had us waiting too long and we never tasted the sausage but the owner made it up to us. Two guitarists playing classic rock and pop on Saturday which was fun

Everything is great. Didn’t have a chance to take pictures. This is what we ate kale quinoa salad, ham. croquetas, empanadas, carnitas and garlic shrimp.

Earlier this summer, Team Rockaway wisely decided we needed dinner before heading back to Manhattan. The food was OK, and we enjoyed the wine on tap. The place doesn’t have a full kitchen, which is somewhat limiting in terms of menu offerings.
This is a fine option in the area. Next time I would probably go for a drink and an appetizer rather than dinner.

My only question is, why isn’t this place jam packed???
Great chill vibe with a splash if unpretentious sophistication. The owner Cecile will hangout and chat with you. Makes you feel like you are a guest in his home. Tried a few tapas and can’t wait to go back and try more! Where else can you go in flip flops and sample great wines and great food?
A must when in the Rockaway! I made the trip from Whitestone and I am glad I did!

We actually stopped in this place by mistake while trying to find another bar. I’m glad we stumbled upon it though, cute place!
We ended up just ordering a drink (all beers $ 5. great!). I had a delicious grapefruit shandy.
The menu looked decent and the staff was very friendly. The place is well decorated and clean.
If I’m ever back in Rockaway I will for sure come back here for food!

I never made it to the beach but I did manage to meet some friends after their day at the beach, and we grabbed some food at The Rock. We actually ate all the tapas offered on the menu plus their daily special of mac n’ cheese because we had enough people to be able to do a nice little menu tasting.
The tapas at this bar really run the spectrum of international cuisine, from Mexican to Greek. Don’t expect an authentic or creative bite of each but rather fun, simple bar fare. Of the many tapas, I liked the chorizo aracini, greek lamb balls, and spicy shrimp. It doesn’t take much for chorizo and shrimp to win me over.
The tapas that didn’t impress quite as much were the mac n’ cheese, samosas, and carnitas tacos. It’s not that they weren’t good but they were just pretty standard takes on fan favorites. Basically, you won’t be missing out on much if you choose to skip them but if you happen to be craving any of them, they’ll do the job.
All in all, you’re safe with any order you choose to go with. Enjoy, you hungry sun-​kissed beach goers.

Customer service was amazing. Very friendly and accommodating. The food was delicious. Had one of the cheese/​meat platters and we were ready for seconds. we will certainly be returning. Absolutely no complaints about the food. Every aspect was just right.

The waitress/​bartender was very friendly and informed us of how their menu worked and what she thought was good. We started off by getting the red sangria which was one of the best I have ever had! We then decided to get four plates because as the waitress informed us were small. The prices seem high for small plates however the food is beyond amazing! We got the ham croquettes, the garlic bread, spicy shrimp, and the lamb meatballs. Every plate was better than the last. I have recommended this place to each and everyone of my friends! Great place in Rockaway! Will be back very soon!

There is only one word: Awesome! A great cosy location, very close to the beach with really great food. The Tapas are all fresh made, the service is also great and they got lots of tasty wines and beers. If you ever go to Rockaway Beach — and you should do — go there for dinner!

I love this place and the lesbians are so hot its torture to a heterosexual male. Food is pretty good also. Drop by on a hot day you wont be sorry and relax with a nice chianti.

The Rock NYC is best experienced while one is slightly charred from a lazy afternoon at the beach, and with large parties so that you can try literally all of the tapas, which is just what we did. We ate the following [some descriptions aren’t available since they’re not yet on the website’s menu]:
Samosa — Spicy potato filled phyllo turnover served with coriander chutney
Chorizo Aracini — Mini Saffron Rice Balls with chorizo and a creamy center of Gruyère cheese served with a spicy aioli sauce
Greek Lamb Meatballs — Lemon and onion infused lamb meatballs served with yogurt tatziki sauce
Carnitas Tacos — Slow braised pork served on corn tortillas with pickled onions, crema fresca and Avocado Pico de Gallo
Ham and Cheese Croquettes
Mac and Cheese– pretty sure we got bacon in this too.
Monkey Bread (pesto and cheese baked into the bread)
Spicy shrimp
The tapas that stood out for me the most included the chorizo aracini, ham and cheese croquettes, mac and cheese, samosas, and monkey bread. And I don’t even think I got to try the carnitas tacos, so basically, pretty much all of the food was impressive. Any standouts among the standouts? Why, yes. I’d give that honor to the ham and cheese croquettes and the monkey bread.
The restaurant is pretty tiny, but aside from a few people at the bar and two women lingering over glasses of wine, there was no one in the place. We did come on a bit of a chilly day right at the beginning of beach season, but I still would’ve expected more of a crowd. The atmosphere was very warm and inviting– two gentlemen playing languorous be achy tunes for us, and friendly service. Despite the city name, this place definitely felt suited to the small[er] town vibe that I was picking up from the Rockaways. Isn’t it crazy that the Rockaways are still technically in NYC?
I really hate to mess with the Rock’s previously-​spotless record, but the reason I’m giving it four stars is the red sangria. Several of us ordered it, and it was too sweet for everyone’s taste. I can sometimes even enjoy sangria/​wine on the sweeter side, but not this. :-(To be safe, I’d stick with regular wine.