River Rock

This place is the REAL DEAL! There’s this huge biker-​looking guy with a massive beard that looks imposing as hell (Travis), but he is probably the coolest person I’ve met in L.A. They also have a tremendous whiskey selection and fortunately I plan on becoming a regular, so I’ll be able to experience them all! I guess I’ll see you there sometime.

First off, the food was very tasty. I was thoroughly impressed. We ordered the chipotle short rib tacos, duck pot stickers, habanero hot wings and lamb lollipops. They were all delicious and tasty. The habanero hot wings were not overly spicy and were very delicately trimmed, like a lollipop that literally slid off the bone in one bite! I would highly recommend the food.
Our dining server was awesome (Ricky, I believe). Checked on us regularly and filled our water glasses often.
The bar has games you can request by offering up your ID for exchange — a group was playing Cards Against Humanity that we joined. So much fun.
The one person that really could use some guest relations training was, Roberta (I have been told). She seemed to be in charge of opening the bar/​restaurant. We arrived literally two minutes prior to 5pm. She told us to leave and give her more time to open up. And, NO, we could NOT sit and wait. We could wait in the hotel lobby. BTW: the bar/​restaurant opens at 5:00pm.
When we returned and were moving from the bar (bartender also was great) to the dining space, Roberta, acted like we were bothering her by asking where we should check in for our reservation in the dining space, with, «I guess you could go this way». REALLY??? I was very polite with her and smiled, trying so hard not to say something rude… still smiling.

Bleh! I get the whole «let’s be retro» thing but this is just straight-​up dingy and the staff (you listening bartender girl?) could not have cared less about their work or guests.
Food far below even marginal and drinks… just hilariously poorly executed and expensive.
Run away.

I had a very unpleasant experience there. I found out that I was overcharged next day, so I called them to pay me back for what they over charged. But the manager refused, and said he cannot credit back, and only way I get money back was go there and get cash. This place is next to Sportsman Lodge, so most customers are from out of town, and it is not easy to go back. His attitude was very impolite and hysterical. Cannot believe it.

The food is GREAT! The atmosphere is HORRIBLE.
We were told by our server that they hired a new manager and they are revamping the place. Kudos to re-​doing the menu. Everything we had tasted amazing.
Things they can improve on –
1) A better, well-​stocked wine menu. We tried to order three different bottles… And they out of the three and the next bottle of wine we planned to order was out of stock as well.
2) Get your image together… Is it a bar, nightclub, lounge? I don’t know. The décor and furniture arrangement did not make sense to us. It is like they are trying to transform a college bar into an upscale lounge. Get rid of the «shots bell» and pour beer cans into a glass to make the place a little classier — it looks like a frat house…

We had a reservation for 20 for after our wedding rehearsal and not only did they seat us early, but also gave us the best service ever! Our server Sammy was so amazing! They brought me the smallest Diet Coke I had ever seen and when I asked for another knowing I’d go through it quick she brought me a giant pitcher! Sammy kept coming back to see if we needed anything and made sure we were all taken care of. Everyone else was perfect too. Food was very delicious… I am so excited to have my wedding right next door in 2 days! Thank you so much Sammy and all the River Rock staff :)

This is one of the best Happy Hours in the Valley! The staff is friendly and the manager, Travis is always so accommodating! They have really good food and a dog friendly patio too! A great date place… because it looks swanky but, you get great value!

Great Ribeye a Steak. Excellent Burgers. Great Signature Drinks. Going back next time in Studio City.

Roberta is awesome, she makes the best bloody Mary’s and is such a sweetheart. I would recommend this place just on her alone.

My review is based on service and some of the food being brought out cold.
We dined here last week for a friends surprise birthday. Since she had been there before and loved it, we decided to plan her surprise birthday there as well. We were a total of 10 girls. We arrived and the gentlemen who greeted us at the front was so nice. He told us that our waitress would be with us shortly so we waited, and waited, and and and and and waited. Until a friend of mine went up to the bar and asked if our waitress can come to our table so we can order. The bartender told my friend, she is the bartender and the waitress for the night. 1 lady taking care of the tables for dinner and servicing the bar. Ummmm ok. Kind of weird. She seemed overwhelmed and not patient at all. She took our orders and we waited. Our food arrived about 30 – 40 minutes later. Some of the stuff we ordered came out cold, as if it had been sitting in the kitchen for a while waiting for the ONE person who was working that night to bring it to our table. Shake my head, this is definitely a management/​staffing issue. When the food came out, we had no table settings, our sodas hadn’t come out yet, nothing. Very disappointed, because the place was very nice. Every time, we asked her for something, she gave us attitude. We can tell she was extremely overwhelmed and needed more help. Sadly, unless the staffing issue gets resolved, we won’t be coming back.

I was harsher in my youth.
What’s wrong with the River Rock? I mean, it’s not perfect — but not enough flaws to give it 1 star review.
Will I ever go back? You know what, probably.
Am I happy that it might close? Fuck no, those developer assholes. Hell, I’d fight for it to stay open.
Anyway, there you go.

Stayed at the lodge for 2 weeks with my family, during that stay I attempted to eat at this place 2x and both times the staff were so rude and unprofessional I ended up walking out. I never even got seated or served any food so I can’t say how the food is. I will never bother to attempt dining here again. However, The café in the hotel has a much smaller menu but much nicer staff. So that’s a good alternative if you come across the same experience at The River Rock.

The steak and eggs were great, I got the cognac sauce on the side because I wanted to taste the steak. It was a great steak and eggs and the potatoes that came with it were perfecto. My girlfriend got the a vegetable omelette that was also very good. Service was excellent and the place is old school Hollywood.

I’ve been here multiple times including once for brunch. All in all this place deserves 3 stars maybe 3.5 at best. Brunch was ok, a large variety of food, bottomless mimosas for 15 $, bottomless champagne for 18 $. So the food was decent, every bit of food I’ve eaten here has been at the very least decent. The only reason it deserves those two extra stars is for the bartender Roberta. She is the absolute best, so nice, and just all around a really cool woman, really good at her job.
So depending on why you’re reading this review bottom line, food ok, entertainment kind of non existent, but Roberta A+.

Been coming here for several months for weekly pub trivia. The food drinks and service are always top notch.

I visited this place for a graduation party and thought it would make a cool venue for our co-​ed baby shower in October. I contacted the manager, Travis, by phone who confirmed our requested date and we set up a time to meet. He was super helpful and accommodating and arranged for our event on the South Garden patio — a beautiful outdoor location next to their river where wedding ceremonies are held. Because we chose to host our event during the happy hour time slot, we were able to order food for our guests from the happy hour menu and our guests would also be able to take advantage of the happy hour drink specials! We confirmed our food selections in advance so the kitchen was prepared for our large party of about 50 people and set up our selections in a banquet set-​up with ample serving ware so our guests had everything they needed. We arrived and everything was flawless — we were allowed to provide our sound for music, microphone, linens and décor and Travis and his team took care of the rest — they assisted us with set up and break down and bussed our party regularly to keep things nice and neat. They allowed us to bring in our own deserts for the shower and provided all of the tables and chairs we requested and the event space was lovely. That area is an open space, so guests coming and going to other event spaces on the property did cut through frequently, but it didn’t pose any major disturbances to the shower. The gazebo was the perfect stage for games, gifts, deserts and food set up and they arranged the event space to flow beautifully and even provided a few couches and low tables, which rounded out everything just right!
As an event planner I know it can be extremely difficult to find a great venue that takes advantage of SoCal weather/​beauty, while also accommodating guests all within budget. The River Rock at Sportsmens Lodge fit the bill perfectly and didn’t break the bank! Guests remarked on how beautiful everything was and everything about the day was just perfect. I highly recommend considering it for gatherings — worked so well for both the graduation party I attended and the baby shower I hosted. Thanks again to Travis and his team for making our day special and JUST what we wanted!

Update, bottomless mimosas are NOW $ 15
I would not recommend this place for large parties as it seems the kitchen was overwhelmed and a lot of my friends who ordered chicken sandwhiches received them with not pink, but RED in it still, twice.
The bartender could not make a bloody mary correctly. It tasted like Worcestershire and tobasco.
Overall based on all the food we tried, tostadas had to be the best, but everything was just OK and a bit over priced. The breakfast buffet smelled great but didn’t have a large enough selection at $ 25. I’d look at other places if you could.
Ambiance and location are great but not enough to make brunch worth it.

I recently went here for brunch on a Sunday and it was a great experience! My friend and I sat outside and it was kind of cold so the staff very promptly brought over two heat lamps– one for each of us. Everyone who worked there was super friendly and the service was great. I don’t remember our server’s name but she was a very cute pregnant lady. Anyway, we each got the brunch buffet and bottomless mimosas. The mimosas were definitely bottomless as my glass was never less than half filled. They were on it in that regard!
I was pleasantly surprised at how good the food at the buffet was. There was a great variety including a carving station, made to order omelettes, eggs Benedict, ceviche, oysters, pasta, breakfast meats and potatoes, smoked salmon with bagels & cream cheese, etc. There was also a great assortment of desserts too. Everything was very fresh and the quality of the food was very good!

What a disappointment. My girlfriends and I came here for our annual Christmas gift exchange brunch on a Saturday. Since the place we usually go shut down, we decided to try out somewhere new and I picked River Rock. Yes, these brunches linger are typically slow paced and take a couple hours, but not THREE AND A HALF HOURS due to poor service.
The restaurant was fairly empty, there were only a couple other tables and one server and bartender. I don’t understand how a restaurant could be so understaffed with that small of a crowd, especially since we’d made a reservation ahead of time for our larger party. We ordered drinks, I got a bloody Mary (which was actually pretty good), and a few girls got bottomless mimosas, sodas and of course waters all around. The bottomless mimosas definitely seemed to have a bottom, as we had to ask our server multiple times for refills, same with our water glasses, but she was often nowhere to be found.
I used to work in a restaurant and have a good amount of patience, so I’m generally pretty sympathetic when service isn’t great… but this! This was the WORST I’ve ever experienced. Our server only had one other table of two guys by the time we were ready to order, who she stopped by to chat with multiple times, but with us it felt like we were being deliberately ignored. When we finally got our food, she was missing one of our friends plates and said it would be right out. Not so. My friend didn’t get her food til we asked for it a second time and the rest of us had already finished eating. She also failed to check on us and we had to get up to go find someone multiple times to find simple things like salt and pepper, ketchup and hot sauce.
Splitting our check was also a disaster. I know it can be frustrating to split a check for a group, however it’s not okay to have a ‘tude when my friend, in an attempt to be helpful, breaks down the receipt and itemizes each individual bill to make it easier since you didn’t let us know ahead of time there’s a limit to number of cards on the check. We were all shocked that with how visibly annoyed we were, she still had the balls to ask us to each tip her $ 5.
Lady, you’re the Grinch of Christmas gift exchange brunch if there ever was one. Horrible.

They say that misery loves company, and if you are one of these unhappy, soul suckers. then this is the perfect place for you. This is the best place to take someone to if you wish to bring them down, annoy them, and to make them really hate people.
In short: WORST SERVICE IN THE WORLD, for just «okay’ food.
What happened? A group of girlfriends and I came here Saturday morning for our annual holiday brunch. There were 9 of us, two that are pregnant, and we’ve all more or less know what it’s like to work with people and one of us has been a restaurant and bar manager. so we’re pretty understanding and sympathetic to what goes on in a restaurant, but there is no justification to how we were treated.
First, the place was empty. That should have been a sign, but the menu looked fine, parking was free and easy, and they had bottomless mimosas and they were able to accommodate our group so it was worth a try.
We got there at 12. We left there at 3:40. WTF. We didn’t even ask her to take a single photo of us, and we didn’t take long to order. No one asked for anything to be made special, she never stopped by to check on us except for once during the duration of our stay. one of my friends didn’t get her food until everyone else was already finished with theirs. we had to ask for water and beverages– another server was the only decent human being working there, and after several complaints wondering where our friends food was, he brought it out and said it was his fault. No, it wasn’t his fault. and he never had to work with our table, he was probably just doing his coworker a favor. We weren’t even given our SALT and PEPPER until after most of us had already eaten and my other friend who requested it. her burger was too cold to enjoy once the seasonings finally came so she took it to go cause we were all annoyed at that point.
Our waitress who never introduced herself, had our table and one other table of two men. (I paid attention to this, as normally with slow service I can justify it if the server has too many tables. not here!) We’ve caught her several times just hanging out with those two men and on her phone. again. WTF!?! We know that a 20% gratuity is included for parties of 6 or more, but that doesn’t mean since you know you are getting a decent tip you can slack on service. And this was really the WORST SERVICE I’ve ever had.
When the bill came. we all had cards and I know that can be annoying but no where did it say that only a certain amount of cards can be used, and she was giving us a hard time (okay, we get it, it’s not fun. but we made it as easy as possible with each card and how much to put on it) She was annoyed, and livid, and spoke to us like it was impossible. After one of my girlfriends spend nearly 30 minutes with her helping her do it, she came back and had the nerve to tell us how much we should tip her (about $ 50). ARE YOU KIDDING ME. WHAT A MONSTER.
Anyway. on the bright side, I had great company, and they DID give out croissants with chocolate sauce to start but really. do yourself a favor, and go somewhere else.

Great bartender and service. My fav beer was tapped and they gave me a free beer.
Prompt and complete

Really great bar. I love this place, always great service, food and drinks. Just a cozy bar to chill at. It’s in my neighborhood so it’s a short über drive over, an extra plus. Also, Chris is an amazing bartender!

Their Bison Burger is a must and the vibe is great! Roberta was my bartender and she was nothing short of lovely!

What a schizophrenic experience. Went with friends last night for a 7:00 reservation. We were shown to a plain wooden table in a dim corner near the bar. Despite the reservation, it didn’t even have set ups or the proper number of chairs. And forget about a candle, or a succulent or flower vase. Zero décor on the table. I pretty much hate that and believe immediately that we’re off to a poor start.
Felt like we were an afterthought and not valued guests. We asked about a different table — perhaps a booth. «No, we are getting ready for dancing at 9:00 and that area is closed.» Okay, so you want to give up two hours of revenue for your restaurant in favor of the nightclub crowd that hasn’t arrived yet?
We all felt offended by the way this was presented when we arrived. It felt like, «Hurry up and eat and leave so we can have our real patrons here for the meat market part of the evening.»
I feel truly sorry for the talented chef (s). Their talents in menu creation, execution, and presentation seem to be wasted on the Philistines running the bar. Dear Hubby ordered calamari off the happy hour menu. It was delectable — well seasoned, nicely displayed, and the perfect texture. He also had the pub burger, way, way overpriced at $ 14. So mixed bag there.
My choices included duck pot-​stickers with Asian slaw. Great! Yummy assortment of flavors. I didn’t do so well with the appetizer size of mac ‘n cheese. It had no flavor. At all. No cheesy tang. I asked our server for salt & pepper (which I never, ever do) — and she forgot to bring them. So I had a few more bites of beyond bland mac for the crunch of the toasted breadcrumb topping, and brought the rest home where we can doctor it up with some of our own spices.
Server never came back to ask how our food was. Big strike. She forgot the condiments. Another strike. When the bills came, they weren’t in a folio or on a tray, or even in a bar glass as I’ve seen done. Just the curled up paper slips were dropped on the table. She got our friends’ bill inverted with ours. Then when we pointed out the mistake, she had to get her manager involved. She was apologetic, but it clearly was another strike.
The apple crisp dessert was very good. Well seasoned, with a terrific crunchy crust. Nicely sized portion.
Overall, service was quite slow considering they’d chased out many of the would-​be dinner patrons. DH noted at least four or five parties who wanted dinner who were discouraged by the bar setting and being told that it was going to become a nightclub soon and left without staying to eat or even have a drink. Fail!
The indoor ambiance at River Rock left me very cold. Despite the waterside location, the interior design seemed cheap and half-​baked. A graphic design of wintry birch trees on one wall is accompanied by white vinyl sectional pieces they shove around to suit different seating options. All of which was going on while we were trying to enjoy our meal. My friend noted one of the sections had red stains on the side, which almost looked like blood. A few shrunken deer heads spray-​painted white are supposed to lend a lodge feel. Out of proportion and not that cute, really.
It was so dark at our table that we had to use our phones or pass around the one small oil candle which we borrowed from the window ledge to read the menu. Yes, one more strike.
The four of us kept laughing at how bad the experience was unfolding. At least we could have a sense of humor about it.
I couldn’t order a virgin margarita, because they don’t own a blender. In a place that markets itself as a restaurant, but is really all about the booze. Well, well. Another strike.. .
So, had we been going bowling, we would have had a ton of strikes to boost the score. For a dining experience, so many strikes has quite the opposite effect!
The food would mostly call me back again — but only for brunch and sitting outside. Nevermore inside the cave of a dining space!

Originally I posted this as a 5 star review… HOWEVER, after calling I had regarding the kitchen hours and the Business hours posted here on Unilocal,I had planned on enjoying this experience until at least 1 AM… However they just turn the musicals the TVs off while we are still sitting here eating, and told us they close at 11! Pretty DAMN bummed!!!
I have lived in Studio City for over 15 years, and have never been to the restaurant at Sportsmens lodge. I don’t know how the dining here was when it was the Swan Court, but as River Rock Lodge… it rocks! The ambience is warm and the staff is welcoming… Comfy white couches and a fireplace is great. But they’re made even better when you consider the bluesy/​classic rock melodies accompanying the obscure and tasty menu items. Top it off, I used my Unilocal check in bonus!!! Woohoo

I purchased a groupon and decided to take my parents for a brunch on Saturday. I made a reservation for 11:30am, and the place was almost empty, except for 2 other tables
It took like 10 minutes before anyone came to our table to take our order and bring us water. The reason I wasn’t so happy was that it took about 45 minutes to get our food. We ordered Huevos Rancheros, French toast, a side of potatoes and a side of bacon The food was pretty good, and we especially enjoyed the Huevos Rancheros, but the French toast was overpriced. It was 2 pieces of bread with bananas and it was $ 10. The total came out to $ 35 and my groupon was for $ 30 so that was fine. I don’t think I would come back, although, I would recommend anyone to try the Huevos rancheros, as the ranchero sauce was different from the original, but very good. Even though it took a long time to be served, the guys working there were very nice and attentive.

Beautiful and peaceful Sunday brunch, sitting on the patio near the fountain. I got the Strawberry walnut salad with added chicken. The complementary croissants with chocolate dipping sauce were amazing — and a very nice surprise addition to my meal.
Very nice waiter — he kept refilling my ice tea for me. It was such a pleasant atmosphere.
River Rock has really great salads. And I highly recommend the Strawberry walnut salad with chicken — its perfect.

I don’t know if I’ve ever written a one star review before. Now I can’t say that.
Went here for brunch today with a small group of friends. This was the WORST service I have EVER had, hands down. Our waiter forgot to put in one of our orders, we sat for a solid 10 – 15 minutes with no silverware, drinks, etc., never brought a box for leftovers, we had to track down our own salt and pepper… The list could go on.
Poached eggs were extremely overcooked and food was cold. Never coming back.

This may be the worst brunch experience I’ve ever had. It’s certainly the worst restaurant experience I’ve had in a long time.
To start, we were rather rushed out to our table on the patio. Probably because inside, it was empty and the buffet wasn’t done being set up yet. But then, the patio wasn’t set up either. The ground was wet, the tables weren’t set with anything except Tabasco and A-​1 sauce (napkins, plates, silverware), and there’s no décor outside anyway so aside from being next to a little lake, it was rather… drab.
We sat there for a long time before the waiter finally showed up. He was surprised to see us. It was incredibly awkward. Even with his appearance, it was still 15 or 20 minutes more before water came out. Mini croissants came out in baskets but we still didn’t have plates, napkins or forks. Eventually our drinks came. Eventually sweetener and cream came.
The food came and that was the biggest disaster. Everything was lukewarm or even cold. And one of our orders completely got by the server — he never put it in. He didn’t even seem apologetic about it. He came outside twice to ask my friend what she’d ordered as if she’d misplaced it and he was just trying to help her find it. She asked if he could just bring her a side of eggs and he walked away without acknowledging it leaving us to wonder if they were coming or not.
He was inside doing lord knows what when she finally gave up, went inside, and asked for a side of eggs so she’d at least have something to eat. They came out quickly, actually, but were overcooked and buttery. I give her credit for eating them but I am sure she was famished by then.
My dish came with a side of potatoes and a side of fruit. FYI, the «side of fruit» was a slice of orange and half a strawberry. My eggs were overcooked. They were disgusting. My side of potatoes was about 8 pieces big. My plate had big empty spaces on it.
We asked for salt and pepper. It never came. One of my friends went inside to get it.
We asked for drink refills that never came. Twice or three times we asked.
We asked for to-​go boxes that never came.
What amazed me the most is that while the server seemed flustered, he was never apologetic. And when I eventually complained to the manager, he didn’t seem surprised and also was not apologetic.
So I wrote on my check that I was never coming back. And I meant it.

We came here for brunch on Saturday 08/​15/​2015 at about 11:15AM for a party of 2. We were one of only four occupied tables in the restaurant, when we walked in. During our service, there were only up to five occupied tables at any one time.
Overall, I was less than impressed with this place. The décor did not really seem homey… it seemed more like your Parent’s underground basement in the early 1990’s. I think they are more concentrated on the club business, as it appeared by the advertisements, that they are more of a live music/​club type of environment at night. Everything just seemed a bit worn.
The service by our serve was incredibly slow. I would hate to see it busy. It appeared as there were three employees working (not including the kitchen staff); therefore, there was no reason for slow service with just 5 tables.
I ordered the chicken sandwich, which I thought was pretty bland and actually quite burnt. Requests I made such as no tomato were not honored. My boyfriend got the salmon omelette. He actually did enjoy his!
With all the restaurant choices around, I would probably not return. I hope that this place can improve, because it does have great potential.

Not bad, not bad. Decent at best. Finding a happy hour on a Friday night is rare, but as our server told me, it was a way in bringing customers coming in. But I’ll admit, they got me. With $ 5 drinks and appetizer specials from 5−8pm for HH daily, there’s not too much to complain about.
Came here on a Friday night 6pm and it was easy to get a table. The servers were nice. Props to our server Sonny who was super chill and attentive.
$ 5 draft beers includes a peanut butter stout (pretty good), lagunitas IPA, a pilsner, and a couple other usuals. $ 5 appetizer specials includes duck potstickers, habanero hot wings, Mac n cheese, mushroom ravioli, and Rumaki (bacon rapped dates stuffed with cheddar). We ordered the rumaki, potstickers, and wings. I would rank them in that order. The rumaki was the best (although anything wrapped in bacon with cheese is good). The potstickers were tasty and the wings were average (sever warned us the wings weren’t as good as before). It was typical bar food but they did do a good job on presentation.
Overall, it was cool. A good spot for their HH deals if you’re looking to get buzzed and munch.