Rock River Pizza

We just walked in had to look for someone to seat us. We are now seated. We were waiting over 10 minutes for someone to acknowledge us. This being a week night they were not busy. We flagged down the hostess for drinks. 12 minutes later the waitress asked if we were ready for drinks or did we need more time… I’m thinking this will not be a good dining experience.. just had a sip of my old fashion… flat soda. … it is now 34 mins later we got our appetizers. Very good…
My son just said,“Ain’t no time like waiting on food time.” I order ed a salad and my son ordered a calzone… how long does it take to make that? The salad could have been made better at my house and my son’s calzone was burnt and very little filling. We had to ask for them to bring us the check and we couldn’t find her so we had to go to the desk to get it. She even told us there were THREE chefs back in the kitchen.

I did like the outdoor patio, but honestly, that was about it.
I had a Caesar’s salad and the boneless chicken wings. Both, were edible but nothing to write home about.
I wouldn’t say I won’t come back, but it sure wouldn’t be my first choice (or my second for that matter).

The food is not the issue here, it’s the inconsistent staff. The fist time we ate here, the hostess seemed to be on Xanax or alcohol (maybe both). She slurred her words and acted super strange. It was totally weird. There was a leak in the ceiling, and it was super chilly in the dinning area (it was a few January’s ago) It took an hour to get our food, and we left feeling like, wtf? Not the best first impression… but my sister happens to love this place, so we tried it again. My second experience here was decent. Nothing to complain about. My third experience was by far the worst. Our waiter was very pleasant and upbeat, but I don’t think he had much experience waiting tables. Which is fine, a server has to learn sometime. After he served our 1^st and only round of drinks, my daughter accidentally spilled her drink on my boyfriends lap. We were sitting close to the entrance so We were near the hostess station. Since I saw NO wait/​bus staff in the dinning (none came for 10 min) I walked over to two girls at the counter, who were deep in conversation and took a couple minutes to even notice me. I said my daughter spilled her drink and could I have something to clean it up with? We had soaked most of it up with napkins when she came over, and nonchalantly wipes off part of the table (not even a decent wipe down) and walks away and stands with her back to us, back up front, doing nothing. She didn’t offer her help of any sort. Didn’t even offer to try and find someone ELSE who could maybe help (it was not overwhelmingly busy) Didn’t offer to take any of the crumpled napkins off the table, and since there was not a garbage can anywhere I could see, I had to throw them away in the ladies room. Meanwhile, my boyfriends pants are soaking wet, and I assumed she would have offered some sort of a towel for him, since it was all over his crotch, but again, nothing. I asked if they had something he could use to help dry off his pants… and this girl hands me an almost empty paper towel roll, with the kind of cheap, flimsy paper that every girl hates seeing in a public bathroom. Zero absorbency… I gave it to him, and of course it did jack shit to help him dry off a little so m boyfriend ended up leaving and missing dinner because his pants were so soaked. We ordered 3 pizzas, and two came out, but we had to wait a good 10 min before 3^rd meaty pizza came out. That pizza was for my dad, brother, and two nephews. They waited and had to watch my daughter and I eat our pizza, while they were wondering where their pizza was. The only thing he said when he came back was, ‘sorry about the wait’. That wasn’t such a big deal because we had fun talking while we were waiting, it just would have been nice to know how long it was going to take. I feel like 10 minutes is too long of a wait time for that. Another thing that happened was that I ordered my daughter and I water when we first got there. I told her she could have a soda when our pizzas came out, but he never asked anyone if they wanted refills when the pizzas finally came out. Again, I asked him. And at that point, every person at the table had an empty glass and everyone was thirsty. I said everyone at the table would like a glass, and he came back with only two glasses. My brother ended up drinking my daughters water, (because she had a Pepsi too,) because he never brought more.. We never got napkins after the spill either, so I had to ask for those too. After dinner, we waited 20 min, and I finally had to go to the hostess stand, where he and the two unhelpful girls were, and ask him for boxes… and then he asked if we wanted our check! Phew! He asked us something! Jk! Seriously, this is the last time I will ever come here. I think the management needs to train their staff a little more effectively. The staff’s actions are a direct reflection of the people/​person who is running this business. And I certainly was not impressed.

This place is highly underrated! The food, atmosphere, and staff were exceptional. We normally wouldn’t try a place with 3 stars but we are glad we did. We had brushetta as an appetizer, the house salad, and a Mediterranean pizza with homemade cannoli. Our waitress Jessica was one of the best we have had not to mention freindly and very accommodating. Well worth the trip from Waukesha area.

My husband and I have gone here several times. When Rock River first came to Watertiwn the food and service were decent enough. The past two times we visited we had horrible service… the restaurant wasn’t even close to busy yet we waited an hour or more for our food. It seems as if the restaurant may be struggling, which may be the reason for the slow service and few too many staff.
Anyway, on our last visit (8−2−14) we walked in and right away questioned our choice to go there. The wait staff were running around like crazy, yet the restaurant wasn’t even full (not enough staff on duty). We decided to stay because they are a local business and we want to support them. Well, that was a mistake. I ordered the salmon and when I got it the salmon and spinach were sitting in ¾ inch of liquid. I didn’t want to be rude so I started eating my food. The salmon was hot, but had no taste. The liquid was basically water as far as I could tell and everything tasted bitter. When the waitress stopped over I stated «I don’t mean to be rude, but is there supposed to be this much liquid?» She said no and was very nice. She took the plate away and said she would talk to the owner about a discount (the salmon was $ 17 and not even close to worth that). She later returned with the salmon on a different plate without the water. I appreciated her hard work, but I was not willing to eat anymore. My husband finished his pizza, which was decent, and we waited and waited. Eventually she came back and said the owner was cooking and he was unwilling to give a discount. I didn’t push it with her because it’s not her fault, but we were very disappointed. We paid and left, but will not go back. My husband and I are good customers, but they were unwilling to work with us. I see this restaurant going in a really bad direction.

Not very good at all. Our pizza was dripping with grease. Gross. Crust was pretty good though. The pizza came out incorrect (ordered artichokes but got anchovies instead). The service was so incredibly slow too! Nice enough server, just brutally slow. We will not be returning.

I have been here 3 times now having pizza each time with an appetizer. The first two times I found the service to be rude and cliquey… similar to what one witnessed in high school. Happily the 3^rd time was the charm in this regard as our waitress was a tune to our needs and checked on us frequently.
The food itself was lacking though. The crust was awesome, but the flavor and consistency of the rest of the pizza reminded me heat lamp food. The mozzarella sticks were good though. Also the dinning room temp was kinda cool and after working all day in near zero temps I really planned on being warm when eating my dinner.
I wish I could give a better rating, but inconsistencies don’t allow for one with the lack of taste and previous experiences. I hope they can improve things, but I dont plan on making a 4^th visit anytime in the near future.

Pizza was pretty good. A little too much cheese. Crust was «doughy» wood-​fired style. If you like that style this is your place!
The bar is nice but they need a better beer selection. In a state with amazing craft beer all they had for local brew was Spotted Cow.

visiting my family in Wisconsin we had dinner here. I wish we had one in California! It was some of the most delicious pizza I have ever had. We had a fairly large party as well, we were seated quickly and the waitress was incredible. If she was bothered by all our needs, she didn’t show it, it was truly some of the best service I’ve ever had. She was friendly, personable, and funny. As were the girls at the front desk. I will be back here the next time I visit!

Much closer to 4-​stars than 3-​stars — I’d give it a 3.75 or a 3.8 if I could.
Located next door to the Elias Inn and the Elks Club, Rock River faces some competition for the diner’s dollar. If you’re in the mood for some quality pizza, this should be a no-​brainer.
We arrived on a Saturday night and were immediately seated. The interior matches the exterior — lots of exposed brick, wonderful woodwork, and plenty of comfortable seating. If you sit on the dining room side (instead of the bar side), you can see into the kitchen via cutouts in the brick wall.
Our small group was seated in a large booth, and our waiter promptly introduced himself as another person brought us glasses of water. Tap selection is fairly limited, although there were some surprises like Spaten Oktoberfest and New Belgium 1554.
We started with toasted ravioli and bruscetta, and ordered two pizzas: a classic (pepperoni, sausage, mushroom) and an «island» (bacon, red onion, basil and fetta).
The toasted ravioli was awesome — nice and crispy, but not over cooked. The marinara sauce was a tad on the sweet side, but it complimented the raviloli nicely. The bruscetta came on 4 large pieces of garlic bread and featured diced tomatoes, fresh basil, and a handsome sprinkling of cheese. It was ok, although I preferred the raviloli.
Waiter did an excellent job of keeping up on our beverages — as soon as our .5L mugs went dry, he was there to inquire about another round. Soda refills were timely as well — a big plus in my book.
Pizzas arrived and looked great. Slightly thicker than your standard thin crust, but not quite worthy of a «NY crust» status. Crusts had a nice light char on the bottom, yet were still chewy in the right spots.
Toppings were generous and adequate; pepperoni and sausage were a bit greasy (boo). Mushrooms were fresh rather than canned (bonus). Sauce was ample and was similar to the sweet marinara that was served with raviloli. Everyone at the table agreed — the pizza was definitely good.
Dinner for 5, with several rounds of drinks, was just over $ 80 — totally fair by all counts.
Rock River Pizza Co = WIN
Service = 4.25 stars (timely, responsive, friendly and helpful)
Food = 3.75 stars (good pizza)
Value = 3.5 stars
MISC = 3.75 stars (nice building/​atmosphere)
Summary: Watertown needed a good pizza place — Rock River Pizza Co fills that need. With a little bit of refinement and a little higher-​quality pepperoni/​sausage, it would be a solid 4-​star establishment.