Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery

Rock Bottom Brewery has closed its doors in Cleveland!

Restaurants and bars in the Flats seem to have trouble delivering good service. We sat at the bar and ordered 2 beers. The bartender asked if he wanted to open a tab. Well, we sat there with empty glasses and she never asked us if we wanted to order more beer. If I was the owner I’d kick her ass for not generating more revenue. This is the second time I’ve had this happen to me at this place. It was crowded on a Wednesday night but the buck stopped there…

Last night one of my friends had the opportunity to perform at the Improv, so I stopped by the Rock Bottom Brewery in the Powerhouse in the Flats beforehand. I can’t say that I go to the Flats… well…ever, anymore, so it was nice to see that at least a few businesses are alive and well.
I met up with a large group of former co-​workers and my boyfriend and I grabbed a seat at our ridiculously large table. The server immediately came over to us and asked us what we wanted to drink and seemed a bit miffed when I said I needed a minute. When she came back, I gave her my order — a pomegranate martini — but then she completely blew off my boyfriend because he was talking to someone else. He had to flag her down and get her to come back to our table. She begrudgingly took his order. When he asked if we could be put on a separate check, she said they normally don’t do that for large parties. So he asked her if they can’t or if she just wouldn’t. She said she wouldn’t. It reminded me of the good old days at Dick’s Last Resort in the Flats where the servers were supposed to insult you.
I was sad to see that there were very few vegetarian options. Their website had listed an entrée that was meatless and sounded so good. They have an extensive happy hour menu — with items ranging from $ 2.99 to $ 6.99, but I wasn’t really in the mood for just an app, so my boyfriend an I ordered soft pretzels to split and I got a modified salad. The two enormous pretzels came with a spinach artichoke dipping sauce that had a nice spicy kick. My salad was huge, but it wasn’t anything spectacular. It was just your average house salad. My boyfriend had the $ 4.99 happy hour wings and said they were extra spicy. I think he referred to himself as a fire breathing dragon after he ate them.
At the end of our meal as we were getting ready to head to the Improv, the waitress brought us separate checks. Hmmm. I appreciated it, but she could have been nicer about it when we originally asked. Too bad tip was included. If you like cheap bar food, this is a good place to go… just don’t expect great service.

We went here for my friend Mike’s birthday, and the casual atmosphere, variety of choices, and beers made it an ideal choice. The location in Cleveland ain’t bad either — if you come during the summer, you could take a stroll outside on the docks of the Cuyahoga and perhaps see the famous S.S. Good Times III!
As for the food, it wasn’t particularly memorable, but I would give it another shot, seeing as I only ordered their average burger, thinking it would taste «beer-​ish». After making Rachael Ray’s Smoked Gouda Beer Burgers (don’t hate!), I don’t know if any other beer burger will ever compare! Although I’m not generally a fan of beer, I tasted my husband’s and it was really quite good!
Other than that, the service was great. When my friends go out for birthdays, it’s generally a large and lengthy affair with anywhere from 10 to 15 people. Typically, the waiters are irritable and frustrated by the time we order our 15 waters with lemons. Our waiter at the Rock Bottom was nothing but accommodating and pleasant!
They just lose a star for average food.

For a chain restaurant, this one just doesn’t have that plastic feel! I love their selection of beer, and as one reviewer mentioned before me, the temperature is fabulous! They also have a great selection of appetizers and desserts. If you are just looking to knock back a few, and enjoy yourself, find your way here immediately!

Rock Bottom Brewery is among the better chain brewery joints. And the one in Cleveland is my favorite of their chain, with San Diego being second.
The beers are outstanding, fresh, flavorful and at just the right temperature. They don’t make it too cold (beer isn’t supposed to be 33 degrees!).
The typical bar food is just that, typical. So fish and chips, burgers, sandwiches and basic pasta dishes are all good enough to get by. The beer makes it taste even better, of course.
I would recommend this place. It’s large and crowded and among the most fun places in Cleveland.

Man, I wish this place had a view of the Cuyahoga River… if it did, it would be perfect. I wish this place was at the other end of the Powerhouse, where an ever-​revolving stream of restaurants find their home… and unfortunately, that’s the side with the killer view. Everything else is top notch-​the beer is mind-​blowing and the food is hearty. It’s worth coming here just for the beer, in my opinion! I gotta start taking a Growler home when I leave – they are very reasonably priced, all things considered. Other than the view, the only thing that stinks is the parking – if you don’t wanna pay for the lot on weekends, you gotta hunt and peck for a spot on the street, which can be hard to find at times… but anyway, if you’re looking to grab a bite to eat before the show at the Plain Dealer Pavilion or whatever it’s called these days, you won’t go wrong at the Rock Bottom.

Good food, large cheap beer samplers. The pretzels are delicious. As the name implies, they make their own beer, and most of it is pretty good. Usually plenty of parking. Food is good, although not that memorable and the typical pub fare with some pasta dishes. Still, worth a return visit.

A novelty. Good location and OK food.

I love Rock Bottom. This is the second one I’ve been to other than the one in Chicago. They always keep it up so nicely and the service is great! The beer selection is extensive and the food is excellent as well. Great place to grab a beer with co-​workers!