Rock-It Bar

They stop serving food at 9 on Sunday’s BUT you can buy something in WF and take it to the bar to eat. Thumbs up. Plus the bartender pours his specialty beers with such finesse and care you can’t help but want to order another round. Much appreciated!

I’ve been here a few times now, previously for drinks, and recently we tried brunch at Rock-​It Bar. Yes, it’s located inside the Whole Foods — Laguna Niguel, but the food is pretty delicious and they serve alcohol. My boyfriend and I decided to split the chicken & waffles with a side of potatoes. I ordered the Stumptown coffee on nitro and he had the fresh orange juice. I was given a small container of raw sugar and cream. I kind of wished they had given me simple syrup because raw sugar doesn’t exactly dissolve in cold coffee. I’ll ask next time.
We had a few servers stop by our table and it seemed like we didn’t have a designated person so there was some initial confusion when our drink orders were put in by one server and our food orders were taken by someone else. In the end, we got our drinks and food in a timely manner. They even put our split order on two plates which made it easier on us.
First of all, the food is fantastic. This is one of the best chicken & waffles I’ve ever tried. The chicken was wonderfully seasoned and moist. My boyfriend said it was like chicken his grandma would make and that’s saying something because he’s from the South. The waffles were slightly crispy and fluffy. The syrup wasn’t overpowering and it went well with the chicken. Normally, I’d ask for ketchup but I didn’t need it because everything tasted great. However, despite the roasted potatoes being perfectly cooked, the cheese on top didn’t exactly melt all the way before the sauce and pico de gallo were piled on top. That was the only issue I had with our meal. It was the perfect portion for the two of us since we didn’t want leftovers, and they accommodated our requests. They serve cage-​free eggs here which is great too if you’re into that sort of thing. Otherwise, they have happy hour from 4 — 6 pm Monday — Friday and live music on Friday nights. Now, I want to check out the Irv inside the Whole Foods in Irvine just to compare.

I don’t get why they only have 3−½ stars? I’ve eaten here for breakfast, lunch & dinner, and the food, service & drinks have always been fantastic! I must admit that it can get rather busy during prime time, but I’ve never had to wait too long for a seat, and my meals always came out quickly.
The first time I came here, I got the Laguna Niguel breakfast — what I thought would be a typical meat, egg & potato breakfast, was definitely not. It was extremely tasty, and came with fruit too! The potatoes were also flavorful! For lunch I’ve had the croque madame, and after just coming back from France, you’d think the bar would be set high, but I must say their croque madame hit it! Very properly made and tasty! For dinner I’ve had the steak frittes. The steak was cooked perfectly and the fries are solid.
Drinks have always been delicious and made with correct proportions. Service has always been friendly and prompt.
The prices may be slightly on the higher end but hey, it’s attached to Whole Foods so what do you expect?
Overall, I’m giving it 5 stars and I hope others enjoy this place as much as I do.

Killed it as usual! Saved my wife from having to prepare a meal when our kids were sick. 2 grass-​fed Beef hamburgers with sweet potato fries… BRILLIANT! You guys do a great job serving and getting to people. Even when you’re understaffed and swamped your attitude is great and friendly. My wife and I love to spend our shorter date nights there with some drinks and an app or dessert.

Rock-​It has really good, fresh food with healthy choices — we have had the Brick Chicken and Conscious Bowl several times. Other entrees are tasty but not as nutritionally balanced. They also have an excellent selection of beer with informative descriptions and you can order a flight to sample several of them at once. The service is generally prompt — especially if you sit at the bar instead of a table. The only downside is the live music, which some people might enjoy but usually does not sound very pleasant to me.

Been here lots of times! Love the staff! They are positive and friendly! They get busy and still deliver in service not to mention the awesome food and drink selections! Highly recommend a visit if you haven’t been!

Great small restaurant tucked inside one of my favorite grocery stores. A huge bar with unique wood design as well as a 20 beer tap.
There are no food runners so I always make sure to sit at the bar for the best service. All the bartenders are awesome and super friendly!
The menu is well rounded from burgers to salads

This place is tucked inside the Whole Foods restaurant.
The Good
The food was great, beer and wine selection is fantastic also. I ordered the fish tacos and they were great, recommend it. Place seemed clean, service did a great job prebussing and cleaning up dirty dishes.
The Bad
Now, the only downside and major downside is the service. Very poor. Bartender had zero personality, never was asking if he could do anything or get anything. Pretty much stood around never asked for refills or if we needed anything. I had two empty glasses for 10 minutes in front and never thought to ask hey would you like a refill? I always had to ask him for something or anything. That wasn’t easy always too. Later he went on break sometime never told us. He just took off. Another employee was saying he’s on break, we had no idea.
The Ugly
Nothing major, hopefully they hire a trainer or a training manager for staff.
Final Verdict
I really want to give this place another chance, if I’m in the area again I might do it. Hopefully they train or hire some new staff.

I love having healthy eating choices. The Whole Foods Rock-​it Bar has a variety of healthy meal selections to choose from. Nelly, the bar tender, is always friendly happy go lucky! She’s always has a positive attitude regardless of the crowds. Sunday brunch is crazy good. I recommend the steak and eggs. The maple glazed bacon is an absolute must and the coffee is really good!

Oh good they have a separate listing for this place other than whole foods itself.
Ok let me start off by saying that this place is complete joke. Anyone eating here is risking getting sick by even eating a crumb off their plate. The food is not even that good. I think peoples’ palettes in orange county are a little off by eating here. I ate here twice and I will never ever go here again. First, the food can take over an hour. Second, all the servers do is sit around BSing and texting and talking. Not cool. Even the Mexicans over at Dennys do not do this. Third, that kitchen area is disgusting. The grease is over the hood, the bar tops are always sticky, there is dust all over. Come on leadership, open your eyes and see what a joke your whole prepared foods area is. If you’re going to be a leader –lead, if you’re going to sit back and watch people make bad comments such as this, you need to wake up and do something. Something must be done. Get a revamp STAT!

Oh how I LOVE WF’s Market…
My disappointment comes from the Rocket Bar dinner service. It is shockingly, unacceptably, BAD – repeatedly! We arrived at 7:50 tonight & didn’t eat until 9:00. And actually my BLT didn’t come until 9:15. My kids got wings & had no water for 5 minutes. Poor mouths were on fuego! After multiple repeats of this sob story we are officially over it & that honestly makes me S.A.D

Good place for a beer. The children behind the bar make it less than it could be. More service, less grab ass. And no whistling, ever.

This thing is attached to the Whole Foods in Laguna Niguel. Whole Foods sells overpriced stuff but at least its good quality. This restaurant/​bar sells overpriced crap.
Horrible food and pretty lame service. I ordered a veggie omelet, coffee and waffles. The omelet surpasses the worst I have had in a while. Coffee and Waffle were ok. The outdoor seating is not kept too clean and the service is not up to the mark.
For a 10:00 AM Sunday, the place was pretty empty but still the service and quality were sub-​par.
Never returning here again.

Terrible service every time. Food is decent depending on what you order. Since its attached to whole foods you would think it would be incredible… But it’s not. Servers could care less, poorly managed.

Just came from eating there… WAY overpriced, not worth the $$$ we spent. Bad service, the server looked like she was DYING from boredom every time (on the rare occasion she showed up) she stepped up to our table. We had to wait for close to an hour, from the time we sat down, until we finally got our food. And the place did not seem that busy. We ordered pasta carbonara (pasta was cooked al dente but sauce was nothing to talk about) and 2 fish and chips. All 3 courses are cooked super-​fast, that’s probably why they offer them on their menu. The fish was old (I grew up eating fresh fish, and I know when fish is more than 2 days old) and completely overcooked. The batter was overcooked (the oil had obviously been heated up way too high and the fish left in there way too long) so it turned dark-​brown, and the fish was dried up and stuck to the batter. The fries were cooked to perfection but they were WAY oversalted. I ended up eating a few mouthfuls from the inside of the charred remains of the fish and had an handful of the fries. Definitely NOT worth $ 11. And did I mention the service? She finally came out over 30 minutes after we placed the order with her and said in a very nonchalant tone, not looking at any of us, that there is a back-​up in the kitchen, but the food should be out soon. 20 minutes later it finally showed up, in the state it was. Not worth the wait, we should have walked out after waiting for 20 minutes and not even getting water refills or a second glance from the server.
Such a disappointment, because it’s a neat idea.

Hmm, apparently this is going to be my first 5 star review. It’s 5 since I just can’t find any reason it should be less.
Rock-​It is a small restaurant within Whole Foods. The menu is filled with delicious food which is as fresh as it is creative and it’s much of both. In short, the food is great and it’s a fun place to eat with great energy.
The staff is always, always excellent. You feel like you’re dining at a friend’s house.
Three flat screens, always a great (and changing) craft beer selection plus you can grab food from the food bar in the store.
If I had to find fault it would be that the store food bar is bloody expensive but that’s the store and not Rock-​It so there you go.
Great people watching, nice layout, good energy, and did I mention beer? Breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Great restaurant attached to wholefoods market. Been here a couple times and the service is always on point. The highlights are the great prices for the quality of food, and of course their beer list. Quality taps, from great local breweries. Great atmosphere with helpful, consistent servers. I try to frequent this spot as much as I can, always a great time and quality place.

Love the Rock It Bar! Great for Happy Hour! Most recently had the most awesome weekend brunch here! Can’t beat the $ 6 Bloody Mary’s and Mimosas! The staff is so friendly and energized! Great atmosphere too! I’ll be back!

The Rock-​It Bar is a Bar AND Restaurant. It is attached to the Laguna Niguel Whole Foods Market. You don’t have to purchase items in the Rock-​It Bar in order to eat either inside or outside. In fact, you can just hang out and eat whatever food you bought inside the Whole Foods Market.
There is seating inside (where table service and service from the bartenders is available) and seating outside — where it’s not so clear whether or not service is available. If you’re sitting outside, it’s probably easier to just order at the register and bring the food and drinks with outside after you’ve already purchased them inside (since it’s hard enough to get service inside).
On Friday nights the Rock-​It Bar (and this may just be a summer thing) features live music from 6 — 9 pm and on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 am to 2 pm they offer a brunch menu. Although this may not be a regular thing, live music has been playing during one of the brunches the last few weekends as well. The brunch is «order off the menu» (but if you want to go choose your own items the Whole Foods Grocery food bars are nearby and easily accessible).
The seating inside is very limited — especially for groups. There is only one table (I think it seats six people) and most of the seating is along the bar. The service is very slow. The experience here is not really about the service, but about the food and drink. There are many micro-​brews an tap … so if this is something you want to try, this is a good place to check out. The Rock-​It Bar is seriously understaffed and you have to be willing to fend for yourself when you need re-​fills, want to pay your bill, are ready to order, or need anything for that matter. It’s not the servers’ fault … there are just more people than there are people working.
The food is great and the the prices are more than reasonable for the quality ingredients, but you need to know what you’re getting into before you arrive. Just be willing to chill and don’t expect too much and then you’ll get exactly what you expect!

Good place for quality food, small portions, and good beer. Convenient if you need to do some grocery shopping as well! The first time we came here we got beer and the truffle fries. The fries were really good and the beer list is impressive for such a small space. The servers were nice but we had difficulty getting their attention at some point.
We went this morning for brunch and got the morning carnitas and short rib hash. The food was ok. Super meaty. The carnitas were really greasy. Short rib hash could have used some sort of sauce or salsa or something. Coffee was good, but they didn’t have regular sugar on hand (they went and got some). The bartender was very nice and attentive this time. Next time I go for brunch I will probably stick to a scramble or regular fried egg dish. Overall, I really like this place and will go back.