Came in on Saturday around 5:30pm, we were seated right away. Â We ordered buffalo wings & a large pepperoni pizza. Â It took over 20 mins to get JUST the wings!! Â And to make matters worse they weren't all that great! Â About another 10 mins later we got our pizza. Â It was good, tasted fresh (they make it downstairs). Â If your looking for a casual night of wings and pizza, head to a pizza joint. NOT this place.
Review Source:I had a pizza and some of their local beer. Service was good and the pizza was not exceptional but still pretty good. I enjoyed their local beer. The restaurant is decorated like an Ed Hardy t shirt and seems like a good place to get wild on a Friday evening if that's your thing. Also they had drinks that come in a freaking bucket. Looked pretty dangerous
Review Source:I really only like coming to the Rock when they have their lunch buffet. Â For the price, you really can't beat it. Â I've eaten here at few times in the evening and it's waaaaay too loud for my taste. Â I guess if you're 18 with a fake ID, you'd really like this place. Â They have a good variety of foo foo drinks, microbrews, and most of the time the service is good. Â Their pizza is decent, nothing to write home about. Â Parking lot is a nightmare and there never seems to be any available parking close to the place.
Review Source:Visiting friends and they recommended this spot. Â I was geeked to try one of their pizzas since I read that those were their specialties. Â After we were seated, our waitress Nikki patently ignored us for a good 15 minutes after taking our drink orders. Â I flagged her down - after all Cokes and lemonades don't take that long, right? Â She finally brought our drinks, then told us that they had run out of napkins. Â That's it - no suggestions to help us, no thoughts of bringing us paper napkins instead, just a shrug and a matter-of-fact statement. Â I promptly got up and grabbed some unused rolled up cloth napkins/utensils from another nearby table. Â Why do I have to problem solve at a restaurant?
I ordered the Bang a Gong pizza, which was pretty good with a bit of Thai influence. Warmed up leftoverse the next day were awful though.  After eating, I went to the bathroom and as I was washing  my hands, a worker (in uniform) came out of the stall behind me and proceeded to walk out of the door.  Without even turning towards the sink to wash her hands.  Based on the sounds coming from the stall previously, she definitely needed to wash her hands.  I exclaimed "What?" as she was leaving - I was shocked that she wasn't headed towards the sink - and at this point she backtracked to wash her hands.  Really?  If I hadn't of been there, she would've just walked straight out that door.  Disgusting.
Asked Nikki for a refill of my Coke. Â Eight minutes later (yes, I kept track) she returned with a warm Coke, with about three slivers of ice in the glass. Â My dining companions remarked that Nikki obviously didn't like me. Â The restaurant was not busy, most tables were vacant. Â I expressed my disdain for her service in my tip. Â The food was good, but the service stunk!
Came in the other night with some friends that were visiting from out of town. Sat in the bar since it was happy hour even though it looked busy. Kendra was our bartender and helped us pick out buckets that we all liked and was bubbly and friendly. Said we had to try their new fish tacos which were really good and on happy hour. Will be back soon.
Review Source:We loved this place! The atmosphere was fun, the prices were reasonable, the pizza was great (I had California Dreamin') and our service was really good. I couldnt have a cool drink because I was pregnant, but our server brought me some maraschino cherries because he saw me eat the ones from other people's drinks. I will definitely come back here.
Review Source:This review is for lunch.  Nothing earth shattering.  At lunch you have a choice to order  off of the regular menu or you can choose the lunch buffet.  It is a great value for under $10. Choices of pizza are pretty good.  Most of the regular menu choices are represented and with a crowd, it rotates pretty fast.
I would love to have one of these closer to my home because it looks like a pretty cool place to get your drink on after work. Â If you are into classic rock, this is the place!!!
This place is just meh. I came here with my sis because we had to go to T-Mobile and this was close to get a quick bite. It's not that quick considering we got there between busy times and there were maybe 3 other tables there. The pizza is meh. Nothing amazing. Just meh. I would only come back for the bucket drinks.... maybe
Review Source:The decor and atmosphere at The Rock is so creative and fun. If you like beer, you gotta try theirs. My go-to is the Rock Steady Red and my hubby likes the Suicide Blond but our friends love the Buckets (Rum drinks served in a child's plastic sand bucket). Go at happy hour or get a Backstage Pass so you can get happy hour deals in the restaurant section. I love the variety of pizzas they offer. The brick ovens make a yummy smoky crust. California Dreaming and Bat out of Hell are great cream sauce pizzas and Flirtin' with Disaster is our favorite red sauce pizza. The only reason I didn't give them 5 stars is because sometimes, the service is "iffy" and twice, our pizza never came! They skipped it (tables around us were served and leaving and we still hadn't gotten our food). They apologized and gave us a credit. It's still one of our favorite hangouts.
Review Source:I always get the same kind of food when I come here. Founders Pie pizza, but I've tried lots of different things here. Not a fan of the buckets, but they do have good selection of beer on tap. Service is usually hit or miss but its never been totally horrible. Its really pricy to just have drinks. Anyway im a fan of The Rock and will more than likely keep coming back.
Review Source:We had a really great first experience here. There was no wait at 6pm on a Saturday night although it felt like we got the last table. The decor is cool and feels like it would be more adult, but they have good kid-friendly options, not just crappy mac n cheese.
We, of course, had the brew sampler. I really like the dark and the honey wheat selections. The others were too weak/watered down. The food was outstanding. Among the group we had veggie pizza, pasta, chopped steak salad, and a chicken-white sauce pizza. All were great.
We will be back!
Came to eat on a Saturday night around 7. Was told it would be an hour to an hour and a half wait for our party of 4 but was seated in 20 minutes.
There were tons of groups eating here so that is probably why were quoted such a long wait time.
Our waitress was very nice but very busy. I don't think there were enough waitresses to cover the amount of people. She kept running around and was in such a hurry with everything. She also forgot to give us one of the bucket drinks we ordered, a salad and a to go pizza. We had to remind her of each of these items.
We had calamari, hot wings, two of the pizzas and shrimp scampi with fettuccine. Food was pretty good and came out very hot which was a plus.
The three of us each ordered a different bucket drink. I mainly was excited to try the buckets here and they were such a disappointment. I had the one with a can of Rockstar dumped in and the drink tasted just like Rockstar! I didn't taste anything else even though there was supposed to be 4 different kinds of liquor in it. My friends' drinks weren't any better. Both had the margarita style buckets and both tasted sour! The 2 limit per person on these buckets are a joke when you can't even taste the alcohol. I don't know who would or could get drunk off of two buckets to make a limit on these! I made sure to ask for a clean bucket to take home to kind of make my money's worth. I decided to order a beer as my next drink since you can't go wrong with that.
Overall, I would come back for the food, but not for the drinks!
I've been to this location multiple times, and I've always had great service, amazing food and good atmosphere.
I went here on Sunday last, the kitchen was a bit overloaded and my meal came a bit late, but the head chef (or manager) came out and personally apologized to us, and gave me a discount on the meal. Very professional and courteous.
We came in here for drinks after our dinner someplace else. Â This was my third or fourth time coming... I usually just come to devour the two bucket max. The bucket... I mean, at $9 something a piece, it's kind of pricey but I guess if you come during happy hour they're like $2 off?
It was freezing in the bar... Granted, it was cold outside, but can they turn on the heat indoors? Eeeek. Â Loud atmosphere... All we did was drink and our tab was like $60+.... I think one shot of Goose was around $10 with pineapple juice. Expensive!!!! Â Meh... I'd rather go to Applebee's for drinks next time.
Note: 2 stars for service and four stars for the food.
This place is always hit or miss when it comes to the service. But the last time we were there we arrived at 4:50 with 7 people and were told it would be a 15 min wait after a half an hour they gave us the silverware and napkin rolling table right by the door it was very cramped and had a very cold breeze. The server took and served our drink order quickly and then vanished for 25 mins before we could order our food. Â She was busy so we got no eye contact and was in a hurry. Did not get our food until 6:30.
The Pizza was good, my big complaint with the pizza, is the menu said caralmelized onions and the onions on the pizza were just sauted. Also the pizza got cold real fast because of the breeze.
The service was good, the salad I had was fresh and the calzone was good. That's about it. I am really a fan of the lunch buffet during the week, it's a great value and they always have a good selection. I really love the their My My, Hey Hey pasta dish. It's what I always get on the buffet and will often order for dinner. The combination of flavors are very tasty and make your taste buds go wild.
Can't really go wrong here, the atmosphere is over the top, but the food is good.
The first time we came to this location we actually still had kids at home and we were "met" by a BMW in the parking lot (And by met I mean hit) making the experience a little tense especially since they were eating there too.
I couldn't even begin to tell you about the food at that time except that it was expensive compared to the same menu items back home. Since we were new to the area at the time, everything got compared to "back home"
On August 30 of this year, to celebrate the new car, we returned and we were greeted by the nicest waitress. We told her that we would usually frequent the Lake Tapps or Covington location, but since the whole "Waitress we didn't even know knew my order" we were a little hesitant to return, but we love our Rock Fired Pizza.
The only issue I have with EVERY SINGLY Rock Pizza is that they CAN NOT get our order right. We even have been told from the staff just exactly how they made our pizza and we repeat it to them, they STILL get it wrong!. They usually apologize and then offer to remake it and while Buzzie has to wait, I get my pizza and with all pizza, if you don't begin eating it when it is hot, it becomes cold glue.
What we walk out with is a little bit of a bad taste in our mouths as to why a pizza place can't get our pizza right and when they do, it still isn't what we want, it is stupid to know that we are paying for what we don't want and we don't even get to eat together.
We love the ambiance when the restaurant is less crowded, however the Renton location is always crowded and feels crowded while the Federal Way location can be crowded and you would never know it.
We went back a second time after our little "totaled car" fiasco and the same thing happened, they got my pizza right and Buzzie's pizza wrong and then he waited and they brought a second pizza and it was still wrong.
They also have a card called a "backstage pass" and it is the most complicated card program EVER. Supposedly, you get to load points on it every time you go and get pizza. Now, usually it is a point per dollar, however that isn't always the case. Usually, once you reach 100 points, you get a mere $5.00 off your order, but sometimes they just take off the soda and sometimes if it's happy hour you don't get as many points and sometimes this and sometimes that and it is almost not worth it.
Then, once I complained and they gave me a pass with someone else's points on it and I already had a card and they don't combine the cards so, after a pause in visits to the Rock I came in and showed them both cards and got the balance on them. One had 6 points and the other 50. Well the waitress switched the cards, I didn't look at the numbers and we went to the Rock like 3 times in a week and we were so confused and no one could help us get the issue resolved and Federal Way said that we would have to go to Rent on to get it all sorted out and so we drove to Rent on and they said we didn't have to drive way out there and blah blah and is it worth it, NO! So if you think the backstage pass is worth it, fuggettaboutit, it ain't.
So, there you have it. it gets 3 stars for ambiance and the food IS good when it is right, but I ask a second time, why can't a pizza place get pizza right?!?!
I would go back to this location, I have the same issue no matter which location we visit... All we want is lots of sauce and little cheese and they just can't seem to get that right. Maybe if we spoke English they'd get it... oh, we do.... pfft.
They lose 2 stars for grimy floors and tables, mediocre servers and not getting our order right on the first or second time.
recommended, sure... worth a night out once or twice here or there, but to make Rock your regular hang out when you aren't a drinker, nah....
The last visit we went to was great. I really liked that the bartender recognized us and made us feel welcome. I haven't always had the best visits here though. Some of the bartenders paid more attention to the attractive men then the rest of the bar top. The food is great though! The Buckets are large and delicious. I think it is definitely a great place for out-of-towners to visit and enjoy. There is one pretty awesome bartender that we enjoy when we visit. If you try the pizza don't get the typical cheese pizza, make sure to try a specialty pizza they are amazing.
Review Source:Beer Battered Fries are to DIE for!
A lot of my friends were telling me about this place. So, I when I moved from California to Washington, The Rock was the very first place I stopped by to get together with some buddies.
I started off with the Fries that came with Ranch dip and it was amazing! I came back here 4 times the first three weeks of my move and I got the fries every time. I can really just sit and eat the fries and nothing else.
Pizza is okay. I prefer the traditional ones more (pepperoni, sausage, etc.). I did not really like there fancier stuff, like the BBQ sauce pizzas.
Apparently the calzones are a must-try but I never have enough room in the belly for one!
After a full day at Wild Waves we were ready to eat! We had a party of 6 (two kids and four adults) and we were sat in about 30 minutes.
The adults ordered salads before our Pizza's and they were all very tasty. The burger for the kids tasted kinda funny and so did the water but otherwise it was a good experience.
Our server was MIA most of the night but did manage to get our order correct (without writing any of it down) and she was friendly so...
The bathrooms were clean as was the restaurant and the host was friendly and helpful.
The menu was very extensive and the pizza flavors were very inventive. Not sure I would return (love Boston's in the north end) but it was decent enough.
Long overdue for a review of this place! My husband and I live nearby, and we stop in about 2-3 times a month. Â The pizza is tasty, the original (rum) bucket is the BEST, and service has always been great. Â Our favorite pizza is the Can't Stop Rockin' with added cherry peppers - it's a tasty blend of spicy and sweet!
I have to admit, being semi-regulars, we do get spoiled a bit - we usually sit in the bar area, and the ladies in there (Erin and Chastity ROCK!) are uber-attentive. Â Federal Way is kind of a widespread, diverse area, so it's rare to find a place that recognizes repeat customers, and I really appreciate that when I show up, they know me - kind of feels like Cheers :) but even when working with servers who don't know us, it's always been a good experience. Â
The wait can get a little crazy on Fri/Sat nights, and I'd recommend that they implement some sort of paging system at some point, but overall I've been a happy (and full!) customer.
Set up:
The Rock Federal Way, Washington. When we first moved to the Seattle area, this was the second Rock we tried. What kind of set the tone for this visit was the fact that we had a wreck on the way into the restaurant.
Pro's:
-Ambiance
-Convenient to other shopping experiences
-Good service
-Excellent deserts
Con's:
-mediocre pizza
-minimal rechecks from the server
Summary:
After trying the Tacoma Rock Pizza, we came across this one. The visit was unremarkable as I really don't remember how the food tasted or how the waitress was. What I do remember was trying to turn into a parking lot and being backed into.
This review is a recommendation for this location if you are trying to find a Rock pizza that would fit a larger party or would have more room than most of the other locations I have been to.
I've been coming here every since they have opened as I live 5 mins away. Â Whether's it dinner or lunch, I've yet to walk away disappointed. Â The lunch buffet and soda for $8.99 is a complete steal. Â You would think they would put out only cheap pizzas for the buffet, but instead they have the same great pizzas available as dinner. Â Lunch buffet includes salad, pasta, lasagna, and desert pizza. Â I can only do this once per month or I would gain some serious weight! =)
Service has always been prompt and friendly in both the bar and dining room. Â The kitchen can get backed up when it's really packed which is not uncommon. Â This place does very well on the weekends.
My favorite two pizzas, Ohh That Smell and Crazy Train! Â Don't forget an order of Brown Sugar Mozzarella bread and if you want an app the Buffalo Wings are awesome.
I've personally visited four other Rock's in the chain and this one in Federal Way was by far the best tasting.
Usually I have a difficult time eating at a theme restaurant. I don't know - the decor, the gimmicks, and the bad food are some of the factors that keep me outside of their doors.
But when my pregnant wife muttered those three loving words as we drove down the 5 freeway from Seattle to Portland, I knew I had to make a quick stop.
"I am hungry."
I got off at the nearest exit and the thought of wood fired pizza appealed to her appetite. After all, we've visited the Sammy's Food Fire Pizza in Fountain Valley numerous times and we enjoyed ourselves. How bad can it be?
Ha.
The decor was... cheesy. Is that appropriate because it's a pizza place? Maybe. But the red and amber colored stage lights all over the restaurant didn't impress me. I did like the rock music they were playing instead of elevator stuff and the tables which were fashioned after traveling case lids for instruments.
The service was great. Our waitress Lisa was helpful, friendly, attentive, and all-around great.
The food. The food was less than mediocre. Perhaps it's the wild combinations of toppings that are "rock and roll crazy" - but it just did not work for me. The crust didn't really have any of the wood-fire smell or tastes either.
I don't know - it just fell below my expectations. Perhaps my expectations were too high? Whenever I go to Sammy's, I can tell the difference. At this place, it tastes like delivery pizza... or Digiorno... with wild mix of toppings...
Eh.
In two words - too inconsistent. Â Our daughter had introduced The Rock to us in Auburn and when we heard one was coming to Federal Way - we looked forward to it. Â Â At first the crowds were an issue - long waits but that has gone away. Â Very seldom is there any wait wonder why - perhaps my opinion is not only mine. Â
Our favorite pizza is the Can't Stop Rocking which when made right is great but it is only made right about 1 in 3 times. Â But then perhaps the other 2 times are correct and the 1 time is wrong. Â Â LOL Â Â I personally feel for the price and the inconsistency it is not worth it BUT if it is correct - well worth it. Â Hoping they will get their act together.
Ughh...I only come here because they can accommodate larger groups, otherwise, I probably wouldn't eat here very often. Â
The only things worth getting are the Mozz Bread and the buckets full of alcohol. Â Otherwise, the pizzas aren't very good and I'd rather take home a Papa Murphy's take-n-bake pizza.
On another note, does it bother anyone else that the bathroom stalls are BLACK?? Â I realize that they have toilet seat covers....but if I can't see whether or not the toilet is clean, I feel weird about using the bathroom...it's gross.
So, The Rock....
Love the pizza and atmosphere. I have experienced the Federal Way Rock many times. I have even used the upstairs area for work events for 20 or so ppl.
My rating is based on the management's decision below and not their food or employees.
This is the issue and the reason for the 2 stars...
I called them today to get a reservation for our rehersal dinner that is 2 weeks away. The guy who answered the phone was really nice and stated that they normally dont take reservations for Friday or Saturday, but since I was calling so far in advance he would see what he could do. We are expecting 25-30.
I was sadly informed fifteen minutes later, Â that they could not accomidate my request due to thier policy and "especially for a group of your size. However, you can have somebody come 20 minutes before and see if they can accomidate us the day of." I cannot risk 25-30 of my party on a "see if you can accomidate". Where would we all go if they were not able?
Our wedding is going to be pretty fancy and wanted to have a low key, casual rehearsal dinner before the stresses of the big day. We thought the Rock would be perfect for that. Â It is also, somewhat close to our venue.
My issue is one of logic. Logically, Â why would they not go with a guaranteed bill for 25-30 ppl including alchol for the chance on the "normal rush"?
If this was in some way decided due to not having any way to know if we would show, I gladly would have put a deposit down, as we did not want The Rock based on economics. In fact, we had budgeted for our reception to be at Buca Di Beppos for the same amount of ppl.
Anyway, i debated on Yelping them on this as it wasnt really a "quality of product" issue. But I think service is huge and expecially in this economy. It was very clear they were not looking at us as "25-30 potential Rock lovers for life".
I am less a fan than I used to be...
We've gone to this location about once a month for a year. The main dining room is too loud for us so we hang in the bar. With several sports bars in the area this is a good place to watch football on a Sunday afternoon. The bar is open and bright with lots of televisions about.
Hubby is currently hooked on the French Onion burger. Here is the breakdown Burger of the Month style:
Bun - Large kaiser style that holds up well
Burger - very thick and juicy with "french onion" seasoning mixed in - it's not too salty but tastes a bit like Lipton's Soup mix?
Veggies - large dill pickle slice, heaping mound of shredded iceberg (always super cold) and tomatoes that may or may not be tasty and fresh.
Cheese - gooey Swiss with sauteed onions mixed in almost making a second patty.
He usually ends up eating the extra cheese, onion, and lettuce after the burger is gone.
Thing twice before getting the regular size... it's huge... the petite size is more than enough to keep the carpenter happy :-)
You can sub out the fries for a salad... regular or Cesar.
I love the Walnut Pear Salad... the mixed greens are OK, but the vinaigrette is great with PILES of pears and plenty of blue cheese crumbles.
For a couple years now we've always passed by and noticed this place.. Never really knew what to expect. I've had my fair share of this style of pizza and expectations are always high. So finally in the mood for Pizza and not having much selection in Federal Way we decided to come here.
   The first thing you do notice as you arrive is the dim lit style atmosphere. The colors that decorated the place did some how complimented black backdrop this place had. It worked and felt right. With Rock playing in the background to the fire colored lamps that hung at every table, it really maintained its image as the name and its logo suggested. So far impressed :)
   As we entered we where immediately greeted and seated. For having only an hour for lunch prompt service is a plus! Also there was a buffet offering that came along with the place. Didn't expect that. Since we've eaten twice already at a buffet this week, we passed immediately and dove for the menu. There where plenty to choose from here. From appetizers to a vast array of specialty pizza's, all baked in a wood oven there was much to get excited for. With so much to choose from we didn't hesitate to ask the waiter and host for recommendations. After a few mentioned favorites we finally ordered, what we got was OK, nothing to special about it. But still satisfying. For appetizers we chose the onion rings. It was heavy on the oily side but none the less good. Nothing better then freshly beer battered rings, not that frozen type. Unless its Red Robins :)
   Lunch was decently priced as the regular 12" Pizza was about 15$, for 2 its not going to break your pockets. There is just plenty to choose from here but what stood out the most was the theme of the restaurant. Kinda has that Hard Rock Cafe feel to it. The pizza we order was OK, nothing to get excited about but I'm know that there is still so much this place has to offer and everyone eating seemed to be enjoying. I will come back for a second go. Enjoy!
Man I'm glad they opened that place.
They just make very very good (and different) pizzas.
I've tried several, white or red sauce and like them all, the common team is thin crust, wood fired and fresh ingredients, resulting in a simple yummy pizza.
They have some pretty decent beer to go along with it.
Also my wife ordered a burger there (also wood fired) and that was a very good burger too.
I just love those pizza, disappointed in most other places since trying this.
TIP: this place (pizza/bar) gets very crowded at times, especially on the weekends, and when it's full they seem to have a hard time keeping up, so if you want the best pizza try to go out of the main "rush".
I have to echo the previous review about the lousy service at this restaurant. Â I've been here 5 or 6 times since it opened over the summer. Â Ordered takeout pizza maybe 3 or 4 times. Â I LIKE the pizzas and salads here, but the service is TERRIBLE. Â The food itself is worthy of 4 stars...the service a -1. Â Hence the 3 stars shown here.
Even with takeout, they've "lost" my order on 2 different occasions which required me to wait an additional 30-45 mins in the bar. Â To make matters worse, the staff was not the least bit apologetic. Â I was met with a "we lost it, oh well" sort of attitude that I did not appreciate.
I would probably NEVER come back here if it wasn't for the fact that I really like the pizza (crust is not greasy at all, just the way I like it) and that it's close to home.
In short...come here and try the food to see if you like it. Â Have very, very low expectations on service and you won't be disappointed.
I've never written a review on Yelp, but I had the most horrible dining experience in this restaurant. Â I saw some good reviews for the other locations, and I can't speak for them since I have never been there before.
The service stunk. Â Our waiter took literally almost 20 minutes to get our drink orders. Â
The appetizers came quickly and we liked the chicken wings and the fries, except the fries came dumped with melted american cheese on it, which I didn't like at all. Â I expected when I ordered it that it would have shredded cheddar, or some similar real cheese. Â They did not specify on the menu that it was american cheese.
We also ordered a chicken caesar salad which was very very bad.  The chicken on the salad was so disgusting that I almost sent it back.  It wasn't real grilled chicken, it was the kind of chicken that you get in the deli aisle at the supermarket that has fake grill marks on it.  It was limp, flavorless, and plain gross.  I doubt it was ever on a  grill.
We also had ordered a pizza (the founders pizza) at the beginning of the meal, and our server completely forgot to order it for us. Â So we were waiting for over an hour, no pizza. Â So he comped the pizza, which I thought was nice. Â But once we got the pizza, we wished we never had it. Â It seems since he forgot to put in the order for the pizza in the kitchen, they rushed it. Â It was undercooked and flavorless and runny. Â The others in my party had this same pizza at other locations, and had liked this pizza before but this one was completely disgusting. Â We ate very little of it, took it home, and threw it away.
You couldn't pay me enough money to go back to this restaurant, ever.
edit: Â this place still sucks.