Worst experience at a bar - EVER. This happened a couple months back when I was at Rockit celebrating a friend's birthday. I had been there once before and had no complaints other then the fact that their food and drinks were overpriced. If you have not been to Rockit Bar and Grill in River North it is essentially a Wrigleyville college bar, that feels they can up-charge because of their River North address.
Something that I did not bargain for was how awful the staff treated one of my friends. Chris Calcaterra was the ring leader and is some kind of manager at Rockit, but obviously has no idea as to how to treat customers. Chris along with three other male employees decided that it was acceptable to treat my friend like trash and bully her to force her to leave. Now lets be honest I'm sure we have all encountered a friend or maybe ourselves being asked to leave a bar early because they/you were over-served. I understand that the individual establishment reserves the right to ask anyone to leave at anytime. This was a completely different story, I have never seen such disrespect and disregard for common decency in my life.
My friend became their target for the night, Chris Calcaterra was out of line. Â Even if you are asking someone to leave, you need to remember that they are still a paying customer and you will treat them with respect and dignity. Chris on the other hand was rude and abrasive upon our first encounter with him. If you make someone feel attacked right from the get go, Â you did not handle the situation correctly. Â As a manager at a bar never engage yourself and your three male co-workers against three females who are willing to stand up for their friend being attacked.
When asked why our friend was being asked to leave we were also brushed off, we were told and I quote " hey no one likes being kicked out", "you are all intoxicated" and "you don't have to leave only your friend does."
That's when it all started to make sense. My friend who was being kicked out was profiled based on how she looked. Don't get me wrong she is gorgeous, but does not fit into society's cookie cutter mold. For this reason I believe that she was profiled. Judging people for how they looked and treating them with disrespect seemed to be the theme of the night at Rockit. Did I forget to mention that an employee at Rockit who was called in to deal with us called me "that tall skinny bitch" straight to another friends face who was also on the defensive against the staffs rude behavior.
By the time we were allowed to get out coats and rushed downstairs Chris Calcaterra and his "muscle" told my friend "you don't belong here."
Here is the kicker: It is not a coincidence that this same friend being asked to leave that night was also denied entrance to The Underground a year earlier for her own schools social. When asked the reason for not being allowed in she was not given an answer. Rockit Ranch Productions owns both The  Underground and Rockit Bar and Grill. This leads me to believe that this is a common practice for this business, to allow its employees to treat certain people with such disregard and disrespect based on how they look. I am absolutely disgusted. I will never again step foot in the establishments owned by Rockit Ranch Productions, and I will tell everyone of my negative experience.
If profiling people based on how they look is a characteristic that you value in the places you go to have fun, by all means please enjoy. I personally will not contribute to anyone that makes it a common practice to hurt other people, bring them down and disrespect them.
This place gets SUPER packed, but it is completely worth the wait. I came here for a private fundraiser event and so we had little appetizers, and all of them were amazing. The burgers and truffle fries were so addicting! The manager was very accommodating for our private event and the staff was friendly as well.
Review Source:Mike and his staff were fantastic in handling our small group for brunch. I emailed in advance because we wanted to be able to watch a particular game and when we got there, we had prime seats and everyone was very accommodating. Â They have an amazing brunch menu and I definitely want to go back and try a few more things. The bloody Mary bar was quite extensive and yummy! The live music was great too! My out of town guests were quite impressed.
Review Source:Oh Rockit, I won't blame you for your clumsy, boozed up, slightly rhythmically challenged clientele. That's not fair. (Seriously, I kept getting bumped into by this couple. Not sure if they were dancing or trying unsuccessfully to make babies....whichever it was, it was annoying).
The downstairs area was pretty lowkey, not at all crowded. Got a solid crown and ginger ale from the bar. The upstairs area was a different story. Very loud, very crowded. Got a not even close to being solid crown and ginger from that bar. See Rockit, that I CAN blame you for.
It's worth mentioning that on a late Saturday night, we were able to get in almost immediately. I don't do long lines in the winter, so that's definitely a plus.
Finally found myself in a comfortable niche with a group of people who weren't obnoxiously intoxicated and could keep a beat. By then, I was finally having a decent time. Rockit, I'd say you are hit or miss. I like the atmosphere downstairs much better. I'd give you another go if I was in the area.
Rockit is one of my go to places in the loop for happy hour or drinks and appetizers. They have half price apps at happy hour, which makes it super affordable for the loop. Aside from the apps, I am in love with the truffle fries. They also have great sandwiches and burgers, and a wide selection of beers.
The service here is good, the waitresses are very casual and friendly. It gets pretty busy here around dinner, and it is a bit noisy, but it is usually a young, lively crowd. I've heard they have a great brunch & bloody mary bar, which is definitely on my list to try.
Rockit has been on my list of places to try for awhile. I brought an out of town friend here and we both really liked it. It was so cold outside that I did a kettle of the spiked cider. Whoa! That will warm you up really quickly.
I also had the Rockit Burger which was cooked absolutely perfectly, it was red in the middle and very juicy but not running down your arm sloppy-juicy. But I did think that some of the toppings were overpowered by the brie or maybe they just forgot them. Anyway it was really good. I also had the french onion soup to start which was good, but standard. My friend got the chili and he said it was really good. Is it at the top of my burger list? No, but it's near it.
Our server was really nice. Overall I really had a good time here. The bar area isn't very big, so waiting for a table could get cramped there. Also, the prices were a bit steep for food and drink alike.
Disclaimer: Went here only for drinks during the big University of Michigan-Indiana basketball game, so the experience could have been better under other circumstances.
Two reasons for the above rating -
*Confusion: Numerous empty tables had signs indicating reservations starting at 10 and 11 p.m. The game's tip-off was at 8 p.m. My group and I asked the host if we could sit in any of these spots prior to the reservations, but he said he didn't feel comfortable giving those tables away. After about 20 minutes or so of standing, while ordering our drinks, one of the servers later told us that it was OK for us to sit at these tables.
*Awkwardness: It was crushing to see U-M lose the game with a packed house of fans. But what emphasized the loss even more was when (as soon as the buzzer sounded for the end of the game) the employees of the bar began taking down all the U-M flags. Patrons couldn't help but watch because of the tall ladders intervening the crowd.
My first Rockit experience was in the summer, one of many stops on a ___INSERT COLLEGIATE CONFERENCE__ bar crawl.
The weather was excellent and everyone was in a good mood. Â The bar is pretty typical of the Hubbard St. scene: clean, trendy, good food.
The drinks here are well-made and the servers are pretty attentive. Â It should also be noted that the management went above any beyond while accommodating our humungous bar crawl crowd. Â
For those of you that follow college sports, it should be noted that this is a (University of) Michigan bar. Â I won't hold it against the place as it's a solid bar to grab a drink.
Solid spot for lunch or dinner and a drink in River North. The food is GREAT, but can be a little pricey for what it is, and I have an issue with a place charging $20 for a "kobe" burger. No, it's not Kobe; kobe is not available in the U.S. If I didn't get 50% off on Mondays for working in the industry, I probably wouldn't eat here as often as I do.
And check your order if you do to-go. Its rarely right...
3.5 stars
The rockit kobe burger is a melty brie with date aioli concotion that is savory deliciousness on a beautiful brioche bun. And truffle fries.
They also have pretty large portioned salads that have all been satisfying. The food is pretty standard-- won't exactly blow your mind, but it won't really disappoint you either. This place is chill during the weekdays, and somehow I ended up her quite a lot during the summer to shoot pool with friends on the 2nd floor (you can rent them per hour).
Chill place for drinks with a decent food. More bar area upstairs and restauranty downstairs.
I had a good time here. The waitress and the hostess were very friendly, even when we had a large party. My family and I came here for lunch over the holiday week and we all had some burgers and salads. It's a solid place to go for a place that's a little bit upscale, but still has burgers and sandwiches and isn't too assuming. So if you want something easy and good that's a little bit different, stop by here and I doubt you'll be disappointed.
Review Source:I'm not sure I'd come running back here. Â But, the food is good (not great). Â The mac and cheese was creamy and delicious. Â Roasted Buttnernut Squash Soup was outstanding. Â Sweet potato fries were solid. Â I thought the TV dinner was quite creatively presented with enormous portions made for a Flintstone family of four. Â Pork chop was dry and overcooked, but well flavored. Â Cocktails were all far too sweet and not well balanced. Â I'm not sure what the "rock" theme was all about ... having the diverse album covers for menus was a great table conversation starter ... but I never quite figured out how that related to the overall restaurant concept or how that was translated to the menu ... still not clear on all that. Â :)
Review Source:I visited Rockit on a Saturday evening while some friends and we spent the entire time upstairs. Â The music was awesome and the place was packed. Â The drinks are pricey but good- I highly recommend the mojitos. Â The music is great and it has the music videos for the songs shown on the screens surrounding the bar. Â They have a full bar with every bottle you can think of, with a limited selection of beer and wine though. Â I recommend trying this place out on a Friday or Saturday night- you'll probably be pleasantly surprised.
Review Source:This was the BEST stop of our company night out. The DJ played some good music, and got everyone dancing. The drinks were good- some of the staff was super nice and friendly, and some of the staff were not so excited to see us. I might go back there another time and try the food which I heard is amazing.
Review Source:Went here for a reunion dinner with a friend who was in town. It was loud, drinks were unnecessarily expensive (but they were good!), and the waitress was pretty uninterested in us. It was nice to be able to enjoy a good dinner at 10 pm, with reservations, but not really worth the money I spent.
Highly recommend the truffle fries!
Best burger I have ever had! (and i didn't even get the Kobe burger- just the regular one). Also, I HIGHLY recommend upgrading to cheese fries- so good! We had a large group and our waiter was great. Fun drink menu. I went a couple weeks ago and I cannot stop thinking about my cheeseburger. Can't wait to go back!
Review Source:This was a good place to watch the Michigan game. Â Even on a busy day like the Michigan/Ohio St game, they still offered good drink specials, the food was hot and good, the place was packed, but most people still had a place to sit or lean. Â The sound system for the game was excellent.
Review Source:Been awhile since I reviewed this in 2007!
Rockit is great for the weekday happy hours til 6 if you get out of work on time.
They have a great selection of unique salads like the Buffalo Calamari Cobb Salad. This thing is big enough to share, and you probably should! With all the usual fixins of a cobb salad, the additional buffalo-coated calamari makes it a slam dunk.
Half priced wine bottles under $100 on Mondays! The cheapest bottle are $32 whites and $36 reds--go for it!
The place is nice, similar to Moe's Cantina kind of atmosphere. Â The crows arent too shabby. Â After my friend and I walked around like 3 times looking for seats, we almost gave up and decided to just stand. Â The host was nice enough to take a "reserved" sign off a table for us to sit. Â That was nice of him! Â So we sat for an hour and then we headed toward Epic to finish our night of a friendly hang out.
Review Source:I am giving this place a 5 star rating for the Burger, Fries, the bar setup, the HD TVs, the great IPA.
The Burger and Truffle fries are as good as The Capital Grill which I highly recommend if you are more dressed up. I find myself here every time I am in Chicago so I think that says it all.
I went here with a few friends to catch up.
We ALL had the roast beef sandwich and fries.
Drinks were rolling and they were made well.
Nice job by our server that said we were the best group in there even though it appeared as if we had crashed some sort of secret EHarmony date night event.
We were not rushed out.
We were not intimidated by the couples surrounding us.
It was relaxed and fun. The food was great.
The drinks, once again were fantastic.
Thanks for being awesome that night!
This review is for BRUNCH at Rockit.
Personally, I feel like Rockit has one of the best, most under-rated brunches in River North. With a $5 make your own bloody mary bar, it doesn't get much better. Their bar is by far one of the most extensive I've seen. You could eat at least one full meal just out of the bloody mary bar alone. It's stocked with shrimp, pickles, meats, cheeses, carrots, celery, and olives just as a beginning.
They always have a live guitarist on Sundays who adds great atmosphere to the room-- loud enough to hear, but not loud enough that you have to shout to be heard. Their food is also great. I usually go with the California Omelet, but all the plates that go by are mouth-watering.
If you're looking for a solid weekend brunch option to catch up with friends or family, Rockit pulls through.
I came into Rockit for the burgers and boy did this place deliver. As others have mentioned, the portions are gigantic. Come hungry or slightly hungry because you should expect to wait. We came in around 6:30 on a Friday and had to wait about 50 minutes for a seat.
Now the food...
I ordered the Locavore, and it was so decadent. The beef was juicy, substantial and perfectly cooked to my requested medium-rare. The toppings were really fresh. I had to tackle mine by cutting it in half. AND THE TRUFFLE FRIES!!! They are SO addicting. The fries came straight out of the fryer and were perfectly golden brown and crisp on the outside. The next day I wanted to go back to Rockit because of those fries.
The drinks are no deal, but the food is really well-priced considering the portion you get. I'd suggest coming in and sharing food with your friends and maybe splurge on your drinks.
The service was also really good. The drink hostess was really friendly and had good recommendations. The waiter was attentive.
Overall, I loved it. My friends from out of town loved it. Am looking forward to coming back and trying new and old things (mmm truffle fries)...
I love Rockit! It has always been my fave place to dine on Hubbard  (hello mac and cheese and truffle fries...i die!!)..and it is fast becoming one of my fave places to hang out  lately, too.
I cannot say enough good things about the staff. I always have great service when dining, friendly non-snooty bar staff and awesome door guys! I really, really hate when door guys act like you know whats and you won't find that here! If you are lucky you will get Greg or Patrick, they are so friendly and really seem to enjoy what they do, as do all the staff at Rockit! Greg is hilar and honestly when I brought my out of town NYC-er friends there a few weeks back they couldn't stop talking about how awesome the staff was. particularly 'that guy Greg!..' Trust me-you don't get service like that in NY!
The crowds here vary throughout the day. Brunchers, college sports and NFL fans and then the weekend  nighttime crowd. Very fun, good-looking crowd. Always a great time on weekends. Usually crowded but not in the way like you can't breathe, get a drink, move, etc. Rockit keeps it classy!
Overall, I recommend Rockit for lunch and/or brunch, a sports game or holiday (hello, St Paddy's Day!) during the day and really any weekend night...great staff, delicious food and amaze drinks!
I'm not a big fan of loud, crowded establishments, but if you get here early enough, you can enjoy a nice meal. Â The food is pretty tasty--Rockcorn shrimp was awesome--and the prices are fairly reasonable for what you get. Â I had the sliders with angus beef for my entree and it did not disappoint.
Service is also pretty good. Â The waitstaff is cordial and the food gets to you pretty quickly. Â
I noticed a large crowd forming inside as we were leaving, so I have to remind myself for the future to get there early again in order to enjoy myself. Â All in all, this is a good place.
This place wasn't memorable for its food... the sweet potato fries are good, but you can get the same quality meal, often times even better at many other places in Chicago. Try other places in the area -- Across the street, Theory is a comparable option (same quality and price).
Go there for the trendy bar, which is a hotspot (although pricy - think $13 anejo tequila shots) on weekends.
I came with a friend to have lunch here. We were seated right away by our hostess. Our waitress was very helpful. She recommended a german grapefruity beer to me, which I've never tried, and I thought why not, her description was on point. I took a sip and I wasn't  digging it. She came back and asked me if I liked it. I kinda shook my head and she immediately told me that she would replace it with any other drink! I was relieved. She told me not to worry about it. The food was great. I had a buffalo chicken wrap, which was not overly spicey and there wasnt too much dressing on it.
cool environment and great decor. Great place for lunch.
For dinner one evening while staying in Chicago, we wanted to check out Rocket Bar & Grill as there had been recommendations and good reviews. It was also within walking distance of our hotel.
The service was quick and efficient and the drinks came quickly which was a great start. The server was knowledgeable and friendly. Â
Ben ordered their grande taco salad. I stole a few bites and we were both pleased with the beef not being over cooked, the veggies were fresh and the helping certainly was heaping!! I don't think he made it through even half.
My order was the truffle fries as I love truffle oil and the light sprinkle of cheese. The fries were cooked perfectly. Crispy golden on the outside, soft and mashed potato like on the inside. Just the right amount of truffle oil to satisfy my craving. I also had an order of the grapenutts that I couldn't resist. As shown in one of the photos, they come in a martini glass. They are chilled red seedless grapes, coated in goat cheese and then rolled in crushed pistachios. It may be the one thing I ate while travelling that I have craved ever since! I wonder if they might be willing ton ship to Halifax???
I barely made a dent in my fries and took half of my grapenutts to go. The portions are enough to fed 3.
If you are ever in Chicago, this is definitely  great place you should put on your dining list. The patio looked nice, but it was very hot in August and A/C inside won.
The ONLY reason this isn't getting a full five stars, is because I've been here at night. Ugh. It's crowded, loud, and most likely a wait on the weekends.
Their brunch is brilliant. I've gotten the brie and apple sandwich and a KILLER homemade veggie burger. Not too expensive and a massive amount of food. Don't forget the $5 bloody marys with over 20 toppings. So delicious. Service is great and they have a guitar player who plays Sunday morning.
Love this place! We usually bring out of towners here prior to them leaving for their flight on Sunday afternoon, and it usually puts them in a good mood. Service is usually pretty great too. I went with a larger group recently and the waitress split the bill quickly.
This is such a popular place, so if you're into that, cool.
If you're not, you should know that the waitresses here are the rudest, most unprofessional, apathetic snobs I've ever come across in a bar. I was there for an event that brought huge business to Rockit, and I was pushed around, ignored and given blank stares with slack jaws and attitude in response to my questions.
That was on the main floor.
Top floor staff (staff for the event) was incredible. Worked their asses off.
Still wouldn't come back.
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS PLACE!!!
The day after Valentines Day my boyfriend & I asked the concierge at the hotel we were staying at for a good restaurant...he recommended this place & I wish I could personally thank him every time I leave here! Lol
We went to the Hubbard street location (and have been returning ever since). They have never failed us, EVER. The service is always great, very centered arounf your needs, very polite & friendly, and pretty quick, considering.
My FAVORITE thing on the menu has to be the truffle fries, they're amazing & sort of melt in your mouth--a definite must-have!
I also love, love, love the buffalo calamari cobb salad, it's a huge portion & all of the fixings make it superb! I've also had the locovore burger & rockit burger, both of which of great. And from what I hear the chicken sandwich is delicious also. And they have an extensive specialty cocktail drink menu. What's not to love about this place?! Whenever I move from Chicago, I'm going to miss it dearly!
The food here is great, and fairly priced. But the service was atrocious. We waited a solid 15 minutes for a server to even look at us, and then, once we finally placed our drink order, we waited ANOTHER 15 for them to arrive (2 beers). As someone who has poured and served a few beers in my day, it doesn't take 15 minutes to do those things, even if you have to tap a new keg. Furthermore, the beers here are EXTREMELY overpriced. $9 for a 12oz draft beer? Please.
Honestly, you should probably walk down the street and find a different place to eat. Food was good, but not worth the extra money you have to spend on drinks, not to mention the bad service.
Just finished dining here and it was the worst experience I've ever had. I was in town for a conference, dining alone because my colleagues were busy. They sat me in the corner by the waitstand, which only made me feel like a social pariah. This continued through the night, as I really felt the management wanted me to leave as quickly as possible since I was taking up table space.
My waiter was quite good, very nice and affable. The food was meh. Somehow my burger was dry even though it was cooked medium. It was also burned on the outside. I also had two beers.
After I was done eating, I ordered a whiskey on the rocks, then got up to go to the bathroom, taking my bag with me because it had my wallet and iPad in it. By the time I was back, they had cleared my table and sat a couple in it. The manager told me he could put me in another table, but that was the last straw. I got upset and asked for my check. They ended up comping it, which was nice, but I would've preferred a decent dining experience. Go here at your own peril, and don't go here alone unless you're a man or a supermodel.
This place needs to take control of their busboys or the head waiters there. I was still biting thru my $19 burger and the so called jerk of a human (waitress) came and wanted to box my dish. I'm not done! I said
Three minutes later, a huge man came and just took the -my still full- dish. After he tossed it away he asked me if I'm done. WTF! I complained to the so called manager and his respond was "well we are busy today"
I will not step back again into that place, nor will I ever recommend it my clients.
Take your burgers and shove them up yours.
I can't really comment on how this place is at night, but I've eaten here a couple of times and I thought it was fabulous.
A friend and I came in for lunch back in December, and I was pleasantly surprised. Â I don't exactly have high expectations for bar food, but I found Rockit to be much more of a restaurant. Â My friend ordered the Locavore burger, which looked amazing (and huge)! Â I ordered the fried pork and crispy egg sandwich, and while I'm pretty sure that clogged my arteries, it was delicious. Â My sweet potato fries were the best I've had, and I walked away feeling pretty happy.
A group was getting together for brunch recently and I was put in charge of picking the spot. Â I had been wanting to come back to Rockit since that December lunch, so our party of 6 decided to try their brunch. Â
We had a great time. Â We were seated right away, even though some of our party was running late. Â Service was quick and friendly, and everyone enjoyed their food. Â I would definitely come back here for brunch!
The hubby and I came here on a night out during the week and I totally dig this place! Â It was semi-busy for being a weeknight, but that was why we went out! Â The have outdoor seating, seating downstairs and their "lounge" area upstairs that has a bar, tables, booths, and pool tables. Â They have PLENTY of seating through out their establishment, which is nice...it seems like you would for sure be able to get seating whether it was the weekend or during the weekday.
We decided to sit in the lounge area upstairs. Â They have a nice beer menu (which I enjoy trying different beers)...I tried a yummy cider and ordered their sweet potato fries that were DELICIOUS and only $6 for a huge basket!!! They food prices actually seemed pretty reasonable for Chicago! Â I then ordered another cider (after quite a few drinks through out the evening), and didn't realize it was a BOTTLe of cider...after freaking out thinking it was going to be a $60 bottle...I came to find out it was only $25, which is actually a pretty good price for getting about 4 drinks out of it! Â
The service was good..but again, we were there during the week, so we were getting a lot of attention.
I definately would come back. Â It seems like it would be a fun place to go to on the weekend!
The hotel recommended this as a place for a group to go and it was a good suggestion. They had a decent wine selection and lots of different options. We had some apps to share and nothing really stood out, the sweet potato fries in particular were bland and not crispy enough. But there were a lot!
I had the Rockit burger with truffle fries, the burger was good, but the truffle fries were amazing.
Service was fine, but they had some sort of rule that they couldn't split checks and that they would only accept four credit cards from the group. That caused a bit of a problem since there were 10 of us and we didn't know this up front. Luckily we had enough cash between us and were able to do it. Seemed a bit arbitrary.
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