Rock Garden

I was shopping with a friend in Covent Garden the other day and decided to pop into Rock Garden. Having eaten there on a number of ocassions I was more than happy to dine there, but my friend mentioned the reviews on London Eating that she had read and this surprised me!

We were seated quickly though it was busy and the restaurant was very full. Our waitress who took our order was polite and friendly but not overbearingly! We both went for the Burger and chips and ordered some extras - cheese and onion rings. The burger was delicious, and although it might look a little pricey at first the portions sizes are worth it! We decided to share a dessert (brownie) which was amazing.

We both completely enjoyed our meal and would definitely visit again, it's great to sit and look out over covent garden as you eat and the food was delicious and well priced for the area. Would definitely recommend a visit!
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Lea
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Have never left a restuarant feeling so dissappointed. My fish special was unedible - dry over cooked fish covered in 'thai' sauce which turned out to be soy sauce! The steak my husband had wasn't great quality either, but at least he could eat it. Service was ok, bill rather high for the quality. Would never eat here again!
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Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 0
Sunday, April 20, 2008

dinner for 4 this weekend, poor service, mediocre and overpriced food, 15% service charge added. do yourself a favour and spend your money elsewhere.
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ben
Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 2
Sunday, March 23, 2008

Went here with my girlfriend today, started off well enough - we ordered ok, got our drinks, and then waited...

and waited...

and after half an hour the waiter came up to say that he hadn't logged our order, and what was it again? Stupidly instead of realising this as our cue to bail out, we reordered and went back to waiting...

and waiting...

After another half hour - with a large party coming in, ordering, getting their food and leaving - we flagged down what looked like the manager and asked where our food was. |He claimed it was in the lift, and would be right here.

Five minutes later it still hadn't arrived, and So we flagged him down again. He shooed a few gossiping waitresses, who brung it over - perhaps it had been sitting in the lifts for the last five minutes.

The food was ok, but hardly great, and not at all worth the prices they charge. When we got the bill (again waiting a while) they'd added on a 15% service charge. When I scored that off, the waiter had the cheek to ask why i wasn't tipping - as if getting a tip is a god given right and not, you know, a reward for good service.

I will not be coming back here again.
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David Watson
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 0
Sunday, February 10, 2008

I was sucked into their promotional 15 pound set menu with glass of wine included.. When you get there, they tell you that you can only have a soft drink (coke, sprite etc)... They they hit you with a service fee.. All in all, I booked for 2 to eat the 15 pound promotion and left with a 52 pound bill. You do the math.

Poor service, nobody acknowledged the line at the door so we all went in (3 separate parties) and they chased us out and told us to wait.. The waiter twice swore at the cash register with the F bomb.. very hard to impress a lady with this service...

And, there's no way to complain.. Nobody to talk to, no email address on the website.. they just don't care.
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martin
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 3
Wednesday, October 24, 2007

We dined at The Rock Garden with another couple and found it to be a very bad experience. The food was disappointing and over priced and the service was appalling - it certainly didn't justify the ridiculously hopeful 15% service charge added to our bill. It is easier to say nothing was good about the experience than to try and list everything that was wrong.

In comparison, we recently visited Clos Maggiore which is just around the corner - it is currently running a £19.50 set menu which was amazing. Some of the best service we have encountered and they only add the regular 12.5% service charge. Sort it out Rock Garden, we will never dine with you again.
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Mark and Lex
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 1
Friday, September 21, 2007

We went here to celebrate a birthday and found that the steaks we ordered were excellent! The waitor who served us was lovely and we were positively surprised that we were seated at 8pm on a Saturday night without pre-booking. The only complaint I have is that the woman showing people to their tables was really ignorant. When we arrived, we stood at the entrance for a long time without nobody coming to even greet us and let us know how busy or not busy they were. Overall I was satisfied with this restaurant.
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Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 7
Monday, January 22, 2007

Unluckily for me and the girlfriend we were caught hungry and longing for a good burger in covent garden last night , i knew it was gonna be expensive but nothing had prepared me for the horror that is the 'Rock Garden'.

We ordered our drinks i had a £4.50 pint of grolsch ,that's right £4.50 i know its covent garden and a legitimate place to rip off tourists but this had me in stitches. We chose duck liver pate for starters which was bland and tasteless , we had gone for the burgers for our main and was looking forward to a big juicy burger to satisfy my appetite and wallet seeing as they were £11 , what came out was little more than a 99p cheeseburger from McDonald's , possibly the worst meal i have ever had at £70, avoid like the plague.
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Graeme Walters
Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 0
Friday, December 29, 2006

So amazing, we went there twice!

I had to wonder if the reviews below were referring to the same restaurant.

Saturday night, my g/friend & I stopped in rather late for dessert and an after dinner drink. We took pics of the dessert b/c it was beautiful and tasted even better. Service was fantastic!

Anthony, the restaurant manager, was one of the most gracious hosts I've had the pleasure of meeting and the staff was more than friendly.

Afterwards, we went downstairs to the nightclub and danced the night away. The music was a great mix of old and new, house and pop. The atmosphere was very relaxed, just crowded enough to be fun not cramped. Must see, Anna, the bartender. She's great!

We came back for dinner the very next night! The seafood appetizers (calamari and the salmon) were delicious and well presented. For dinner, we had one of the specials--Seabream. I've never had this before and it was spectacular. We enjoyed a delicious rioja with dinner then had their homemade brownies and Hennesy. We never felt rushed or crowded. We sat upstairs, Laura was our server. Again, great service, lovely and magical atmosphere.

I would highly recommend this restaurant and will certainly be back next time I'm in London!!!
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Lisa O. from Miami, FL
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Tuesday, December 05, 2006

Thoroughly enjoyable evening. Got to Rock Garden without a booking - were shown straight to a table in a very busy outside area heated with brilliant patio heaters (we went at the end of November, so the idea of sitting outside wasn't particularly appealing at first. Drinks were served promptly by a waiter who seemed to be handling most of the tables outside without writing anything down!! Starters (Goats Cheese and Pate) were great. Main courses arrived in due course and were equally good - mushroom & cheese burger - delicious, and chicken chausseur which just melted, the fish was cooked to perfection, apparently. I thought the service was very good, the food was delicious and the general atmosphere was "cosy" under the heating. Only one complaint - tables outside were quite crammed in. Other than that - great! Prices were good too - three 2 course meals for £100 with wine. Bargain.
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C
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Tuesday, November 28, 2006