Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery

This review is for the Happy Hour menu and experiences: 4.5/5 (rounded up) Food: Happy Hour is very reasonably priced (take a couple dollars off taps and apps), one of the reasons to come here, with the other one being to eat and drink their delicious food. We have tried every appetizer and most beers on tap. We highly recommend the nachos and fried pickles for food. The dips are very flavorful and complement to food well. The nachos are crunchy and made with fresh ingredients. The fried pickles are lightly breaded and have a nice crunch to them. The beers have never disappointed. Whether you like blond, stout, IPA, or sour, they have a drink for you. We are highlighting the wheat ale and sour here, just for variety since SD has many IPA options, but our go-to is the hazy IPA- perfect hoppiness. Service: Service has been hit or miss. Sometimes we are tended to and served right away, sometimes we have to wait quite some time to place our orders. But the servers and bartenders are always so friendly and open to conversation. Tip them well! Atmosphere: Our go-to spot for happy hour, after work (4-7p) or late night. Place is very lively and well decorated with art and games, like billiards. There is trivia on Wednesdays at 7p that makes the place extra crowded and fun. The restaurant likes to work with the community and endorses good causes. The bar is spacious and has many games playing simultaneously.

My fiancé and I needed a quick and cheap eat so we went over to Rock Bottom. Another chain restaurant but above average in that category. There are plenty' of TVs all around the restaurant so you will never miss the big game here. The food was above average. I had the Baja chicken sandwich with grilled chicken. It had good flavor, the guacamole on it was good and the chipotle mayo had the right amount of spice. My fiancé had the wedge salad with a side of Mac n cheese. The salad was good, all the ingredients were fresh. The Mac ad cheese had good flavor but would have liked to see more of the rue so the noodles would be more covered. Would recommend this for quick and relatively cheap options.

I liked this place. The family and I came I for lunch on our way home from the Aquarium. Sadly, we live about 30 miles from Rock Bottom, so even though we really, and truly enjoyed our lunch, we may not be back for some time. We showed up about 2pm on a Saturday, were greeted and seated promptly by a very friendly hostess. Our waitress was out straight away, took our drink order with a smile and let us peruse the menu. I ordered a garden salad (I wasn't terribly hungry), the Hubs had jambalaya, and the Wee One enjoyed a Pub Burger with fries. As well, we had fried pickles for a shared starter. Everything was delicious! The pickles stole the show. If and when we're back, we'll definitely be ordering fried pickles again. The salad was fresh and crispy, the Hubs and Wee One's lunches were delicious as well. Rock Bottom Brewery is a definite win.

I actually cannot think of a reason to give this place less than 5 stars: beer made in house, a happy hour, food included in happy hour, outdoor seating, parking, and excellent service. I was hesitant coming here as some people had told me its like "the chili's of breweries." Well.. regardless of that statement.. I had a great time with a large group of coworkers. We easily reserved a table for 10+ outside on the patio. We all enjoyed our $4 beers and had a variety to choose from (IPAs have the biggest selection). We split a bunch of food as it was all $5-7.. chicken tenders, nachos, hot pretzels, jalapeño poppers, jalapeño breadsticks). The food was actually pretty large in serving.. they don't give you smaller portions because you order off the happy hour menu. Our server was great and let us pay individually for our food rather than us dividing up one big check.

I received a coupon for the entrees and decided to give it a try. I always see the sign when going to school at UCSD and have wanted to come in for a while. The service gave us lots of space but they were inviting and warm. It seemed pretty empty on a Sunday night but that may be a reason why they send out so many coupons. I ordered the top sirloin with mushroom sauce. For the sides, I chose mashed potatoes and cilantro lime rice. The steak was cooked perfectly. It was a great portion size; I finished the entire plate which doesn't happen often! The rice is also very flavorful and the mashed potatoes were average but you can't go wrong with potatoes. My friend got the bacon mac 'n cheese. It is very cheesy but has tons of flavor. The portion size is huge and can be saved and eaten the next day. It has a nice smoky flavor and the crunch added on top added to the texture differences. It was a solid choice that doesn't disappoint.