Thrilled that the bar is open again with a bit more reasonable hours. (Who could make it at 6:30??) If only they would extend it to 8:00 pm so it would make weekday dinners at Rock it Bar possible after getting home from work. Gary is the best but we all have to give a huge shout out to Rene the most amazing chef!!! His amazing food along with the friendly and warm service is the reason we keep going back every week! read more

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Everyone knows Gary and there's a reason why. He is super helpful and all around a great guy. Lots of beer on tap, and everything from beverages to food are really competitively priced. Outside area is dog friendly. read more

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They changed the menu around, which kind of stinks. I like the old menu I felt like it had a fresher take on food in general. The fish tacos now are fried, and in my opinion overly fried. They have a lot of outdoor seating and it's very dog friendly, but I'm just not digging on the menu read more

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It has been awhile since I visited here as I use to work in the area and retired. I was so glad I returned. The staff were so accommodating and professional. The food was great. This is a little gem within Whole Foods that I've had Brunch and many lunches over the years. Definitely recommend! read more

This is such a hidden gem with great happy hour specials. Gary is the best - very helpful and friendly

BOOOOOOOOOOO! Really?? Are you guys trying to destroy your customer base? Crew members working in the Bar are GREAT! Management NOT SO GOOD! read more

Rock-It Bar - Boooo - Bars Near Me - Laguna Niguel, California

This is one of our favorite spots to eat. Such a bummer they changed the menu we have frequented a lot less since then but we used to go two to three times a week. Hoping they change it back or add more of what they used to have on there. read more

Favorite local spot to meet my friends for dinner and a beverage. Unfortunately, the Whole Foods management has been slowly stripping away all of the things that I love about this place. They started by taking away brunch and my favorite steak caesar salad and now they're closing the restaurant at 6 PM and the bar at 6:30 PM. As a working woman it is really difficult to be here by 6 PM to have dinner and would generally eat dinner here 2 to 3 times a week. I absolutely adore the staff here at the rocket bar! It is unfortunate in a town with very few options to loose the Rocket Bar as a dinner and beverage place. I am seriously hoping this is a temporary problem that will be resolved! read more

I'm so disappointed the powers-that-be have decided to start closing the Rock-It Bar at 7:00pm. Rock-It Bar is a great place to have a meal and a drink at a reasonable price. It's a place where my friends and I like to meet to have a meal. Sadly, with "last call" for food at 6:00, this will no longer be a dining destination for us. I don't typically shop at Whole Foods, but on more than one occasion I've purchased groceries aftering dining at Rock-It. I guess there won't be anymore "impulse shopping" at WF for me. I really hope that whoever made this decision will reconsider. read more

One Star Because of MANAGEMENT and the new hours! It seems that management is making rash decisions about food and hours of Rockit Bar. This is not just a typical cafe located inside a Whole Foods. This is a gathering place for regulars who obviously patronize quite often. I've made a lot of great friendships at Rockit Bar over the years. I've reluctantly tolerated the removal of their amazing brunch, the hard liquor, the steak Caesar and other favorites from the menu. Now they are changing the evening closing hours??? What is going on? I was there last night and Stacy had to let at least 12 people (not regulars - we already knew) know that the bar has new hours, the kitchen closed at 6:00 pm, the bar closed at 7:00 pm (last call at 6:30 pm). The bar usually starts to fill up right around 5:00 pm and is bustling to the point at times that it's "too busy". People stay until closing, which was around 9:00 pm. We love it there! Management has also placed the heavy burden of communicating the new hours to the patrons that are not reading the signage sloppily set out by them. The news hasn't been very palatable and the staff has to take the brunt of the reactions from startled potential customers. If Management wants to be clueless about how "other stores" run their cafes, then they should be standing at the door or entry way letting the customers know that the kitchen has new hours and that the bar will close by 7:00 with last call at 6:30. All in all: Management needs to get a clue! Not all stores have these hours! Newport stays open a lot later. Make the Rockit Bar stay open until 9:00! Despite the negative reactions the staff has been receiving, Daria, Gary, Stacy and Rene have all been extremely professional and courteous to everyone. Their service has always been amazing and continues to be! Keep up the great work you all! MANAGEMENT! Please stop acting like you know what's going on at other stores and then implement these silly policies at the Laguna Niguel store. Come by around 6:00 pm and see how many people have to be turned away later because the kitchen is closed. Bring the original hours back. Thanks! read more

A darn shame, no more brunch menu. We've been coming here for years for a great little brunch on the weekend. They had the best chilaquiles before but now the menu is boring and uninspired. read more

Only a 5-minute drive from my home, this place is super convenient and family-friendly spot for brunch or dinner. Located inside whole foods, my girlfriend and I went in for brunch after our epic tennis match in a sports park nearby(I won). We needed a good refuel and decided to eat here beating TEDS and plumeria nearby. We both split a plate of steak and eggs and also tried their crunchy bacon with maple syrup on the side. We had a mimosa and OJ for beverages. The steak was a bit tough to chew but the avocado salsa made up for it. Also included were these cute little breakfast potatoes that were perfectly bite-sized(way better than breakfast potatoes). The maple bacon, however, was sooo good! sweet and savory and sticky and deliciousness. Our server was great and food came out on time. read more

Rock-It Bar - Mimosa and Orange juice - Bars Near Me - Laguna Niguel, California

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The only reason for one star is the recent decision to close at 7 pm with last call for food at 6 pm. The place and staff are more than amazing. The decision is so disappointing. The management really missed the beat on this. Disappointing for the community that loves Rock-it Bar. Hopefully the management will come to their senses and return to reasonable hours. Very disappointing. read more

We were so sad and disappointed that the Rock-it bar has changed its hours. 1st they get rid of brunch, then the menu changes ( not good changes) now last call at 6:30. What are management trying to do???? They have great staff, Gary, Stacy and Daria. They managed that bar even when it was packed and it was packed every Thursday, Fri, Sat!! It was a great place to meet friends after a long day in the office! Or to meet neighbors or just to have a quick drink after doing the groceries. There are other bars and restaurants .. Whole-foods loss! read more

Great prices on a good variety of beer. That's the upside. I've been here half a dozen times and shake my head in wonder that Whole Foods can't hire anyone with some hospitality skills. It took five plus minutes to get any service while the staff chatted with each other. Ben the bartender is really special...this too cool for school hipster without an ounce of personality is a real treat. No greeting, no thank you, he just snarled and acted like he was doing me a favor by serving me. How about a warm welcome and some recommendations...nope, not from this dude. Each time I come here I always get the impression that Whole Foods is dabbling in the restaurant business and not truly committed to executing a great restaurant. It's a shame...the setting is comfortable and inviting. It's too bad the service consistently doesn't live up to it. read more

Came here last week- it was awesome. Stacy was super friendly and gave some good recommendations. Will be coming back to see her!!!

We usually enjoy the food here but service is lacking. I like the brunch items and several items for lunch and dinner such as the fish and chips, steak frites, steak Caesar salad, burgers, fish tacos, orange chicken, cauliflower nachos, and fried shishito peppers. I do not like the chicken wings because they were too salty and I did not like the seasoning. The calamari is also not good. It's just different with the olives and I did not like the dipping sauces. Most of the time we find that we are always waiting a long time to find a seat and get a waiter's attention. It seems that if you sit at the bar you get better service. read more

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Love this bar attached to Whole Foods! They have great local seasonal beers and killer $12 beer+food daily specials/happy hour. TVs.. this spot rocks $12 beer + food specialS Monday: Wings Tuesday: 2 Tacos Wednesday: Pulled Pork Sandwich/fries Thursday: Pub burger/fries Choice of: regular/Cajun/sweet potato fries.. all are amazing!!! Awesome service, food & beers! Have yet to try the brunch yet but have heard good things.. read more

Rock-It Bar - Pulled pork & Cajun fries - Bars Near Me - Laguna Niguel, California

This place is great. Easy place to get food and drinks it's very reasonably priced and the servers work hard. It's a small corner of wholefoods LN but they have some good options for food and big list of craft beers, wine and spirits. read more

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. read more

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I've been coming to Rock it Bar for over 10 years because I enjoy the friendly staff (Daria, Stacey and Gary are the best!) It is to my dismay that I even have to write a bad review right now. Whole Foods obviously doesn't understand the business they are now losing since they decided to close the Rock it Bar at 7pm, meaning no food is served after 6pm. Who gets off work and eats before 6pm? Many locals go to eat here several times a week, then shop for groceries and return Amazon packages. Unfortunately, I am now forced to go to shop at other grocery stores. I really hope Whole Foods reads these reviews and realizes the long time loyal local customers they are losing business and will become a tragic loss for the business coming into this store. This is a small local community with not many eating options. Please at least consider staying open a couple hours later. Also, there is no reason to open the bar at 11am, so shifting the morning hours would make the most sense versus when this bar is actually really busy after 5-6. I hope some serious thought is put into these decisions to reconsider the closing time. read more

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! read more

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Finally a yelp page was created: Here was my rock it review listed under "Whole Foods": Rocket bar happy hour. Love this place! Great deals and amazing food. I really do not want to advertise the rocket bar as I love going to this place and am afraid their prices are going to increase. Basically, you can purchase a craft beer such as Sculpin in a large size pint for $3. Also, you can bring food/alcohol in from the store and enjoy it at the rocket bar. I always purchase a $3 bottle of wine and sit their pouring myself $.50 pours. Yeah, there is no corkage fee...yet. read more

Love, love love this place! The food is soooo good! You can buy your wine in the store if you don't want their wonderful craft beer or wine selection, the "Raging Bitch" beer is the best! (Love that name!) We had the Cauliflower Nachos, all I can say is that it was AMAZING!!!! Love, love, love waitress Nikki, great energy and you can tell she loves her job! We will definitely be back!!! read more

Rock-It Bar - Bars Near Me - Laguna Niguel, California

Been dining here since they opened. Food is typically good, used to be better. Service was always bad, only gotten worse. Waiters all look like they hate their job, and waiting is unbecoming to them. Amazingly the bad service hasn't changed at all, makes me wonder about management. Seriously, the food is good, just needs to work on service. Slow, inattentive, often inaccurate and missing order Update, taking one star off for poor service, mostly for having demonstrated a complete and consistent lack of care to address this over the past years. When you come in you will wait a long time to get your order taken. The waiters will walk by you, or simply be nearby chatting or doing other things without making eye contact. Just take the order to get the food started,, it isn't hard! read more

Underrated and a new local spot. Our bartender was attentive and cool. Absolutely epic brunch. My wife got the chicken and waffles. The chicken was thick. I got the breakfast burrito w/ bacon. I wish they would have an option to add sausage in the burrito. Awesome selection of beer on tap. The margarita was smooth and strong! read more

This place is amazing. I've searched far and wide to find my organic chicken and waffles. Surprisingly this is the only Whole Foods in SoCal that you can get it. They serve brunch when they open at 11. I can also recommend the steak and eggs. The cooks are great and get your food out quick while keeping the standards high. It's tough to always get someone's temp right but don't fear ive never had any issues here and my expectations have always been blown. They have coffee here but your allowed to bring in outside drinks from the store as well except alcoholic. For wines they have a cork fee of $20 I believe because they sell it inside rock it bar. The atmosphere is awesome and they have cool local live music artist during afternoons most of the time. Def throw those hard working artist a tip while your there. Support the arts! They also create great ambience. The on tap beer menu is awesome with many many options and I can also recommend the kombucha beer that is 7%. They have a great kids menu as well. I don't work here but obviously I'm a fan of the place. Enjoy! read more

Rock-It Bar - Chicken and waffles - Bars Near Me - Laguna Niguel, California

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This place is a gem. Located inside the Whole Foods on the right, the Cauliflower nachos are maybe the best I've EVER HAD. Not JUST Cauliflower nachos, but nachos period! They also have a great beer selection and a wine called Meiomi (pinot) that I highly recommend. Service was a little slow for not having many customers, but really good portions and did I mention those nachos?! read more

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. read more

Rock-It Bar - Morning carnitas. Very meaty! - Bars Near Me - Laguna Niguel, California

Brunch is phenomenal but I recently brought a date here for dinner and was beyond pleased. I've had basically all of the brunch items, but chicken and waffles is my favorite!!! The other night we split the spicy chicken sandwich with regular fries and then had the burger with Cajun fries. Kinda picky because I'm dairy sensitive and date is dairy intolerant and the food was cooked precisely to the specifications. My date also had the spicy tuna hand roll and thoroughly enjoyed it. Once baby is born, we will return for some tasty beers! read more

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. read more

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This place used to be amazing however over time the quality of the food and service has gone downhill. Now unfortunately the same dishes are subpar. The fish and chips tastes like the fish came from the box and the fish pieces much smaller, it's like a kids meal. The chicken in the chicken sandwich is thin and overcooked. I suspect they may use the same oil for both the chicken and the fish because my husband said the chicken tasted like fish. The menu itself is lacking and the bartenders seem tired and spread thin. These are all new developments over the last few years, perhaps it has to do with Amazon taking over WF. This is still a nice place for drinks but bring the food with you from the grocery hot bar because it's mediocre if you order it at the restaurant. read more

Unfortunately, had I drafted a review for Rock-It just a couple of months ago, no doubt I would have dazzled all with that illustrious fifth star. However... as much as I 100% agree with my buddies Charlie M. and Lauren M., THEIR HAPPY HOUR HAS CHANGED. All draft beers are no longer $3, as awesome as that was -- I think someone in the Purchasing department realized that this may have been somewhat losing them money at some point -- now I believe all beers are $3 off their regular price. Food is still INCREDIBLE -- such reasonable prices for fresh, healthier, tasty fare -- I have yet to try the Laguna burger, but I swear it'll happen sooner rather than later. Fries, salmon tartines, you name it... delicious. Cheap. Easy four stars :) read more

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 read more

Here is my previous review I wrote under "Whole Foods": This is my go to spot for happy hour after work on Friday (if I do not make the trip to Hollingshead in Orange). I hesitated writing this review because I kinda wanted to keep this secret spot to myself. From 4-6 all of the craft beers are only $3 and their draft beer list is the best I've seen in Aliso Viejo as they almost always have Sculpin and they are always mixing up up with some amazing choices (Victory at Sea, Serpent's Stout, East to West IPA, Wookey Jack, Humulus Lager, Lagunitas Sucks, etc...) from top quality breweries (The Bruery, Ballast Point, Firestone, Cismontane, Bootlegger's, Green Flash, Pizza Port, Stone, Lagunitas, etc...). I can also get some fries for only $2 and on certain nights of the week they offer specials on slices of pizza. Not to mention you can buy anything in the store and come drink it in the bar with no corkage fee. In other words, my wife wants a glass of wine so I go buy a bottle for $2.50 in the store bring it into the bar and she pours herself glasses for 50 cents each! They also have live music most Fridays and the service behind the bar (Brian) is top notch. Last tip - Make sure you bring cash to tip your server, because they do not have the ability for you to tip on your credit card. ***UPDATE*** Still the best happy hour and the beer list keeps changing, enjoyed a couple Fathom limited release brews by Ballast Point, and a Trestles IPA by Left Coast last time and a $2 order of fries as usual to keep the ship steady. I also noticed their food selections during happy hour has changed and must admit that I feel like I made a mistake by not ordering the Laguna Burger for only $5, looked and smelled delicious as it went by and I would have order it had I not already made plans to make fish tacos at home later. read more

My go to grocery store. Large, open and with all the Whole Foods bells and whistles: gelato bar, seafood experience, BBQ station and so on. This location has a full restaurant and "Rock-it-Bar" that we dine at about once a week. While they do try, this place needs a bit of help ... the wait staff are green, the seating arrangement only has ONE table for families with a small child, the wait times for service, food or drink is tragically slow, forget about having your table cleaned and, to make matters worse, their version of a wine pour is about 3 oz. Happy Hour needs some work. We go for the ambiance, ease of having a light meal and options of bringing in a just purchased bottle of wine from the store, or food from their food stations or buffet. Plus, this location makes pretzels .. pretzels have an amazing power over me. Great potential but not there yet. read more

The food is good. Live music on the weekend is great. HOWEVER they grudgingly offer service. Tables are not clean and it's as if they are annoyed and put out taking orders. I've given it a couple of chances but the service doesn't provide good karma. read more

SERVICE IS WOW! Wow!! Andy & Jerri absolutely made my night, from the moment I walked I they were so kind, attentive & pleasant. Food is always great, matched with great service. Really happy I came here tonight. Usually is go to a traditional bar/restaurant but I made the decision to try the WF bar tonight & I don't regret it one bit!!! Andy was really cool, great guy, hope he's here next time I come by read more

It's a nice place to get some small portions of good food and some good drinks. They expanded the menu recently but they still have the "original" small portions for like $4 on the back. The beer menu has changed and it might change again depending on local breweries and other factors, I used to get Lagunitas IPA but it's not available any more. Well, great! I got the Sculpin from Ballast Point, it's one of my favorites. . My wife got the Sangria and loved it. The service is great and the food is good quality. The place is rather small and chances are you will make friends here, we talked to the people next to us every time, great place to watch a game or something too. Every time you look to the left you are reminded that you are in a store, but it's OK, just go shopping and walk those beers off. read more

Rock-It Bar - A lot of beer options, a lot of IPAs - Bars Near Me - Laguna Niguel, California

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If you've been here, then you know the service absolutely sucks. Never a "hello", "welcome back", "great to see you guys again". Never a wave of acknowledgement or a smile and a nod. Frankly, if their food wasn't as good as it (normally) is or my wife and I didn't have as much fun with each other as we normally do, we would NEVER go back. With that said, we walked in this morning for some chicken and waffles (pretty effin good), and sat down. Table was sticky so my wife started wiping it down, but no biggie, that sometimes happens. BUT, she was seen wiping it down by two employees, and not one came over with a wet towel. We waited,........ and waited. Someone (and they all kinda look like they're from the East Coast) dropped of menus without any eye contact. No beverage order. Dropped menus and walked away. We waited,....... and waited. After about 15 minutes, we kinda started laughing is disbelief. NO WAY this is happening, again. We had the menus staked neatly on the corner of the table with an evidently clear, "we are ready to order" look on our faces, but nope. Just sat there. We weren't starving (just wanted out of the house for breakfast), so we were patient. Another 5 minutes went by. She said, "you know what? Let's just go across the street". So, across the street to El Ranchito we went. As soon as we walked into the restaurant (I kid you not), as the manager was shaking my hand, the bartender was already half way through the bar and said (I swear), "Hey guys,.... nice to see you two again. It's been a while", and was motioning us to an open table. We looked at each other with comedic confusion like, why the f-word did we even bother with ROCK-IT-BAR!?? The service there is always so disappointing. So, anyway, we had a great breakfast at El Ranchito; spent about an hour there. Happily paid our bill (and of course tipped generously), then bounced. I will say, on a positive note with the Rock-it-bar, you CAN buy a piece of meat or fish from Whole Foods, and they will cook it for you as no cost. We usually get the salmon, have a sweet habanero rub on it, and its usually cook very nicely. Ana (a manager there I believe), is their only bright star, but Josh, Kyle, David, Andy........ just horrible. I mean,......... they HAVE to recognize our faces, right? And for them to to acknowledge "regular" customers....... its freaken bizarre. read more