11/06/09

Delicious, inexpensive food and great atmosphere

by egallivan

I love the Rockford and I have been going there since it opened in the mid 90s. The food is delicious! Lots of tasty gourmet sandwiches and of course, the Mission Style Burrito which is a long time favorite of mine. All the food is under $10 and there are many vegetarian options as well as lots of choices for meat eaters. I love the atmosphere. The music is always great and not too loud. It's on the 2nd floor of an old building and has big windows that look out over Glenwood avenue. The Rockford also functions as a bar and is open late night for drinks.

The Rockford is located on Glenwood South so it's a great place for dinner before a night out on the town. The only downside is that it is very popular so you may have a long wait to be seated (up to 40 minutes). They do have a nice bar, so I recommend hanging out and having a drink while you wait.

In short, I love the Rockford and so does my husband and my friends. We often meet there for a good meal or to socialize and have a drink. I think that people don't usually bother to write a review of a place when they have good experiences, so I am not surprised that there are a few bad reviews. I don't remember any bad experiences with the staff and I have been going there a long time... The bartender, Rob always remembers my favorite beer when he sees me at the bar, and I have always been treated well by the wait staff, many of which have been there for years.

If you haven't already, the Rockford is definitely worth checking out!

• Pros: Great food, vegetarian friendly, good location
• Cons: Very popular so you may have a long wait to be seated

07/21/09

Great Food Low Prices

by TaTabean

I've eaten at the Rockford numerous times. I love the food especially the chicken salad and the pimento cheese sandwiches, cute bar, nice artwork. I've read and heard many people comment about the service at the Rockford but everytime I have eaten there everyone has been very friendly and nice. I highly recommend it!

06/15/09

Great food finicky service

by BelleHarp

I could champion the food all week and I can also say, without hesitation, that in no other place can you find hipsters playing so well into a type--dirty, jaded, and rude. I am twenty three and have patronized the Rockford since I was eleven. Even at an age when I had to be driven there by my mom I was given the cold tattooed shoulder. I continue to go, however, because the Rockford is inexpensive and my high school friends and I share many memories there and I don't intend to stop going. I recommend everything on the menu even though I've long since been a vegetarian. Just think of the jerks serving you as dinner theater.

• Pros: good eclectic american fare
• Cons: wait staff

04/08/09

I don't understand all the bad reviews

by NYnorske

I don't understand all the bad reviews. I love this place. I have been going to the Rockford since I moved down here, almost 15 years ago!! It is by far my favorite place to go out. I have consistantly received good service and good food. I will continue to go there and enjoy everything about it.

01/11/09

service is every bit as bad as they say

by Jullianenglish

My wife, son and I arrived at about 2:05 Saturday for lunch. We made it about 3/4 of the way up the stairs when a Rockford employee blocked the top of the stairs and said, ?we?re closed." My wife replied, ?I was afraid of that. We went on the New Raleigh blog, and it said you served until 2:30, but we just saw the hours listed on your door as 11:30-2:00." She said this politely, as we headed down the stairs; we were aware that it was a mistake, and perfectly willing to make note for future reference. But the Rockford employee seemed not in the least concerned with our inconvenence, or our desire to patronize his restaurant, or the possibility that others might do the same thing. ?We aren?t responsible for that,? he said, with obvious annoyance. "Oh, I understand," she replied. ?I just thought you might want to know so you can get it corrected.? She thought letting him know where she found the incorrect information would be appreciated, and that he would agree it was worth trying to get this changed to prevent future problems. Further, whether his fault or not, it certainly wasn?t ours. Prospective patrons of his restaurant were inconvenienced, and turned away from the door; at the very least, she thought he?d offer an apology for our inconvenience and invite us to return another time. She was wrong. All he cared about was that he make it perfectly clear that it was in no way his fault. ?Like I said, that?s not our responsibility. We don?t have anything to do with what it says on New Raleigh,? he reiterated. We left the Rockford certain of two things: First, it isn?t their fault that the hours listed on New Raleigh are wrong, and second, they don?t really care much about us as customers. So, instead, we went to Tobacco Road. It was our first time there. We received excellent service and surprisingly good food. We'll visit TR again soon, but not Rockford. When we have choices -- and we do -- we prefer to patronize businesses that appreciate our business.

• Pros: good casual food, hip atmosphere
• Cons: poor service, surly wait staff, waitly surl staff

10/27/08

Good, interesting food; good prices; sad service

by hqueen

I, like so many others feel the like the Rockford has great food - interesting dishes - great prices (especially for downtown) and a less than stellar waitstaff. It is always slow regardless of the crowd & the waitstaff usually seems indifferent and is not attentive. So - if you're not in hurry & stellar service isn't a big deal to you - check it out for the great food.

• Pros: Interesting & good food
• Cons: indifferent waitstaff

10/11/08

Rudeness Leaves a Bad Taste in the Mouth

by Writejen

Four of my girlfriends and I planned to go to the Rockford today at 1 for lunch to celebrate a birthday. I'd been there with a friend, and the food was decent, and the service - well, they ignored us. I can take being ignored. On this visit we were told by the (I describe him so that you may avoid him) 30/40-ish blondish/reddish-haired "gentleman" in glasses, "We don't usually seat large parties." Five people - enormous party. Then he proceeded to put two tables together in the doorway - in the doorway - meaning half the table in one room, half in another. We said that, since we were celebrating a birthday, we would wait when another table (all in one room) opened up. He said, "The food tastes the same, wherever you eat." A couple left in the corner, and when the waiter approached, I asked about the table, when the man got in my face and said, "Can you listen a moment? I'm getting something ready as soon as those people leave." I repeated, disbelieving, "Can I listen a moment?" Because surely he hadn't been that rude. And he said, "Well, you kept interrupting me." No - I had been the one talking. And I'm the customer. And I was being nice. So yeah - my friends heard and said, "We should go. They have a 90 sanitation grade, and they don't deserve our business." And we went to the Hibernian and had a lovely, lovely lunch.

• Pros: Food may be good
• Cons: But any food tastes bad when people are this rude. I will have a bad taste in my mouth for a long, long time.

07/20/08

Isn't it funny

by tayg

The food at the Rockford is great, but the staff is rude and slow. It sure is funny to read these reviews and see which ones were posted by the managers!

05/22/08

Would you like some cigarette smoke with that burrito?

by noooners

Hey, here's the deal. The Rockford has good food, but when I get dizzy (SERIOUSLY. NOT A LIE) from the lack of quality air and my eyes can't close because they're so dry from the cigarette smoke, I can barely function let alone enjoy a savory sandwich. So folks, I certainly won't be returning to the Rockford until it goes non-smoking (and hey, non-smoking in one half of the restaurant that is open to the smoking portion ain't non-smoking) and shows some respect for the diners [as well as the EMPLOYEES-- I hardly think that breathing cigarette smoke for a 6-hour shift is considered part of ENSURING EMPLOYEE HEALTH AND SAFETY..... but that's just one woman's opinion, don'tcha know], and I hope you can sympathize and empathize and also find somewhere else to go if you want a good burrito sans lung cancer or smoky clothes.

• Pros: decent food.
• Cons: ciggy ciggy ciggy smoke

05/17/08

A Glenwood Ave staple.

by Kensingon81

I love this place. Sure there are a few staff members that are too cool to notice you, but for me, that's the charm of the place. There are more good staff members than bad. Rob, Cheatie, Jeremy, they are all wonderful.

The sesame crusted salmon is divine.

• Pros: Food, decor, price
• Cons: overly loud music at night with a certain bartender.