Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery

Rock Bottom Restaurant and BreweryRock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery
Rock Bottom Restaurant and BreweryRock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery
Brewery, Eatery, Beer-to-go

8980 Via La Jolla Dr.
La Jolla, California, 92037
United States

// CLOSED //
BEER STATS
Average:
3.63
Beers:
512
Ratings:
3,386
Linked Beer Listing
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.64
Reviews:
13
Ratings:
23
pDev:
16.48%
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 3.94 by Cold_1 from California

Apr 17, 2016
 
Rated: 3.95 by MickeyHops from California

Dec 30, 2015
 
Rated: 3.8 by aoampm from Hawaii

Apr 01, 2015
 
Rated: 4.03 by demon from California

Feb 26, 2015
Photo of Sasquatch_B_Foot
Rated by Sasquatch_B_Foot from California

3.68/5  rDev +1.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3.25 | selection: 3.75 | food: 3.25
Been here a bunch of times. Beer is unmemorable.
Feb 06, 2015
 
Rated: 3 by HopHead84 from California

Nov 26, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by yemenmocha from Arizona

Oct 18, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by tally from California

Sep 13, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by bcerv-ca from California

Oct 10, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by NickMunford from Wyoming

Oct 08, 2013
Photo of sholland119
Reviewed by sholland119 from Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +9.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4
We stopped in here after a scenic drive through LaJolla on our way to Ballast Point and Green Flash. By the standards of brew pub chains, I am generally a fan of Rock Bottom. This one is no exception.

A bit oddly laid out, with a large bar area on the right that is a bit overstuffed with tables and chairs, a good sized bar and a raised dining area on the left.

Service was very pleasant and prompt. Beer selection was quite nice with a recent GABF medal winner on tap (porter I think) along with a tasty IPA and the standard just ok house brews.

Not worth a special trip but a very nice stop regardless.

HV
Feb 13, 2012
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Reviewed by Offa from California

3.63/5  rDev -0.3%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4
This is a pretty good place overall, especially considering that it's a large chain and I generally find big chains to produce products that are mediocre at best and usually in a horridly fake setting.

The place is ok, a decent brewpub atmosphere inside if definitely exuding some of that generic fake chain vibe.

Quality of beer is, from the limited selection I had, fairly good and again especially considering that this is a more mass-produced and watered-down brewpub experience.

Range is good, again considering the mass chain nature.

Service was attentive and efficient if nothing special.

Food was amazingly good, still giving off that chain character but it worked well, was made well, and ingedients were good.
Nov 27, 2011
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Reviewed by CarolinaCardinals from North Carolina

4.13/5  rDev +13.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4
Stopped here for a late lunch earlier this week while staying in LaJolla.

Atmoshpere was good, the bar/restaurant area was dark. Almost a rustic feel compared to the Phoenix area RB's. We sat out in the covered patio area. It was a bit chilly that day so the heaters kept things comfortable.

Quality overall was good. The two beers I had were the best experienced in an RB. Da Boss enjoyed her Irish Red as well.

The service was excellent. The server was very kind to us, especially when she found out we were from out of town and my birthday was earlier in the month. Granted it was mid afternoon while we were there but she was very nice and friendly.

Selection of beer and food was good. In the Phoenix area you have a pretty standard 5-6 and maybe one speciality. The choices were plenty at this location. The food menu was pretty standarad RB.

Overall value was a bit pricey. I suspect the SoCal location was part of it plus being there during the non happy hour part of the day as well.
Feb 24, 2011
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Reviewed by mithrascruor from California

3.4/5  rDev -6.6%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | food: 3
We came here on a Friday night to meet up with some friends for happy hour. Parking here has been nuts for as long as I've been coming to this area, but they had complimentary valet parking, which was cool. Insanely busy throughout, but finally found a table in the bar area over by the pool tables.

The service was friendly, but insanely slow. Granted, it was busy, but that's the norm for this place, it seems. The atmosphere was relatively dark, in a good way, but it felt really tightly packed. Not a particularly relaxing atmosphere.

I tried their brown ale on cask, and their porter; my girlfriend tried their Belgian-style IPA. For the most part they were good beers. We got one of the cheese dip appetizers, which was good, but a bit on the small side. For dinner, I got the fish & chips - the fish portions were rather meager, and it wasn't particularly exciting. Girlfriend got the prime rib sandwich was good, but again, nothing to write home about. The fries are pretty pathetic shoe-string sized things. I'd had the Laredo burger once before here, and recall that being pretty tasty, though.

As one of the few places in the UTC/La Jolla area to go to for decent beer, it is nice having it. But otherwise, I really didn't find it very impressive. And for what you get, the prices seem kinda high.
Jul 31, 2010
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Reviewed by woodychandler from Pennsylvania

4.14/5  rDev +13.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5
The entry was through the parking off of Via La Jolla Drive. A quick sidebar because I simply cannot resist - in the military, everything is Lowest Common Denominator (LCD) and in WWI, the medieval city of Ypres (ee-pray) became known as "Wipers". We always referred to this city as "La Jolly" or "The Jollies". Ah, memories ...

Entering, the m.d.s. was to the immediate left with the brewhouse to the right. The dark, hard wood bar was further right, 5/8 of an octagon. Aft of the bar area were a combo of high tables and chairs, booths, and three (3) red-felt billiards tables in the right corner. The kitchen was left/center with the restaurant area off to the far left. Lavs left of the merchandise, down a pathway, 2nd floor private party room. Back bar overlooked 5 FVs.

Beers: Great White Light; Break Water PA; Ragtop Red; Longboard Brown; Irish Stout; North Star IPA; Naughty Scot Scottish Ale; Liquid Sun Wifbier.

Cask: Naughty Scot; Chai Stout.

Seasonal: Blitzen Barley Wine.
Dec 24, 2009
Photo of 2ci
Reviewed by 2ci from California

1.93/5  rDev -47%
vibe: 2 | quality: 2 | service: 1 | selection: 2.5 | food: 2.5
I went for happy hour, the regular beers are 3.75, the specialty beers are not discounted and will run 5.50.
Only around 8 beers on tap and most very well known boring styles.
Had an ipa which was barely hoppy , akin to some poor homebrew attempt.
Had a sample of the imperial porter, very thin body and still too young to be served.
The apps during HH are smaller versions than is what is on the regular menu, very small portions for the money spent.
The ambience is very proper and conservative, a blackberry is the safety blanket for the yuppie crowd.
A few big screen TV,s showing little league,what a joy.
Bartender was very unfriendly and clearly hated his job, he seemed to be rehearsing for a "tough guy" TV cop show.His specialty was a sneer and some stink eye.
I hope no one else goes to this "micro brewery".
Aug 26, 2009
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Reviewed by nomomentwasted from Oregon

3.68/5  rDev +1.1%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4
I go to UCSD, which is located right across the street, so this place is a frequented spot for a beer after any day, rough, happy, trying, or otherwise.

The atmosphere is ok, but it's not just a bar but also a restaurant. Nothing against that, but this is not just a place for beer but also for kids and families. They don't really sell much beer outside of their own either, which is ok, but I've a few of their brews and have yet to be blown away. They're nicer than Heineken and Blue Moon, etc, but still below the level of say Stone or Sierra Nevada.

The service tends to be pretty good, although they vary on their understanding of the brews and what to pair with what. I mean, again, this is a family establishment, but when you ask how hoppy their IPA is and the server tells you very, I expect a really hoppy IPA, and it was just good. Not great, but then again, I am a bit of a hoppy IPA fiend. They are timely and very friendly however, which says something about effort.

The burgers are good, not outstanding, but filling and never too dry. I've eaten here dozens of times and the fries, onion rings, and burgers don't ever really disappoint. The prices are fair too, especially on Wednesdays with their discounted pint nights and happy hour. Good, not great, and their beer is alright, not outstanding. In other words, it's good for what it is, but for beer head to O'Briens or Stone if you're really interested.
Jun 28, 2009
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Reviewed by magictrokini from California

4.05/5  rDev +11.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4
Really big restaurant/brewery near the UTC area. Large bar area with pool tables. Even bigger dining area downstairs, with a smaller lounge/loft bar area upstairs. Everything is Rock Bottom products. About 5-6 regular taps (Pale, Blonde, Stout, Porter) with a rotating selection of 3-5 beers, one possibly on the cask. They always seem to have some version of the Mary Jane, which is nice. Food is good. Love the cobb sandwich, burgers, and mac n' cheese. Prices were high, but not painful. Staff was up on their beers.
Dec 17, 2008
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Reviewed by Floydster from California

3.28/5  rDev -9.9%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3 | service: 3 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4
My buddy Nathan and I checked this place out for dinner on Monday night, it is right across the street from UCSD off the 5 Freeway, first time I have been to any Rock Bottom location, walked in and were immediately seated, I ordered an imperial porter aged in bourbon barrels called Old Curmegedon, then the waitress came back and told me they were out of that, so then I ordered the espresso stout on cask, and again the waitress comes back with bad news, after that I ordered the Belgian-Style Abbey Ale and it was decent, still frustrated they did not have my first two choices, pints were around five dollars, so not bad, they also have growlers to go and you can purchase kegs as well, they had six other brews on tap but who knews if they actually had them after what I went through, inside reminded me of a BJs but not as exciting, employees were not very helpful but they were not mean or anything, I ordered a BBQ bacon burger and it was pretty good but the portions are not very big, think it was around twelve dollars, after tip I spent twenty bucks on a beer and burger, probably will not go back to this location with so many other great options in the area, but it was cool to check out and not a terrible experience, might be worth your time
Oct 30, 2008
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Reviewed by PuckLSHS from Iowa

3.88/5  rDev +6.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3 | food: 4
This just happens to be the site for my first Rock Bottom experience, so it holds a special place in my heart...the early days of brewpub beer tasting...ahhh...

I enjoy the La Jolla Rock Bottom because it has a rather nice bar area and the service has always been very good down here. I always seem to end up getting a brown while I am here, but really do like their seasonals the best out of all of the RB Breweries.

The place has a great environment, but it is rather close to the University so it gets a lot of college students during happy hour. They also have a mug club, so it is a popular pick for a drinking location.

I enjoy the food at this restaurant and usually always go for the fish tacos. They are rather tasty and fried food (especially fish) just seem to go well with a nice tall glass of the gift of the gods.
Apr 23, 2006
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Reviewed by SteveO1231 from Connecticut

3.75/5  rDev +3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3 | food: 3.5
Visited Rock Bottom in La Jolloa for the first time in about a year. Not much has changed, nice atmosphere in the dinning area, very home like. Pretty big menu pairing dishes with their brews.

I ordered the beer sampler which offered a Great White Ale, Pale Ale, Red Ale, Brown Ale, Honey Ale, Porter, Casked Brown, Casked Double red and a seasonal spiced barley wine (weak).

Food was pretty good, I ordered the Titan toothpicks as an appetizer, and the cajon Shrimp and Chicken pasta very spicey but good. My girlfriend ordered the Med. chicken salad that she enjoyed.

The beers are pretty safe to appeal to a mass audiance. I enjoyed the red and the brown the most. The porter was wimp and lacking. The brown was awesome on cask. The Double red off the cask was more like a double IPA to me so I enjoyed that very much.

Nice place, good food, decent brews, I'd go back

Cheers!
Dec 31, 2005
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Reviewed by oggg from California

3.88/5  rDev +6.6%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5
This Rock Bottom is actually pretty big. It's got a huge area for booths and tables and then a long bar which has a huge bar table area, plus 3 pool tables with another couple of bar tables. Upstairs is a nice lounge with a small bar, room for many many tables, one pool table, and some couches and a big TV.

They have a Mug Club, which is like a supermarket club card. Just ask your server prior to ordering your first beer. Mug Club members, when they order a 16oz pint, they get a special Mug Club tall glass mug which takes 20oz. It's free to join. After 5 visits, you get a $10 gc, and after 10 visits, you get a free pint glass, etc.

The beer selection is ok, they don't have a year round hefe. I believe they had a light ale, a pale, a red, and a stout. When I went last Saturday, they had an English style pale ale and a hefeweizen. Their beers overall are pretty good. Not especially bold on flavor but very drinkable. The English style pale ale is a hefty bite, but has the right hop flavor. The red is their best and most quaffable. They've got 2 beers on cask (Rag top and a stout right now).

I've had almost all their appetizers, and off the top of my head I can't say any of them have been anything to write home about.

The bar area is very accessible and you can have a relaxing pint while you people watch. Pool is $8/hour.

Since I found out about the Mug Club I think I will be spending a little more time there. Happy hour 4-7pm and after 10pm everyday.

[Edit: Before you get a cask ale, be sure to ask if they're pushing the current cask with nitro]
Mar 19, 2004
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Reviewed by AtLagerHeads from Ohio

3.73/5  rDev +2.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3 | food: 4
One of a number of good choices in the La Jolla area, the La Jolla Rock Bottom is conveniently located near the I-5 Freeway and not that distant from the financial district. as with other Rock Bottoms the venue is well appointed and quite easy on the senses with nice inside and outside seating areas. Plenty of off-street parking is available and this eases the burden of many of the area locations where parking becomes a major issue.

Typical brewpub brews and food selections make this a good choice for reasonably good results. Though there is plenty of competition in the general area from Gordon Biersch and other brewpubs, the RBRB makes a good account of itself with their normal good food fare and middle-of-the-road brews.
Jan 03, 2004
Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery in La Jolla, CA
Brewery rating: 3.63 out of 5 with 3386 ratings