The Rock NYC
“Cecil, the owner, with his warmth and friendliness and hospitality, makes this place a sure-fire hit.”
“I had a glass of Pinot noir, which Marta has explained was made in Brooklyn, and it was one of the best I had tasted in NYC in ages.”
“The atmosphere was very warm and inviting– two gentlemen playing languorous be achy tunes for us, and friendly service.”
The Rock NYC
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Happy Hour: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
6 reviews
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Earlier this summer, Team Rockaway wisely decided we needed dinner before heading back to Manhattan. The food was OK, and we enjoyed the wine on tap. The place doesn't have a full kitchen, which is somewhat limiting in terms of menu offerings.
This is a fine option in the area. Next time I would probably go for a drink and an appetizer rather than dinner.
Stumbled upon this place after coming from the Upper Westside to Rockaway for the first time in my life. Starving after a 2 hour train ride, we quickly looked up on Yelp a place to eat and tapas + wine sounded really good compared to all the search results around the area.
Everything about this place was great. The decor looked cool. The service was awesome with very friendly conversation. The food was delicious (definitely get the Monkey Bread!). The wine and beer selection was good (and very affordable). You can tell a lot about a place by how their restroom is kept… and this one was very clean!
Next time we're in Rockaway, this is definitely the place do go any time of the day! Go! Have fun! Drink! Eat! Be merry!
I never made it to the beach but I did manage to meet some friends after their day at the beach, and we grabbed some food at The Rock. We actually ate all the tapas offered on the menu plus their daily special of mac n' cheese because we had enough people to be able to do a nice little menu tasting.
The tapas at this bar really run the spectrum of international cuisine, from Mexican to Greek. Don't expect an authentic or creative bite of each but rather fun, simple bar fare. Of the many tapas, I liked the chorizo aracini, greek lamb balls, and spicy shrimp. It doesn't take much for chorizo and shrimp to win me over.
The tapas that didn't impress quite as much were the mac n' cheese, samosas, and carnitas tacos. It's not that they weren't good but they were just pretty standard takes on fan favorites. Basically, you won't be missing out on much if you choose to skip them but if you happen to be craving any of them, they'll do the job.
All in all, you're safe with any order you choose to go with. Enjoy, you hungry sun-kissed beach goers.
This is such a nice find on Rockaway beach. It's off the boardwalk but I stumbled upon it.
It's a nice small wine bar with a good selection of red and white directly from Long Island vineyards. I enjoyed the Pinot Grigio on tap.
They have small tapas to share ranging from garLIC shrimp to empanadas.
Service is excellent, bartender mentioned they have music and band on certain nights. Definitely a must stop while or after a day at the beach!
The Rock NYC is best experienced while one is slightly charred from a lazy afternoon at the beach, and with large parties so that you can try literally all of the tapas, which is just what we did. We ate the following [some descriptions aren't available since they're not yet on the website's menu]:
Samosa – Spicy potato filled phyllo turnover served with coriander chutney
Chorizo Aracini – Mini Saffron Rice Balls with chorizo and a creamy center of Gruyere cheese served with a spicy aioli sauce
Greek Lamb Meatballs – Lemon and onion infused lamb meatballs served with yogurt tatziki sauce
Carnitas Tacos – Slow braised pork served on corn tortillas with pickled onions, crema fresca and Avocado Pico de Gallo
Ham and Cheese Croquettes
Mac and Cheese– pretty sure we got bacon in this too.
Monkey Bread (pesto and cheese baked into the bread)
Spicy shrimp
The tapas that stood out for me the most included the chorizo aracini, ham and cheese croquettes, mac and cheese, samosas, and monkey bread. And I don't even think I got to try the carnitas tacos, so basically, pretty much all of the food was impressive. Any standouts among the standouts? Why, yes. I'd give that honor to the ham and cheese croquettes and the monkey bread.
The restaurant is pretty tiny, but aside from a few people at the bar and two women lingering over glasses of wine, there was no one in the place. We did come on a bit of a chilly day right at the beginning of beach season, but I still would've expected more of a crowd. The atmosphere was very warm and inviting– two gentlemen playing languorous be achy tunes for us, and friendly service. Despite the city name, this place definitely felt suited to the small[er] town vibe that I was picking up from the Rockaways. Isn't it crazy that the Rockaways are still technically in NYC?
I really hate to mess with the Rock's previously-spotless record, but the reason I'm giving it four stars is the red sangria. Several of us ordered it, and it was too sweet for everyone's taste. I can sometimes even enjoy sangria/wine on the sweeter side, but not this. 🙁 To be safe, I'd stick with regular wine.
Sometimes, the best part about Manhattan is leaving it. So glad we found The Rock NYC. The menu was simple. The food was good. The decor was intriguing and inviting. It had a nice wood interior. I especially liked the barrel table tops. All the mismatched pillows added interest to the bench.
We started with:
The Rock Cab Sauvignon & Reisling:
Both were good. The Riesling was delightful and sweet. But I definitely couldn't do another glass. The sweetness really builds up.
Schofferhofer Grapefruit Shandy: sweet, fruity, & refreshing
Chorizo Arancini – Mini Saffron Rice Balls with chorizo and Gruyere cheese with spicy aioli sauce:
These little balls were so good. The rice had good flavor. Combined with the chorizo, the flavor profile gained depth. I couldn't quite taste the gruyere, but I could still get a hint of the cheese. The unassuming sauce was spicier than I thought it would be.
Garlic Shrimp, Bread, & Blueberry-infused cheese:
Good shrimp. I wish there were more shrimp in the bowl. They were tender and just cooked enough and soaked in a buttery sauce. I'm not sure how they decided to pair the shrimp with blueberry-infused cheese. The sweetness of the berries cut through the thick cheese nicely and was great on the bread though.
Monkey Bread – cheese & pesto:
This was the most memorable dish. I don't think I would call it monkey bread. It was a generous sized loaf that was segmented. Every crevice was loaded with cheese and pesto sauce. As it baked in the oven, this cheesy pesto-y mixture permeated every reachable bite of the bread. As you pull apart each segment of the loaf, you can clearly see just how cheesy it is. Salty, cheesy, delicious carbs.
As satisfying as the food was, the stars of this establishment are clearly the staff. Our waitress, Marta, was so sweet. She generated a conversation with us about their wine selection, her personal favorites, and how much she enjoys the monkey bread despite having Celiac disease. She says the discomfort is worth the taste. Hearing this, I knew I had to try the monkey bread myself.
The bartender/owner, who I believe is Cecil, was also a delight to meet. He asked us how our meal was, and seemed to be genuinely curious as to how much we enjoyed hanging out at this wine bar. We told him how much we enjoyed our drinks and the food. He brought us a couple more glasses of wine and comped them.
The only downside is this wine bar is too far for me to be a regular. The silver lining is it makes for a great trip away from the grid.