Rock & Brews — Restaurant in Buena Park

I had one of the strangest and most uncomfortable restaurant experiences I've ever had at Rock & Brews Buena Park thanks to an unexpected (to us) biker fundraiser. I brought my 5-year-old son for a fun dinner (he loves rock music), and when I made the reservation, we were given no warning that the restaurant would be hosting this biker gathering. When we arrived, the parking lot was full of motorcycles and several biker men standing in groups, staring everyone down as they entered, some even directing traffic in the parking lot and standing guard(?). That should have been a red flag, but we assumed the restaurant was still open to the public.

Inside, it quickly became clear that we weren’t exactly welcome, even though the hostess seated us in the middle of what was going on. Biker groups had apparently reserved the entire outdoor section but began spilling into the main dining room, shouting across tables—including the one we were seated at. One biker family shared a booth with us and let their young child climb on the table and even reach for my son's food. No one did anything about it. The environment felt incredibly tense and uncomfortable—my son even told me afterward he felt scared and thought the bikers might hurt him if he spoke. That absolutely broke my heart.

To make matters worse, our server was clearly overwhelmed. The bikers were ignoring normal restaurant protocol—seating themselves, taking over tables without checking in, and some weren’t even ordering food. Our poor server kept trying to set boundaries and ask them to stop, but he got zero support from management. In fact, the manager reprimanded him in front of us when he voiced concern. I was deeply uncomfortable, but also felt terrible for the staff who were doing their best under really unfair conditions. I tipped our server extra and thanked him for his kindness despite everything.

It was an experience I won’t forget—but not in a good way. Rock & Brews should have informed us about the private event when we made our reservation, and they should never have seated families like mine in the middle of a situation that was clearly out of control. A fundraiser should never make regular guests feel like outsiders, and the restaurant has a responsibility to protect both its staff and its customers.

I recommend that future guests—especially parents—check the events calendar before dining here to avoid being caught off guard like we were. And I recommend that Rock & Brews management improve their process for supporting staff during events and making regular guests feel welcomed...

Atmosphere 5 Star Customer Service 1 Star Food 2 star

Atmosphere is unbeatable. so much art, so much video, so much Rock and Roll. Loved it.

Customer Services needs a lot of improvement and training. when I arrived i asked for my party at the reception desk. They told me our party was on the patio. no one showed me to a table, they expected me to find the patio and find my party on my own. When my group realized we were not going to be seated properly by a hostess we took it on our selves to find a table on our own on the patio. 3 times we asked to have the dirty/dusty table cleaned and wiped off. On the 3rd time we were told by a staff that they would need to ask the manager 1st.... just to clean the table mind you.

Manager arrived at the table and asked what the problem was. he asked if we wanted a new/different table. we told him we just wanted this table cleaned and to have someone give us menus and to take our drink orders.

the Manager came up with some excuse that there is no wait staff for our particular table. but said he would do what he could. finally someone came to wipe down our filthy, dusty, sticky table and gave us menus and took our order.

When the drinks arrived, the waitress (Jade) brought the drinks out and just left all 8 of our drinks at the front edge of the table. she didn't even place them with who ordered them. she also got one of the orders wrong. At this point, i decided all my drinks were going to be ordered at the bar on my own.

The Bar Staff was excellent!

When the food finally came, the Jalapeno Poppers (appetizers) came after my main course...and they arrived cold. Taco Salad was OK, meat was a little dry.

All in all a great meet up with long lost friends. Too bad the Service Sucked.

Next time will have to be...

This is a gluten free review.

Gluten free menu: No, but GF items clearly marked

What I ordered: Cobb salad with French fries

Gluten free options: 4/5 TONS of gluten free options, from burgers with a GF bun, sandwiches, pizza, and a lot more. I was in the mood for a salad, but have ordered their Gastropub burger in the past with a gluten free bun. Amazing.

Food: 4/5 Food here is always cooked perfectly. Most of the food is not the healthiest, but you will leave satisfied! This time, I learned to always ask for the dressing on the side. The salad was overly dressed and actually made it difficult to eat. It felt very heavy.

Service: 4/5 Server didn’t write down my order. It’s usually a pet peeve of mine because I typically have quite a few modifications. My wife’s salad didn’t come with the chicken she requested, probably because she forgot to enter it on the order. Server was friendly, though.

Location: 5/5 Rock and Brews has it’s own parking lot and is very accessible off a main street (Beach Blvd). You can’t miss this place and it’s 50 foot guitar neck.

Ambiance: 4/5 Very much a bar pub feel. Tons of tvs. Very lively and loud, especially in the evening, but it’s a fun atmosphere with music videos constantly playing in the background. Love the rock n roll environment. Very casual And lots of natural sunlight.

Price: 3/5 For the food quality and portion, the price isn’t bad. 2 people, no drinks for around $40 including...