Broken Rocks Café & Bakery — Restaurant in Wooster

Not AS good as it used to be, but still lovely!

Broken Rocks legitimately (in my opinion) retains its standing as one of the best valued restaurants in Wooster, and one of the best flat out. (It's hard to compete with places like City Square Steakhouse, but the price-to-quality ratio here is much higher).

The ambience is just as it's always been: lower lighting for a relaxing experience, not-too-loud restaurant background to make it feel alive, high ceilings to feel spacious, and a friendly staff to feel absolutely welcome. It's even livelier with the added connection to their gastropub Rox, and would no doubt be a bit louder during higher traffic days/times. My only tiny complain: it was a little chilly! We're transitioning to Fall, though, and I tend toward being colder, so temp might've been a hard game to win.

As always, they started me with some bread. They used to be known for this complimentary starter, and maybe they still are. (They have 'bakery' in their name, after all.) To be honest, though, I was a little disappointed, as the bread was colder than room temp, and was clearly not fresh (e.g. a bit tough to the chew). Whatever - it's free bread with some oil and garlic blend mix; can't complain too much. But, it is a sign that some small details that made this place extra special things might be starting to slip.

I ordered the Peasant salad with steak, and it was lovely! $17 for a meal that made me feel like I was eating quality food, and being actually nourished at that, is absolutely worth it. This is when the temperature comes in, though. My steak was an ok temperature coming out (could've been hotter), but got cold really quickly, which dampened the eating experience about halfway through. That said, i finished almost the whole thing, and I couldn't have been happier with my choice.

And, finally, the whole reason I came in: the raspberry creme brûlée. This was the first creme brûlée I ever tried, and I've loved it ever since; it's something I look forward to every time I come home. It was wonderful, just as I remember! It was a tiny bit short on the raspberry, so might be indicating another place to cut corners. But, I won't be too picky. Lovely.

The only weird part of my experience was given my check pretty quickly after getting my dessert This was unusual, given that the place wasn't that busy and I hadn't even finished half of my dessert. This was probably just end-of-night server clumsiness, and I'm sure they weren't intending to push me out quickly.

In any case, I enjoyed my visit, and will likely return. This is a must-see establishment if...

EDIT: The owner reached out and generously resolved our poor experience. As I said, we've grown accustomed to great service/food here on previous visits. The restaurant business is hard and they don't always get it right. But I really appreciated the owner's resolution and we will be back on our next visit to campus.

This was our first extremely poor experience at Broken Rocks. Had it been our first visit, we certainly would not be return customers. It had always been a restaurant we looked forward to when we dropped/picked up our son from The College of Wooster. But this evening, once we were seated at our table, it took 15 minutes before a server checked in with us. My husband had to go to the bar and order our drinks while we waited. As far as the food, my son’s pizza was good, but both my husband and my pasta dish left much to be desired. I had their grilled vegetable and whole wheat penne pasta special. The waitress suggested I add a protein, so I ordered it with grilled chicken on top. When the pasta arrived, there was no grilled chicken, very few grilled vegetables aside from onions, quite a number of random bow tie and spaghetti noodles mixed in with the penne, and it was all sitting in a soupy oily liquid. No apology whatsoever from the waitress for forgetting the chicken, which we found a bit humorous, considering she was the one that suggested I add a protein to the pasta. After an 8 hour drive to get my son back to campus, it was quite a disappointing way to end the day. I’m really hoping this was just an “off” night for them as we’ve had great experiences...

Right in the heart of the charming town of Wooster, this quaint little gem of a restaurant is the kind of place that feels like a secret worth sharing. With its warm, cozy interior and just the right touch of rustic elegance, it’s the perfect spot for a relaxed evening out or a quiet lunch that turns into a long conversation.

But let’s talk about the real star of the menu—the mussels linguine. I’ve had mussels all over the world, and this dish rivals what I’ve had in Venice Italy! The mussels are perfectly tender and infused with the briny depth of the sea, but it’s the tomato sauce that truly steals the show. Rich, fresh, light and simmered with just the right amount of garlic, herbs, and a smidge of heat, it clings to the linguine like a well-kept promise. And when you think it can’t get any better—grab a hunk of crusty bread and dredge it through that sauce. Absolute magic. This might be the only dish I try here, because I don’t think I will pull myself away from this culinary gem!

Service was outstanding, just the right amount of attention, but not intrusive. I’d give 6 stars if I could, but Google only allows 5…

The restaurant has its own bakery, and the dessert menu is anything but ordinary. Forget the usual lineup of chocolate cake and predictable cheesecake—this place offers a creative selection. Each dessert feels like something special, and with so many tempting options, I can’t wait to come back and try more! Kudos! Can’t wait...