rocks on the river

my family and i were in town visiting from atlanta this past weekend, strolling up and downriverstreet in search of a really good dining experience - a step up from the one we had the night before at fiddlers. (the service was good, but the food was okay.) we decided to go with rocks on the river, more specifically after seeing that it scored a 4.0+ right here on zomato. although the restaurant seemed mostly empty upon arrival (sunday evening), we were told that it'd be a 15 minute wait. no problem, especially since we were welcomed to pass the time by their rooftop bar until our table was ready. the weather was nice, the view was awesome, and the waitress who came to assist us was friendly and ready to take our drink and appetizer orders. we were contemplating whether we wanted to just stay up there and eat, or go back downstairs, where we had wider menu options to choose from. as soon as our 15 minutes were up, we decided to eat downstairs. chad, our waitor, was friendly, and took our drink orders. (mind you, the restaurant is still fairly empty.) and for the next 1.15 hrs, that's all he did - kept refilling our drinks - probably to fill us up and detract from the fact that we still hadnt received our dinner orders yet. and it worked, because we didn't notice how much time had passed in between good conversation. eventually we started taking note of people who had come in after us, and how they were in and out. now i dont know if its because our party was a little darker then everyone else there, (although i didnt get that vibe from the restaurant) or if it was because 6 of us were splitting the bill 4 ways, and chad felt it would affect his tip - all in all it was totally inexcusable. the food finally came out, and it took us about 15 minutes to finish eating and paying for our meals, which they deducted $52 from total. it was good but not great, and it was warm - as if it had been ready for some time - waiting to be served. if not for the wait, id pob give it a 3.0. would i come back again? if i couldn't find an awesome rooftop experience elsewhere, maybe! for views, drinks, appetizers ... but to dine in the main restaurant? of course not!! that wait was terrrrribbbllleeeeee!!! especially on a very chill sun, where for the most part, not too many people were. the roof was where the crowd was - i guess there were more than a few reasons for that. the busy sat before, maybe id understand the wait, and even then, an 1.15 is ridiculous! but a quiet sun evening?? we got there at 7:30, left around 9ish!!! i guess my advice would be one or more of the following: (1) dont have chad as your waitor, (2) be of lighter complexion and/or (3) dont split your check 4+ ways. the end. ☺☺☺

this is one of the good restaurants onriverstreet. the atmosphere is clean, upscale and modern, and the location is in the heart of the the action on the famousriverstreet. they had a restaurant week special where you could order am appetizer, entree and dessert for a total of $30. i started with a yellow tomatoe gazpacho, whch was served as a chilled soup, absent of any vegetable chunks. it had a fruity melon accent flavor and was refreshing. my entree was a grouper, with a delicate texture. i finished with a chocolate carmel pecan cake which was rich but not overwhelmingly rich. it's always fun to get a drink at rocks on the roof before or after dinner. overall a good experience and one of our more frequently visitedriverstreet restaurants.

stopped in for breakfast. menu includes many favorites but also some unique (and quite delicious sounding) items. we had marmalade french toast and southener's breakfast. food was quick and good. wait staff was attentive and friendly. restaurant is very clean with great views onriverstreet.

\as we were looking for a nice place for dinner, jo was facebooking with one of her friends about savannah.  i heard what was written and thought that her friend suggested that we eat at rocks on theriver(in the grand bohemian).  i booked reservations and was feeling pretty good about myself.  as we walked into the lobby of the grand bohemian (which is a great looking hotel, by the way) from bay street, she said “i thought we were going to vick’s.”   i explained that the fb message she read to me mentioned rocks on the river.  she pointed out that it did, as a point of reference to get to the other place.  doh! there are two “rocks” restaurants in the grand bohemian – on the river, which is, literally, on the river, right onriverstreet and on the roof, which is on the roof.  (i hope they didn’t pay much to the marketing company that came up with those names.)

massive disappointment. where to start?

pretentious. crowded. not enough tables for all the people. that's the good part.

being onriverstreet doesn't warrant or justify bad food, stiff prices, and poor quality.

want to pay $10 for a chicken wrap that isn't any better than the one you get for $2.50 at a local fast food restaurant? well, then this place is for you.

the wrap was bland, nearly tasteless, served on a warm place that left the wrap greasy.

to finish off the experience, expect the server to add 20% to the bill "just because" and then they have the audacity to leave a space for you to add more - just in case you missed the 20% they already added.

do yourself a favor. avoid it. the best advise i can give is hope the next restaurant in that space offers a small measure of value..

roof top visit is a must!! it's so perfect! beautiful view of theriverand bridge. watching the cargo ships go by! the roof top tapas were awesome! black bean hummus w/ pork rinds and naan bread. excellent! chicken and waffle is different but good. great place!

i found no need to eat anywhere else. savannah is one of my favorite cities to visit. there are so many restaurants to choose from, yet while staying at the kessler bohemian hotel, i opted for the hotel restaurant, rocks on the river. at first i was not really expecting much, just a quick bite upon my arrival. however, i was so pleasantly surprised at the quality of food you could not have convinced me this was a hotel restaurant. during my five day stay in savannah, during which i covered the entire historic district on foot, passing many restaurants - i chose rocks on theriverfor all my dining experiences. i loved the fact i could sit outside on the riverfront, as the daytime and nighttime views are equally spectacular. all the dishes i tried were extremely fresh and layered with flavor. braised veal shank lasagna topped with fried egg was one of my favorites. i also loved the shrimp and grits. most delicious sauce with generous, plump fresh shrimp. they even take something as simple as a burger and bring it up a notch - i had mine with blue cheese and it was one of the best burgers i ever had. you just know they aren't using any cheap, common ingredients - the taste is spot on! i met the chefs and they are all warm and welcoming - very accommodating and are anxious to ensure you enjoy your meal. the service was outstanding. don't pass on the desserts - you will really miss out on something special. they offer a praline, ice cream pie that is out of this world. be sure to ask your server how they make this, because the step-by-step description of how they arrive at this amazing creation will have you tempted to skip the entree entirely and just jump to dessert! i love this restaurant and even though savannah has some of the best restaurants in the country, during this stay i saw no reason to eat anywhere else.

great rooftop bar go!!! breakfast was the worst i have had in a longtime and i mean bad. toast burnt burnt sausage no taste like school food eggs they managed not to screw up!!! rooftop greatriverstreet not so much.

delicious, and great service!. my fiance and i came here just after getting engaged - and the service was outstanding. they made us feel so welcome, and offered us a celebratory glass of champagne, and as much information as we wanted as far as the menu.
everything we ordered was fantastic - i would recommed rocks on theriverto anyone, and i will definitley be visiting it again on my next trip.

right on the river, with a laid back atmosphere & good food. eclectic menu with things like pizza & homemade chicken & noodles (delicious!), along with steaks. good service, and check out rocks on the roof lounge on the 7th floor. go outside for wonderfulriverviews.

one of the best options onriverst. had drinks at rocks on the rooftop. a little overpriced, but you pay for the trendy decor. chicken and waffle sliders were good. dinner service downstairs was poor, evenbon a slow night. shrimp dumplings and shrimp and grits were great...the chef can make a great sauce to jumpstart a dish.

so, so. the food at rocks on theriverisn't bad. it just isn't great, not what i expected from such a highly recommended place. my shrimp and grits was flavorful, but the grits were not creamy or cheesy and i had very few shrimp.

great food, great staff. i am a local, who love the atmosphere of what our downtown area has to offer. i have been to rocks on a number of occasions; the latest was 2/11/11 for a valentines dinner. the food was great as usual and mary our server was very knowledgeable and friendly. i have the say one of the best places to eat onriverstreet.

rocks was the perfect place for people watching, as the restaurant was directly onriverstreet. the glass wall which fronted the street was actually a series of giant roll up doors as are often found in a warehouse. according to our server, when the weather is nice the doors are rolled up, creating an open air experience, but today they were down given it was a bit cool.

really fun place with cool atmosphere and really good food. we ordered she crab soup first, and it was the best she crab soup i have ever tasted. my wife and i shared the shrimp dumplings and the chicken and waffle sliders and both were really really good. no room for dessert but our server told us to come back because they were all homemade. a real surprise forriverstreet.