Review The Rocks Cafe - Invercargill

We were staying nearby and looking for a nice steak place. Stumbled upon Rocks that had good reviews. True to word, the food and service was amazing! We did not have a reservation, but we were given a table in spite of it being peak dinner period. Tried the steak with blue cheese and my son had steak with mushroom. They were both awesome with just the perfect doneness and a fantastic burst of flavour when you bite through the blue cheese (I'm a blue cheese lover, for those that don't like blue cheese, you should get steak and mushrooms). They also have quite a fair bit of other dishes and the best part is that they have a small and large size for some of them - nice gesture for those who don't eat large portions. My wife ordered a pasta and it turned out quite delicious. So it's not just steaks they're good at :) Food presentation was great as evident from the pics. Service was awesome, not overwhelming, but we could feel the warmth and friendliness from everyone. When I'm back in Invercargill, I will no doubt be back here again!! Great food, warm service, nice ambience, reasonable prices, absolute value for money - what else could a hungry soul ask for? :)

Excellent food. The sharing player was next level. I'd give the cocktails a miss. We had steak and the blueberrie venison, delicious and cooked perfectly Great service as well.

A delightful evening with friends, made better by a very nice meal. My personal favourite the Fillet Mignon (270 grams) yet other members of our table had the Mushroom Steaks - 380grams of Southland Beef. Enjoyed was also the Slow Roast Loin of Pork with mashed potatoes and crackling. Service was good although they forgot our drinks, restaurant was very busy, warm with pleasant surroundings. Mains priced from $37.50 to $43.00. Meal service was prompt and the staff friendly, although I personally would have preferred that the staff wore masks.

Delicious! Been here a few months & finally found a great steak!!! And platter was amazing! Friendly staff. Keep up the great work guys! We'll keep coming back for sure.

My wife and I were recommended the rocks by our family, we are from out of town and we're unsure we're to go out for dinner. The rocks was absolutely perfect. The service was fantastic,the staff were very polite and proficient, the food was the best meal out I have had in years. The portions were much better than anything back home. The atmosphere was quite and comfortable. I will 100% be going back next time I'm going out for dinner in Invercargill!

Lovely wee place apparently under new ownership. The food was very tasty but the service lets them down a bit. We were seated in clear sight of the service staff yet had to ask for everything, one server even rolled her eyes when we asked if we could order another beverage. They passed us by without observing our table at all. Never checked to see if meal was okay. We left disappointed.

Very good restaurant, love the atmosphere, very cozy to hangout with friends or family. They also serve a high quality food. We ordered the salmon risotto and ribeye steak with blue cheese sauce(?). Risotto was very flavorful. The smokey taste is very strong. Won’t recommend this if don’t like strong smoke flavor. Steak is cooked to a perfection! A bit heavy on cheese sauce but it makes sense with the caramelized onion. Everything is just the right match!

The quality of the food here is really good; they seem to put a lot of work into flavour. The steak and the pork were both cooked beautifully. If I'm being picky, the service was a little slow, but to be fair, we were in right on opening time, so they may not have been fully set up.Also not the cheapest, but you get your money's worth for sure. Good selection, and very good service too. Highly recommended.

If you want good food served in a relaxed environment by friendly staff you should give the Rocks a go. The steak is simply perfect. Hell even the breads and spreads was incredible. This is what you get when a passionate chef runs his own restaurant. The Rocks should be on any visitors list. The lemonatta cheesecake is Devine.

My wife and I go here most years for our Wedding anniversary and tonight's meal reinforced why we do. Simply excellent in every way great service amazing food just brilliant!

We had an awesome time. Lovely food and great service. We will definitely be back.

Customer service was wonderful, food was sooo yummy with great serving sizes. Atmosphere was lovely and the prices where on par. I'll definitely be back next time I'm in NZ.

Great food, was really early in the evening so was quite and enjoyable

Always love coming here, every time we dine at The Rocks the food is like the last time, flavoursome & delicious. Great service & atmosphere.

Great food and awesome service. Highly recommended.

Beautiful lunch today ..The best vege stack and seafood chowder in town !! 5 star food and service. Thank you very much to the chef for the devine food and the waiter staff also

If you want a steak cooked to perfection,this is the place. Warm atmosphere,superb service and food,definitely coming back here !!

Had lunch, what a lovely fed. The food was awesome and great friendly service. Will b back and highly recommend it.

Went to the rocks last night for tea and had the best meal out for tea I have had in ages! Everyone's food was amazing and the service was fantastic! Couldn't have asked for a better night out for tea. Thanks guys

Had the most delicious steak, recommended by a lovely waitress! Fantastic meal & atmosphere.

Simply the best!!!Never fails to impress me everytime..last nights pasta was the best Ive had ever!! Highly Recommend this fantastic restaurant!!

Amazing! From the moment I walked in, servers accommodated and were speedy too even on a busy night! That MENU though! The venison looked amazing in the end I went with the chicken salad- how can you go wrong with all of your favourite things on one plate! Bri, Avo, cashews, beet chutney, aioli, and the waitress even had me curious enough to try the "house potato" (cool idea- they dress up the potatoes differently and interestingly) citrus and cream cheese mash had my curiosity piqued. Maddie my server was awesome, she helped my meal along (dining for one while travelling for work isn't always awesome, so im often looking to jet) she was so lovely and went out of her way to make my experience great! The first time I came here couple month ago for lunch, and very similar experience - weird dietary questions and was very much accommodated, so I came back! Thanks again!!

Dined tonight. All meals were excellent! Desserts beautifully presented, generous portions and so yummy. Service was absolutely top notch - staff are a real credit to the place. Thanks!!!

Last night my partner and i went for dinner, i have eaten there many times ( everytime amazing ) but my partner hadnt. He was very impressed, he loves his seafood and it was all cooked perfectly. Once again 5 stars.

Definitely recommend Rock's cafe. Meal was outstanding. Enjoyed the atmosphere . Service was spot on. definitely will be back again�

Yum yum yum � is all I can say about there food! Fabulous service with a smile too

Great good and service amazing!The Fish bowl was just devine.A must to go if you haven't dined in here.

Everybody in our group of 7 last night loved their meals. My lemon / rasp cheesecake was the best ever and if i could've licked the plate I would've! lol The steaks were perfect too! Highly recommended.

Sehr gutes Essen (Lamm und Fisch des Tages Orange Roughy) und perfekter Service - Empfehlung!

Wow what an amazing night, fantastic staff they are great fun and welcoming. The food was absolutely beautiful. The venison was perfect, along with the Tuscan chicken and fish of the day, and the banoffie pie was yummy. Can't wait to go back.

Thanks team, the dinner and the service was great, we had a fun evening, well done

I went to The Rocks Cafe for lunch on 10 June as a guest of some local businessmen. I had eaten there a year prior and was looking forward to the Blue Cod in batter (which had been excellent - crispy and tasty - on the earlier visit). However when the meal arrived there was one small piece that was (just) ok and a much larger piece that was half raw in the middle. The batter on both pieces was soggy and, like the potatoes that accompanied the meal, barely lukewarm. As a guest of the locals I didn't want to send it back, but it was barely edible. Both the potatoes and fish had presumably been standing around somewhere in a warming dish. Very disappointing for a visitor from the North Island...(and lets not even mention the loud rock music playing.....Heart's Crazy On You belting out is not really conducive to a business discussion...:-). Service and coffee was excellent, but a signature Southland dish was definitely poor......:-(

I went t to The Rocks Cafe for lunch today after reading the great reviews on this site. I wasn't disappointed. I ordered the popcorn squid salad and the brownie for dessert. The food came out very quickly and I particularly enjoyed the mango salsa with my salad, if only there was more of it... My brownie was much bigger than I expected, at $12.50 very good value. I really enjoyed the strawberry coulis that came with it. Everything on the menu looked fantastic and I had a hard time deciding what to order. Will definitely be back again to try out the rest of the menu. The service was also excellent.

Love this place. Great relaxed yet professional staff, tentative but not naggy. I also liked that we didn't feel rushed! Food was lovely and pricing was right for quality! Thanks :)

Have been to The Rocks a few times now and every time it is awesome, love the mussels yumuyum and the chicken salad is a favourite, staff are always lovely and a cosy environment always leave full, happy and glad we chose The Rocks for tea, you guys rock lol

Suggested as a good restaurant in Invercargill; four of us dined there and we were all disappointed with what we were served.<br/>The menu reads well and that's where it ends.<br/>The venison was a poorly balanced dish with an inordinately obscene mass of kumara, a heavy, smoked and salty bacon and too sweet a sauce that soon became sickly. The sauce was so sickly no dessert was required. The presentation of the dish was something out of the 1970's. A herb tree emanating from the mash was most amateur and continued the dated theme.<br/>A chicken parmigiana emerged that truly was out of the 1970's again. It was so smothered in what tasted like an msg laced tomato sauce, mountains of melted cheese, the size of the meal absurd.<br/>The steak was not any better. The establishment provided 1970's steak knives to cut the steak, as they had also for the venison-and they were needed. The steak was drowned in an ocean of over-ripened and cheap blue cheese sauce. <br/>When this quality of food is served at the prices charged the customer tastes nothing but disappointment. It makes dining at home a better option as we as home cooks seem to be able to do much better than this purported chef!<br/>When asked if we enjoyed our meals we relayed that all considered their meals to be poorly balanced in flavours and ingredients. The response we received from the chef via the waitress was "if you want big city meals go to the big city."<br/>These meals made us all feel unwell for days.<br/>We do dine in many places around the country. We find better valued and balanced meals in smaller places than Invercargill and in the cities the length and breadth of the country. If this is as good as Invercargill has to offer, then it makes American fast food franchises far more palatable. Not good value, in fact, no value at all.<br/><br/>Further to this review I would like to add that this is not the only meal I have suffered at the hands of this Cook. <br/>The previous day I dined with local family members for lunch. The dishes ordered were the salmon, this was a small serving and not exciting at all. The vegetable stack that was huge and contained inedible woody asparagus. The Chicken salad at $21 was expensive for a mostly salad and not much chicken and bacon, the salad leaves were barely edible and not particularly fresh. <br/>This seems to be so varied on cost and portions that you cannot guarantee you will get enough to eat, or the opposite and you get so much you can feed the whole family. <br/>When my niece said she had booked for dinner here the next day I really wish I had said it's not worth it, surely there must be something better in Invercargill, it cannot get any worse.<br/><br/>Lets be fair, if Tony hadn't have sent back such a rude remark in regards to our dining experience then you probably wouldn't be reading this now. So I am delighted to save you from the disappointment of a less than satisfactory dining experience.

Had made plans to go to another restaurant but heard that place was a little unreliable so made a last minute decision to take my partner to 'The Rocks'. Definitely made the right decision! <br/><br/>Greeted straight away and shown to a nice table for two. Lovely attentive waitress but also gave us privacy. We started off with drinks while we looked over the menu. A lot of choice without over doing it. I decided on the fillet mignon while my partner went with the tuscan chicken.<br/><br/>Didn't have to wait long (15-20 mins) and our food had arrived. The steak was so juicy and tender! Best steak I've ever had, and the pumpkin puree was amazing. Everything was beautifully seasoned.<br/><br/>The only bad thing I can say is that my steak was a little under cooked for my liking. But then that is just me nit-picking. Other than that.. Flawless!<br/><br/>My partner loved the chicken. Nice and juicy. The meals were the perfect portions as well, unfortunately we didn't have room for desserts.<br/><br/>Things were quite loud though which was a little distracting and it made it hard to have a quiet romantic dinner. The rest of the atmosphere was great - music, lighting, decor etc.<br/><br/>Will definitely be dining at 'The Rocks' again! Very soon I hope.

My hubby and recently dined at the Rocks on the occasion of our 30th wedding anniversary. <br/> It was not our original choice of restaurant as I really wanted a quiet little corner and an open fire as it was a cold night, however, my first choice was closed so my second choice was THE ROCKS. <br/>WOW what a good choice I made and right from the moment we were seated, they couldn't have been more helpful and the service was perfect.<br/>Both our choice of meals were cooked to perfection, my steak was cooked just the way I asked (medium rare) and for once not a scrap was left on my plate.<br/>I didn't miss the open fire as the atmosphere was just as good.<br/>I would highly recommend THE ROCKS Cafe &amp;Shop5.<br/>

Had a delicious working lunch at the Rocks this week. Blue cod and creamy chicken, bacon soup ..both really good. Perfect lunch portion size too. Efficient and friendly service and plenty of time to enjoy coffee afterwards. Great option for a lunch meeting as tables far enough away from neighbours to talk without being overheard. Will be back soon!

We had a family birthday at The Rocks back in November. Overall the place was very nice. The decor was tidy and pleasing (only issue being the toilets which were a little messy on the night we went). The food was served promptly and everyone had good things to say about their meals. I had the seafood soup (kind of like a paella without the rice) and it was wonderful.<br/>Thanks for a pleasant evening!<br/><br/>Visited The Rocks again on Friday night with the kids. Again the service was great, all the food was delicious (we had meals of pork, venison, blue cod and seafood pasta) and we all left happy and full. Thanks again!

WOW. Took the wife there for a change and I'm glad I did. From the moment we walked in the door to the moment we left it was a great experience. We had the breads and spreads to start, the bread was warm and the spreads were amazing. Then our mains came, I had steak witch was perfectly cooked and the wife had chicken salad and was really impressed. We managed to have dessert and even though I was stuffed I wanted to eat every last bite. I highly recommend The Rocks.

Went there for a meal out as a couple and were totally wowed! Service was fast and fantastic, staff made light, friendly conversation and seemed genuinely interested. Had the venison and it was to die for! A truly brilliant meal and a great portion, which was a nice change from other restaurants. The crumble was again, amazing. A lovely way to finish the meal. Have not experienced food or service to this standard in such a long time and will be going back very soon!

This place is fantastic. Fab food, great service and nice place. what more could I say. Each time we go its always lovely. Only place to go in Invercargill I say. Going again on Saturday night. esp love the poached pears, omg devine!<br/>thanks guys.

Not a happy customer. Last night my partner and I dined at The Rocks, don't get me wrong the service was great in fact everything was fantastic until I got my main meal. I ordered the chicken salad, in the menu it is described as <br/><br/>"Tender chicken breast strips, crisp honey belly bacon,brie, crisp salad greens, avocado, cashew nuts, plum salsa, vinaigrette &amp; aioli"<br/><br/>Well it came out missing two of my favourite ingredients, the brie and the cashew nuts BUT also had celery added. Now usually I wouldn't be one to complain but I have an allergy to celery and it was very finely chopped throughout the salad which left me sifting through every mouthful before eating it. If I hadn't noticed the celery my night could have ended up with a trip to the hospital. <br/><br/>The menu doesn't state that there is celery in it, and I have ordered it there on previous nights and it has never had celery. As for the absence of the brie and cashews I pointed out to my partner how would he like it if his pork came out with no sauce or potato and had a stack of mushrooms instead, doesn't make the meal that enjoyable.<br/><br/>I find it bad practice to be serving up meals that aren't as described on the menu. It is hugely disappointing and for people with allergies it can be dangerous.

Wow No wonder they call it The Rocks!!!!!! My friend and I have been going there for the past couple of weeks for lunch and every time we have been greeted so warmly, it's always been busy yet the girls always make you feel right at home. The food is always fresh and amazing and very affordable. Keep it up your the best in town!!!! :) :)

My visit was in response to very positive reviews on this site, and I wasn't disappointed. The service was efficient and friendly and the atmosphere very pleasant. My choice from the menu was a Caesar salad, with chicken. Now, it may be that the misspelling of Caesar on the menu is intended as a clue to this being other than a classical Caesar salad. In my book, three essential features of a Caesar are leaves (or large part leaves) of a crisp lettuce, preferably cos lettuce, crunchy croutons and crispy bacon. Cos (Romaine) lettuce is not always available of course, but large pieces of a traditional hearting lettuce are acceptable. Yes, there was some traditional hearting lettuce included, but it was sliced up quite finely along with a mix of mesclun varieties. No croutons at all - just a stack of buttered toast "soldiers". Plenty of bacon, but it wasn't at all crispy. All in all, an enjoyable and tasty meal, but not one of the greatest Caesars I've experienced. I'll be back though - this is a classy restaurant.

Another fabulous meal at The Rocks, always good to know everything is made fresh on the premises. Even better if dining early they have an early bird special of two courses plus a glass of very nice Pinot Noir. Well done a credit to Invercargill.

Dined at The Rocks last night. An awesome experience. Great friendly service .Fabulous tasty and well presented food.Reasonably priced. Appreciated the fact that the owner/chef came to our table.<br/>Will definitely dine there again.

I dined there with four friends for lunch in March and we had a drink at the bar whilst waiting on others to arrive. Service was good and meals were fine. Waitress nice and bubbly.

Went to this Resturant on a Saturday night and it was very busy when we arrived and we were seated immediately.<br/>Ordered entrees and mains and were served these within 10 mins of ordering them...Amazing food! It was piping hot and the flavours were unreal! Our mains of venison and seafood were just as perfect! What can I say but that the food, service and atmosphere were 100% Thanks The Rocks for a wonderful dining experience!

walked into the empty restaurant for donner with my two freinds and we were greeted by the only staff member who was not uniform and was unhygenic in appearence, only to be offered the lunch menu, we of corse left.

Booked a table last week with a friend after hearing from a few people how wonderful this place is. The staff were lovely, we were having a lovely evening and then our food came out-IT WAS AMAZING!!! There was a buzz in the restaraunt which was full and the chicken I ordered was devine. This place is just what Invercargill needs. Pleasant surroundings, friendly staff and fantastic food.

New owner &amp; menu ...yummy very good!! Food was excellent. Only disappointment was the level of noise. The decor is very hard so no noise is absorbed could be sorted by some inventive interior design!! But despite this the food was so good I will be back