Johnny Rockets

This place is good but has you feeling VERY heavy afterwards. Even when you order the protein style burger, you tend to feel this way.
It’s hard to dine here when you are trying to be good and are tempted to order the chili cheese fries on everything.

Had a lunch today at this place.
First to start off — I disagree with the most of reviewers. They might have visited the place on a bad day, or had a bad mood, or just nasty people. Or it’s just me lucky to come here on the day when they improved after all bad reviews :)
This restaurant was great today. Waiters were running, cooks doing magic in the kitchen, bus boy was rapid and cleaned all tables and floor trash on the spot. The floors were being constantly held in clean condition.
Menus are available for you at different spots of the place (unless you are too lazy to grab a menu and need a waiter for that). Moreover, our waiter came after 2 minutes when we sat and had all prepared to take our order and was a little confused when he saw us reading menus already. But he turned everything in a joke a it was fun.
Martin was really great. Wrote down all we wanted, suggested burgers, fries and drinks for us.
The most amazing thing about this place is that they have an old school cook, who still knows how to make a St. Louis burger (you know, the one with an egg). Oh, you don’t know it? And you won’t, because only this guy makes it REAL St. Louis.
Our food was ready for not a blink of an eye, but for around 10 minutes, which is great — I had time to smoke a cigarette meanwhile.
All food was great. Though drinks are not so good (regular tap stinky sodas as in the majority of fast-​food places).
We got all we really wanted, even a little side plate of marinated jalapeños (which are TERRIFIC) and ketchup smileys. Even one of my friends, who didn’t order anything, was kindly offered a glass of water (she drank it all, thanks, Martin :)
And we asked for a ToGo container and we got it with no problems including a bag.
Our lunch was ~$ 50 for 4.
Now third party opinion about overall condition of the restaurant:
1. Quite clean and well maintained;
2. Music could be a little louder (just keeps noise level up). Automated song menu actually WORKS (somebody wrote that it doesn’t). You just gotta wait till your song gets to its queue number;
3. The busboy was running as crazy picking up dirty plates after those who have left their seats — that is good, but! He was running with a bus-​pan. I don’t mind it, but in restaurant experience it’s unacceptable.
4. AC could do better.
Overall, if you are not fancy-​shmancy super-​duper candy lady, you’ll love this place :)

Johnny Rocket’s is a 1950s themed restaurant chain.
The (JR) store at the corner of 3^rd and Fairfax is part of the Farmer’s Market Grove complex. Johnny Rocket’s elsewhere have working jukeboxes on every table and you can play one of your favorite 50s songs for a nickel (in keeping with the 50s theme); at this location the jukebox system is perpetually or chronically out of order. Most of the other Johnny Rocket’s restaurants have nametags with the employees name and hometown (which is kind of fun); not at this location. At other Johnny Rocket’s the waiters and waitresses offer you a straw from an old-​time glass straw container; charming, but they don’t do that at this location. Service is slooooow and the prices are high for nothing more than a In and Out or McDonalds.
Management of Johnny Rocket’s 3^rd and Fairfax take note, you have a quality control issue and a cleanliness issue, you need to address these issues or close your location it’s a disgrace.

OMG!!! Horrible service. Unfortunately zero stars is not an option so I was forced to give 1 star…

Absolutely horrible. The service took forever and the food was less than edible. Don’t expect a medium rare patty, but rather you’ll be eating a hockey puck.
The place just looked a mess. Homeless people come in and ask the patrons for money. I have nothing against homeless people, but they shouldn’t just enter restaurants and ask people for money.
Your money is better spent elsewhere. Trust me.

Food was good. Service was horrible… I usually eat here when I go to the Grove and service is ok
but today it was bad. I had to ask if we can get service because after my party of 2 sat a party of 6 sat and was served first. Will go back but hopefully will get faster service.

Oh Johnny Rockets, you bring back memories, memories of my pubescent youth. Old enough to drive, but too young to go to the bars; all of the high schoolers would hang out at eateries like Johnny Rockets to feel like adults.
This location is decent with your standard American fare of hamburger, fries and shakes. If you’re bored of shopping at the Grove, stop by here and grab a burger while your old lady keeps shopping.

Really wish I could review the food, but sadly this review is on the service because I never had a chance to EAT or even have a glass of water!
Went there today around noon. I understand it’s lunch time. I’m not impatient. My friend and I took our kids to the grove, so our party consisted of 2 adults, two infants, and 2 toddlers. The location itself is small and definitely not stroller friendly. We went to the front and stood there, after not being greeted I got the attention of a gentleman, he pointed to their large corner table and said that party was leaving and we can take their seat when they leave. We had no problem waiting, because the party was standing up as we were checking in. Ok, so 20 minutes go by and the table is still dirty. I went to the counter again and asked if they were going to have someone clean it. The lady replied yes, she called them over and it’ll be just a minute. Well 10 minutes go by and finally a busser comes from the back and cleans it off. Perfect. It’s only been open for 30 minutes… but me being the nice person I am, just say thank you. Well 5, 10, 15, then 20 more minutes passed. Not one person came to the table to apologize or bring even a glass of water! Had we not had the kids keeping us busy, we never would have Waited so long. That was the worst service I’ve ever had. To top it off people came after us and the waitress went to them, I went to the front and he said she is just busy. I said we were here first and she just continued to take the next persons order. I was never ride or anything. I will never go there again. We left and went to chipotle and got food instantly.

Went for lunch today and it was good. The waiter was really good and the bacon cheddar burger was delicious.

The one time I go to this Johnny Rockets and I was amazingly happy with my experience. My brother and a friend of ours went in at noon, place was about halfway full, and we were seated immediately, and then taken our order. It was fast. The waiting for food to be delivered, that was something else. The one thing I remember more than anything is the fact that I drank my Raspberry Ice Tea fast and then the refill as well, that before I knew it, the waiter had brought me out a huge pitcher with a straw in it. I guess he must of thought that I couldnt down it or that I wasnt thirsty enough, but I chugged it all down. He was so impressed that he didn’t charge me for that pitcher. Atleast that’s how I remember it.

Food wasn’t that great. Our first choice was the cheesecake factory but there was an hour wait. Decided to eat here and I think We should of just waited the hr at cheese cake factory!

I’ve been dining at Johnny Rockets since the early 90s on Melrose. I always love the atmosphere and the malts.
This recent visit last Fri, was no different. I ordered a chocolate peanut butter malt, even though it was freezing outside and I sat near the door. I just can’t get enough malt in my life, but I don’t drink malt liquor, haha!
For dinner, I had a philly cheesesteak sandwich. It was tender and pretty good. I’ve had better, but it was decent here. Service was pretty good, not exceptional, but on par with what I expected.
Not much else to say, but I will be back.

Johnny Rockets in Los Angeles is heading way down hill. The burgers here are getting less flavorfull, and the brioche/​challah type bun is a little to sweet and eggy.
Love the chili fries here but fries were’yt quite hot and the portion is getting chintzy. Young server was a little clueless. I had a rocket double and at least I can say it’s a big burger for the money.

Johnny Rockets is consistent; the food is always the same quality, the experience is nearly always the same. No, it’s not an authentic 50’s experience and yes, everybody hates the music after 20 minutes, but whatever. It’s a tasty treat and it’s right on the edge of the Farmer’s Market. Things that make this particular location great:
1. They take credit cards. If you’ve ever been to the Farmer’s Market before, you’ll know that 75% of the places inside are CASH ONLY. This is not only a bitch because the ATM fees SUCK, but also because if you DO end up finding a place that accepts your plastic (and isn’t Starbucks), you’ll end up paying a $ 10 minimum just to get a slab of chocolate or a bloody crêpe.
2. You get what you expect: a big sandwich, a pile of fries, a large refillable beverage, and, if you’re feeling particularly carefree, one of their famous shakes. As a fat ass, I realize that the Johnny Rockets at the Beverly Connection does unlimited fries with their dine-​in meals; while they don’t do that here (and have laughed at me when I asked in the past), it is a much nicer atmosphere than that at the BC.
3. It’s a large space with lots of booths and more than one waiter; this is a big plus for me because I like refills, check-​ups, and good service.
4. It’s an upgrade from fast food, yet I don’t have to dress up; a casual (but good) burger that isn’t $ 20? Yes, please.
Tasty foods that you should consider:
Route 66 (particularly good with pepper jack)
Chicken tenders
Smoke House Single (ONION RINGS FOR THE WIN!)
Philly Cheese Steak (as greasy as the east coast!)
Chicken Club
Chili Cheese Fries (with onions, of course)
Chocolate Peanut Butter Shake (worth the damn calories)
Great place to hit up after a movie or when you don’t feel like waiting in line for a fancier place (and also don’t want to be served on a tray). Don’t forget to get your Farmer’s Market validation (2 hours free parking with it! Whoo!).

The service here is not that great. Went here yesterday for dinner and I had to wipe down my own table and get my own menus and wait like 15 minutes until the waiter finally came with water. Yes, it was pretty crowded, but I’ve had similar experiences at this Johnny Rockets. I also find that sometimes the table smells like OLD RAG smell, which really makes my food taste OH SO YUMMY. NOT! But, I just come here cuz it’s inside Farmer’s Market and my son loves this place. If it weren’t for that, I’d much rather go to the one inside Beverly Connection.
FYI: their grilled cheese is pretty good =)

I had a really good burger here (the Route 66) that had a crap-​ton of mushrooms and grilled onions on it, but I can’t recommend this place because the service was pretty terrible. I walked into Johnny Rockets, told the girl at the register I’d like to sit outside, and was told to take a menu and that someone would be with me shortly.
Then, I sat outside for at least 15 – 20 minutes and watched tumbleweeds roll by. This was at 3:00 on a Saturday. The place was not all that busy.
Finally, I walked back inside and someone noticed me and asked if I’d been helped. I told a second employee that I was sitting outside and hadn’t yet had my order taken. She then told a third person, «Oh, there’s someone out on the patio.» I did, eventually, get my burger and float. Not exactly service with a smile, but at this point I would’ve eaten a shoe.
(Not to diminish the burger, which was a good one).
Parking at farmer’s market allows for two free hours. It’s a good thing I’d parked right in front of the venue, because these guys are not exactly quick on the draw. It’s a little pricey, too.

Hier gibt es definitiv die besten Milchsshakes ever! Besonders zu empfehlen: Der Big Apple Shake mit richtigen Apfelkuchen-​Stückchen. YUMMY! Die Burger sind ebefnalls super lecker! Sehr schön fand ich die Smileys, die jedesmal mit Ketchup auf den Teller gezaubert wurden! Das Ambiente erinnert an einen schönen alten amerikanischen Dinner.

The tuna melt is okay.
The veggie burger is a pathetic.
The smoothies are darn good.
Friends all seemed to like they’re burgers…
Fries aren’t bad but I’m not a fan of fries really, so what do I know?
Gotta love the ketchup smiley faces… LMAO (I think they should skip that for us adults)
The people that I at least spoke with did not appear happy to be working here at all.
This location is not one of the best for this chain…

To sum up the following: will never return.
I was so dissapointed. We came here after a 2 hour drive, and were really excited. We ended up waiting 14 minutes before I couldn’t stand it and aproched the manager and asked if we would be waited on. Finally, another 5 minutes later, a frazzled girl took our order. (Durring that wait we saw two tables get up and leave without paying because they couldn’t get someone to bring them their check) Anyway, we ordered everything at the same time, and then got our food and drinks at the same time… no refills, no check ups, no apology. My tuna melt was so salty I only ate ½ and my friends burger was so wet from the produce, the bread fell apart and she had to use a fork and knife.
The manager who I spoke to before seemed to be drugged and they were short staffed. With all the other options at the market/​and grove, I don’t see why we would ever spend money here again.

Had my first exposure to Johnny Rockets yesterday. My bf really wanted a burger and since we were at Farmers Market/​Grove, we came over here. He got a Tuscan? burger and onion rings, and I the philly cheese steak and a strawberry milkshake. They were packed at 1pm on a weekend, but despite that service was still super friendly, albeit slow. Our server always came over with the biggest smile on his face.
When our food came I had to take a picture cuz they had a ketchup thing that they drew into a happy face — so cute. I guess it’s a signature thing here, but it was new to me! They had forgotten my bell peppers that I had requested for my philly though so I had to try to flag a waiter down to tell them… which took about 10 min. But when I finally did it took only a couple more to get my bell peppers brought over on a plate. I’m kinda sad they forgot it in the first place though, cuz try shoving bell peppers into an already overly stuffed sandwich or trying to make it stick to the top of it with already melted and re hardened cheese — not very successful at all. So i just kinda put a little bit on each bite, which was kinda tedious but I wanted my sandwich with bell peppers! My bf laughed that I really must love my veggies to be so determined to do that. It is true.
Taste-​wise, I liked their onion rings A LOT. I was told they were covered in sourdough crumbs? Such a good idea. The burger my bf had looked delish too. My philly was ok — they used cheddar which I’ve never had in a philly cheese steak before… I’m used to provolone? Is cheddar normal? It just didn’t taste the same with cheddar… but it was still an ok sandwich. I think next time I’ll stick with their specialty and order a burger. The shake was of course delicious, but I can’t imagine a shake ever going wrong. Overall, It’s an ok burger joint, there are better places to go though. But it was nice to finally try it.

This review is more of a review for the chain as a whole, than this particular location.
Ever since moving to California, I have enjoyed going to Johnny Rockets but I must confess, I primarily go for one reason and one reason only… and that is for their egg salad sandwich!!! They have a good burger but it’s the egg salad sandwich that has kept me going back time and time again!
I happened to have lunch at the Grove yesterday and it dawned on me that I needed to tell my fellow Unilocalers about this great sandwich! Most people think burgers when they think Johnny Rockets but I am here to tell you they make a superior Egg Salad sandwich as in 5 star worthy! So if you are aver hungry for one big fulfilling sandwich check it out!
Served on sourdough, stuffed with a ton of eggs (that you are afraid for your cholesterol), and toasted with a few slices of iceburg lettuce in between egg and bread, this is one sandwich that is always on my mind! Add french fries and a soda it’s a great quick meal!
As for this particular location, the speed of their service needs a little help. I am not sure if it is because I go during the busy lunch hour but the service is dreadfully slow.