Rowdy Red Wine & Burger Bar

I have not Unilocaled in a long time, but the service here was so bad I felt compelled to write a review.
Did this place just open or something? I’ll start off by saying my burger was tasty, but the service was horrid. First, they took forever to bring my friend’s soda. Then, when our burgers arrived, 2 out of the 3 of us did not have any of our sauces with the burger. We had also ordered onion rings that still had not come. I went to the cashier, who also happened to be the manager, and asked for our sauces and onion rings. At that time, there was also another customer complaining because they lost her order completely. Then the manager turned to me and asked «What is it you want again?» Uhhh ok – sauces, onion rings? She told me the onion rings were made fresh to order so it takes awhile. I’m sorry, onion rings do not take a long time to make. Chop the onion, batter, and fry.
Well, the sauces still did not come out for another 5 minutes or so. And then, at long last, the onion rings finally arrived, after we were almost done with our burgers. And they were piping hot, as if they had just been made. Hmmm… made fresh = forgot about your order so it’s getting placed now. I have to admit though, the onion rings were good. Oh and while we were sitting waiting for our sauces and onion rings, I overheard another customer send back his burger because it was cold.
It’s a shame, the food here is pretty good, although overpriced. They need to get their act together fast.

Went here for the 1^st time today… calorie splurged on a bbq bacon burger. I waited what seemed to be a long time for the to go to be made and then packed. Upon return to my office several blocks away, I discovered that they gave me the wrong order… which was a very small and boring basic burger.
I called and was told the manager would call me right back… nothing.

I was craving burger and fries for lunch and this place is convenient for me to grab a bite. I was going to give this place a second try. I believe everyone deserves a second try. So I ordered a burger with blue cheese and fries extra well done. I didn’t have time to sit now to eat so I took it to go. The wait for the food took about 15 minutes and it didn’t seem like they were that busy. remember my last post when i said my fries took too long? well this time the wait was much better. When I got back to my desk I took a bite of my burger. It was good. The best part of my meal was the fries. I love it when they understand me when I want well done fries. They were nice an crispy. Maybe next week I’ll go and try there fish tacos that they have on Fridays.

Burgers here are ok, nothing to rave about. They have pretty good happy hour deals and daily specials. I love the sweet potato fries, they are definitely worth trying if you are a fan.
Overall, nice spot for a quick lunch, but not much else.

I came here for lunch a couple of weeks ago and it’s pretty good. I had the classic burger with fries and an iced tea. I thought it was really good. I sat in the restaurant and the food came out promptly. I would go back here again if I’m craving a burger during lunch. I think it’s a better alternative to Johnny Rocket’s and McDonald’s that are both close by. The price is also compared to Johnny Rocket’s and I thought it tasted better.

I like the burger at Rowdy Red. I think the ingredients are fresh and it’s definitely adding choices to the lunch time dining option at downtown. I looooooove the happy hour menus. cheap wine. cheap burgers… they’re priced at $ 3 to $ 5.
You have to try the Sweet Potato French Fries… They’re really good — you won’t be able to stop eating them. So if you’re on a diet — don’t eat it

Just came to Rowdy Red to enjoy their $ 1 milkshake special. Yummy and what a great break in the workday!

Good lunch option amongst the less than stellar foodcourt options below the Cal Plaza (aka Arco Plaza) in downtown Los Angeles. The turkey burger was quite flavorful, and they have sweet potato fries which are a good option for those that want a different flair to their lunch.
Lunch prices not too bad (less than $ 10 for burger and fries) for a fancier looking sit down place that serves wine.

Good for ARCO Plaza or whatever they call the underground mall these days. They’ve really tried to step it up from some of the really gross dingy food options they’ve had for years. So I go to lunch today and decide to try Rowdy Red Wine & Burger Bar ’cause I’m feelin’ like a burger and McDonald’s will never do. So I order the cheddar burger with lemonade which was homemade. The lemonade was very average and it took a really long while for my hamburger to come. But once it came it was very good. They use quality ingredients and what I liked is that they listed their business partners on the back of their menu. Kinda nice to know who they do business with.
Okay, so the funny part. So I’m enjoying my lunch but the music is just a little bizarre. Kinda like wurste pop sprockets style music — (don’t quote me — I just made that word up) you know, German industrial-​style music — but I’m looking around and there’s a bunch of 50 year old men trying to enjoy their onion rings probably wondering just what the hell is going on. It really made me giggle because the music just didn’t jive with the situation. And trust me, I’m not hating on the older guys because I’m 48 myself so I fit right in, but it did make me laugh… :)
I would definitely go back. Wine list looked pretty good too.

I lost a bet so I had to take my friend to lunch. It was supposed to be lunch @ Tommy’s burger but I convinced him to go here instead.
I don’t like hamburger so the food there is just okay for me. My other friends like the burgers (mushroom burger and sliders). My mushroom burger was better than the black blue (blue cheese-​bacon) burger I got before. I tried both fries and sweet potato fries and they were both greasy and soggy.
Service was a lot better compared to the first time I went there. The cashier was PMSing and was super rude to us; the waiters were always nice and efficient.
2 ½ stars for Rowdy Red!
Rowdy Red is not yummylicious!

Their milkshakes are ridiculous. I order the peanut butter chocolate milkshake with my burger almost everytime. It’s thick and rich and if I close my eyes I dream of happy places with rainbows and leprechauns and raining joy.
Their burgers are pretty bomb too, though a little on the pricey side, but I mean that’s what you come here for, the «gourmet» burger. If you wanted a cheap burger McDonald’s is a few steps away.

Decent burger and half-​bottles of wine. It can get pretty crowded here, but we keep coming back and that’s a good thing. Their fries are yummy and they have no problem wrapping it in a lettuce leaf instead of a bun for me (always a plus).
Overall a very good place to have in the underground mall.

2 ½ stars. Their turkey burger w/​avocado is really good.
I don’t care for those sweet potatoes fries. Although this was my first time ordering them.
I would never order breakfast. It’s pricey. I wanted a egg white sandwich, cheese, on whole wheat toast. The price came up to $ 9. I politely canceled my order and went to TrImana who only charges $ 4.00 for the same thing.

Well the good news is that they finally serve booze here. But it’s weird smelling the MSG wafts from the crappy chinese food just before entering the Rowdy Red’s domain.
I got their truffled BLT and sweet potato fries (to go, of course) for lunch and it was a little worse than A-​OK. The mayo is supposed to be flavored with truffle oil, but it didn’t taste like anything special. The bacon was thick but limpy. I picked most of it out, thinking I should have chosen the veggie burger or Greek salad instead.
I like their sweet potato fries, but just to warn you, I don’t think they salt them, so BYOS. Their regular fries are super skinny and get cold really fast (better to eat there right away rather than schlep back to the cubicle). The onion rings are heavily coated in some kind of titanic batter dating back from WWII. Don’t break your teeth, just get the sweet potato fires. Or «yam» fries as my boss calls them
My colleague swears by their black and blue burger and some other Unilocalers have given it a shout out as well. Holler! Still dying to try their coffee shake.
PS. Coffee snobs: They serve Peet’s Coffee here.

I tried the sliders, the turkey burger, regular and sweet potato fries and the house wine and everything was damned good. Good enough that I wish they were open later than 7 nightly so I could swing by for a burger and enjoy sports on their large screen tv.
I thought everything was hella tasty. Don’t understand the hate.

Once upon a time I tried to become a vegetarian, ya that didnt last. Being that I am a huge animal rights proponent and animal lover, I thought I could live a lifestyle that would honor that.
Alas, it was the love of the burger that lured me out of that delusional thought process. Boca and Veggie burgers may have their admirers, but for me a juicy, greasy flavorful burger is Heaven on Earth (or at least a small version of it).
Having said all that, I was intrigued by the thought of a new burger joint in Downtown.(Daily Grill just doesnt cut the mustard in my book). I was so happy to find that Rowdy’s uses beef from local farms that use hormone-​free and humane practices. Rowdy’s is also eco-​conscious ie: they use heirloom tomatoes from locale, small farms.
Overall, I thought this place was o-​k but I wasnt blown-​away by an aspect. The seating is weird, kinda awkwardly set up and very limited, not really able to accommodate crowds. It’s also a little confusing as to how the restaurant really works. Sure you order at the counter (staff seemed less-​than-​thrilled to be there), but waiter-​esque people float around as well. Are you supposed to tip them ?
A Black and blue burger is always one of my faves and this one delivered. It was a little small for the price, but flavorful and well cooked, the bacon was fantastic. My onion rings were sweet and crispy, not too heavy or greasy, yum.
I have to admit Ive been craving one of Rowdy’s burgers ever since. I see a return visit in the future.

I finally got to try this place out today with both of my wives.
Oh wow, there’s spaghetti and meatballs on the menu. I love spaghetti and meatballs! So of course I ordered the fish and chips. I think both of these choices are $ 8, and nothing includes a drink.
I was really surprised at how BIG that fish and chip plate was. There were 2 ginormous pieces of fish, over a mountain of fries. Unfortunately, the fries were cold. Not even slightly warm, just straight up cold. :(The fish was piping hot tho. It tasted fine, but was really really greasy.
One of the wives ordered a bacon cheeseburger that looked difficult to eat since it was piled so high. I shared my fries with him/​her cuz I had so many and also because how can you eat a burger without fries??! That’s crazy.
In the end, all three of us walked out with full stomachs and clogged arteries. Will we return? Dunno, but if I do, it won’t be for the fish and chips.

Earlier this week, I noticed this new burger and wine bar. How did this happen? I didn’t even see them building it! But I’m glad it’s here because I really hate that McDonald’s down here. For two days, I watched people going in and out and figured out their operation. I invited some Downtown Unilocalers to lunch to check it out.
I met Kevin F, Amy P and Erica R here for lunch today. You order at the counter, take a number and they bring your food to you. Seating is fairly limited inside Rowdy Red and some spill over goes out to the communal tables in the food court. I really wanted to sit inside so we were eying some people, giving them looks until they left. The manager even was helping me look out for an empty table.
After securing a nice large table, I took the time to soak up the décor. It’s all dark wood with touches of red. The food runners were prompt to wipe down the table and give us condiments and silverware when we asked for such things. We were also asked often enough if we wanted refills.
I ordered the classic burger combo ($ 8.60) with a fountain drink. After seeing Amy’s Black and Bleu and Kevin’s BBQ burger with the great looking bacon, I started thinking I should have gotten a burger with bacon! Erica’s sliders looked good too.
My burger’s bun was toasted just right but I felt the patty was overcooked just a tad. There was hardly any pink left in the patty. And although it looked small, I did get full. The sweet potatoes fries ($.40 cents extra if you exchange the regular fries for them) were good. They seemed oven baked.
I also sampled the regular fries and onion rings. I liked both. The onion rings had enough seasoning in them so I didn’t need to dip them in anything.
Kevin’s chocolate and peanut butter milkshake in its fancy frosted glass looked great! We were jealous!
Rowdy Red still doesn’t have its liquor license yet but beer and wine is coming. They claim 80% of their products are from local California farms and they «proudly» serve Peet’s coffee (their coffee milkshake looks interesting). I thought it was cool their beef is raised on vegetarian diets.
To avoid the lunch rush, I would suggest getting here after 1:30 p.m.
Next time, I’m getting a burger with cheese, bacon AND a fried egg. Maybe some mushrooms too! Heck, let’s go crazy!

Hmm, I liked the idea of this place better when I mistakenly thought it was a Peet’s. I stormed in here early one morning excited at the thought of being liberated from the tyranny of Starbucks. While they serve Peet’s coffee, I think Starbucks is safe. So is McDonald’s for that matter.
I came back for lunch a few weeks ago. You know their burgers remind me of those thick, chunky bell pepper «Mama Burgers» that Eddie Murphy joked about in Raw. Rowdy’s burgers don’t have green pepper, but they’re thick, messy patties served on soggy buns. That’s not the only comparison I can make to «Raw», cause that’s what my burger was. My friend told me they have a sign that says they serve their burgers pink, but I didn’t see this. I clearly have a problem reading.
The sweet potato fries are a great idea, and they were pretty good. At the end of the day, I don’t think my 2 stars are really going to dissuade too many people. The place is very popular, and they serve other items such as salads, corn dogs, breakfast burritos, etc. I’d give their salads a shot sometime, but I’ll leave the big sloppy burgers for Mama.

All you need to know is the Rowdy Red will sell you a fairly homemade tasting burger for under ten bucks
Nondescript décor is fairly modern and the service and quick and the refills keep coming, the basic concept being that you order at the counter and sit down, they bring you drinks and then your food comes quick. The Burgers are pink and taste like the where actually cooked on a grill, which is nice, although they are little on the small side, when I first saw the pattie I was a little disappointed but after I ate it satisfied me. It is a good lunch size, but the frikkin thing is for lunch right? And there is the question of the fries, the regular fries are just too crumbly and greasy to be anything but a let down, a burger place must have good fries and these just suck. On the good side the sweet potato fries where somewhere between bad and great, I guess that makes them good right? I was hoping for so much more.
I also tried the spinach dip, which was completely and utterly unremarkable… I mean it is spinach dip, but it should taste like something. I also tried the Mini corn dogs; kind of Hot dog on a stick meets sliders in an unfortunate union. I think one would be best served here sticking to the burgers. You can also order from a counter in the hall which seems kinda cool.
They should really have a double burger here; I really do not get that. I think they are trying to keep the menu within a certain range. Get a burger with some sweet potato fries and don’t come too hungry and it may work out for you.