What can be said about the legendary Rock Store? Previously a gas station and diner along Mulholland Highway, back when Model A Fords were the norm, this iconic bar and grille is now a landmark and a Mecca for SoCal bikers.
It features tons of dining space, both inside and outside, including old school restaurant booths and large tables upstairs for bigger groups, as well as a breakfast/lunch counter. The facility itself is way old and has been built upon and added onto a few times over the years. The large parking lot is well maintained and very bike & dog friendly. Likewise the patio area is a great place to dine among the oaks, sycamores and pines. The restrooms unfortunately are rarely clean, too small and severely dated. Also it is not well equipped for the handicapped. The restrooms are upstairs with no ramps to get there.
The food at this greasy spoon is nothing special. I don't come here as often as I used to, but everything tends to be overcooked. The coffee however is excellent and consistent and they will keep filling that bottomless cup as long as you carry it around with you.
The staff are just as iconic as the restaurant! I've always had excellent service here from Rosie and the girls. The servers are extremely friendly, helpful and will remember you by name. However, if you arrive during the rush, be patient... By rush, I mean you can literally see hundreds of bikers here.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the Rock Store are the customers. If you spend enough time on the patio from opening until the afternoon, you can observe practically every microcosm of motorcycling culture come and go. From the Breakfast Boys early in the morning, who are retirees on high-mileage Gold Wings and BMW's looking for any excuse to ride, share fantastic tales of the good old days and swap political commentary & jokes. They may decide to ride to Tonopah that day, or they may go home to take a nap...
To the cafe racers on beautifully restored or modified older British, Italian, German and Japanese bikes reminiscing about the good old days, which they are too young to have experienced. Like Marlon Brando, James Dean or Steve McQueen, they carve out their own niche.
Next come the Power Rangers dressed in brightly emblazoned 1-piece leather suits, hockey pucks and $600 signature helmets preparing to bomb the mountains and hone their racing skills on public streets, much to the dismay of local residents and law enforcement.
Following are the squids, who are young, dumb and full of an immortality complex. Showing up with a helmet, shorts, tank top and little else, they'll get nabbed by the numerous CHP and LA County Sheriffs after they practice their wheelies, stoppies and crash once or twice.
Later, the pirates show up - essentially HOG club members and Sons Of Anarchy wannabes on their new, fully-financed Harleys, complete with doo rags, sleeveless shirts and fresh tribal or barbed wire ink. They'll compare their latest chrome purchases, act tough and squint a lot, but are relatively harmless. Go Wild Hogs!
You will also see the occasional celebrity here. Jay Leno is a regular and I've also seen others like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Robert Blake and more. And of course, interspersed in all of this are the car enthusiasts and cyclists who stop in for a bite and a drink.
Finally as the sun starts falling, the old-school regulars show up on shovels, pans & rat bikes to salute the evening, enjoy themselves and find reasons for just one more drink.
It's a colorful place because of the colorful people. Enjoy... read more