This place was an awesome find. Made date plans for wife and I while in Ventura. We went in on a Saturday afternoon around 5-6pm to plenty of seating. The interior is a nice cocktail lounge layout. More cozy seating and a few chairs at the bar. We were greeted immediately, our server was sweet! We asked to switch spots after seating ourselves because we didn't realize the AC was going to be blasting right at us. She offered to turn the AC down so we didn't have to move but we're still welcome to. The drums were AMAZING. I got the Brazilian lemonade (green in photo) that tastes basically like a sweet Pandan slushie, couldn't even tell there was alcohol until it hits you lol My wife got the equally amazing clarified Ube sour which was the same story. Both tasted so good we got a second order. Paired with fries for something to munch that comes with 2 out of a choice of 3 dips! They were chili, jalapeño, and garlic if I remember correctly. Highly recommend this spot for drinks and dates! read more

Rocks & Drams - Clarified Ube sour, Brazilian lemonade, Fries & Dip (2) all amazing and highly recommended - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Ventura, California

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Came in on a Saturday night around 8pm and luckily it wasn't too packed. We sat down immediately. The inside is really nice, i'd stop by for a drink in the future with the couch styled lounge. Felt like we were skipped over a bit during service. There was a couple who sat at the bar 15 minutes after us and got drinks and calamari given to them at the exact same time we got our drinks (weren't able to order any food yet). The tables near us were checked on a lot but not us. Food was just okay. Linguine pasta, calamari, and sliders were all bland. Sliders were super basic, just meat, sauce and bun. They charge $2 for a side of sauce in a tiny ramekin. The woman bartender was really nice and upbeat and helped us close out at the end of our meal. Honestly, just much better food and experiences next door. read more

We went to rock and drums for dinner on a Friday night. The vibe was good, with lots of people watching World Cup on the very large screens. The servers were busy, hustling, and working hard, but understaffed for the popularity of the place. We got the potato chips which were tasty and the calamari which were fine, but nothing to write home about. We would have gotten the cheese rolls, but one of us doesn't eat gluten. I would probably give it another chance if I lived locally. read more

Rocks & Drams - Truffle Potato Chips - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Ventura, California

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I came here with my husband to kill time while waiting for our reservations. Staff were nice and the drinks were good and refreshing. A nice cozy spot to chill, watch tv, and hang out. read more

Rocks & Drams - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Ventura, California

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A little disappointed with my last couple visits to Rocks & Drams. Food and drink are still delicious, but the service has really gone downhill. First of two visits, no one came to our table for the first 20 minutes so I thought we ordered at the bar now. Bartender ignored me until a server came over and said someone would come over to the table. Second visit was better in that regard, but then we could not find a server for half an hour to get our check. So while the food and drinks are still great, if the service continues at this level, I don't think I'll be returning as frequently. read more

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I've been here a few times now whenever I'm around Ventura and Rocks & Drams is a fun spot. I particularly enjoy their garlic noodles and wings! Ugh. Delicious. There is outdoor seating with music sometimes but I've typically sat inside in the comfy chairs-- plus, I like the ambiance inside. And great service! Great to visit alone or with a friend! read more

Rocks & Drams - Garlic Noodles - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Ventura, California

The drink was surprisingly very well put together. I wish the bar area was just a bit bigger. The vibe was a bit odd to me. I'm sure if I came with a group it would be different. Coming by myself, I'd like to sit at the bar but the bar was filled with dudes. And then every table there after we're all groups of women. Then in the corner was a family. egardless, I'm glad I tried a drink. It was tequila and watermelon flavor with a sea salt watermelon foam on top which all balanced well. Can't remember the name and it looks like their menu and decor change with wash season which is pretty cool. read more

Rocks & Drams - February cocktail - tequila and watermelon with sea salt watermelon foam - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Ventura, California

Beat and goat cheese salad was to die for, but this last time I went in there was really disappointed. I don't know if it's a new Chef or what but the dressing wasn't the same. I had very little beats and more goat cheese than beats before they used to have different color beats now it's just red. I was just very disappointed. It was not the same. I wish they would stick to their original recipe read more

Great last-minute experience while dropping in for a drink or two with a friend while visiting Main Street in Ventura. Sat at the bar and had a great time chatting with the bartender while still having a nice chat with my friend and really taking a moment together before we went out to hit the strip and shop till we drop! read more

Rocks & Drams - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Ventura, California

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After years of trying to visits Rocks and Drams for their holiday celebration we finally got an opportunity to fit in the schedule and snagged a reservation. One thing I didn't plan for was the winter wine walk down town was packed!! We were able to get easy parking at City Hall and walk down, the reservation was spot on and after a 5 min wait we were seated. Within 5 mins we ordered drinks and tapas and 5 mins later we had everything!! Through the entire process we had multiple people checking in to see if we needed anything else. The Christmas vibes were high and once the outside band at the street event finished the holiday tunes were vibrant inside. All in all it was a fantastic little get away read more

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Great service, interior & food. Would highly recommend the blue drink shows in the photo read more

Rocks & Drams - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Ventura, California

Went for their holiday pop up. The decor was phenomenal! Everything decorated so cute. They do have an outdoor patio with heaters but they were nice enough to move us inside as it was chilly. The drinks were cute and came in fun holiday cups. read more

Rocks & Drams - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Ventura, California

This is hidden gem right off Main Street in Ventura. We enjoyed our food and drinks and the atmosphere. Would highly recommend giving this place a try. read more

Rocks & Drams - Chicken Wings - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Ventura, California

One of the best Old Fashioned cocktails I've had in a long time. I opted with Buffalo Trace as my choice for Bourbon. It was smooth, sophisticated, and even the aromatics smelled pleasing. I felt like I was being seduced...I went back for another. The drink was served over a large cube rock, loved the ice stamp - it's the details that matter. Rocks and Drams has Mad Men vibes and feels like a Library Bar you'd find in LA, SF, or NY. Lot's of patrons go here for their specialty drinks, so anticipate it taking some time to have your drink carefully crafted. Be patient, relax, and enjoy a good conversation with whomever you're with, or start talking to a stranger sharing your space. The couch area operates as community seating, which I think is cool. You're in a social setting, be social! The food is solid. I've had the Hibachi Noodle dish, which was awesome! The Smash Burger and Fries is a solid choice. Definitely a step up from traditional bar food. Love the options available, its not too limiting nor overwhelming. Picking out what to eat shouldn't be that hard! Rocks and Drams has a nice balance of good drinks, good food, and good vibes. Tip: Go early or during the week to avoid the crowd. The space is small and initiate. It's a popular place that gets full quickly on weekends and late at night. I usually get there early, settle in a spot, and enjoy time with the people in my circle. read more

Rocks & Drams - Old Fashioned with Buffalo Trace Bourbon - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Ventura, California

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I had a great time, service is good very polite staff, these lettuce cups with teriyaki beef were soo yummy, I wanted a little something savory but light and these hit the spot ! Great evening cap and Thai watermelon drink was delish !! read more

Rocks & Drams - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Ventura, California

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Very nice people, and, I know the food is probably secondary to the drinks here, but, this was for sure the worst garlic noodles I have ever had. Cold spaghetti a without even any flavor. The veggies shouldn't be listed as ingredients because there basically were none. Really bad, sorry guys, I took 2 bites and paid my check and left. read more

We basically got kicked out? My fiancé and I had a reservation for 7:30 during their Valentine's pop up. Everything was going fine: the service was fine, the food came out quick and wasn't bad (wasn't amazing either but still okay), and we were enjoying the ambiance. But while we were in the middle of our food, a server came up to us and said "So we have an 8 o'clock reservation that'll be here soon and we'll need this table so do you guys need any boxes, or do you think you'll finish by then?" Mind you, it was 5 minutes to 8:00 and we still had a decent amount of food left. We were confused and said no, we didn't need any boxes. He left, then we checked with our actual server. She looked confused at first when we told her this, but after she went to talk to him, she came back and basically said the same thing: "Yeah so we do have a reservation coming soon, so any boxes?" It really killed the mood and instead of asking more questions, we just decided to pay and leave. We double checked their website to see if there was a time limit on reservations, but it said 2 hours, though we only had 30 minutes. Not sure why this happened? It wasn't packed in there, and there were people who were there before us that were still there when we left. There were also other tables not being used. Needless to say, we probably won't go back. read more

Come here if you're looking for great cocktails and great food. Good variety in their cocktail menu. Bartenders are great at mixing up a drink to your liking as well. Enjoyed their Christmas menu - plenty of fun drinks to choose from. Love visiting during Christmas. Beautifully decorated with a fun cocktail menu. Delicious wings. Highly recommend (but make a reservation!). read more

Rocks & Drams - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Ventura, California

Cool vibes and busted in a Saturday night. Menu was large and able to find a a good drink here. They brought my meal out a little later than others in our large group, but made it for it as they gave me a piece of Ahi the size of my plate. This a nice hipster restaurant and great to relax with family or friends, good music piped in and plenty of TV to catch the latest scores. I would highly recommend. Prices reasonable for that seaside restaurant.. read more

It is not good if you shouldn't eat the food. Yes, my calamari was overcooked. But the issue that caused me to never want to eat here again is that the cook, easily seen in the kitchen from the the bar area, was not wearing a hat or hairnet. Sorry, that to me is disgusting and is against food safety guidelines. They said the chef had left and the son of the owner was cooking. read more

I am new to the area and had been following them on IG for a little while. I was super excited to try this restaurant/sports bar. We made reservations, no one was there to great us or sit us down. Finally the bartender got someone to seat us. As we were seated the waiter threw the menus on the table. It took over 20 min for him to come back and take our order. He was extremely rude. As we were telling another server about our interaction, she advised it was manager who was serving us. Needless to say we will never go back. read more

When I think of an excellent restaurant with yummy food and amazing hand-crafted cocktail drinks, Rocks & Drams comes to mind at the top of my list. We were visiting Ventura for a week-long trip and this spot was my favorite food spot we ate out at all week. I would highly recommend this restaurant to those looking for good food and drinks. I can tell they've put a lot of thought and work into the atmosphere here, the food, and also how the drinks are made and presented. We ordered a pineapple daiquiri and old fashioned, and for food we got the ahi poke nachos, noodles, and chicken hibachi plate. The drinks were so good and the food was phenomenal. Our waiter who was also the bartender was very attentive and checked up on us often. This place earns a gold star in my eyes and I would absolutely come again when in the area! read more

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Josh was a very friendly and attentive server. He explained all the specials for example if the Dodgers won we got have price donuts and $3 shots! The happy hour menu is a deal! $5 beers $6 well drinks. The food was fantastic and also on the happy hour menu. Loved my fish tacos and my friend loved her meatballs and mash! It was a chef's original! The donuts had an amazing caramel sauce! Great place to watch any game with comfy chairs and women friendly decor. The only downside was that the music was playing and it was a little hard to hear the game. read more

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Delish! Great service and surroundings. We've been a couple of times and they are consistent. Thank you!

This is my new favorite bar and bartender! From the second we walked in, we were greeted by our bartender Axel. He was a wealth of knowledge on drinks, food, and suggestions for other local food and drinks. Axel makes a wide variety of custom cocktails that are delicious. As he's making the drinks he's telling you all about the different ingredients he uses and why. As well as gets to know you. The vibe is really relaxed and I truly cannot say enough great things about the location, drinks, and service. We can't wait to go back and I highly recommend you check them out. read more

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I was walking in the area and stumbled upon this. Super cute, small and cozy vibe with live music. There's bar seating, tables or casual chairs to lounge in which is nice. I ordered the Ahi Tuna Nachos which is highly recommended! The Spicy cucumbers were different than what I was expecting but had good flavor. The Happy Hour menu had some great offerings to check out! read more

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This was my 3rd time here but my first during the holiday pop up and I am so glad i tried to attend i loved it! Once again the staff were awesome. They did have reservations that had priority so we explored other spots while we waited. The decor was just beautiful lovely holiday vibes. The drinks were cute and tasted great. THE food wow. Lemon pepper wings and the butter cake were just AMAZING read more

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The drinks are always good here they never disappoint and I like how they've been able to really adjust their business to trends. They're very good at identifying where they may be losing revenue and where they could potentially be gaining so I like that they shift their perspective in order to stay afloat that's honestly a good sign of a company that knows how to do business I really wish them luck and I hope that they stay around cheers! read more

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Sad I forgot to take photos this time but always a winner at Rocks & Drams! They updated their vibe so it's more of a sports bar with big TVs which is great. Only complaint was the music was too loud but the staff is awesome and the garlic noodles are incredible. Not many places do happy hour on Sunday's, but R&D does. read more

We went again at the end of the year and the food wasn't salty this time. Everything was cooked to perfection so I'm sure that day was just a one off. I love their garlic noodles and their skewers so much! We also tried a blended White Russian and I feel like this is my go to drink now! Dre and Marcus were personable and overall we had a great time. Will be back soon. read more

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Amazing service! There was one server the whole night 2/1 and he carried the restraunt! The bartender was very kind and was amazing as well! Food was so good and ambiance was so cute w the v day decorations read more

At least there was a response to the last review. Just further justifies where I stand. Service needs improvement. And not from for family and friends. read more

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The food was delicious and affordable. For that reason alone I would go back and recommend it. However I think they are super popular and trendy right now but their size doesn't accommodate their growth pace. Reservations are pretty much required if you want a good seat. Depending on the night they do accept walk ins if they are available. It's been pretty cold and the walk in seating is outside and for some reason they weren't using the heaters when we were there. They weren't even an option, they were tied up to the side. Our server was nice but seemed to be having an off night. He wasn't very engaging or talkative with us but he seemed to be friends with the table next to us so he kept going over there. He didn't check on us at all and we had to look for him multiple times for refills or to order. Totally not anyone's fault but there was a large party that was having a holiday party and playing games and drinking a ton and were super loud so we couldn't even hear each other talk and they were like ten inches away from us so that put a damper on our hanging out and catching up over dinner. The drinks we ordered were okay. They came in cute cups but seemed that made the drink smaller. The flavor of them was interesting. I think we ordered a Rudolph's Replacements and a Marshmallows and Unicorns. Probably wouldn't get those next time. The food was delicious! We ordered the garlic noodles and chicken and shrimp skewers. We also sprung for the Hit Me Cake and it was pretty epic. Not sure it was worth the price but it was yummy and it was my friends birthday. My friend really wanted to go inside for the ambiance and for pictures but they said it was too packed which was a bummer because it was her birthday and we had tried to do reservations. I would go back but definitely try for a not busy time as the owner said lines can get down the street. read more

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Walked in here this afternoon, did not expect such a festive atmosphere! It was so much fun to be here. Drinks were great and just a fun place to be. read more

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If you're looking for a great time to get drinks, eat tasty salmon and sliders, and catch up with friends.. this is the place!

The Place- Like going to old school Hollywood without having to go to Hollywood. Drinks- 1) Watermelon Margarita- Very good and recommended 2) Guava Margarita- Very good and recommended. Food- 1) Lobster Mac & Cheese- Delicious! 2) Loaded Fries- Very good and recommended Service- Very friendly and the owner was there and he was very gracious, came over and introduced himself and took the time to explain the very detailed drink menu. I always like to support bars/restaurants like this one that show they want to earn your business. Parking- There is both street parking and a parking lot nearby. This business is located in a blocked off area that contains many businesses. read more

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We used to love this place. The drinks are still craft cocktails and some are hit and some are miss. That's all personal preference though. And overall, GREAT quality. I stand by that, but I dropped the rating down to a 3 because of the service. The service is really hit or miss and it's a total bummer. When it's a miss - it's a pretty substantial miss. One of our servers was attentive. The other was not... at all. We waited with empty glasses. And then waited longer for our check with empty glasses. There were only two of us and it seemed like we were overlooked constantly. Bummed out by this. Don't know if we will be back. read more

Rocks & Drams - On the Rocks Margarita - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Ventura, California

Why did management kill the vibe? This place used to be so cool - an elevated experience in Ventura with beautiful fun artwork, comfy velvet lounge couches, artistic and creative cocktail menus and good food. Now? It's apparently trying to be a basic sports bar. Removed artwork in favor of a ton of TVs so now the vibe is MMA fighting instead of plush. Removed nice lounge spaces with couches for more basic tabletops. Disappointed and hoping they don't try to blame Main Street when the business inevitably tapers off due to these terrible changes. read more

The ambiance got us in there, the music selection was varied and rich, the delicious whiskey made us stay, and the freshly fried donuts were a dream. This was a perfect place to meet with friends and we ended up canceling other plans to stay there longer. Exquisite vibes. read more

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If you are looking for the Christmas experience they are promoting I wouldn't buy into it. We ended up sitting outside because the music inside was so loud and had nothing to do with Christmas. We got there before two other couples and were only offered a couch at first. They got seated at tables right away. We had reservations as well. I informed the hostess that I wanted to talk to my husband about the couch option. We stepped out for two minutes and I got a notification on my phone that my reservation was cancelled...wow. The only good part was our waiter. He is the only reason we stayed after finding out they no longer serve hibachi meals. We ordered three tapas. Ahi wontons were good but wings were sweet. Don't even bother with the garlic noodles... about a cup of noodles with super sweet sauce for $16. read more