On a mobile device? Try our mobile site, optimized for faster browsing.
Mon-Thu. 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 a.m.
Fri-Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 a.m.
Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 a.m.
Loading...
Who hasn't been to Johnny Rockets?
I've had great service at this location. Enough said.
I'm more of a hole in the wall, burger stand type of girl but decided to try this for lunch today since I was in the area. I do give them kudos for free refills on fries and sodas (yeah, cherry coke). The #12 was pretty good but (and this is not their fault), once you have a mom & pop stand burger JR's just doesn't quench that taste the way it use to. I will say service was great.
The food here is good but I think it is a little pricey when you order a few things. My favorites include the original with the tangy red sauce and the chili cheese fries with onions are still the best I have ever had. The atmosphere is fun and energetic. I love how you can choose the music that plays in the restaurant.
GO JOHNNY GO! whenever i come to this place i feel like i'm back in the 50's. The burgers are good, but it's a generic type of burger. So far i haven't had any bad experiences...just fun times with friends and big burgers that are tasty.
that is all.
I love chili. There are few things in this world I love more than a good all-meat chili. This is why I like Johnny Rockets. Sure, there are other places I could go, but I know quality will always be consistent at JR no matter where I am.
This is where the huge BUT comes in.
I came here on a Friday night when it was too cold to sit outside. It became glaringly apparent that this is the first Johnny Rockets location because of how stranger-coughing-on-your-food small it is.
There was only one person behind the counter (perhaps that's as many as they can fit) to take orders and serve the food. I felt incredibly sad for him because he seemed to be struggling to serve the other two couples. He was nice, did the whole happy face with ketchup on a serving dish thing. But he was definitely not prompt because apparently some jerk ordered 100+ dollars worth of food and his credit card got repeatedly declined. While that was interesting dinner entertainment, we had to wait extra long to get our food. I'd like to mention that the entire time, the guy was incredibly patient, courteous, and understanding with the dumb customer who seemed like he was trying to use a stolen credit card. If I were him, I would have called the cops after the first five minutes.
Food was good, hot, consistent. No complaints there. But I figure if they can't handle barely a full room inside, the service must be atrocious during the day when it's busy. Though I'm willing to find out first hand.
In about the summer of 1986, I walked in to the very first Johnny Rockets here on Melrose in Hollywood, and ordered a cheeseburger and fries. I sat next the guy that opened it. I do remember his name was Ron, and asked why he named it Johnny Rockets instead of Ronny Rockets. He said Johnny sounded all American like apple pie. Being the inquisitive person that I am, I asked his background and how he got into it. Funny enough, he wasn't from a food background. From what I remember, he was in either textiles or something to do with either fabrics or fashion which might have explained Melrose as a starting point. I have lived in Hollywood my whole life and he got in during the buildup of Melrose.
I ate my burger as I spoke with him. He proudly told me about grinding the steak in the back fresh answering how the meat tasted so good. Back story aside, I have always loved the place. As the chain grew, I remembered his words about how they used to do it right back in the 40's and 50's and how this type of place was simply needed. Personally, I think he paid a visit to our famous Apple Pan for inspiration.
Great food, great shakes and malts, simple menu. Always five stars from me.
It's wierd how i come to this place every once in a while yet never tried their burgers!
In highschool, i use to come here with my friends after school to eat their chili cheese fries.. onion rings.. and their egg salad sandwich. oh and can't forget those thick milkshakes. its hard to suck it out with a straw!
oh, and the smiley ketchup faces the waiters would draw. and the nickels you put to hear the songs you order from the mini jukebox!! i usually buy like 5 songs! only 25cents!
hehe. i love johnny rockets.
Was shopping around Melrose when my girl and I decided to hit up good 'ol Johnny Rockets. Upon arriving, they give you nickels to put into their little music box that plays all sorts of oldies but goodies music. We sat right at the counter where we were served promptly.
The fact that it was quite busy, I was seriously afraid that my food wouldn't come out as great, but I was proven wrong!!! I've had tuna sandwiches before, but DAMN GINAAAA, never this good before WHAT THE "F"???!!! WOW!!!! Haha seriously though, it was on point yo! My girl even said her burger was the bombdiggity!!!
The guy behind the counter seemed pretty enthusiastic about his job. Kind and respectful, I gave him a good tip for keeping us entertained and satisfied.
I would definitely come here again with my friends.
I will always have a soft spot in my heart for this particular Johnny Rocket's. For those of you who happen to be fellow Hanson fans (I'm sure there are a couple of you out there...don't be shy), you will remember this as the place Cindy Crawford took them when they were on MTV's House of Style.
Now that I've made a complete ass of myself, let me further explain. This is a chain restaurant, and a 1950s-esque replication of a diner no less, but I have never been disappointed. Sure they've raised prices, but it's fun, the food is consistant, and the milkshakes are tasty. Bring some nickels (maybe it's quarters now) for the mini-jukeboxes, and order yourself some tasty treats.
I use to work at a Johnny Rockets. I worked my way up to night manager, so I am a little biased and also critical when it comes to JR's. I know how quickly your supposed to get your fries after you order, I know you're supposed to greet every customer as they walk in the door. Every aspect of JR's philosophy is quick and friendly service. Not to mention a sparkling clean dinning room and fresh, good food.
So when I go to Johnny Rockets I am super critical of those things. It has a lot to do with the owner and how strict they are with the JR's corporate policy. Most of them I think don't really enforce it, or at least management doesn't.
Service at this JR's is particularly lackadaisical. Sort of a hap hazard attitude. A friend of mine worked at this location and I think he quit or was fired at least 5 times.
They do have a great people watching patio for all the Melrose foot traffic. As a matter of fact, I noticed some poor soul trying to wave down a server from his patio seat, as he sat with his menu for at least 5 min or so.
The food remains the same, it's good but not great. Their fries are hot and crispy, their tuna sandwich (or tuna melt) is good. They've created several new variations of their burgers over the years, but I always order an original with cheese.
It's only an option if you are on Melrose and in the mood for a burger. Otherwise, there are better options.
I recommend Route 66 and the patty melt. I usually have to choose between a mocha fudge or strawberry malt. If I wasn't pawing for vintage clothes with high school friends I would have tried the rocket wings. Philly cheesesteak is good. We sat at the counter.
Johnny Rockets getting 4-5 stars on yelp? What is wrong with the world today? Uninspired food. Small selection. No flavor.
This particular location of the chain is very small and awkward.
Everyone seems to love the shit out of this chain but, in my opinion, they are over-priced, over-hyped (they are now on cruise lines) and overly-trendy. I'll take the little corner dive-cum-bar over JRs any day. Or even Houlihans. At least I can get a Black 'n Tan to wash down the burger and fries. Can't get that at JRs.
Very cool spot to hang out and get some great food. Located on the very busy Melrose Avenue, expect quick service and lots of people. Great for people watching, a break while you are shopping on Melrose and on occasions they may be filming there. My faves are the chili fries and their shakes. You can choose to sit inside, but I like the outdoor patio. Parking, like anywhere on Melrose, is limited. If you plan to make a day or afternoon on Melrose, this is a great pit stop. More expensive than other locations but you are getting great ambiance.
The burgers, the chili cheese fries, the ultra-thick chocolate milkshake, and the Melrose vibe were really cool. This JR is the only JR I've eaten at and I was once sitting next to a guy getting mocked at by Jay Leno Tonight Show. The bottom line the food is way better than In And Out Burger and has a nostalgic twist. The Melrose JR is also a great place to spot low key celebs eating at this joint, and it also heavily saturated with biker boy-poseurs with crotch rockets trying to act like Mickey Rourke in front of JR, which annoys me. Other than the annoying poseurs, this specific JR is one of those I recommend for inexpensive fix.
I love eating here in the patio area. This location is especially nice since its off the Melrose strip, where you can people watch. For fairly reasonable $$, you can enjoy urself decent chili cheese fries as I did. But I've had better. Service is alright.
In a word...nasty. It may have been the pigeons hopping around the patio, shitting on the tables, the incomprehensibly incompetent waiter, the consistency of the chili, which was about half squished beans, half nebulous orange grease giving my plate of chili cheese frieds appearance of a bubbling lava lamp. Or maybe it was that one nauseating pigeon who looked like he had been put through the wash, feathers all willy nilly and falling out. Or maybe it was the fact that fries don't even come with the burgers! At any rate the experience was utterly macabre. I had never been to a J. Rock before and I will certainly not be returning.
i like me some johnny rockets! especially down melrose. i know it's over-priced and sometimes the waitstaff forgets that you even made an order...but there's a lil sumthin' that gets me over the little isms. they have thee most delicious veggie burgers and tuna melts i've ever tasted. and you can't tell me a smile doesn't creep to your lips whenever a waiter pours the ketchup into something that resembles a smile...COME ON! i've been to many a rockets and this is by far the funnest. you're in L.A....accept the fact the the locale is going to be a bit uppity...i've accepted it & moved on with my life. stop by this place on your way to poseurs...it's worth it.
~cheers!
In the days before I was vegan, I loved to make a meal out of Johnny Rockets' french fries and one of their unbelievably delicious vanilla milkshakes. The 1950's diner decor is complete with juke boxes and plush booths. It's Melrose, so parking can be a drag.
nostalgic of the good old days when i was a child...when mommy would make grilled cheese sandwiches or egg salad sandwiches... mommy never made a smiley face out of ketchup though, and they do that here :) i also love their chili with cheese and onions, and for dessert, their apple pie a la mode. they have some of the crispiest, flakiest apple pie. mmmmm.
johnny rockets rock my socks! best milkshakes ever..........
Eggnog Shake/ Japanese Ahi…
Neighborhood: Santa Monica
Grumpy Bill's Stimulus Package
Los Angeles, CA
Neighborhood: Hollywood
Category: Burgers
Neighborhood: Mid-City West
Category: Burgers
Neighborhood: Burbank
Category: American (Traditional)
Neighborhood: Mid-City West
Category: Bakeries
Neighborhood: Mid-City West
Category: Bars
My local dry cleaner, watering hole, deli, cafe,…
Some ideas for making a great weekend getaway to…
