Hot Rocks Creative Diner

Evening was great however the “large plates” are not so large in food quantity. You see a large plate but the food is tiny. You cannot share these plates. We went for lunch once and their food plates had more food.

Excellent experience

We ordered the Russwich with fries and the thai vegetable spring rolls. The Russwhich reduction was incredible, so tasty and rich. The fries were homemade and soft (which i prefer over crunchy fries). The vegetable spring rolls were nothing out of the odrinary, Ive tasted better. I would go there again and try the duck confit. Overall the food was great.

I don't even know how many times we have been to hotrocks, but each time the food is always great. The service is good, and the atmosphere is nice. The menu selection is wonderful and has something for everyone.

My husband and I dined at Hot Rocks this past Saturday. My husband had never been before where as I have been numerous times. To be honest it was one of the best meals i have had in a long time. I had the 10oz striploin, which was cooked to perfection and my husband had the dinner special. Which just happened to be lobster. The service was fair. Our server was attentive and polite. It was a wonderful experiance. The cost was extremely reasonable as well. We will definately return and tell our friends

Yeah...I had to laugh at the review from the guy with "international" experience. Hot Rocks is not a contender when it comes to high end restaurants. I have eaten there 1/2 a dozen times. The food is tasty thoughtfully prepared and presented. The menu is diverse enough and seems pretty healthy. Never had a poorly prepared meal there. As with most Whitby restaurants the atmosphere lacks coziness. Sound bounces off of the hard surfaces. So if you want intimacy or privacy it is not here. The staff is friendly enough and the pricing is OK

I have to agree with Teapots LOL Hot rocks is nothing special, pretending to be special Same old crusty crew serving overpriced food and wine. That guy who wrote that rave review had to be the owner.

Having the privilege of traveling internationally and dining in some of the best restaurants in the world, it was a pleasant surprise to find such a high caliber restaurant in Whitby Ontario. The service in this establishment is world class and each and everyone on the serving staff should be commended for the overly pleasant and professional approach that I would compare with any staff anywhere in the world. Each one of the team treat you as if they personally owned the place and you were their number one customer. Having experienced many different dishes at Hot Rocks over the passed year or so, it would be hard to define which we loved more. The California cut beef tenderloin is superb, and definitely well worth the price of under $30. The pizza is absolutely outstanding as is everything we have ordered to date. Great selection of wine, beer, and beverages of all kinds. Hot Rocks is by far the best eating establishment in the Durham region of Ontario, and far beyond. This is one restaurant that should not change a thing... just keep up the great work

Great food, really friendly servers, and nice...

Great food, really friendly servers, and nice atmosphere. My husband and I have been to Hot Rocks probably 5 times in the past year, and have never had a bad experience! Very consistent food, and VERY good! Their salads are AMAZING. And the spicy Hawaiian pizza (we get it without the meat)... yum! Definitely one of my favourite spots to eat in Whitby.

I have driven by Hot Rocks many times, and always...

I have driven by Hot Rocks many times, and always wanted to go there to try their food. After reading some great reviews about it, I decided to check it out with a friend. The atmosphere is great, and the place is very nice inside. My friend and I both ordered the Make Your Own Pizza. It was definitely the best pizza I have ever had. I love that they use a wood burning oven to make the pizza, it had such amazing flavour. The prices were a little over the top. I didn't realize they don't have free refills like most other places and the waitress failed to mention this as well, so two glasses of iced teas cost about $6. They also don't specify on their menu that the Make Your Own Pizza starts at a base of only $2.99 but it is ONLY the crust, you have to pay $1.99 for sauce, $2.99 for cheese, and then anywhere between $1.99- $2.99 for each topping. So if you have several toppings on your pizza, it gets to be fairly expensive pretty quickly. The portion sizes were quite large, the pizza had 6 slices. The waitress was ok, she was not very personable, and she didn't come back to ask if everything was ok with our meal. I also had the rocky road cheesecake for dessert, and it was soo good, I highly recommend trying it! I would recommend this restaurant.

I've been bringing friends here for years. Chef's...

I've been bringing friends here for years. Chef's may come and go, but the core values of this restaurant don't change. This is an upscale neighborhhod eatery. A good selection of foods designed for a sophisticated palate. The pulled pork at lunch is excellent as is the Russwich. The pizza's are great but don't try a pepperoni pizza here, go for something a bit out of the ordinary. The service is usually attentive and non intrusive, but sometimes they can be swamped on weekends.

First time visit. If I were to sum it up in one...

First time visit. If I were to sum it up in one word, it would be "pretentious," so I wasn't surprised to see others here describe it the same way. Crab cakes were cold, pizza was ordinary, rainbow trout had nice flavour, but at about $29, it was over-priced. I don't have a problem paying the restaurant's prices, but I expect some interesting flavours and the food to still be hot when it arrives at the table when paying $100-120 for a meal.

I read some of the mediocre reviews in this...

I read some of the mediocre reviews in this space, but since my family and I had visited once before, we decided to bypass those reviews and make our own decision. Boy were we glad we did. The food was excellent for Manhattan standards, which makes it out of this world for Whitby! The service, so severely criticized in other reviews, was instead friendly, attentive, prompt and non-intrusive. Our waitress specifically mentioned the dessert, the key lime cheesecake, and she was right on the money. The restaurant decor was tasteful (the rear section seems more elegant and formal than the front, but both were enjoyable). My only caution was that the menu will dent the credit card in a way one might not expect in Whitby, so only budget reasons will keep us from being regulars. But every other aspect of the experience will ensure we save our money for future visits.

Over priced! Lacks atmosphere, service does the...

Over priced! Lacks atmosphere, service does the basic of the job but makes no effort beyond that. Time for a career change I think. For those dollars I expect to at least be humoured once in a while. Won't see my hard earned dollars.

Atmosphere is poor and the wait staff is...

Atmosphere is poor and the wait staff is unfriendly. Not rude, but they do not help at all. Laughed at the utter pretentiousness of the place. They were bragging about carrying Lindeman's Bin 65 Chardonnay ($10 at the LCBO) like it was the best thing in the world. Must be because they were charging $45 a bottle. Food was good I will admit but the portions were miniscule. Prices were outrageous. Beer on tap is badly handled. I used to do work with beer taps and distribution and they do not handle the product properly. Many in our party complained that the beer was flat and/or sour. Kinda like the place in general . . .

Wow. Had an awesome meal here tonight. Great...

Wow. Had an awesome meal here tonight. Great appetizer great main dish and an even better dessert. Quick service. Will most definately be back.

As always this resturant is exceptional. The...

As always this resturant is exceptional. The wait staff are always friendly and prompt. The food seems to get better and better with every visit. I'm looking forward to my next meal!

Yet again another spectacular meal. It is all so...

Yet again another spectacular meal. It is all so original. It is nice to go to a restaurant and see a menu that isn't the same as the guy next door. Awesome service. Awesome food. Will most definately be back.

We can't say enough about this place. The food is...

We can't say enough about this place. The food is very worth the price you pay. Portions sizes are the right size. Food is fresh and delicious. The creme brulee was to die for. Tasted like a candy apple. Waitress as always was spectaular.

The food was amazing, the best you could ask for...

The food was amazing, the best you could ask for. I could tell the chef knew what he was doing. A definite step up since the last visit. Service was friendly and fun, but not overly professional.

I Love this restaurant. The food is excellent...

I Love this restaurant. The food is excellent, the restaurant is clean and the staff is efficient which is difficult to find at other restaurants. One of my favorite places to go.