Summer House Santa Monica - Rockville

TLDR- will work in a pinch, but not worth making a point to go there. Went here for a date night yesterday evening. My husband and I had been here in the past, but that was quite some time ago. The overall experience was meh. We ordered the calamari app which was good, but the serving size was very small, more like an individual sized appetizer than one to share, and for $20, I considered it overpriced. Drinks were okay, not great. We ordered a vodka martini and draft beer. Not only did it take longer than our appetizer to get to us, but the martini wasn 't very cold, and it tasted more of vermouth than vodka. I ordered rigatoni vodka which wasn 't bad, but certainly wasn 't vodka sauce. A more accurate description would be a creamy tomato sauce. We ended up leaving to go somewhere else for dessert and drinks. It wasn 't 'bad ' per se, but we wouldn 't choose this place again for a date night.

Ive always wanted to try this place. On a whim with my husband and son we went to try their happy hour. The chicken tenders were my favorite thing so crunchy and flavorful with the homemade blue cheese . We got old bay but it was more of a wet sauce like buffalo? After eating we went to take a look at the bakery in front, I ended up getting a oatmeal butterscotch cookie which was soooo delicious and chewy in the middle. I wanted to hug the person who made them lol. Would definitely want to come back to try other items on the menu.

We were overlooked multiple times from our waitress and waited so long for anything to come out. The food is embarrassingly mediocre.

I had a great time at Summer House Santa Monica during happy hour! The Old Bay chicken tenders stole the spotlight not your average size, they were bathed in a Buffalo style sauce with a subtle old bay kick. Perfectly fried, and bonus points for not succumbing to the dreaded soggy texture. The truffle fries were a flavor explosion, and though the nachos played it cool, the stellar customer service more than made up for it. What I loved most was the open style concept being able to witness the culinary magic as they prepared the food added an extra layer of enjoyment. And those bakery treats! My wife's oatmeal butterscotch cookie was nothing short of amazing. My M&M cookie was great as well. Will definitely be returning here.

Overall, it was just okay. I had a great time with friends. As for the food, I would rate it a 3, the service was excellent, earning a 5, and the atmosphere was quite nice, so I would give it a 4.