Johnny Rockets

Love their burgers swell has milkshakes

Service was terrible. Food was subpar. They added an invisible coke to our check. Never again.

It’s not to say that Johnny Rockets is bad by any means, but there are other places I’d rather go to enjoy a burger and some fries.
I have a friend who has relocated here from Australia and she absolutely loves everything American, and she just HAD to go to Johnny Rockets. So when we stumbled upon one at Old Orchard I knew I had to make her American diner dreams come true.
To top it all off, this friend happens to be a vegetarian. I really didn’t want to sit around and chow down on some fatty burger or something while she sat there and ate some fries — and thankfully I didn’t have to! They had a soy burger! *Extra points for being vegetarian friendly* She actually liked this soy burger better than Cheesecake factory’s veggie burger — which definitely says something.
I actually opted for the BBQ chicken bacon melt… trying to be «healthy». There I go again, totally disillusioned. To me, this was a healthy option by opting for some chicken versus red meat (trying real hard to cut back here!). I must say it was pretty decent and I probably would have enjoyed it more if I actually liked BBQ sauce, but the onion rings on the sandwich are a nice touch!
Service was fairly average, no complaints — but nothing stood out either. We did get our food in a timely manner. It’s nice that they still have the little juke boxes at every table and up along the bar, but it’s a shame that we didn’t hear any of our songs while we were there, my friend was pretty excited about it :(

This is where you come for the experience — which is what tonight was all about. Other than that, it’s just not the right place to bring a family for a bargain meal… even when kids eat free!
On the plus side, coming here reminded me of my days living in the city and the many night stops at Johnny’s near Water Tower. It was fun to give my kiddos a diner experience, especially since we sat at the counter. The quality of the food is consistent, just like I remember the cheeseburgers tasting from the past. I will also say it’s a bit cleaner here (bathrooms too) than in the city.
On the downside, this place is just a rip off when it comes to their prices. A regular hamburger is $ 7.15. If you want cheese, prepare to pay. I also opted to upgrade my fries to the sweet potato kind (nothing special), and that was an extra $ 1.85. My hubby opted not to eat because we have a $ 20 budget when we go out, so we split a Mr. Pibb. Somehow for three of us eating and paying for two meals and a tip (one meal free because kids eat free with one adult meal) we spent $ 24! I feel completely sick about this. But the kids had a great first and last experience.
In this day and age and with so much competition you can find a better deal and a hamburger that’s just as good. Though it might not seem very exciting… my recommendation is to go across the way to Corner Bakery. There might not be counter stools, but at least two adults and two kids can eat for $ 24. We have it down to a science.

Three to four years ago, this place was fantastic. The turkey burgers were decently priced and pretty tasty. And the fries? Don’t even get me started with how delicious they were. They also used to have a nice little promotion wherein you called and answered a few questions and then got a coupon for a free burger.
Now, they’ve changed the formula and the burgers taste like chalk. In addition, if you do their survey coupon thing, you know have to order an additional burger AND fries to get a free burger. Lame.

So when yer walking around Old Orchard and get an appetite from shopping for expensive shoes. You may want to second guess on purchasing a greasy bacon burger. Sure enough its a beautiful idea but this was a very bad idea after the fact.
Service was mediocre. Food was mediocre aswell.
Next time I’ll reconsider acting on impulse for a quick meal.
I liked the 1950’s diner feel. That sold me.

my sisters and i were out shopping at old orchard and got hungry… so the girls suggested panera and i’m like yeah ok lets do that… but while walking there i see johnny rockets and i’ve always wanted to try it but never have so i’m like ‘oh, wait lets try this place it looks cool’ …WRONG! even though we did get seated pretty quickly and the service was fast… suprising for a saturday… the food was just… UGH! i can’t speak for the whole menu but what i ordered was just so gross and greasy… i mean hello! if i had wanted a heart-​attack on a plate i would have gone to mcdonalds! but no… i came here and spent well over 30 bucks for junk that tastes even WORSE than mcds!!! (btw, i ordered their signature hamburger w/​fries and a coke… the coke was actually good and not watered down like most places… but that in no way saves this place! …and my sisters ordered the cheese steak sandwich that was equally gross and greasy… and bread was also greasy and stale… fries tasted like they were deep-​fried in old oil… very soggy and cold.) over-​all SUCKY food!!! do yourself a favor and walk 5 feet down to corner bakery instead… food is cheaper, and tastes a whole lot better!

Went on a Saturday afternoon. They were super busy and the waiter was next to scarce. He kept forgetting refills but he seemed to be one of 2 waiters. Food was pretty yummy. I’m sure I’ll give them another chance if only cuz their milkshakes are yummy!

Went there for the first time today. Liked it a lot food was great, and the staff was nice. The burgers are amazing make sure you get one. I def will be back here in the future.

I’ve taken the pace bus to Old Orchard by myself and have walked over to Johnny Rockets. When I’ve been to Johnny Rockets by myself, it hasn’t been too hard to order my food.
When I walked into Johnny Rockets, there was a sign that said you could seat yourself, so I walked over to a booth that was available. I got a table for one.
When I sat down at my table, the waiter came to my table right away, gave me a menu, and took my order. The waiter was helpful and friendly. He gave me extra time to decide what I want to get.
The waiter started out with the drink order, so I then ordered my drinks. The drink I got was a root beer. My drink was ready in about less than a minute.
After my drink arrived, I was ready to order my food. What I got from Johnny Rockets was a hot dog with french fries. After the waiter took my order and I ordered my food, he took the menu and then I stayed seated and drank some of my root beer while the food was cooking. My food was ready in about 10 to 15 minutes.
When my food arrived, I started eating my food and continued drinking my root beer. I enjoy the food at this Johnny Rockets location. They’ve got good hot dogs and french fries and I enjoy their root beer.
After I finished my food, I was ready to pay the bill. I walked up to the counter and told the waiter I was ready to pay. So then I got a receipt and paid for my food. After I paid for my food, I got my change, then paid the tip.
After I finished paying for my food, I left Johnny Rockets and then took the bus home. This Johnny Rockets at Old Orchard is a fun restaurant to go to.

Shoe shopping was about to go down and I needed energy to fuel the shoe frenzy I anticipated.
I had never been here so laugh if you want but I was excited to check it out. Something about 50’s style places is very interesting to me.
I was even more excited when I found out that they had turkey burgers here!
I dig the oldies playing and how clean and shiny the place looks.
My burger was actually really good, I had the single with a turkey patty complete with special sauce. Fries are just ok and not worth the extra calories. The shakes are also pretty good (chocolate!)
Not gourmet but definitely tastes good.

Eating here was a bad decision, made with little thought on our part. We had to go to the Apple Store at Old Orchard and had some time to kill. Johnny Rockets was the first place we came to, so feeling lazy we decided to eat here. Had we only looked a little further we would have found Frontera Fresco and I would have been much happier.
The acoustics in this place are terrible, so not only do you have to deal with the squealing teenagers and screaming kids, but also the clanking of ever dish in the place. The 5 cent juke box at the table was non operational and the «50’s» atmosphere was lame. (I grew up in the 50’s and there are other places that do it so much better).
The food was really blah. The best thing I tried was the hot wings and they were only fair to middlin’. The slider appetizer was DRY and TASTELESS. The bun seemed stale and the tiny meat patty was like a little hockey puck. The cheese fries were dreadful… the cheese turned to cold orange concrete in a few minutes. Christopher said his strawberry malt was ok, but overall it was an unpleasant experience and we will NEVER try this place again.

Since I’m having sudden success with overcoming my own lethargy on writing negative reviews, here’s another one I should’ve done over a year ago. Plus, it shows that we all need to be ballsier on writing up on our negative experiences here.
I’m not a Johnny Rockets hater by any means (fact, I miss their former Rush/​Walton location, and growing up it was an occasional treat going to that one after church), but the staff here seemed to be unusually not understanding of the food menu, a big no-​no for any restaurant. The waitress I had couldn’t even properly explain what the sauce in one of their burgers was like, so I had no choice but to order a different one! I am also someone who’s very understanding of the fact (coming from once working a service job, and knowing someone that owns a restaurant) that employees at places like this won’t always speak English as their first language, but they didn’t even make an effort to competently respond to my question even in limited/​broken English. Finally (one more detail I initially forgot), I’m not even sure the waitress I had was very versed and understanding of the menu there, which is another no-​no for any restaurant. No clue how any places can tolerate factors like this, and I hate that I’m unfortunately the type where it isn’t easy to speak up for myself. Sure, the staff may’ve improved in the year since my incident happened, but I’m still greatly disinclined from ever wanting to come back to this particular one.
My sincere apologies to all readers here I didn’t write it, back when it occurred. Or to the manager for filling out a comment card long ago, I’ve sadly had too many past experiences of filling cards out and only to not see a business NOT follow up on said suggestions and/​or complaints. Frontera Forno and The Bagel are good alternatives at Old Orchard, and I’ll give their food court a point for having Great Steak and Potato.

Decent food, a little higher price than i thought it should be, but I also had very good service.

OK… but not spectacular. The service was mediocre and so was the food… my fries were almost cold and my shake was watery.
I guess it was just a «hit the spot» moment which it didn’t really do. Maybe next time!

good burgers
good onion rings
good shakes
good people watching
ok prices

Old Orchard has an unimpressive food court. Craving for french fries, I chose to have lunch at Johnny Rockets. I was very, pleasantly surprised to find that vegetarians can substitute any of their burgers for a Boca Burger patty! What can go wrong with a burger from a «classic» greasy spoon restaurant? Watch out, french fries and onion rings can be very scorching hot from the deep fryer.

Good:
Ice cream Shakes, burgers, ice cream shakes, grilled cheese, ice cream shakes, ketchup on a plate drawn in a shape of a smiley face. Nickel jukebox right at every table. The service is quick.
Bad:
Prices. You pay for the 50s atmosphere. Your burgers don’t come with fries. On weekends, in the afternoon, it’s very very busy. Prices.
I know that if I’m eating in a mall, in the North Shore, I should expect to pay such prices… but there’s a food court almost next door w/​burgers half the price. If you’re hungry and want to be served, though, this is a cute place. Kids love it too!

I found the burgers, fries, and shakes pretty tasty, although not worth the price IMO. The 50’s atmosphere was a nice touch. I’d probaly buy another meal from them again some time, but it’s nothing that makes me rush back.

Cute 50s diner atmosphere and the burgers are good (a bit small for the price that you pay though); the lemon flavored cokes are good (try some of their other drinks) and the shakes are yummy. Service is decent — if you’re looking for a quick bite to eat, come here — if you’re looking for good service and a good meal to chat throughout — skip here and go to Cheesecake Factory.