West Coast Rock Cafe - Blackpool

A fortnight ago, my family and I went on holiday to Blackpool to celebrate mine and my husband's 24th wedding anniversary. We have previously had pleasant and joyful experiences at this restaurant and did on our last visit in June 2023. However, this visit was deeply disappointing. We visited on a Tuesday with the hopes of purchasing the half price steaks for our anniversary dinner with our two daughters. My daughter and I went up to order and asked for the steaks as they were on a deal that day. We were informed by the man who was working the bar at the time (he himself was completely lovely and is not at fault in this situation) that this deal was available in the upstairs area only. We explained that I am disabled (I have severe mobility issues including spina bifida and others too long to list here, as well as using a mobility aid) and would be unable to use the stairs to get to the other part of the restaurant as there is no lift. We asked if it would be possible to have the food downstairs as it would otherwise be impossible and the man at the bar went to check with the chef. Once he returned, he said that we would have to go upstairs as the chef refused to allow us to eat this downstairs and it was not an option to put through on the till downstairs. My daughter offered to go upstairs to pay and collect the food but the chef also refused this as people downstairs may also want this offer downstairs if they see our food. This was confusing, as not only could they be informed that an exception was made because of accessibility but everyone in the downstairs restaurant (apart from us) had already ordered or been served their food. This experience was disappointing and exclusionary. What we hoped would be a fun family dinner became an embarrassing and distressing experiences as I was refused service because of my disability. Not only this, but it is important to note that a platform has been installed on the ground floor with a high step, meaning this area is no longer accessible to me and there is no longer a disabled toilet. I waited a fortnight to post this as I contacted the restaurant directly in the hopes of them rectifying the issue or acknowledging and making improvements based on this feedback. However, I am yet to receive a response and therefore felt it important to share this and save other disabled people the experience of not feeling welcome here. It is shameful for a business to act in such a discriminatory manor as this once beloved restaurant becomes a place to avoid now my family and I no longer feel welcome.

Great restaurant. All the food options were excellent and I certainly enjoyed every meal I had here during this week.

I 've been occasionally popping into the West Coast Rock Café on trips to Blackpool for years, to the degree that I could 've sworn I 'd already reviewed it, but on checking my previous reviews, I apparently haven 't, which is something I will remedy right now! Everybody who knows Blackpool knows of West Coast Rock, and anyone who is a visitor and who doesn 't, should make the effort to find out, because it 's well worth hunting out its blink-and-you 'll-miss-it tiny front entrance, which comprises of nothing but a door with a staircase leading upwards, and some bright yellow signage. It 's near the tower. It bills itself as a family restaurant and music venue, but it is what in the USA would be known as a Dive Bar. That 's not an insult in any way, it 's their term for a place that is rough around the edges, casual, with a focus on good casual food and drinks, and usually live music. West Coast Rock Cafe is big on all of these, and their style inside is dark red walls and ceilings, painted wall art and illustrations, even illustrations on the tables, and old furniture. It works. It works really well for what they 're doing. The service is casual and friendly, staff treat everyone like regulars and smiles are always in view. The menu is burgers, steaks, sandwiches, classic American favourites, and some Mexican options. All the burgers are named with tongue in cheek and a sense of humour, ie a plain hamburger is called The Boring Burger , and the rest of the menu shares the same fun and casual style, as well as the same style illustrations from around the restaurant too. This time round we ordered a Double Decker Club Sandwich from the West Coast Favourites section, and a Hill Street Blues Burger. Waiting for your food here is perfectly pleasant too, because as well as the excellent music videos playing and music generally, the restaurant is on the first floor with wrap-around windows, making it great for people-watching over the pedestrianised streets. The food arrived pleasantly presented. The burger was juicy, with oozy blue cheese topping caramelised onions and mushrooms, which really kicked the flavour up a few notches. The club sandwich was surprisingly filling, and with the addition of cucumber in the mix, it really gave the sandwich a bit of bite and pop. The fries on both meals were lovely and crisp and hot. One thing we noticed was that the burger came with a sauce, and we couldn 't quite place what it was, was it a chilli mayo or a paprika mayo? We asked the server who told us that it was the chef 's so-called 'dirty sauce ', made with ingredients such as mayo, Cajun spices, and lime juice. Thing is, it 's a really nice sauce, and not even mentioned on the menu, when it deserves to be, because it was something created not bought. The food was excellent as always, and once again even though we didn 't get a starter, we had no room for dessert. I swear one day I 'll be able to manage a dessert at West Coast Rock Cafe... in fact some day I might go JUST for dessert... maybe to try The Fudgezilla, but I don 't know if I could bring myself to go to Blackpool and to West Coast, and NOT have their delicious food! Give it a try, it 's fun, it 's casual, and it 's good quality. It won 't break the bank either.

Have to agree with the previous review that says nobody who isn't local would go. The entrance IS a bit dodgy looking, a narrow doorway, and stairs straight up, BUT give it a go, once you get up the stairs it opens up into a funky looking bar/restaurant that had a stream of folk the entire time I was there, obviously regulars, as a few were greeted like old friends. The dodgy doorway made me double check the menu before I went in, and the chalk board outside advertising half price burgers (a regular Monday night deal was what caught my eye initially! The tall guy behind the bar was really friendly and took me to my table, they then had a rush of customers, so I was left to my own devices for a little while, but that was cool, as I could check in to their free WiFi and catch up on my social media. The waitress did apologise for my wait too so they realised I'd been left sitting. I had also arrived just in time for the 241 cocktails (4 6pm I think? so that was a bonus. Slight niggle, it's two of the same drink, not mix/match, but a free drink is still a free drink. As a veggy, I ordered the Greenpeace Burger good name BTW the burger itself was fairly bog standard breaded veggy burger, but the fries were delicious, and the side salad was perfect to stick on the perfect floury bap, with the table relish and little pot of mystery sauce that came with the burger it filled a hole! The coleslaw let them down, not homemade, pretty certain it was value range but with half price burgers I suppose economies have to be made somewhere. Even though it was early it was fairly busy, and with the tvs playing a stream of classic rock videos the atmosphere was great (not too loud! . If I was a local I'd be back often, but I'm just a lowly tourist so probably just a one off for me!

A very good attempt at American Diner fare. Huge portions (so much so that always forego the incredibly appetising dessert always too full ! , excellent food (freshly cooked Especially good Mexican dishes. Am sure will return over and over again. Much better than you would expect looking at the exterior of the place (sorry west coast