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Gaston Garcia, Founder, and CEO of ROC Resto Lounge – Photos by Adam Baron

By: Sharon Aron Baron

Looking for a fine dining experience? How about knocking back a few drinks at a hip fashionable club while a DJ spins some dance music? You no longer have to drive to South Beach to find it. Gaston Garcia, Founder, and CEO of ROC Resto Lounge has the solution. You only need to drive as far as the Coral Square Mall to get the whole South Beach experience.

Garcia explains that because there are primarily chain restaurants in Coral Springs, there isn’t much to do after dinner. “This is more affordable, offering more diversity and more entertainment.”

Diners enjoying a meal on a Saturday night.

“We wanted to fill the void. If you see the reviews on Yelp, the most common feedback was, ‘We needed this, we really need a thing like this in Coral Springs.’”

ROC Resto Lounge has now taken over a portion of the Coral Square Mall. If you have driven by the southern entrance near Atlantic Boulevard, you can’t miss the colorful display with its vast large screen TVs and large outdoor bar, but make sure you take a peek inside because there’s much more to this place.

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Inside there’s a nightclub, restaurant, fashion boutique, cafe, coffee bar, two indoor and one outdoor bar, and a DJ sitting at the helm playing music that keeps the place feeling like a club.

The restaurant has a full menu, and the prices are reasonable. Our waiter’s name was Billy, and they even had a server’s assistant. After one week since opening day, Billy knew the menu well and made some great recommendations for us.

Dragon Shrimp

Appetizers include Chicken & Waffles, Tostaditas, Chicken Satay, and Dragon Shrimp.

I tried the Dragon Shrimp for $10. These were crispy, spicy baby shrimp with sweet orange and ginger aioli, and they were delicious. We loved how they were served in a Chinese takeout bag with chopsticks.

Next up, I tried the Miso & Ginger Sea Bass at $29, including tempura asparagus and jasmine rice. I didn’t even need a knife to cut the sea bass because it was tender and tasty—great suggestion from Billy. My husband enjoyed his ROC Star Burger at $14, a half-pound Angus beef burger with an over easy egg, aged cheddar, bacon, onion marmalade, brioche bun, and included fries.

We also had a gelato trio for dessert: three small bowls of vanilla, caramel, and banana with a waffle inside each.

One of the bars at ROC Resto Lounge

ROC Resto allows anyone under 21 before 10 p.m, but after that, something interesting happens to the restaurant concept inside. A doorman stands in front, and everyone is carded. Restaurant tables are moved aside, the large round tables in the booths are changed into small cocktail tables, and the place becomes a party. On weekends, there is also an aerial acrobat who performs from the ceiling after 10 p.m and occasionally live bands.

Many people are walking in and discovering ROC Resto, and while many are from Coral Springs, Garcia said that he had met others from Parkland, Coconut Creek, Boca Raton, and Delray Beach.

“Last Wednesday, we had a live band; we have another live band planned for this Saturday around 10:30.”

When we left, the place was getting packed with people much younger than my husband and I., something Coral Springs needs.

“My goal is is for everyone to feel like a VIP without a VIP price,” said Garcia. “Everyone is a VIP here.”

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Sharon Aron Baron

Editor of Talk Media and writer for Coral Springs Talk. CST was created in 2012 to provide News, Views, and Entertainment for the residents of Coral Springs and the rest of South Florida.