The Pump House

The Pump House is full of history! If you visit, take time to read signs, view old pictures and see some items from the original pump house around the restaurant/outside. The place is great for any occasion. They had two private events on the day I visited, so the 4th floor and rooftop bar were unfortunately closed. Inside is nice, but I enjoy the outside for views of the river. Food was great as was the service. For Sunday brunch, we had bottomless mimosas. The waiter took our order and timed our courses to ensure we had the next one but weren't rushed. Our drinks were never empty either. The quality of the food was a match for the price. Great and would love to return!

We went for Valentine's Day, and it was one of the worst food experiences I have had in a very long time. Service was great. The managers were nice. We were seated quickly and it was a nice atmosphere. But the food was absolutely embarrassing.For the first course my wife had the "wedge" which came out with about four bites of salad. I had the French onion soup. It was so basic that it tasted like nothing more than a can of Campbell's soup with a 1" x 2" piece of toasted bread with a sprinkle of cheese on it in the middle. It was absolutely a joke. Even the waitress knew it was a shame to serve.For the second course my wife and I both got the scallop risotto. I have never seen grease in a risotto in my life, but the bowl was filled with it. The risotto itself wasn't cooked enough and I had to chew it. It was so bad that for the first time in memory I told the waitress, and then a manager, it was not edible. I also showed them both the grease at the bottom and they too confirmed that was not supposed to be like that. They brought me out the evenings steak. It also was terrible. It was clearly pre-cooked, had no char or crust, and had a distasteful demi on top - it tasted like it was boiled. It too was inedible and wasted away on my plate. The mashed potatoes were good, though.The third course of deserts were a chocolate tort and a piece of red velvet cake. The tort was absolutely terrible. It was extremely dark chocolate, or just burned, and was extremely bitter. The red velvet cake was clearly made days before and was extremely dry. We didn't even eat 10% of either plate.What a total waste. To be charged $70 a person for this was extremely disappointing.Our waitress was wonderful. She tried to do what she could but the food was all clearly premade and there were no real options to fix it. What a massive disservice to all those that came to eat there that night. It is my first and will be my last time at the restaurant.

We have wanted to go to the Pump House for years so, we decided to splurge for our 46th wedding anniversary! We had a very attentive waitress that offered food recommendations for things she loved. The cornbread they started us off with was delicious so, we anticipated a delicious meal to follow! We tried the fried okra appetizer and it was huge. The okra batter however , was a disappointment because it was not that flavorful and the batter fell off the okra as soon as it was touched! I love to try shrimp and grits no matter where we eat. My shrimp and grits was quite flavorful but there was hardly any grits on the dish and it comes with only 6 shrimp unless you pay an up charge. I was disappointed because I think we have had far better shrimp and grits at many restaurants across the state. We got the sweet potatoes recommended by our waitress as a side dish and they were delicious ! My husband got the salmon entree and he said it was good but not one that was note worthy. We had peach flavored cheesecake for dessert and my husband enjoyed it. We can now say that we have been to the Pump House but, if we ever go again it will have to be at lunch when the prices are far more reasonable. We have in the past gone to restaurants that offered us a free small glass of wine or champagne for our anniversary. Tonight we got a hand written thoughtful anniversary card and I know that should be enough! I guess being a first time guest there we were expecting more of a treat for our 46th wedding anniversary. My husband had given that information when he made the reservation. I think if we go back we will ask to sit in the main dining room instead of the bar area of the 5th floor. The Pump House is probably a better place to visit when you can see the surrounding area of the river. It is neat just knowing the history of the Pump House since we have been lifelong residents of Rock Hill. We always like to go to restaurants that were made in old historic buildings.

Very delicious and great service! Beautiful views of the river. The price is a bit high for what they offer but definitely a great option for special occasions!

The Pump House has reopened after the area was flooded by the Catawba River overflowing from Hurricane Helene! We were here for a late Sunday lunch and got their brunch menu.Warmly greeted by the host after the elevator ride, we were seated on the patio overlooking the river. Great view on a warm sunny day even if the river is still a little brown from mudslides upriver. The blueberry muffins with soft butter was nice to nibble while we looked over the menu.Drinks and mains were ordered and the drinks arrived quickly. The lavender lemonade for my wife, which she enjoyed. A local pilsner for me.Our meals took 20 minutes. Freshly cooked I understand but this was 20 minutes. When it arrived, it was warm not hot. Burger and fries were tasty and prepared medium rare as ordered but the burger, the fries, the French toast was not at all hot throughout. I'm going to guess it sat under the warmer too long?The bigger letdown was the French toast. Good flavor but it was more like cake than brioche. French... cake? Sweet with maple syrup and preserved strawberries. Cake. My wife ate half of one "slice" and left the rest. And no, it didn't come home with us.Good service from the staff and no, I didn't say anything at the time. Who wants that conflict? We'll return to perhaps try the fifth floor "rooftop bar" for drinks and the view but skip the restaurant.[Review 1995 of 2024 - 1143 in South Carolina - 23017 overall]

This is my 3rd time going and I've gotta say it was the best! The ambience Will always be an attraction but the quality of the food was very impressive. Starting with the fried okra and calamari! Both were delicious but the Okra was the star, we also ordered the meatloaf with Cajun grits which were excellent. The salmon over cauliflower rice was very good as well! Our server from Georgetown SC made everything simple and she was very engaging! (Sorry for forgetting her name)!

Always consistent food and service! We were a large group dining at pumphouse. Their menu always has something for everyone. Everyone enjoyed their meal. Portions are always good here. The apps were superb - could make a whole meal out of them! Views are nice during the day but super dark at night. Will always be back.

My visit was from several weeks back but no matter, my experience this second time around was just as stellar as the first. The service here is above par: several people helped us and brought us food, each and everyone equally friendly and polite and personable. I went for happy hour both times but tried something from main menu this last time. The frittes were fantastic, and so were the mac and cheese balls. I had wings the first visit but I don't remember them being too memorable. The pear cosmo is a favorite! The meatloaf was good especially the pimento cheese grits but--and I can't believe I'm even saying this--the entire dish felt almost too rich. It probably needed a little something to cut the richness of the loaf and the gravy and the grits.The setting was also beautiful, especially with views of the river and sunset. Dress code seems pretty casual but you can certainly come here for a special occasion. I travel to Charlotte for work regularly, and I don't mind driving to Rock Hall every time for this experience!

Great place to eat at even in the cold. The patio balcony had heaters so it felt great! We brought a baby with and they were very accommodating even giving us hot water to warm up baby's bottle. The food was great!

The Pump House has stellar views and solid food! I loved seeing the old machinery as you walk in and learning the history of this pump house that was built in the 1940s to pump water out of the Catawba River for the factories. We walked in around 4:30pm on a Friday without a reservation and were able to get seated at a great table on the 3rd floor patio overlooking the water. Service was very friendly and attentive, and the menu consists of fare with a Southern flair. To drink, I ordered the lavender lemonade, which was flavorful and refreshing. Our server brought us warm corn bread muffins with butter, a pretty standard corn bread and a nice way to start the meal. We got the fried green tomatoes as an appetizer, which were said to have pimento cheese, but the melted cheese on top just looked like cheddar/Mexican blend to me. The sauce on the plate was nice though and balanced the fried tomatoes well. For our entrée, we ordered the crab cake-stuffed NC mountain trout to share, which the kitchen kindly split for us on two plates. The trout was prepared well, and I liked that the crab inside was mostly meat and not too much filling. The main con of our time at Pump House was the cleanliness of the space - there was trash under our table (straw wrappers, toothpicks), and the glass overlooking the river could use a wash because it had lots of cobwebs and bugs. There was a spider dangling on the inside part of the glass over our table that my husband got rid of for us. Regularly wiping away the cobwebs and cleaning the patio area would lead to a much more enjoyable experience, especially since the views out there are the big draw.