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Food & Drink

286 locations in Rochester, NY

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Inn On Broadway

The ballroom, set up for a wedding, May 2009 The Inn On Broadway is a historic inn located in the East End of the city, near the Sagamore on East. The Inn was built in 1929 as the University Club. Rooms range from traditional hotel rooms for the business traveler, to Deluxe rooms with fireplaces and/or jacuzzi tubs, to Suites. The Inn also houses Gio's Prime 26 which is a rebranding and remodeling of the former Tournedo's Restaurant. In 2022, new owners (Giovanni LiDestri of Lidestri Foods bought the inn and started a remodel. A Jazz lounge called Vanni's Jazz Lounge opened on July 17, 2025. The steakhouse Gio's Prime 26 and the jazz lounge Vanni's Jazz Lounge are named after the owner of the Inn. The inn used to host an adjacent outdoor stage as part of the Rochester International Jazz Festival but in 2025 moved the stage indoors to the second floor.

Food & Drink

Itacate

Grilled Pollo in Axiote at Itacate-Penfield Itacate, also known as El Itacate, is a Mexican restaurant with multiple locations. Locations consists of different level of service. There was a full service restaurant in Penfield. Itacate Express is a fast-food Mexican restaurant under the same ownership and is located in a gas station in Gates. The one on Jefferson Road closed in the fall of 2019. A Fast Casual version of "Itacate" is scheduled to open in Chili in Towne Plaza Itacate originally opened in 2011 as a fast-food establishment within a gas station on Buffalo Road in Chili. This closed in December 2015 but reopened in October 2016 (as "Itacate Express") within another gas station in Gates. A second Express location opened in Henrietta on June 30, 2018. The full-service Penfield restaurant opened on September 6, 2012 and closed October 9 2018. Old Photos - Chili

Food & Drink

Dinosaur Bar-B-Que

Dinosaur Bar-B-Que (aka Dinosaur BBQ and just Dinosaur) is a barbeque restaurant located in the 1905 Lehigh Valley Train Station on Court Street in downtown Rochester. In 1983 three bikers, including John Stage, set off on the road to cater festivals, fairs, and motorcycle shows. By 1988 they had traveled and seen lots, and decided to settle down in Syracuse to open a barbecue joint. Dinosaur Bar-B-Que quickly became the place in upstate for blues, bikes, and barbecue. In 1998 they opened a second location, in the 1905 Lehigh Valley Train Station in downtown Rochester. In 2004 they opened a third location in Harlem. The Dinosaur gains credit as one of the places to bring barbecue into style in the manner Cajun 'got style' in the 1990's. One popular cookbook about the best diners across the US featured two Rochester restaurants including the Dinosaur. In 2001 John Stage and coauthor Nancy Radke completed a cookbook, ''Dinosaur Bar-B-Que: An American Roadhouse''. They now sell sauces through supermarkets. Nowadays the Dinosaur brings more families and fewer bikers, but at least two things have stayed the same: good ribs and live blues. Awards Voted "Best Barbecue" in City Newspaper's 'Best Of' Awards in 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2015.1234 Voted "Best Graffiti'd Women's Bathroom" in City Newspaper's 'Best Of Rochester' Critics' Choice Awards in 2008.5

Food & Drink

Paola's Burrito Place

Paola's Mobile Kitchen, August 2012 Paola's Burrito Place was a family-run Mexican food truck. They could usually be found at the Public Market on Saturdays and in the Strong Memorial Hospital area at lunchtime during the week. They also would show up at various festivals and events around the city. They also did catering. History Breakfast available on the weekends, December 2013 Paola's used to have a brick-and-mortar restaurant at 1011 Culver Road. They opened there in October 2010, having previously been on South Avenue and East Henrietta. They closed again in 2012 but started the food truck. They officially re-reopened on December 2, 2013. The restaurant finally closed for good in September 2015. In June 2017 re-opened a new brick-and-mortar store called Mi Barrio in Corn Hill.

Food & Drink

Lil-m Sari Sari Filipino Store

Lil-m Sari Sari Filipino Store is a Filipino grocery store in Gates. Most of its products are imported. Opened in May 2015. Owner is Merle Snow, who also runs the Philippine Dance Company of Rochester. on January 27, 2018 she also opened Casa Merlita Philippine Cuisine, one of the few or only Philippine restaurants in Rochester. In October of 2018, Lil-m relocated to 750 Elmgrove Road, inside the Casa Merlita Philippine Cuisine restaurant. Links Filipino store fills need for food, socializing - Democrat and Chronicle (2015-07-29)

Food & Drink

Mamasan's

Named after the Asian expression for a supervisory women 1, Mamasan's is a midscale and well respected Vietnamese- and Thai- inspired restaurant. History Mamasan's started out in 1984 in a former donut shop on University Avenue. After years of success there they opened up a second location in 2003 on Monroe Avenue. The original restaurant on University closed in 2008. Mamasan's had also opened an "Express" location at 1330 Mt. Hope Avenue in September 2010 (formerly the home of Mykonos Express), but that closed in the summer of 2012. The Monroe Avenue location closed June 22, 2020 as the building was to be demolished to make way for the proposed Whole Foods Center. During the summer of 2020, they reopened temporarily at their previous "Express" location as they worked on their new location across from College Town. During July, 2021, they opened their permanent location in College Town area at 1400 Mt. Hope Avenue. This location also has a drive thru window for take out orders.

Food & Drink

250 South Ave.

An empty lot and a decrepit building sit on a 2/3 acre lot at 250 South Ave. Behind the now closed Brickyard Pub, it was the site of a city public bathhouse and a public swimming pool, the Natatorium. The building in the rear of the complex probably served as shipping/receiving for the Natatorium when it was operational. The pool closed in 1975 after the City ceased repairing the roof (damaged by humidity of the pool and the weather), and was demolished in 1977. The remaining building stored voting machines at one time but now only supports an electronic billboard facing I-490. In March 2007, the large building in the right side of the photo below, was purchased by a group of local developers known as Riverview Lofts, LLC. Located at 1 Capron Street (aka 228 South Avenue), the construction of the 19 residential loft condos has begun and the only loft condos in Rochester, NY are for sale. 1 Bedrooms start at $139,000 and 2 bedrooms start at $179,000. The project was developed by Riverview Lofts, LLC and managed by Belmont Properties until it was completed in 2012. Google Maps shows a satellite photo of the building. According to City property details, as of 2006-Feb-8 the city owns the property, but a group of architects have since bought it, plan to cut additional windows, and convert it into downtown lofts. The interior features a grand staircase. In January 2009 the renovation of the building is completed. Plan Architectural Studio moved from High Falls and will occupy space on the first floor. The second floor of the building also contains office space. There are two (1,200 square feet) one-bedroom lofts on the third floor. The newly added fourth floor, contains a two-bedroom penthouse apartment (over 2,000 square feet). Also added were a four-story elevator, stair tower and outdoor spiral staircase. The two lofts each have 1-1/2 baths, 13- to 15-foot-high ceilings, exposed brick on the interior walls, stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, contemporary plumbing fixtures, gas fireplaces, spa-style bathrooms (designed to allow natural light into the shower through translucent glass) with large walk-in showers and two-person soap tubs. The penthouse includes many of the same features, in addition to another full bathroom, an area with an open floor-plan, called a “great room,” and 400-foot roof terrace. There’s also private on-site parking. Here are some updated photos: view from the South Wedge one of the kitchens

Food & Drink

Insomnia Cookies

Corporate logo Insomnia Cookies is a national chain bakery that specializes in delivering cookies at late-night and early-morning hours. Delivery minimum is $6. Cookies can also be picked up or purchased individually in the shop. They also have ice cream. The business was founded in 2003 by a University of Pennsylvania undergraduate. College students are still its primary customer base, and most of its locations are near universities. Their Rochester location is in UR's College Town and opened on December 2, 2014. They also serve RIT.

Food & Drink

Cherrys European

Cherrys European at the Market, 6-2008 Cherry's Menu, 1-2009 Cherry's Potato Pancakes, 1-2009 Cherry's Pierogies, 1-2009 Cherrys European is a restaurant serving "Polish Ukrainian American Cuisine" (from their sign) at the Public Market, located near the Railroad Street entrance, very close to Juan and Maria's Empanada Stop. They serve pierogies, crepes, potato pancakes, polish sausages, cabbage rolls, and much more. Awards Cherry's was awarded "Best Place to Feed Your Family on the Cheap" in City Newspaper's 'Best Of Rochester' Critics' Choice Awards in 2008.1

Food & Drink

Jay's Diner

Jay's Diner, Jan 2011 Retro Interior (sorta), Jan 2011 Free Wifi! Jay's Diner, located on West Henrietta Road in Brighton, is a 1950's style diner serving fresh food 24 hours a day. In the mood for a quick cup of coffee, a quick bite, or breakfast? Stop in to Jays any hour of the day and you can get these. All of the meals come with large portions, and all fountain drinks & coffee come with unlimited refills. It was originally built in 1966. RIT students can receive a 10% discount here by displaying their RIT student ID card and paying their bill with cash. Awards Jay's was voted 'Best Meal After 1AM' in City Newspaper's 'Best Of Rochester' awards in 2009.1

Food & Drink

AndreaCogliati/Reviews/Lento

Lento Executive Chef: Arthur Rogers 274 N. Goodman Street Rochester, NY 14607 (585) 271-3470 http://www.lentorestaurant.com/ RocWiki main page Visited on February 26, 2008 at 8:00 pm The restaurant, opened in Summer 2007, embodies slow food manifesto (Lento is Italian for slow), proudly offering healthy and original fine dining experience using only fresh, seasonal, local ingredients and privileging organic and bio-dynamic products. Ambiance Located in the promising Village Gate, Lento doesn't share the joint lively hip-hop culture. Dimmed lights, dark green and brown walls, wood and curtains create a cozy and soft ambient, ideal for a romantic, candle-light dinner or a relaxed old friend reunion. The inside room is ample enough and houses three distinct dining islands, offering privacy for small parties. A few tables outside would probably offer a nice outdoor dining experience when the whether allows it. Table cloths, glassware and silverware are of very good quality and in line with the class of the restaurant. The two-seat tables are really tiny though and can barely hold two plates, water and wine glasses and bottles. Menu The cuisine offers an eclectic and original interpretation of seasonal products. Executive Chef Arthur Rogers doesn't use half measures though. His creations are sharply flavored and he's not shy when using strong flavoring like garlic, balsamic vinegar, herbs or honey. This was our second visit to the establishment and we found a definite improvement to the cuisine, that lacked balance and harmony during our first visit in September last year. Now, the cuisine is more mature and balanced: flavors are still crisp and clear-cut but they don't fight in the dishes anymore. Very attentive to vegetarians in general, they also feature a vegetarian and vegan night every Thursday. Appetizers range from $7 to $14, while entrees are in $15-$33. Wine List The wine list is pretty small and offers about 50 wines, 15 of which may be ordered by the glass. Main varietals and world regions are present with some remarkable absences, like Oregon. Despite being small, geographic indications are incomplete. Bottle prices range from $22 to $165, with above the average markups. Meal Bread Instead of bread and butter they offer a garlic focaccia and rosemary olive oil. Good but a little too oily in the end. NV Dry Vidal Blanc, Smokehouse (Figer Lakes, NY) We choose a NV Finger Lakes Vidal Blanc: dry, light bodied with crisp acidity, with fresh white flowers and a hint of ginger and lemongrass. A perfect pairing with our light appetizers, it showed some weaknesses with the entrees. A little overpriced at $22. Fritto Misto A mixed fry of calamari, piquillo peppers and chickpeas drizzled with organic garlic aioli. $9 Perfectly fried calamari: crispy outside and supple inside. Piquillo peppers balanced the sweetness of the seafood and the pungent taste of the garlic sauce. Great savor and balance. Score: 14/20 Verdura Mista Fresh mix of vegetables lightly fried in a chickpea flour batter with a white balsamic and local honey dipping sauce. $9 Very good mix of seasonal vegetables (broccoli, pumpkin, fennel, green peppers and portobello mushroom), once again fried to perfection. The sweet and sour dipping sauce reminds a Japanese tempura. Score: 12.5/20 Monkfish Provencal Wild pan seared Atlantic monkfish Provencal, with house made saffron cavatelli, roasted red peppers, Bang Island mussels, herbs and garlic in a tomato seafood broth, frizzled leeks. $28 Very good match with the firm meat of the monkfish, the crispy fried herbs, the smooth cavatelli and the broth. Mussels added some unique flavors to the result. Score: 15/20 Scallops Pan seared Maine diver scallops, sweet Maine shrimp and littleneck clams in a citrus infused bouillabaisse stew with Sardinian cous cous, nicoise olives, fennel, tomato, grilled crostini. $32 The best dish of the night, full of different textures and flavors. Sardinian cous cous (called fregula in Italy), usually served dry, was a perfect support for the seafood and perfectly mated with the bouillabaisse. Score: 16/20 Profiteroles Triple chocolate profiteroles. $8 Very good finish but definitely inferior to the appetizers and entrees. There's room for improvement in the dessert area. Score: 11/20 Service Our server, Greg, was perfect. Friendly and helpful, present without being nosy. The new manager, Steve, is young and a bit shy but he has time to become more confident. Price The bill totaled to $112, before taxes. Pretty inexpensive, considering they mostly use fresh organic ingredients. Pros The selection of ingredients and the inventive of the chef. Very nice and relaxing ambient. Cons Small wine list. Desserts can be improved. Credits Review by AndreaCogliati

Food & Drink

Bagel Bin Cafe

Bagel Bin Cafe offered many kinds of bagels which you could buy individually or in dozens. Toppings included a variety of cream cheeses, from plain cream cheese to the exotic honey toasted almond cream cheese. Bagel Bin Café served breakfast, salads, soups, lunch, deli sandwiches, beverages (hot and cold), and desserts. Price ranged from $0.69 a bagel to $6.00 for deli sandwiches and salads. They also offered catering. According to news reports, Bagel Bin Cafe has sales tax liabilities totaling nearly $60,000 but has not been seized by the state. It closed in November 2011 and it is not known yet whether it will reopen again. Awards Bagel Bin was voted "Best Bagel Shop" in City Newspaper's 'Best Of' Awards in 2008 and 2010.12 Free Wifi DEC 16, 2008 TAX SEIZURE Per TV News reports on December 23, 2008, the Bagel Bin Cafe has reopened. "State seizes Bagel Bin Café in Brighton over sales taxes" (D&C, Dec 18, 2008) - On December 16, 2008 Bagel Bin was seized by the state Department of Taxation and Finance for failure to pay state taxes. It is not known if or when they will reopen. Cached printout of article at DCArticleBagelBinSeizure.pdf 1http://www.rochestercitynewspaper.com/entertainment/guides/2008/11/BEST-OF-ROCHESTER-2008-Readers-choice/2http://www.rochestercitynewspaper.com/entertainment/guides/BEST-OF-ROCHESTER-2010-Restaurants/

Food & Drink

Orange Glory Cafe

Former location Orange Glory is a cafe in Grove Place's Windsor Lofts building (bordering the East End). They specialize in upscale sandwiches and salads and are open during weekday breakfast and lunch hours. The restaurant also runs a catering business. They use local ingredients and local producers whenever possible. After 10 years, they moved from the East End next to the Little Theater, to the location of the former Press Coffee Bar on April 5, 2019. In June 2024 they opened a second location next to Aqueduct Park. They had opened a second location on November 7, 2012 at the Times Square building on the corner of Exchange Boulevard and Broad Street, but that was short-lived and closed soon after. Awards Orange Glory's "Spinach Burger" was awarded "Best Corruption of a Healthy Food" in City Newspaper's 'Best Of Rochester' Critics' Choice Awards in 2008.1 12008 Critics Choice Awards

Food & Drink

Don's Original

Outside - SeaBreeze Area location, 4-2008 Inside - SeaBreeze Area location, 4-2008 Don's burgers and wonderful onion rings, 4-2008 Penfield - Aug 2008 BradMandell Don's Original is a diner serving hots, hamburgers, custard and other standard diner fare like hot turkey sandwiches and strip steaks. Don's prides itself on retaining the same quality and feel, and pretty much the same core menu, for over 50 years. Judging from the pictures on the wall in every Don's, as well as on the website, your experience today is not all that different from what it would have been in the early 50's. Customers still order by lining up behind a large "All Service from This Counter" sign and choosing from a brightly-painted menu board. The food is cooked as you wait. Seating is either in a booth or on a stool at the counter. And Don's crowd still consists of a wide range of customers, including teenages, families with kids, and older folks. Don's slogan is "Where Quality Predominates", and it attempts to live up to that standard by making fresh what is often pre-packaged at newer fast-food restaurants. For example, if you ask for onion rings, they'll be made from real slices of onion and hand-battered, and the custard is made on-premises. Don's Original began life as Don and Bob's, with locations in the Seabreeze Area and on Monroe Avenue in Brighton. The original Brighton location was sold to another owner in the 70's and has now closed. The Seabreeze location remained under the control of Don Barbato, the original Don, who changed the name to Don's Original because of issues with the original Monroe Avenue location. The new Brighton and Penfield locations have opened in the last few years. The full, convoluted history of Don and Bob's and Don's Original is available on the website. Free Wifi

Food & Drink

Acanthus Cafe

Acanthus Cafe, 05-2012 Acanthus on a summer night. (06-2012) Acanthus Cafe was a cafe and coffeehouse in the East End. The name Acanthus refers to a tropical flowering plant found in the Mediterranean region and is also Latinized Greek for "thorny." Coffee options included French Press and Chemex. All coffee is Fair Trade and locally roasted. On the culinary side, Acanthus specialized in South Pacific meals served on skewers, with limited-run specials each week. They also served salads, chicken dishes, nachos, and unusual tacos. They did not offer sandwiches, however, pursuant to a non-competing agreement imposed by the Subway next door. There was an ATM is onsite. Outdoor seating was also available. Acanthus opened on April 18, 2012. According to owner Christopher Hilfiker, Acanthus was founded to "offer more community-based events that would bring together people who normally wouldn’t hang out with one another." He and business partner Allison Mayer traveled to Portland, Oregon to study the coffeehouse culture there and were impressed that so many people knew one another, despite the city being three times the size of Rochester. For the summer of 2012 Acanthus will be hosting a variety of cycling events, including a weekly Espresso Express ride. Other events are planned for the future, including happy hours with Santiago Cigar Factory next door.1 Hilficker and Mayer also owned the Living Room Cafe in Upper Monroe. They decided to close this business in June 2012 to focus on running Acanthus. Acanthus closed in October 2013.

Food & Drink