Veneto - Rochester Wiki

Veneto is an Italian restaurant featuring pizza located in the East End. Veneto also has pasta dishes and nightly specials. With only a few tables and bar seating, you may have to wait during the dinner hours. Watching everything get prepared and cooked in the wood fired oven right in front of the bar can be a treat.

On May 28, 2020, they opened a second location in Gates. In late 2023 the Gates location was sold and became Cristo’s Wood Fired Pizza & Pasta.

A January 4, 2023 fire forced the East Avenue location to close temporarily¹; it reopened on October 10, 2023².

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2006-06-27 19:41:28 "Quite possibly the best pizza in Rochester" — Tis true. "American" style pizza is just no good. Veneto has the more traditional Italian style pizza and it’s very good. We went on a Friday night and it's not the wait that is bad, it's finding a place to wait. You can go next door and they will come get you if you like, which was nice. —RickUrwin

2006-06-27 19:45:07 This place aims to please (the mainstream) and succeeds. My 2 visits were accidental and will most likely remain at that - unless 1) I'm caught in a downpour again and 2) the other spots nearby have a long wait. My first visit - one waitress knocked over my water, TWICE, splashing all across the bar...and without a sincere apology. Food was far less eventful. 2nd visit - went out of the way to befriend wait staff (ugh, hate to have to do that...just not wishing to get wet again) and was quite pleased w/ service (genuine exchanges, well-timed attention from several servers, etc.) while Lady Spiller was mercifully occupied elsewhere. Food, unfortunately still didn't improve. Happily, spending more on vino than the entire meal helped! "Vino at Veneto," eh. —ChristineLeo

2006-06-29 20:59:25 An example of Rochester's ideas about Bruschetta. Melted cheese. Jerks. I am not even Italian and I know that is a faux pas. I am reminded of the movie "Big Night" by this place, only this is the restaurant with the leaning tower of Pisa in front. Cheap and generic. Perfect for Rochester. —JohnPapdopoulos

2006-07-25 04:45:21 Friendly, fairly quick service. The atmosphere makes the restaurant feel a bit nicer than it actually is...the food is definitely satisfying and I've never disliked anything I ate there, but there's really nothing special about it. I like to go there once in awhile before seeing a movie at the Little, but I wouldn't go out of my way to go there. —RachelBlumenthal

2006-07-25 07:15:07 I feel compelled to try and balance out the other comments here... My wife and I love this place, we've never had anything to grumble about, and it DEFINITELY has the best 'sit-down' pizza in Rochester. It's always our first choice when we have a chance to go out and don't want to break the bank. —ChrisYoung

2006-07-25 18:10:38 John, I know what you are getting at. On my father’s side, all Italian, and my grandmother would make it with just oil, garlic and sea salt, on the grill if we were using it. It's like in the south, how you get grits with all kinds of stuff added to them like capers or something. —RickUrwin

2006-07-26 06:35:59 Mmm, thin crust... Their pizza definitely is out of the ordinary. Rochester's pizza is typically thick, mushy and oily, without too much flavor. That doesn't compare with Veneto's, with bold, fresh ingredients. Try the pie with shrimp. —BenMargolis

2006-08-31 12:27:09 I loved the decor (an area I feel many Rochester restaurants are lacking in) and the pizza was pretty good. I agree with comments about fresh ingredients and nice flavor combos - but I feel the menu was rather limited, after a couple visits you will have eaten the entire menu. —EllenKelsey

2006-09-18 07:17:42 I haven't gone yet, but everyone I know who has gone said the food in the original smaller location was excellent. I haven't heard anything about their food or service since they moved next door. —ZedOmega

2006-10-20 14:04:31 In my last comment, I described the service as "friendly". Last time, I had an experience that rubbed me the wrong way. I was ordering a glass of wine, and before I even got the entire name of the wine out, the server rudely asked if I had my ID, and then I needed to repeat (several times) what wine I had wanted. Yes, I look young, but let me get the words out of my mouth and then politely ask my for my ID. The food was fairly enjoyable, though. —RachelBlumenthal

2007-03-07 11:51:37 I had an amazing salmon dish here once with a walnut-beet pesto and yukon gold smashed potatoes. The waitress was attentive but not pushy and made appropriate wine recommendations. My only issue was the noise level... it was bustling and very loud. I'm not even sure if they were playing music. But everything else was fantastic. I still have dreams about that beet pesto. —MariahBetz

2007-03-17 22:38:10 I like this restaurant. But here is what is annoying. They only take reservations for parties of 4 or more. If you show up without reservations, the wait is really long (generally incompetent hosts/hostesses doesn't help any). Therefore, I feel like I can only go there when we have a party of 4! It's dumb! —CindyKin

2007-10-17 16:46:10 The restaurant added a 20% Gratuity to our bill, even though we only had a party of seven. Generally it's parties of 10/15 or 20 that would warrent such a charge. I have never heard of seven people being considered a "large party". This charge upset everyone at our table. After my guests had all left, I re-entered the restaurant to inquire why this charge was on our bill. Instead of speaking with me or reasoning with me, I was simly asked to leave.

The following day I called and asked to speak with Tracy, the Restaurant Manager. She said that the gratuity was their
standard practice. The manager further explained that there is a lot more work for a large party and a major inconvenience
for the kitchen and wait staff. It was a burdon to take care of a table of seven people and we were to be up-charged for their having to endure this situation. I was then informed that we were no longer welcomed at Venetos. —MarkStrickland

2007-10-17 17:10:38 I've seen a large number of restaurants that do add a 20% gratuity charge for groups of 6+, but this is usually indicated on the menu, not just thrown on as a surprise at the end. That's too bad they were rude to you, though. My last few visits have also left something to be desired service-wise. It's too bad—I love the location and I do enjoy some of their food, but I'd like to see some improvement in the way they treat their customers. —RachelBlumenthal

2007-10-17 17:19:30 By the way, you are not legally required to pay a "gratuity" added to the bill, even if it states so on the menu. The key is the term "gratuity". The definition of the term gratuity is: "Something given *voluntarily or beyond obligation*, usually in response to or in anticipation of service." So they don't realize it, but the restaurant is legally saying, "here's a charge of 20% which you are not required to pay." If they changed the menu to say they would add a "large party fee" of 20%, I have no clue what their standing would be. —BadFish

2007-10-17 17:32:11 It's a shame -I like the food very much. This is not the first time I was appalled by the service. One previous time I was having dinner with a friend at a small table. We were surprised by a visit from another friend, but the restaurant would neither get him a chair nor get us a different table. He ended up leaving. —MarkStrickland

2007-11-28 11:43:06 Food is pretty good. Prices are reasonable. Service leaves something to be desired. —RocGuy14610

2007-12-17 14:29:44 Mark Strickland, I recall you encounter at veneto, vividly, as it just so happens i was there on that particular day. It seemed as if your table was enjoying its self but you were the only one complaining about the gratuity. Also, you did your little argue stint then left, and came back again! You were yelling profanities (with obvious wine breath) and everyone in the restaurant agreed that you conducted yourself in an unprofessional manner, with your own friend trying to PULL you out the door. The menu says "Gratuity will be added to parties of 6 or more". Also, you can't just slam an extra chair on a 2-top table becuase it interferes with traffic flow. Service, and quality are first and foremost at Veneto. —MattKolacki

2008-01-24 22:16:42 very good pizza of the wood fired variety. We've always had good service. —JohnCocktosten

2008-05-06 16:31:34 Veneto is a great, trendy Italian restaurant.

Superb flatbread pizza and good choice of dishes.

Id recommend anyday. —MrRochester

2008-10-12 19:33:55 Our favorite restaurant in Rochester. Love the casual atmosphere, the food is consistently wonderful, and it has fair prices. I love a great meal that I can do for under $25 each and this place has it. Service is more consistent than it used to be. Chefs and other workers have been the same forever - that's nice.

Try the new item on the menu - Pasta with Mushrooms (pasta con funghi or something like that) - it is wonderful.

All the pizzas are great although Pizza Rustica is my fave.

The Steak Salad is really really good.

We eat here at least twice a month. If you are a party of two, eat at the counter. If you have 4 make reservations. I wish she'd buy some decent chairs though and I wish she'd update her website, the menu has changed and so have the prices. —CindyKin

2008-11-07 09:40:42 Food is always good, been here several times. Did note the last time we went that the size of the pizzas has gotten smaller and the prices have gone up. Guess you can blame the economy, however, I'll go elsewhere next time. —DGuglani

2009-08-31 10:24:33 It was one of the last warm and sunny nights of August and my mother, sister and I dined outside for dinner. We split a large green salad between us 3 and then split a Bianca Pizza (Oregano infused oil topped with prosciutto, artichoke hearts, caramelized onions & mozzarella cheese) and a Shrimp Puntanesca (Pomodoro sauce topped with shrimp, caramelized onions, olives, capers, anchovy filets, red pepper flakes & mozzarella cheese) Both pizzas were great...he Shrimp pizza had some kick to it but I love spicy foods and this was perfect. I def recommend this restaurnat to people. No complaints from me. :) —limeylimer

2010-10-27 00:52:42 During my last and only visit, the service was simply atrocious. The pizza wasn't very good either. —SargtGrumbles

2010-11-30 15:42:50 Went here recently, in August of 2010. The place has gone down hill slightly. We ordered the bruschetta appetizer. It was pretty bad. It was almost like frozen texas toast from the freezer section of your grocery store. In fact, I wondered if that is what was served to us. The puttenesca pizza was good and consistent from the last time that I had it. I don't think I will go back b/c of the below average service; I had to flag the waitress down to bring the drink that I had ordered. Also, I just cant get over the bruschetta — it was so far from what anyone who has ever had it would expect that I wonder why they would serve it at all. Why not just call it Texas Toast? —ScottLaRock

2017-11-30 15:48:00 I always like Veneto. It's not the greatest. But it has a great atmosphere and the food is always good, if unspectacular. Prices are reasonable. I've always had very good service there as well. —DE