Beale Street Cafe

Beale Street Cafe, 4-2008

They changed their name to The Beale in November 2011. See 2011/Closings.

Beale Street Cafe was a restaurant with two locations in the area. The South Avenue restaurant was at the intersection with Gregory Street, (Live Map) a block from Lux. There's a pizza place right across the street if you're drunk and need an inexpensive bit of food. The Penfield restaurant (Webster zip code) was just north on Empire Boulevard from Baytowne Plaza.

Good atmosphere, live blues on weekends, and for some reason the serve N'awlins style food but name the restaurant after a Memphis street? On the plus side, they serve crawdads.

Beale Street was awarded the Democrat & Chronicle's Rochester's Choice Award for "Cajun" in 2007.¹

Comments:

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    See Archive Page for comments prior to 2008.

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2008-04-30 23:17:29   Having heard good things about this place, I went there one day for dinner. It's pretty cheap but... I was underwhelmed with everything I had. It's probably the fourth best Barbeque place in Rochester. It's probably a taste thing, since I prefer Memphis/Texas Style barbeque to Louisiana style. —NoahLeaf

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2008-07-27 09:51:21   Had dinner at the Webster location last night - Tried the Etoufees delicacy made with the Cajun Holy Trinity - peppers, onions and celery. Had the chicken on a bed of rice, and smothered in a tangy roux based gravy sauce with the Trinity. It was DELICIOUS and a very large helping (couples could get a second plate and share this). Wait staff was very courteous and responsive. Will go back some Tuesday or Wednesday to catch the Blues. —BradMandell

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2008-07-31 16:39:41   I'm not too high on the food at this place. Last time I went I got a meatloaf sandwich that was dry and bland. However, the food is fairly affordable and the ambiance in the bar makes it a decent place to stop in for a drink. —JohnHavard

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2008-12-09 12:39:02   Good atmosphere but the food pales in comparison to the Dino. Apparently, the chef hasn't met a meal that doesn't deserve mountains upon mountain of cajun spicings added to it. The etouffee should have been better than it was or I at least should have been able to taste something beyond the cajun spice. —BatGuano

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2009-03-06 13:36:30   Just had lunch there today, and I don't think I'll be going back. Prices are ridiculous...$12.99 for a fish fry that is nothing special at all, in fact lesser quality than many other establishments, and higher priced. The pulled pork sandwich was on a 1/2 stale plain roll, and the pork seemed like it was from a package or something, dry and boring. I think they are trying to be something they aren't. I used to like this place, but the last 2 times it's been pretty disappointing....I'm done trying. Long Live Dinosaur! —Bolin

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2009-05-13 19:50:49   someone mentions Beale St. in N.O.? can I get a road map? back up from the bar...I think you're thinking of Bourbon St. in N.O. I've thought it's a strange mix only because they lean heavy on touting 'Louisiana-style' food, but why not some Cajun/Creole music AND the blues? food alone doesn't bring people to Beale St. (Memphis) or Bourbon St. (N.O.). —jschmidt

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After trying Unkle Moe's the other day, I don't think I'll ever be back to Beale other than maybe for a beer or two. The food here just doesn't cut it.

—JohnHavard

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2009-05-17 09:03:30   Stopped in for a late lunch when we were out walking around the South Wedge. I had the Pittsburgh sandwich, my husband had wings. Everything was just okay. It wasn't terrible but it also wasn't super tasty. I agree with a prior poster- I must prefer Memphis style BBQ to Louisiana style because I think Dinosaur is far superior to Beale St. The bar is nice though, we would come back for drinks (we both had hurricanes with lunch and they were the highlight). —ShawnaLusk

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2009-10-05 07:40:33   Been here many times and must say that my favorite ribs in the city are served here. Last visit did nothing to change my mind. Meat fell off the bone and there was just enough sauce to add right amount of flavor.On the other hand, my wife's etouffee had so much spice on it that she hardly could eat it.As always the bartender and wait staff did a great job. —almorinelli

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2009-10-05 12:58:49   Owner is not gay friendly. People have been asked to leave the restaurant. —LoisGraham

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2010-01-07 13:05:52   I've been here several times and have been disappointed but last night was a complete 180. I got the jambalaya with shrimp and the mud bugs appetizer. I couldn't have been happier with both my meal and the service. I think I finally found the items on their menu that they are good at. Sure, the prices are a tad expensive but the food and service made up for it. Well, I think having a $50 gift card helped a little, too. We also left feeling good that we supported a homegrown, South Wedge business. Next time we crave spicy food, I won't be so quick to pass Beale Street. —BatGuano

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2010-04-17 21:57:17   This place has gone down hill! I had my baby with me ...I did not think I would have an issue. First we waited over an hour to be seated (it was not that busy). My waitress did not bring out a high chair for the first 15 minutes. We ordered our food as soon as the waitress came then waited for an hr. Our food was cold when it came.I sent my sandwich back to be reheated by the time I got it back it was room temperature. After all that I asked the waitress if she could at least take off the 1.00 charge for the babies rice. She said she could not do that. (((The Food is NOT Worth Waiting 2 Hrs For!))) —soph

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2010-05-08 18:02:12   This place has decent food and a lot on the menu. Ribs were decent and the sides are not bad. OK service, excellent corn bread though. I just wish they brought back the fresh cut fries. —MetalFrost

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2011-06-07 19:03:22   very average, which is not good for the kind of bold flavors they should be going for —jberna

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2011-11-04 22:26:24   a recent groupon refers to this place simply as "the beale". they have a new domain name too, thebealegrille.com. what's up with that? —IanNorfolk

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2011-12-03 19:17:03   The Empire Blvd. location is now called "The Beale". The food was the same and was still pretty good. However, the new management is terrible. I had a $50 Groupon that the manager refused to honor. I ended up having to pay the entire $72 bill myself. Needless to say, this will be my last stop in. —StevePlace

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2013-09-15 00:57:25   I've been going to the Beale for about 10 years, maybe oh twice a year, on average. Until the last 6 months or so, it always just used to be a so-so standby place— that is, never had a bad meal, but never anything to write home about, nor anywhere to take out-of-town guests. Also, some items were a bit pricey, for the quantity/quality... They were reliably consistent, at least, though. But, sometime this spring, they changed their menu. And it is AWESOME now. A combo of prices getting lower while portions and/or side options got more generous, but more importantly, the diversity and flavors of cuisine they have added = Wow. No, it is not the to-die-for cuisine that you get in New Orleans (yes I've been there). But I'm not comparing it to that, because this is Rochester and I'm a realist— we can't expect authentic Cajun cuisine on (virtually) the Canadian border. But what you get at Beale St nowadays is darn tasty, flavorful food. Lots more diverse options than there used to be. Plus, good beer (and mixed drinks), good (often live) music, and good service. I just might start to bring out-of-town guests here, since the Beale has decided to kick things up a notch like this.... —ajh