This page is for archiving comments prior to the 2010 for the Gate House Cafe
2007-12-06 22:29:40 Will call friday or over the weekend for further details —PeteB
2008-01-06 22:11:09 Hi everyone! We'll be opening in early February, and we hope to bring you the very best burgers and pizza in town! Look for us in Salena's old
spot. —KristenFlores
2008-02-20 22:30:14 They have been open for three days as of today. For being open only a few days they seem to have their act together amazingly well. They have really done a nice job with the interior, it's the old Salena's location but you cannot tell. We were seated quickly and the service was really good. No liquor license yet but a "gift" glass of red wine helped. A bruschetta appetizer was delivered to the table as a sample. Their menu is fairly simple, which is a nice change. Various appetizer choices, a few salads, and about a dozen each burger choices and pizza choices. All entrees are around 8 - 12 bucks. Three of us had burgers, all deemed good and most impressive they got the level of done-ness right on every one of them. The one pizza we tried was tasty as well. Bill for the four of us including four entrees, one starter, and a milkshake (did I mention the milkshakes?) was less than $60 before the tip (but remember that's no drinks). —DottieHoffmann
2008-02-21 13:33:16 Mixed review: My partner and I went there the second night they were open. We didn't get the sample bruschetta appetizer mentioned in the previous comment, so I don't know if that's a regular thing. I ordered a hamburger, but they were out of the garlic rosemary fries and I had a small pasta salad instead. I thought the hamburger was quite good. My partner got a pizza, but was less happy with it. The bottom was a bit burned, and he said that while it was good, it wasn't anything special. We also ordered two diet Cokes to drink, and found the fountain made it somewhat weak. In short, we'll probably try the place again for dinner again, and I'll certainly try it out for lunch as I work in the area. —JohnPassaniti
2008-02-24 10:33:47 Went here for a late lunch on Saturday. The decor is impressive as stated and the booths, while being a bit high are very comfortable. It took quite a while to put an order in given it was very slow, but may have been our fault due to indecision about all the delicious looking choices on the menu. Note that ALL burgers here are available in Kobe beef for 5$ extra. I got the Golisano Kobe burger with applewood smoked bacon, pesto mayo, and maytag blue cheese. It was cooked perfectly medium and the accompanying fries were good too (they use real fried garlic chunks and rosemary to season, not a powder). The service however remained relatively slow throughout the meal, but wasn't detrimental to the experience. We will definitely be back. —DarrenKemp
2008-02-26 00:32:18 I just have to say bravo guys..the place is amazing. I remembered it as salenas and i didnt even recognize it. Its cozy and beautiful with great smells as you enter. My friends and I stopped in tonight and had enjoyable dinners. They start you off with cute little pieces of Bruceitta which has great flavor very fresh. We all ordered different things off the menu such as a veggie pizza i think called a rpo. oh yeah everything was named after rochester places or people. burgers like the wease and HUGE salds. the burgers were cooked perfectly pizza as well. The server was amazing too didnt he write a thing down and brought everything correct. I really enjoyed it there definitly will return with or without the liquor licence. —SarahTumik
2008-02-27 08:31:43 I went here for dinner last night and was very happy with my meal. The decor was clean and relaxing, and the service was friendly. The sample bruschetta was a nice touch. I got the Kodak pizza (Italian sausage and roasted peppers)—very good! The crust was thin and crispy, just how I like it. My boyfriend got a lamb burger with feta and mint relish and enjoyed it. For dessert we tried a brownie sundae with strawberries, and it was delicious. I'll definitely be back. I think the prices are pretty reasonable for "fancy" burgers and pizzas, and the location is great. Big windows look out onto the courtyard of Village Gate, and it was nice to watch the snow from the inside :) —RachelBlumenthal
2008-03-02 20:03:00 Just wanted to add that I returned and tried a burger this time—the Chyna: teriyaki sauce and grilled pineapple—and it was delicious! Loved the rosemary garlic fries. —RachelBlumenthal
2008-03-06 11:11:25 Have a nice dinner there last night. The BBQ ribs were tasty and tender, wings were fine (good heat in the sauce) and we split a Duffy burger (Wagyu style)with some crispy fries. Had 2 pizzas - the crust was nice and crisp, the sauce was very good and the cheeses of good quality. Desserts, another high note. Tiramisu as good as I've had, Ice Cream sundae top notch, and a perfect flourless chocolate cake. Hard to beat at this price point and excellent service. —GordonAnderson
2008-03-07 10:12:25 Went here last night for dinner. I had the Diggs burger and my husband had the Duffy. My burger was delicious and cooked perfectly. The fries were pretty awesome. Their meat sauce is quite yummy and spicy. Looking forward to returning as I was checking out all the food being delivered to tables around me. —KimBee
2008-03-10 07:54:06 Went to the Gate House Saturday with my wife and three kids (5, 2 1/2 and 8 months). The staff was great with the kids, the food (had the pizza) was fantastic and the prices were very reasonable.
Highly recommended! —SigmundVanDamme
2008-03-10 22:11:29 We had the Hoffman (with Kobe beef) and Golisano burgers. Both were very large burgers and both were quite tasty. Very classy presentation of food. Interior is really well designed. Lighting and layout creates an intimate setting. Deserts (we had a flourless chocolate cake, and new-york styled cheesecake with fresh strawberries) were extraordinary. They very beautifully presented and were absolutely delicious. We left full and very happy. —BenAllen
2008-03-11 15:51:36 I had dinner at Gatehouse the other night and it was very good. I had a flatbread pizza and enjoyed it, my friends liked their meal as well.
Kristen Fratto Flores was one of my favorite chefs when she was at Brio/Pomodoro and those restaurants have suffered without her.
They did a nice job on the interior of the restaurant and I hope the restaurant succeeds, its perfect as a pre-bar dinner destination. —MrRochester
2008-03-11 18:30:45 Went there for lunch and I was impressed. I ordered the Geiger burger with chicken. The chicken was tender and flavorful. Although I really liked the rosemary-garlic fries, I felt that it could do with a bit more of the seasoning (for my personal taste obviously). A great addition to the Village Gate! —OneLove
2008-03-20 21:19:54 Been here twice. What a great renovation, they must have put their necks on the line for this joint.
Service was nice both times - a couple of cool young ladies that get it.
My companion and I had the Golisano and Geiger burgers. We also tried The Liberty Pole pizza. Burger beef was tasty with good combinations of toppings. Pizza was excellent. Great sauce. Nothing is obnoxious. The combinations on both the burgers and pizza are interesting and make sense.
We recommend it to everyone. This place deserves a lot of support. Instead of going to Applebees - head to Village Gate for a much better experience. —BigPun
2008-03-21 08:19:47 I think this is my new favorite local restaurant. They really did an amazing job with the place. I enjoy the decor and I am very grateful for their straightforward menu. It's nice to go to a restaurant that doesn't hand you a novel and call it a menu. Last night we started with the Zweigel's wrapped in pastry with onion relish and dijon. Very tasty.
I had a cheeseburger with smoked blue cheese and my husband had the Wambach. We also ended the night with a milkshake.
Everything I have tried here has been amazing. Not to mention the staff is always very sweet and friendly. Last night the place was full. Good sign. —KimBee
2008-03-22 12:16:43 Very nice decor and obviously doing well financially, but the food was only mediocre. My wife and I went with a group of 8 (which they handled just fine with a reservation, although their policy is to not split cheques on large groups), and we all tried various flatbread pizzas and burgers. The consensus was that the food was fine, but definitely overpriced for what you get and nothing to write home about. It was frustrating, because it's clear that they're trying and it wasn't bad... just not great (or worth the slightly-higher-than-usual pricetag).
We may try it again sometime, but it's unlikely. —PaulArdis
2008-03-27 13:00:02 I went for dinner the other night and found the atmosphere very appealing. Although they didn't have their liquor license yet to serve wine, our waiter Paul was wonderful and talked us into staying. The food was great, service was great and I look forward to coming back! —ChrisChapman
2008-03-27 13:17:46 Hello Everyone! We are now serving a large selection of domestic and imported beer and wine! Come check us out! —KristenFlores
2008-03-27 13:39:42 What kind of beer are you serving? (Please say Rohrbachs Please say Rohrbachs)Guess it's no secret what kind of beer I prefer :) —KimBee
2008-03-28 08:35:11 We do have a line dedicated to Rohrbachs, and currently we're pouring their Scotch Ale. I'm glad we can accomodate your taste for brew, let us know if you're looking for something specific, as we'll be making seasonal changes. —KristenFlores
2008-03-28 08:40:06 I saw that! I came in again last night for dinner and had a pint of Scotch ale. I also had the pleasure of having Natalie as my server again. This time I tried the sliders and they were fantastic. I'm so glad Village Gate has a great restaurant like this. —KimBee
2008-04-02 20:51:02 Went for the first time for a business lunch. It was nice to see the place had almost every table full. Tried the Fagan burger with the pasta salad. It was excellent and cooked to my liking. The pasta salad was made with hat shaped pasta instead of elbow macaroni or twisty (fusilli) pasta, a nice change. I will be back again. Please give this place support over someplace like Red Robin. —ScottHendler
2008-04-14 06:23:47 Four of us went here Saturday night, and thank god we got there before 6:30 because the place was packed! GREAT interior, really nice ambience, and good sense of open space and light. We each had one of the pizzas, which I agree with PaulArdis were nothing to write home about. The crusts were baked perfectly well, but the sauce had hardly any flavor, and the combination of toppings on the Liberty Pole that I ordered was a little weird (the smoked cheese just didn't marry well with the prosciutto or the artichokes). The pepperoni pizza was similarly uninspiring. The Auditorium was pretty good as the flavors melded in that concoction. I did like the falafel, et al, combination appetizer. I'll try this one again, but I plan to order one of the hamburgers (hey, has anyone tried the Falafel burger here?) before I make my final judgment. —KatieSchmitz
2008-04-25 22:17:50 My husband I enjoyed our first visit. We both had burgers. My husband asked for his rare and actually got a rare burger. We especially enjoyed the Black & Tan onion rings. One problem...what is up with the booths? When you sit down, the table is at chest level, and we are both tall. A few people asked to switch from booths to tables. We will be asking for a table next time. —MaryZeiner
2008-05-09 11:33:35 My boyfriend and I went for dinner here last night and I must say that the food was fabulous. We both are New York City natives and as college students at RIT we have been in a desperate search for good pizza. We had the magherita pizza and we both were amazed at how well it matched up to some of our favorite places in NYC. We had the cheesecake for dessert and although we would have loved a crunchier crust, it definitely met our standards. Great atmosphere for all ages. This is definitely going to be one of our favorite restaurants. —SamanthaParadise
2008-05-13 23:04:16 My husband and I came here tonight for our 2nd year anniversary after reading all of these positive reviews, and we were not disappointed! What a WONDERFUL dinner experience! Our waitress was perfect, the food amazing! It is "real food," but the high quality ingredients and presentation make it worthy of 5 stars! And you can't beat the price! One appetizer, two meals, two desserts, a side item and one beer for under $50? We loved it so much and will definitely be back! What a find! —jramey
2008-05-16 15:38:58 I had an enjoyable lunch here, and I like the decor of the place. I think my favorite part of the meal were the rosemary fries, make sure to try those! They taste like McDonald's fries gone upscale. (Yes, I meant that as a compliment.) The booths were oddly large, I felt like a little kid at the adult table! —SaraChristine
2008-05-17 16:30:48 My fiancé and I went here for dinner last night and enjoyed our meal immensely. We were seated so that we could see out the windows into the Village Gate courtyard, which was nice as we both like to people-watch. We shared the zweigle's-white-hots-in-pastry appetizer and loved it; I was eyeing several other appetizers that we'll probably try on future visits. My fiancé had the daily special of mushroom-stuffed ravioli and I had the Park Ave pizza. Both were delicious and we look forward to a return visit. —AdrienneDahler
2008-06-19 13:20:51 Went here with family for father's day and had a great meal. Burger was great, fries were crispy and near perfect. The pizzas were delicious and the crust had a nice chewy texture although be forewarned: they use a TON of garlic in their sauce. After my first piece I it was all I could taste. The quality, presentation and price of their food puts places like Applebees and Ruby Tuesdays to shame - go to the Gate House instead!
The atmosphere and decor was modern and slightly upscale although the fake plastic grass looked a little tacky. The hostess/waiters/servers were all very professional and gave us great service. There is also a clear view of the kitchen/grill/pizza prep area which was very clean and reassuring :) I will definitely return for another good meal. One suggestion to the owner though: It was difficult navigating how to get to the Gate House through the Village Gate maze and it was difficult to see the sign from the courtyard. It would be helpful to lower it or place it on the ground. —JaimeTe
2008-06-19 15:36:56 Short people should not sit at the booths! I went with a short friend and I laughed so hard seeing him with his head barely above the table. Either the table is too high or the seating is too low.. not sure. Either way, the food was great. The waitress was unusually happy. Highly recommended! —TippingPoint
2008-07-08 15:05:07 Had dinner here a few weeks ago and was very satisfied. I ordered the basic hamburger, which was moist and tasty, and a deal at only $7. Nice bun, cooked properly, good quality meat. I've paid more than that for inferior burgers on many occasions. It came with a tangy and crisp red-cabbage coleslaw. My companion ordered their version of a plate, and it was also very good. The hot sauce was nice, and the pasta salad was fresh, flavorful, and not too "mayonaisy". The fries were nothing special. Not bad, just not exceptional like everything else.
I appreciated the small but well-edited selection of craft brews in bottles and on-tap.
Good service too. Casual, but friendly and well timed.
We'll definitely be back. I really can't think of a reason to go anywhere else for a burger. —EastSideStephen
2008-08-04 21:46:28 My first two visits where simply fantastic. I love a great burger and that's exactly what I've gotten. The tasty shoestring fries were a bonus, they were so light and crispy I couldn't stop eating them. My third trip was with a group of three others. While my companions all enjoyed their meals, my burger was overdone (ordered medium-well, served very well) and the fries were no longer shoestring fries, but typical McDonalds type fries.
I hope it was a fluke, because I love the menu, prices, location, and decor of The Gate House. I'll definitely give it another chance. —RichardSchreiber
2008-10-04 16:54:26 If you want a great decor with affordable food, look no further. The menu is all Burgers and Pizza, and everybody I was with ordered a burger. I thought the buns were a little massive, but the burgers and fries were very good. I definitely recommend this place. —JaredStrohl
2008-10-10 16:07:29 I stopped by today to meet and talk to the owner, Kristen. *VERY NICE* place-I really like it. Booths are very comfortable. I had the best Fish sandwich I think I've had in a long time. I will definitely be back! Thank you Kristen! —PeteB
2008-11-08 21:47:15 Went for dinner with friends tonight and was very impressed. Pizza crust was some of the best I've had, and we were all amazed at how quick the food came out (once we were actually seated, of course). Great wine/beer selection, too. —WyattAnderson
2009-03-03 16:27:24 Highly recommend trying this place out. Went for dinner before seeing the Jersey Boys and it was delicious. I had the Wease burger which was excellent, and my date had one of the pizzas that she said was the best shes ever had. I also tried a chicken wing and thought it was fantastic. Great place for an inexpensive night out. —GeorgeBluth
2009-03-15 18:07:07 I love the food at the Gate House Cafe. I'm there at least once every other week. I've tried many of the small plates, several burgers and pizzas and the food is always excellent. The service is great, the staff are very nice. I rarely have long waits for my food. The decor is good and very comfortable. —HeavyMetalSteve
2009-03-31 21:46:17 Excellent thin crust pizzas. Friendly and efficient service. —ThomasPawlik
2009-04-02 18:36:35 I went there a few weeks back for lunch, and having read all the reviews here, it seems my experience may have been unusual. My overall impression was that it was *very* mediocre. Our waitress was slow, water glasses remained empty through the majority of the meal (and that was our primary beverage). My parents and girlfriend all ordered pizza, while I was the lone one ordering a burger. I don't recall the name, but it was a barbecue bacon cheeseburger. I ordered the burger rare, and it came out medium-well. The pizzas were all greasy and in general just not very appetizing. I went in hoping for a spectacular burger, and just got a decent one. The ingredients surrounding the burger were just fine, but having it overcooked just kind of killed it for me. I'd consider trying again, hoping to experience what everyone else has had. —TheWittyTwit
2009-04-11 22:34:53 Mrs. HenriettaRob and I had dinner at the Gate House Cafe tonight. If you go to their website and click on menu and then salads, see the Highland Park salad? That's what my wife ordered and boy was she disappointed. When the salad arrived there were some strawberries and a few blue berries but no raspberries and no blackberries. Nothing like the picture. Almost no goat cheese and some brown lettuce. The waitress said that raspberries were expensive now so they were not in the salad. Not much of a salad for $8.25. Because of the shortage of berries and goat cheese my wife asked for more cheese. Sure. When we got the bill the salad was $9.25. Wait, what's this? The waitress said a dollar was added for the extra goat cheese! Nothing had been said before about this and to charge extra for a disappointing salad just made matters worse. I had the Liberty Pole pizza. It was OK.
Disappointing salad. Lack of customer service by charging extra for the disappointment.
Just an OK pizza.
We will not be back. —HenriettaRob
2009-05-15 22:36:20 My fiance and I went here two days ago and it was out of this world good. The Cobbs Hill Salad just might be the best damn salad since Caesar. The MAG pizza was delicious, as well. We'll be back for multiple visits! —BatGuano
2009-06-19 21:03:43 Service was poor-we waited forever for our server to come by. My husband ordered a second beer and we had to finally ask another server to get it. We ordered the eggplant fries for $8 and got six skinny pieces. What a rip. The pizza had the potential of being good but was cold as was the Wease hamburger. —RocDiner
2009-07-08 00:00:57 I was here recently and had a not-so-great experience. The server barely checked on us and the appetizer took over 30 minutes to arrive (but our entrees arrived 5 minutes after we were done with the appetizer...). The parmesan and garlic wings had flavor but you could barely taste it because of the grease they were swimming in - these were seriously the greasiest wings I have ever had. At first I thought they were just finished with a lot of butter but the oil was present all the way through. Perhaps I had a different perception of what "wood fired" wings meant? My veggie burger was not that great - this may be due to personal preference as all I could taste was brown rice and I don't enjoy that in a burger. The french fries however were delicious as always. By the way, it costs an extra $1 to order the onion rings (these were also really good) as a side (even though it is not stated on the menu and the server didn't tell us) but since it was insignificant, we didn't bother mentioning it. It feels like the overall quality of service has gone down since they started getting popular. Such a shame. However, with the goal of supporting local restaurants, I will return to try the pizzas. —OneLove
2009-07-21 20:16:18 This is one of our go-to restaurants. We love the food, atmosphere, & service. —KellyT
2009-08-11 22:17:33 I was here the other night, had a "Gramm" (BBQ, cole slaw, pickles); wife had the "Duffy" (BBQ, bacon, cheddar). Both were good and juicy. The roll was excellent - server said their baker is Martusciello's which explains it. I was a little disappointed with the garlic rosemary fries, I thought they were a little overdone and could use some more flavor (ie. more garlic, parmesan on top) Service was fast and helpful. —JohnBarry
2009-08-19 12:12:23 I went here with my Girlfriend and her family last night after having some sushi appetizers at California Rollin (right next door). We split a chorizo and onion pizza, the hoffman (burger with cajun sauteed onions and bleu cheese) and some salad (It had onion and avocado). We could not get over how well prepared all the food was. The burger was one of the best I have had - the bleu cheese they use is extraordinarily flavorful, make sure to try it if you are a bleu cheese fan. The chorizo pizza was also knock your socks off delicious. The salad was nothing really to speak about but was a good complement to the pizza and burger. I also agree that the garlic herb fries could be better, but they were hot and crispy and in a generous portion. You can substitute fries for grilled veggies or onion rings as well.
The service was also very good here.
We will definitely be back. —WindyPig
2009-10-05 07:23:35 Went for lunch on a Saturday and was quite satisfied with both service and meal. Started with an order of the wings. While I didn't notice any wood fire flavor , the wings were very meaty and the sauce was better than most which I have had in the city. My wife had the Manhattan Square salad that came with lots of bacon and a very good dressing. Her only complaint was that the bread sticks were served cold to the point that the cheese inside was not melted. I opted for the Mag pizza and was very pleased with my choice.Even though I think this place rates at the top of the wood fired thin crust pizza joints that are popping up in the area, the burgers are the best around and still remain my first choice. You can't go wrong with either. Will return many times. —almorinelli
2009-10-27 13:17:15 I ate here on Sunday night with 4 friends. I shared the Park Ave Pizza, the Baked Spinach Goat Cheese and Fresh Artichoke Dip with Pita, and the Garlic Rosemary French Fries with my vegetarian friend. We both loved them! The pizza was delicious and great size for the price. The fries were good, but could have had more rosemary...you could pretty much only taste the garlic, but yummy nonetheless. One friend got the Wegman burger and loved both it and his fries. Another friend got the Golisano burger, and she loved that as well. Fourth friend got the Ellison Caesar salad and he seemed to enjoy it.
The atmosphere was really nice, no wait on a Sunday night, and the place was quiet and the music was at a nice level so you could chat without being overpowered. Only minor complaint was that 3 of the 4 of us were never offered water refills. This wasn't major, as we could have easily requested water as the waiter did stop by a few times to see how things were going. Also, the waiter was kind when he brought us the bill and we realized we had forgotten to ask for separate checks. He brought us out new ones with no complaints. I am looking forward to coming back! I'm also hopeful that they'd be willing to accommodate a party of 25 since we're hunting for a location for our rehearsal dinner! —JenniferVergamini
2009-11-14 20:17:50 I've been here twice, and have loved it both times. One of the things that strikes me about Gate House is their attention to detail in everything they do. From the decor and layout, to the actual food. This last time I had a mint lamb burger with the onion rings. The onion rings are probably among the best I've ever had. Perfectly crispy, and not oily. Burger and rings, amazing. My friend had the tuna, medium. I tasted it, it was really good. And that's the other thing about Gate House, the prices are SO reasonable, probably some of the best prices in Rochester for what you are getting! This is a great place to relax, have a drink, a great meal, and leave without breaking your bank. Really awesome place and they're doing everything right—hope they stick around for a long time! —VinceC
2009-11-24 11:30:41 I went to the Gate House with a friend a few Fridays ago. We arrived about 6:25 and were told there would be a 45 min wait. We went to the bar to get a drink while we waited. After we had been at the bar awhile we began to notice people being seated who had come in after us. I went to the hostess desk to inquire about our table and I was told they couldn't find us (I guess 15ft away at the bar was too far to go). They sat us right away to correct the oversight. Our waitress was very grumpy. We finished our drinks from the bar shortly after ordering and had to wait until another server brought the food to our table to order new drinks. Our waitress disappeared. The 2nd server we gave our orders to must not have paid attention because our waitress finally reappeared and had to ask what we wanted to drink again. It was frustrating. One would think at $4 for a draft beer and $6-$9 for wine the waitress would want to get us a drink! The food was really good! My friend got a burger and I got a pizza which was about $10 a piece. I would go back for the food but the service left much to be desired. —KatieS
