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Grinnell's was located northwest of Twelve Corners on Monroe Avenue and opened in 1961 by brothers Fred and Al Grinnell; in 1979, second generation first cousins, Rick DeMitry and David Grinnell continued the family tradition. An owner welcomed the patrons to the restaurant and would sometimes check on the table.
The restaurant was known for its steak, seafood, and chops. The menus, which centered around classic, upscale American and Italian.
In 2006 or 2007, the interior of the restaurant was remodeled, giving it less of a golf theme, and adding natural, contemporary wood and glass features. An upright player-piano played quiet jazz.
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2007-02-08 22:50:49 Long time supporters of this restaurant-we love it! —PeteB
2007-05-21 16:35:48 I visited this restaurant last night for a graduation dinner. The new ambiance was pleasing. Our service was decent. The food was well executed but staid. The Chicken French and Tilapia with Teriyaki Sauce were two tasty dishes, and they did compel me to eat slowly and savor each delicious bite. —BenMargolis
2008-03-19 14:59:06 I have dined at Grinnell's twice and must say that it is excellent. The service was fantastic and the food was extremely well prepared and full of flavor. I would suggest the shrimp cocktail (might be the best cocktail sauce I have ever had)and the artichokes french. Crablegs and the filet are also superb. 4.5 stars. —BeauWilson
2009-09-07 21:57:32 I have eaten at Grinnells probably a hundred times. Though it's been open since 1961, it never ceases to amaze me the number of people who have never eaten here before. The crowd is definitely older - and my wife and I are often the youngest people in the room (early 30s) - but the everything is quality. The bartenders know what the heck they're doing... the steak offerings are fantastic and not overly expensive. Many nights I go vegitarian and just get a double order of artichokes french and they're outstanding - never chewy or woody. Go to Grinnell's. —DavidGottfried
2009-12-12 16:02:13 I have been a customer of Grinnell's for quite some time. The Special Italian Salad is, in my opinion, one of the premier salads in the Rochester area. —illegalEAGLE
2010-01-22 21:10:27 After talking about going for a number of years finally visited with another couple. It is a meat lovers dream. Both the fried peppers and mushroom apps were very well done. I had the prime rib which was very lean and cooked excellent. My wife opted for the mixed grill that came with with enough meat to feed a small country. After trying her pork chop I wish I had chosen that.Our friends both were also happy with their meals, one having a T bone and the other a seafood dish. The service was very good and by Roch chop house standards the prices were quite reasonable. See no reason not to return. —almorinelli
2010-03-15 16:09:35 This place is a Rochester classic. It is a bit more pomp than circumstance, but they have the best french'ed dishes (artichokes french, chicken french etc.) in town. Great steaks and decent seafood. I would say that it is similar to Black and Blue, but I like Grinnells better because they make the drinks stronger and at least in my experience, you don't get the obnoxious Pittsfordites there. The last two times I went I saw high level Rochester politicians, so they must be doing something right. —ScottLaRock
2010-10-30 23:06:55 This place was a big disappointment. My gf and I went here on Saturday. The first thing that threw me off was the lack of parking. It's so bad they have a complimentary valet and park across the street. The room we were seating it was nice but the crowd was all old enough to have served in Korea and they were all yelling so the room got louder as it filled up. I could hear every table's conversation.
As for the food. The garlic bread is awful. Tasted and was burnt and had the wrong texture. The butter was also rock hard, and any good restaurant would have it at room temperature so that it's spreadable. For the main course I had the Saturday Special with was London Broil. When it arrived I was disappointed for $19 and change I would of expected more than 6oz of meat, it's not an expensive cut. There was some bland gravy sauce on top of it that needed salt. Also their potato options are a baked potato or a homefries think called lyndonnayise(sp?). I got the homefries thing and it was pretty much blah, but I doubt the baked potato would of been better. Considering the week before I was at Outback and I had a better steak there for 1/2 the price this place is a place I'm never going to try again. My gf all but apologized for picking it (and I know she'll read this).
If there is one redeeming aspect of this restaurant its that the service is excellent. But if the food sucks than that's just bland gravy on top of prime steak. —DamianKumor
2010-10-31 09:42:53 I was very disappointed by Grinnells. The decor was the nicest thing about the place. The Italian bread was almost inedible (how do you mess up Italian bread?). I ordered the filet mignon and was shocked to discover that I enjoyed my steak at Outback better than the $27 piece of meat I received at Grinnells.
2011-11-21 16:08:21 This is a review I originally posted on Yelp:
I hate to say that THIS is as good as Rochester dining gets. The food here is always good, which is nice, and the location, while cramped, is close to my neighborhood. I can accept the snooty, pretentious matre'd who always sticks us in the corner (although, last time, we WERE a bit under dressed...), but, yeah, the place is a bit cramped, and unless you're one of the 'beautiful people' (of which there are few in Rochester..), you'll never sit in the main dining room.
Still, it IS nice to have a restaurant as good as any you'd likely find in NYC here in town. I just wish they weren't so pretentious there.
