Restaurants

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Rochester is home to an amazingly diverse collection of restaurants - everything from diners and family joints to regional and national chains to upscale dining experiences. In fact, Western to Central New York - roughly Buffalo to Syracuse - is said to have the least number of chain restaurants per capital in the country (with the exception of New York City). This is attributed to the large number of independent restaurants with loyal local customer basis.1

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Categories
Restaurant Styles
Breakfast Buffets Cafes Casual Gourmet
Chains Diners Family Restaurants Fast Casual
Fast Food Take-Out Upscale
Cuisines
Asian Food BBQ Caribbean Food Chinese Food
Eclectic Foods Ethiopian Food European Food German Food
Greek Food Halal Foods Indian Food Italian Food
Japanese Food Korean Food Kosher Food Lebanese Food
Mediterranean Food Mexican Food Pizzerias Rochester Cuisine
Seafood Southern Cuisine Steakhouses Thai Food
Turkish Food Vegan Vegetarian Vietnamese Food
Specific Foods
Bagels Beer Bubble Tea Cakes
Donuts Frozen Yogurt Garbage Plates Hots
Ice Cream Rochester Hamburgers Subs Wings
See Also
Alfresco Dining Bakeries Bars Brunch
Catering Cheap Food Coffeehouses Delis
Delivery Farm Markets Gastropubs Gluten-Free
Grocery Stores Hole-in-the-Wall Juice Bars Street Meat
Waterfront Dining

Breakfast

Listing of restaurants that offer a breakfast menu. Note that most downtown restaurants are open only for breakfast and lunch.

    1. Sit-down Service
      1. City of Rochester
      2. Regional
    2. 24-Hour Service
    3. Sandwiches, Pastries & Bagels
    4. Major Chains
    5. See Also

Sit-down Service

City of Rochester

Regional

24-Hour Service

Sandwiches, Pastries & Bagels

Major Chains

See Also

Buffets

List of restaurants that offer buffets, broken down by cuisine.

American

Chinese

Indian

Pizza

Other

See Also

Cafes

A cafe is a small restaurant similar to a coffee shop but with more emphasis on dining. Of course, there is a considerable overlap between the two categories. A cafe may or may not have wifi.

City of Rochester

Regional

Casual Gourmet Restaurants

Casual gourmet restaurants are restaurants that aren't quite upscale, but also aren't diners or chains.

City of Rochester

Regional

Chain Restaurants

List of chain restaurants in and around Rochester.

Popular Categories

Local to the Rochester Area

Local to New York

National Chains

Diners

Rochester does not disappoint when it comes to unique and interesting diners1. Some of them are cheap, some are sleazy, all will keep refilling your coffee.

City of Rochester

Regional

See Also

Family Restaurants

Our Family Restaurants provides a category listing of restaurants that are moderate priced, sit-down, eating establishments with a variety of menu choices. Typically, the family restaurants do not have a bar or serve alcohol and may have specific children's menus or menu sections. There may be some overlap between family restaurants and diners, which typically have counter seating and/or are built in the old-fashion diner building style.

Independent

City of Rochester

Regional

Chains

Fast Casual

[wikipedia]Fast_Casual refers to an eatery that combines the convenience of fast food with the higher quality of casual gourmet dining. The concept was pioneered in the 1990s and has become increasingly popular, especially as a healthier alternative to traditional fast food. Common characteristics include:

  • Limited-service or self-service format.

  • Average meal price between $8 and $15.

  • Made-to-order food with more complex flavors than fast food restaurants.

  • Upscale, unique or highly developed decor.

  • Usually will not have a drive thru.

The Rochester area offers the following:

Fast Food

List of fast food restaurants in and around Rochester.

Local

Chains

See Also

Take-Out Food

Most restaurants now allow customers to pick up ready-to-eat food for off-premise consumption, sometimes for an extra fee. Establishments on this page primarily operate as take-out restaurants by having little or no seating.

City of Rochester

Regional

See Also

Upscale Restaurants

List of fine dining in Rochester and the surrounding area.

City of Rochester

Regional

Asian Food

The Asian Food page lists restaurants that are not (exclusively) Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Korean, Thai, Nepali or Indian. Also includes Asian Fusion, which combines the cuisines of multiple cultures.

City of Rochester

Regional

See Also

BBQ

Restaurants

City of Rochester

Regional

Festivals

Teams

Traveling

Caribbean Food

List of restaurants that includes Puerto Rican, Dominican, Jamaican, and others.

See also: La Avenida

Chinese Food

Takeout Only

Dim Sum

Dine-In

City of Rochester

Regional

See Also

Eclectic Foods

Restaurants that don't really fit into any other category.

Ethiopian Food

List of restaurants serving Ethiopian cuisine.

See Also

European Food

Restaurants serving European cuisine that is not German, Italian, or Greek.

German Food

Restaurants serving cuisine from Germany and Austria.

City of Rochester

Regional

Greek Food

List of restaurants, bakeries, and shops offering Greek cuisine.

City of Rochester

Suburbs

Halal Foods

The Halal Foods page covers both restaurants and grocery stores that provide foods that comply with [wikipedia]Halal, the Islamic dietary law. Below we provide space for Certified Locations that display a Halal certificate.

Restaurants

Grocery and Meat Markets

Indian Food

Restaurants in and around Rochester specializing in Indian cuisine.

City of Rochester

Suburbs

See Also

Italian Food

A list of Italian restaurants in Rochester and the surrounding area.

City of Rochester

A large list of reviews about Italian restaurants in Rochester can be found [WWW]here.

Regional

See Also

Japanese Food

Our Japanese Food page provides a list of restaurants and shops offering Japanese Food in the Rochester area.

Grocery Stores

Restaurants

City of Rochester

Regional

Mobile

See Also

Comments:

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Korean Food

List of restaurants specializing in Korean food.

City of Rochester

Regional

See also: Asian Food

Kosher Food

Rochester is home to the largest Jewish community in New York State outside of the New York City metro area. For religiously observant Jews, Rochester has a variety of kosher certified establishments to purchase food. In addition to the bakeries, restaurants, delis, and other places on this list, supermarkets Wegmans and Tops have a wide selection of kosher goods for sale. Local liquor stores also carry a selection of kosher wines.

[WWW]Kosher Law Protection Act of 2004 requires that consumers of food represented as kosher in New York be provided with information identifying the person or organization certifying that food as kosher. The department of agriculture for NYS maintains a database you can search of establishments that have registered.

See Also

Lebanese Food

Restaurants in the Rochester area that serve Lebanese cuisine.

See also: Mediterranean Food

Mediterranean Food

This page lists restaurants serving either pan-Mediterranean cuisine or a Mediterranean cuisine that is not Greek, Lebanese, or Turkish. The region covers parts of Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East.

City of Rochester

Regional

Mexican Food

List of restaurants serving Mexican cuisine in Rochester and the surrounding area. Includes variations such as Tex-Mex.

City of Rochester

Regional

Mobile

Other

Pizza

Like most of America, the Rochester area has many options for pizza. Styles include brick oven, hearth baked, wood fried, thick crust, thin crust, and deep dish.

Also check out [wikipedia]tomato_pie, a related food that originated in Utica.

  1. Pizzerias
    1. Locally Owned
      1. City of Rochester
      2. Regional
    2. Local and Regional Chains
    3. National Chains
  2. Other Places for Pizza
    1. Locally Owned
      1. City of Rochester
      2. Regional
    2. Local and Regional Chains
    3. National Chains
  3. See Also
  4. External Links

Pizzerias

Eateries that specialize in pizza. Casual joints may also offer wings, subs, salad, pasta dishes, calzones, and fried foods, while more upscale places might have a full restaurant menu. * indicates delivery. If you do not see an asterisk, we recommend you call and confirm; we may have missed delivery on the website.

Locally Owned

City of Rochester

Regional

Local and Regional Chains

Pizzeria chains exclusive to either the Rochester area or New York State.

National Chains

Other Places for Pizza

Restaurants, bars, bakeries, and delis that are not dedicated pizzerias yet offer pizza and/or tomato pie on the menu. Most do not offer delivery.

Locally Owned

City of Rochester

Regional

Local and Regional Chains

Exclusive to either the Rochester area or New York State.

National Chains

See Also

External Links

  • [WWW]r/Rochester discussion on where to find tomato pie in the Rochester area.

  • [WWW]The Rochester NY Pizza Blog is an extensive exposition of pizza in the Rochester area. Includes individual listings with photos and write-ups. A Google User Map provides geographic focus on the listed establishments. Tagging system by zip code, type of pizza, carry-out vs. eat-in, slices available, etc.

Rochester Cuisine

Rochester has many restaurants at all price points serving a variety of cuisine. But the following restaurants serve primarily what some call "Rochester Cuisine" - Garbage Plates, Hots, Hot Sauce and Rochester Hamburgers

Western New York Cuisine

A page devoted to the food of Western New York beyond Rochester.

Seafood

The following restaurants have a significant portion of their menu dedicated to fish and seafood.

City of Rochester

Suburbs

See Also

Southern Cuisine

A listing of restaurants that offer cuisine from the American South, such as Cajun, Creole, and Lowcountry. This category also includes African-American soul food, which is closely related and has Southern origins.

See also: BBQ

Links

Steakhouses

The following restaurants have a significant portion of their menu dedicated to steaks and chops.

City of Rochester

Regional

Thai Food

List of restaurants in the Rochester area serving the cuisine of Thailand.

City of Rochester

Regional

See Also

Turkish food

List of shops and restaurants.

See Also

Vegan Dining Guide

This page lists vegan and vegan-friendly restaurants, bakeries, coffee shops, bars, supermarkets, and more in and near Rochester, NY.

  1. Restaurants
    1. Entirely Vegan
      1. City of Rochester
      2. Rochester Metropolitan Area
    2. Some Vegan Options
      1. City of Rochester
        1. Breakfast/Bakeries
          1. Coffee Houses/Cafes/Juice Bars
        2. American/Diner/Fusion
          1. Bars
        3. Ethiopian
        4. Mexican/Tex Mex
        5. Asian
        6. Indian
        7. Greek/Mediterranean
        8. Italian
        9. Dessert/Bake Shops/Ice Cream
        10. Meal Delivery
      2. Rochester Metropolitan Area
        1. Unconfirmed Vegan Options
        2. Food Trucks
        3. Museums/Zoos/Aquariums
        4. Supermarkets/Grocery Stores
        5. National Chains in the Rochester Area with Vegan Options
  2. Regional
    1. Buffalo Area
    2. Niagara Falls, ON Area
    3. Syracuse Area
    4. Ithaca Area
    5. Watkins Glen Area
    6. Corning Area
  3. Area Vegan Festivals
    1. Ontario, Canada
    2. New York City/Downstate/Eastern NY
    3. Pennsylvania
  4. See Also

Restaurants

Entirely Vegan

City of Rochester

  • Clownboy Coffee - Coffee shop with baked goods

  • Natural Oasis Cafe: Ethiopian-style food, buffets all day Monday and 11-4 Tuesday to Saturday, chocolate coconut milk ice cream, and a small natural supplements and oils store

  • The Red Fern: Salads, sandwiches, snacks, entrees, house-baked desserts (pastry case with cakes, cookies, brownies, cheesecake, cupcakes, donuts, truffles, etc. for dine-in or take-out, all baked in-house), fresh juice, smoothies, beer & wine, kombucha on tap. Many gluten-free options. Also offers catering and special order whole cakes.

  • Grass Fed: Rochester vegan, kosher butchershop. Sandwiches offered everyday as well as a case full of vegan meats. Gluten-free options are available in the case as well.

Rochester Metropolitan Area

Some Vegan Options

City of Rochester

    Breakfast/Bakeries

    • Balsam Bagels: A wide variety of vegan bagels, vegan cream cheeses (including many prepackaged flavors to buy for home), faux-meats such as sausage and carrot lox, daily vegan soups, vegan samosas, and vegan pastries.

    • Bruegger's: Many of their bagels are vegan (check the website or ask for ingredients in-store).

    • Mad Hatter Tea Room & Cafe: Breakfast place with a few vegan options clearly marked on the menu: tofu scramble (the only naturally vegan item), grilled marinated veggie sandwich (ask for no cheese, although it will be grilled on the same surface as non-vegan sandwiches), and a portobello sandwich (not normally vegan due to a red pepper aioli, but there is a standard vegan version with red pepper strips instead).

    • Orange Glory Cafe: Cafe with a menu that changes daily and often has vegan sandwiches and burgers (not necessarily clearly marked)

    Coffee Houses/Cafes/Juice Bars

    • Boulder Coffee Company: Coffee shop that can make vegan hot chocolate

    • Breathe Yoga: Yoga studio with a juice and smoothie bar open to the public. Snacks and meals are available to buy to go, with the vegan options clearly labeled. Two locations in the city and four more in the suburbs.

    • Cafe Sasso: Cafe with cocktails and vegan food options; cookies & brownies from The Red Fern

    • Equal Grounds: Coffee shop with smoothies

    • Fifth Frame Brewing Company: Coffee shop / bar with a few vegan mylk options & generally one vegan food option on the menu

    • Founders Cafe: Cafe with labeled herbivore sandwiches and herb-roasted veggie paninis

    • Fuego Coffee Roasters: Coffee shop with vegan cookies from The Red Fern

    • Glen Edith Coffee Roasters: Coffee shop with some vegan cookies from The Red Fern and a vegan hummus sandwich

    • Java's Cafe: Coffee place with vegan flourless cakes, cupcakes, cookies, and other pastries.

    • Just Juice 4 Life: Mostly vegan juice bar, but offers to use honey in drinks.

    • Leaf Tea Bar: Tea House with vegan chai, vegan matcha lattes & vegan cookies from The Red Fern

    • Ugly Duck Coffee: Coffee drinks and vegan pastries from The Red Fern and Scratch

    American/Diner/Fusion

    • Dinosaur BBQ: Vegan portabellla sandwich/plate

    • The Distillery: They have a veggie burger that is vegan if you order it on a wheat flatbread and exclude the mayonnaise dressing. Several other appetizer and side dishes are naturally vegan.

    • Dogtown: Vegan hot dots, vegan chili, vegan garbage plates, and more. Vegan specials every Thursday.

    • Effortlessly Healthy: Clearly-labeled vegan "trash plate", hummus wrap, and sides.

    • The Frog Pond on Park: Veggie burger on the menu.

    • Good Luck: A few of the options on the menu are vegan. Options are not labeled, though, so ask your waiter!

    • The Grilled Cheese Factory

    • Jine's Restaurant: Menu includes and labels one or two vegan options.

    • The Owl House: Huge selection of vegan dishes. Brunch, dinner, dessert, and more. Reservations are almost always needed to get a seat during brunch or dinner.

    • Roam Cafe: Has a tofu scramble on the brunch menu. On the regular menu, "Rustica" pizza without cheese, house salad. Usually the Veg of the Day can be made vegan. A reported pasta option, sweet and sour stir fry, and balsamic vegetable saute (the last two are unconfirmed if vegan without modifications)

    • Tapas 177: Small plates from many types of cuisines with a pretty big vegan section clearly marked

    Bars

    • Bar Bantam: Chickpea "egg" option for all sandwiches on the breakfast menu. Most items on the vegetable-focused lunch menu can be made vegan by substituting tofu for other protein. Dinner service began on 4/13/18, will update with options!

    • Marshall Street Bar and Grill: Bar with vegan sloppy joes, vegan chili, vegan hot dogs, and tater tots!

    • The Old Toad: British-style pub with a curried chickpea burger on the menu

    • Swillburger: Diner-style restaurant with veggie burgers, veggie specials like cauliflower wings, fries and tater tots not fried with anything non-vegan, and vegan milkshakes! Attached to a bar and arcade called The Playhouse

    • The Swan Dive: Has one vegan pizza option on menu

    Ethiopian

    • Abyssinia: Menu has a separate vegetarian section on the menu (whose dishes are vegan).

    • Addis Ababa: Menu has a separate vegetarian section,

    • Taste of Ethiopia: Some vegan items listed on the menu.

    • Zemeta Ethiopian Restaurant: Authentic Ethiopian with several vegan options and a vegan platter, with all-day vegan buffets on Friday and Saturday

    Mexican/Tex Mex

    • Bitter Honey: All-corn tortillas made in-house (no burritos). Several items on the menu that should be vegan with little or no modification

    • La Casa Restaurant: Mexican with vegan options.

    • Salena's: Located in the Village Gate, it has some naturally vegan options, but be prepared to ask a lot of questions to be sure. Guacamole is not vegan.

    Asian

    • Blue Taro: Vietnamese food with separate, extensive vegan menu

    • Chopsticks Chinese Restaurant: Cantonese food with a section on the menu listing all of the vegetarian dishes, which most are actually vegan

    • Furoshiki: Japanese and Korean food with several items that are vegan or can be easily made vegan, such as shoe string fries, rice, sweet potato fries, avocado salad without dressing, tofu bites, miso veggie ramen without egg, veggie ramen with rice or udon noodles, tofu and avocado sandwich without aioli, tofu and veggie hibachi with steamed rice or ask for fried rice with oil instead of butter. Be sure to ask for vegan.

    • Plum House: Japanese with vegan options.

    Indian

    Greek/Mediterranean

    Italian

    • Fiorella: Italian at the Public Market

    • Rocco: Authentic Italian with a few vegan options - veggie pizza, pasta, salad & sides (be sure to order "no cheese" on these, by default most come with cheese)

    • Squatcho's: 100% vegan pizza and subs

    • Stromboli's Restaurant: Has vegan cheese for pizza, calzone, stromboli.

    Dessert/Bake Shops/Ice Cream

    Meal Delivery

Rochester Metropolitan Area
Unconfirmed Vegan Options

The following places almost certainly have many naturally vegan options, just based on the type of cuisine, but there is currently no information on what exactly is vegan or how vegan-friendly/aware the staff is. These may be moved to other sections or removed as people visit these locations or talk with the owners and find out more information.

Food Trucks
Museums/Zoos/Aquariums
Supermarkets/Grocery Stores

  • Abundance Cooperative Market: Many vegan groceries, along with clearly-labeled vegan sandwiches/wraps, pastries/desserts, soups, and hot bar items. Located in Rochester

  • Honeoye Falls Marketplace: A small selection of local and vegan groceries, such as Eat Me Ice Cream. Located in Honeoye Falls

  • India House Food & Imports: This grocery store near the India House Express location has many naturally vegan Indian grocery items.

  • Lori's Natural Foods: Lots of vegan groceries and clearly-labeled fresh vegan food made on location daily, such as sandwiches/wraps, salads, dips, lasagna, croquets, desserts, . Located in Henrietta

  • Red Bird Market: A small selection of local and vegan groceries such as many varieties of local pastas labeled as vegan, fresh-ground nut butters in lots of flavors and combinations, and amazing bread from Amazing Grains Bread Company. Located in Fairport

  • Trader Joe's: Less expensive than Wegmans, but not as consistent with labeling. Some items are vegan but not labeled as such. They will, however, provide a huge list of vegan items if requested. Located in Pittsford

  • Wegmans: Labels vegan store-brand groceries and take-out. Food bar labels vegan options, but watch out for occasional errors. Some locations have full restaurants with vegan options, some labeled and some not.

National Chains in the Rochester Area with Vegan Options

Regional

This section contains all the restaurants that have clearly-labeled vegan options that you could drive to and back in a day from the Rochester area.

Buffalo Area

Niagara Falls, ON Area

Syracuse Area

  • Alto Cinco: Mexican with clearly labeled vegan options: [WWW]http://www.altocinco.net/menu/. Located in Syracuse.

  • Dorian’s Gourmet Pizza & Deli: Vegan pizza and sandwiches, clearly labeled: [WWW]http://dorianspizzasyracuse.com/28742. Located in Syracuse.

  • Everyday Gourmet Cafe: All vegan American comfort food. Located in Sodus.

  • Green Planet Grocery: Many vegan grocery options and packaged vegan meals. Located in Syracuse

  • Peppino's Neapolitan: Pizza place with vegan cheese: [WWW]http://peppinosneo.com/menus/. Located in Syracuse (note that there are several other locations without the "Neapolitan" in the name that do not carry vegan cheese).

  • Recess Coffee House and Roastery: Cafe with clearly labeled vegan sandwiches, specials, and baked goods: https://recesscoffee.com/. Located in Syracuse

  • Roji Tea House: Tea house with clearly marked vegan dessert items: [WWW]http://rojitealounge.com/menu/. Located in Syracuse

  • Strong Hearts Cafe: All-vegan American fusion counter-service restaurant. Can take a long time to get food when busy. Located in Syracuse

  • Strong Hearts on the Hill: All-vegan American fusion counter-service restaurant in food court. Located in Syracuse

  • The Sweet Praxis: Bakery with vegan options such as donuts, cookie sandwiches, and cakes you can order. Located in Syracuse

  • Syracuse Cooperative Market: Many vegan grocery options. Located in Syracuse

Ithaca Area

  • Aladdins Natural Eatery: Lots of options are vegan-by-default

  • Ciao: Italian place that has vegan menus you can request.

  • CollegeTown Bagels: Vegan options clearly marked, including vegan cream cheese, tofu scramble, chik'n salad, and sanwiches

  • Core Life Eatery: Make-your-own salad, grain, and noodle bowls with clearly-labeled vegan items

  • Green Star Cooperative Market: Lots of vegan groceries and many clearly-marked vegan hot bare and freshly-made take-away items (including sandwiches and baked goods).

  • Hawi Ethiopian: All entries in the vegetarian section are vegan: https://www.hawiithaca.com/dinner-menu.html

  • Ithaca Bakery: Sandwiches and more, with all vegan options clearly labeled: [WWW]http://ithacabakery.com/menus/sandwiches.html

  • Mia Tapas Bar & Restaurant: Tapas with clearly labeled vegan options: [WWW]http://www.miaithaca.com/cuisine.php

  • Moosewood: Clearly-labeled vegan options: https://moosewoodcooks.com/restaurant-menu/

  • Pizza Aroma: Vegan pizzas and calzones are available.

  • Purity Ice Cream: Always has several vegan ice cream options.

  • Ten Forward Cafe: All-vegan counter-service American food on the second floor of a book store.

  • Viva Taqueria and Cantina: Mexican with vegan options clearly marked: [WWW]http://www.vivataqueria.com/images/viva_menu.pdf

  • Waffle Frolic: Breakfast food with vegan options clearly marked, including vegan waffles and waffle-covered veggie dogs!

Watkins Glen Area

Corning Area

Area Vegan Festivals

All the vegan festivals within half a day's drive from the Rochester area are listed here:

See Also

Vegetarian Food

The following restaurants, delis, and grocery stores have a substantial number of vegetarian items available:

See Also

Vietnamese Food

List of restaurants specializing in Vietnamese cuisine.

City of Rochester

Suburbs

See Also