243 Highly Recommended Restaurants, Diners, Cafes, Pubs, Bakeries, and Bars Around Rochester

This list represents 40+ years of experience dining in the Rochester area, as well as recommendations of highly recommended restaurants from friends and colleagues. I had planned to stop at 52 (a new place to try every weekend) but the passionate recommendations kept coming in!

Rochestarians frequent these establishments because the food and atmosphere is consistently amazing. These are places the locals go several times a year, if not more, and recommend them to friends and visitors. Some of these food destinations are well-established, loved by generations, while others are quickly becoming favorites as Rochester’s culinary scene explodes.

Highly recommended restaurants in the City of Rochester

1. Abyssinia Ethiopian Restaurant
2. Aladdin’s Natural Eatery
3. Arnett Café
4. Bitter Honey
5. Black Button Distilling
6. Boulder Cafe & Lounge 
7. Boxcar Donuts & Fried Chicken
8. Brooklyn Ramen
9. Butapub
10. Cafe Sasso

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1. Captain Jim’s
2. Cedar Mediterranean Restaurant
3. Cheesy Eddie’s
4. Country Sweet
5. Dinosaur Bar-B-Que
6. Dogtown
7. Donuts Delight
8. Edibles Restaurant & Bar
9. El Latino
10. Flavors of Asia
11. Fiorella

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1. Flight West Wine & Whiskey Bar
2. Genesee Brew House
3. Golden Fox
4. Golden Port
5. Good Luck
6. Harry G’s NY Deli & Cafe 
7. Hettie’s Delites Cafe
8. Highland Park Diner
9. Hose 22 Firehouse Grill
10. James Brown’s Place

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31 Quirky Rochester-Area
Roadside Attractions

1. Java’s Cafe
2. Jay’s Diner
3. Jeremiah’s Tavern
4. Jim’s on Main
5. Jines Restaurant
6. Joe Bean Roasters
7. John’s Tex Mex
8. La Casa
9. Magnolias Deli & Cafe
10. Mamasan’s

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Top 32 Ice Cream Shops

1. Mark’s Texas Hots
2. Max’s Chop House
3. Mr. Theo’s Restaurant & Lounge
4. Mt Hope Family Diner 
5. Mullers Cider House
6. Nosh
7. Owl House
8. Park Ave Pub
9. Pizza Stop
10. Pomodoro Grill & Wine Bar
11. Railway Station Diner

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132 Day Trips
from Rochester, NY

1. Red Fern
2. Roam Cafe
3. Rocco
4. Rocky’s
5. Roncone’s Italian Restaurant
6. Rooney’s
7. Rubino’s
8. Salena’s Mexican Restaurant
9. SEA Restaurant
10. Sinbad’s Mediterranean Cuisine
11. Zoc’s Gourmet Burgers and Shakes

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Highly recommended restaurants with multiple locations

1. Abbott’s Frozen Custard
2. Benucci’s
3. Bill Gray’s 
4. Core Life Eatery
5. DiBella’s
6. Itacate 
7. Mr Dominic’s
8. Schaller’s Drive-In
9. Six-50 
10. Tai Chi Bubble Tea
11. Texas de Brazil
12. The Distillery
13. Tom Wahl’s
14. Village Bakery

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Highly recommended restaurants in Monroe County

Brighton

1. Amaya Indian Cuisine
2. Basha Mediterranean Eatery
3. Cerame’s Italian Villa
4. Char Broil
5. Chen Garden
6. Delmonico’s
7. Grinnell’s Restaurant
8. Phillips European
9. Plum Garden
10. Ristorante Lucano
11. Sodam Korean Restaurant
12. Thali of India
13. The Beer Market
14. The King and I

Brockport

1. Brockport Diner

Chili

1. Acropolis Family Restaurant
2. Leaf & Bean Coffee Co

East Rochester

1. Guacamole Authentic Mexican Taqueria
2. Landmark Family Restaurant
3. Lemoncello Italian Restaurant & Bar
4. Leo’s Bakery & Deli
5. New Yorker’s Pancake & Grill

Fairport

1. Donnelly’s Public House
2. Durf’s Family Restaurant
3. McArdle’s Restaurant
4. Mulconry’s Irish Pub and Restaurant
5. Riki’s Family Restaurant

Gates

1. Agatina’s
2. Edoya
3. Fatso’s Bar & Grille
4. Mesquite Grill
5. Mr Beenz Diner 
6. Shmeg’s Restaurant

Greece

1. Bernard’s Grove
2. Orien’s Café
3. Patti’s Pantry

Henrietta

1. Bob’s Diner
2. Lovin’ Cup
3. Mamma G’s
4. Naan-tastic
5. Pi Craft
6. Tandoor of India

Hilton

1. Jo’s Diner

Irondequoit

1. Atlas Eats
2. Don’s Original
3. Eastridge Family Restaurant
4. Pasta VillaRidge Donut Cafe
5. Savoia Pastry Shoppe
6. Shamrock Jack’s Irish Pub
7. Thai Mii Up

North Chili

1. North Chili Family Restaurant

Penfield

1. Five Mile Café
2. George’s Family Restaurant
3. The Original Steve’s Diner

Pittsford

1. Back Nine Grill
2. Burger Bar by Wegmans
3. JoJo’s Bistro & Wine Bar
4. Label 7 Napa Eatery & Bar
5. Next Door by Wegmans
6. Pittsford Farms Dairy & Bakery
7. Simply Crepes
8. Village Coal Tower Restaurant

Scottsville

1. Artisan Coffeehouse
2. Salvatore’s Saloon 
3. Scottsville Diner

Spencerport

1. Sullivan’s Charbroil
2. Union Street Eatery

Webster

1. BC’s Chicken Coop
2. Castaways on the Lake
3. Charlie’s Restaurant
4. Empire Pizza
5. Garlic Pit
6. Jade Palace
7. Maa’s Diner
8. Mama Lor’s Café
9. Mario’s Homemade Pasta Kitchen
10. Monte Alban Mexican Restaurant
11. Nucci’s Italian Steak and Seafood
12. Nutcracker Family Restaurant
13. Proietti’s Italian Restaurant
14. T’s Family Restaurant
15. The Waffle Factory

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Highly recommended restaurants outside Monroe County

Angelica

1. Black Eyed Susan Acoustic Café
2. Cartwright’s Maple Tree Inn 

Auburn

1. Hunter’s Dinerant
2. Peppermints

Baldwinsville

1. B’Ville Diner
2. Canal Walk Café

Bath

1. Chat-A-Whyle Restaurant 

Belfast

1. Ace’s Country Cupboard

Buffalo

1. Amy’s Place
2. Bertha’s Diner
3. Daisies Café
4. Kenmore Village Restaurant
5. Lake Effect Diner
6. Swan Street Diner

Caledonia

1. Cozy Kitchen
2. Reminisce Soda Fountain

Canandaigua

1. Macri’s Deli & Café

Clarence

1. Emilys Family Diner

Corning

1. Donna’s Restaurant

Cuba

1. Moonwinks

Darien Center

1. Johnny Bear’s Restaurant

Derby

1. Super Freeze Drive In

Farmington

1. El Jimador
2. Park Place Restaurant

Geneseo

1. Euro Café Real Food & Deli

Geneva

1. Water Street Café

Holley

1. Sam’s Diner

Honeoye

1. Mill Creek Café

Hornell

1. The Texas Café

Ithaca

1. Lincoln Street Diner

Jamestown

1. Johnny’s Lunch

Lakeville

1. 3 Legged Pig BBQ
2. Lakeville Family Restaurant

LeRoy

1. D & R Depot Restaurant
2. Farmer’s Creekside Tavern & Inn

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Lewiston

1. The Silo

Lima

1. Lima Diner

Liverpool

1. Heid’s of Liverpool

Lockport

1. Lock 34 Bar & Grill
2. Sunny’s Family Restaurant
3. Tom’s Diner

Lyons

1. The Caboose

Macedon

1. Log Cabin Family Restaurant

Medina

1. Country Club Family Restaurant

Montour Falls

1. Classic Chef’s

Naples

1. Bob & Ruth’s Vineyard Restaurant
2. Roots Café

Newark

1. Bee Tee’s Drive-In

Olean

1. Beef’n’Barrel
2. Chuck Wagon

Ontario

1. Heintzelman’s BBQ Pit

Oswego

1. Dahls Diner
2. Rudy’s Lakeside Drive-In
3. The Coffee Connection
4. Mom and Pop’s Soda Shop

Painted Post

1. Jelly Beans Restaurant

Palmyra

1. Chill & Grill
2. Yellow Mills Diner

Penn Yan

1. Andy’s BBQ Shack
2. Penn Yan Diner
3. Skyline Trading Post

Perry

1. Country Kitchen & Pizzeria

Portville

1. Sprague’s Maple Farms

Sanborn

1. Tina’s Place

Skaneateles

1. Doug’s Fish Fry

Sodus

1. El Rincon
2. Hots Point

Sylvan Beach

1. Canal View Café

Syracuse

1. Mother’s Cupboard
2. Stella’s Diner
3. The Gem Diner

Tonawanda

1. The Dockside Bar & Grill

Trumansburg

1. Felicia’s Atomic Brewhouse and Bakery

Victor

1. Chit Chat Café

Warsaw

1. Silverlake Family Restaurant

Waterloo

1. Abigail’s Restaurant
2. Connie’s Diner
3. Mac’s Drive-in
4. Star Diner

Weedsport

1. DB’s Drive In

Wellsville

1. Texas Hot

Williamson

1. Orbakers Drive In
2. Original Candy Kitchen

Youngstown

1. Youngstown Village Diner

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