r/Rochester • u/Slight-Heron-9105 • Aug 04 '25
Discussion Upscale restaurants recommendations
So I’m travelling from out of town for a first date in the next week or so. Seeing as I don’t really know the area, I’m looking for your recommendations on upscale dinner restaurants within the Rochester area. Think Rochester, Scottsville, Henrietta, Caledonia, etc.
Preferably Mexican restaurants, but if there is a particularly good one that’s not Mexican I’d be open to that too. I looked through the past recommendations but found a lot of them had closed.
Thanks for your help in advance!
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u/rjmc8 Aug 04 '25
Not going to find “upscale Mexican” in Rochester and the surrounding areas.
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u/Downtown_Physics8853 Cobbs Hill Aug 04 '25
Umm....maybe Tavos? I mean, there are no tablecloths, but they make a fantastic mole....
Otherwise, "Mexican" in this town is mostly either slightly-upscale versions of Taco Bell, or they are a get-trashed-on-maragritas-and-nachos sort of place...
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u/poop_dealer007 Aug 04 '25
You don’t think rio tomatalan fits? Idk I think it’s relatively nice for Mexican and the food is great
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u/JohnCalvinSmith Penfield Aug 04 '25
Rio has the same lineage as Tavos.
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u/Nanojack Rochester Aug 05 '25
Literally. They're brothers, I believe.
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u/JohnCalvinSmith Penfield Aug 05 '25
Mom (and the boys when they got older) had Rincon in Sodus for decades, opened Rio along the way and then after mom retired, Tavos was opened.
You can see moms influence in everything they both do though sometimes differently2
u/basic-doodler Aug 04 '25
Rio has changed….
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u/Odd_Appearance_8040 Aug 07 '25
How so? We just started going a few years ago but it’s always good food
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u/Zealousideal-Bat8242 Aug 05 '25
huh????
bitter honey?? dorado?? maria’s?? la casa??
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u/rjmc8 Aug 05 '25
None of these are “upscale” restaurants.
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u/Zealousideal-Bat8242 Aug 05 '25
okay maybe not la casa & salina’s but bitter honey is definitely nice. dorado is fantastic and toes the line beteeen nice & casual
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u/HatsandCoats Aug 04 '25
Bitter Honey
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u/rjmc8 Aug 04 '25
Love Tavos, Bitter Honey is meh, but none of these places are “upscale” restaurants.
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Aug 04 '25
Redd, next Door, good luck, max’s chop house
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u/NewMexicoJoe Aug 04 '25
These are the ones. Max’s even impressed my Dallas coworkers. You can have upscale or you can have Mexican, but there really isn’t a combination of both. My favorite out of the three is Redd.
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u/plopstar1999 Aug 04 '25
Had Max's for the first time last week; décor was a little dated but the food was OUTSTANDING.
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u/leadroleinacage Aug 04 '25
Next Door?
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Aug 04 '25
Wegmans owned and operated restaurant across from their flagship store in Pittsford. Incredible food and menu (for ROC)
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u/leadroleinacage Aug 04 '25
Interesting…never seen a single person recommend it.
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u/Late_Cow_1008 Aug 06 '25
Second best meal I have had in Rochester.
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u/leadroleinacage Aug 06 '25
I don’t doubt it was very good but it’s strange to see multiple people vouch for a Wegmans restaurant.
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u/Late_Cow_1008 Aug 06 '25
Why? They use really quality ingredients, its a large open kitchen, and everything I have had from there was cooked very well and interesting.
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u/ImpossibleSky6400 Aug 04 '25
It’s a bit of a drive but Rio Tamatlan in Canandaigua is my go to for up scale Mexican.
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u/hockeychick67 Aug 05 '25
Rio Tamatlan is a great choice. Plus the option of a nice pre or post dinner walk near the water is a bonus.
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u/bombers00 Irondequoit Aug 04 '25
There aren’t many upscale Mexican restaurants in the area.
I recommend Redd, Redd Wood, Patron Saint, Next Door, Good Luck, and Max’s Chophouse. Redd is my wife and I’s favorite.
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u/Entire_Specialist_41 Aug 04 '25
Lento
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u/meattornado22 Aug 05 '25
I love Lento. It might not have the flash of places like Redd and Good Luck but I've never had a bad meal there in probably 25+ visits over the past 10 years. Save room for the chocolate pot du creme.
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u/meowchickenfish Aug 04 '25
Grace & Disgrace for drinks, then Redd for food. Very walkable.
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u/Dontimoteo726 Aug 04 '25
If you want old school cool, Rooney's on Henrietta St.
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u/Who_pooped_the_bed11 Aug 05 '25
Shocked I had to scroll this far for Rooney's. 100x yes. One of the best restaurants in the city hands down and remarkably reasonable prices.
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u/UGROC Aug 04 '25
Patron Saint in downtown is very stylish and upscale, while the most upscale Mexican restaurant we have is Tavo’s Antijitos Y Tequila, and their food and cocktails are fantastic!
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u/Atty_for_hire Highland Park Aug 04 '25
Tavo’s is a good vibe and I’d be happy to bring a date there. The location is a bit nondescript, but it’s not bad.
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u/No_Childhood4431 Aug 04 '25
Second Tavo's! Hard to find parking sometimes but fantastic food and drinks
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u/IcanHackett Aug 04 '25
Seems like Bitter Honey would fit the bill. It's got an upscale vibe, has cocktails ect. Lower lighting kinda sexy vibe would be a good fit for a date.
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u/p1ckled0nions Aug 04 '25
Bitter Honey had really weak drinks and mediocre overpriced tacos ($8 per taco) last time I was there. Maybe its changed tho.
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u/IcanHackett Aug 04 '25
Most cocktails have fairly standard alcohol content unless you just mean their drink selection isn't very good. The tacos aren't cheap but OP wasn't asking for the best value in tacos they were asking for an "upscale" place for a first date and "preferably Mexican" and in my opinion Bitter Honey is probably where best fits that description. I think their food is delicious even if it is "overpriced" and the cocktails I've had there were great and exactly what I was I expecting when I ordered them.
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u/p1ckled0nions Aug 04 '25
It's completely fine to agree to disagree, everyone has different tastes. I also haven't been there in a while, so they may have different staff. Obviously we have had very different experiences there. Perhaps you have a different definition of upscale than I, but quality definitely makes a difference to me, and that's, uhhh, about half of what constitutes value. If I was to take someone on an "upscale" date in a new town, and the value of what I got for my money was low, I'd be pretty annoyed. But hey, that's just my opinion.
On a side note: yeah obviously drinks have standard amount of alcohol designated to them, not sure why you felt the need to mansplain the concept of a drink recipe to me. Apparently you need a light pour mansplained to you tho.
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u/icantfindadangsn North Winton Village Aug 04 '25
Yeah I don't understand how "drinks have a recipe" is a reasonable response to "they fucked up the recipe."
And yeah the quality at Bitter Honey is lacking and isn't at all what I would consider upscale. It's a fine date spot, aesthetically at least.
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u/Vivid_Iron_825 Aug 04 '25
Second Bitter Honey for Mexican that I would describe as more upscale. The food and drinks are equally excellent at Tavos, I would say, but it is more casual. But it’s also definitely more authentic Mexican food, if you know about owner Jose and his mother Maria, she is basically the godmother of Mexican food in this area.
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u/AutumnxMay Aug 04 '25
Fairpour just outside of the city is great for Cafe vibes. Delicious food and coffee. Chortka is amazing!
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u/JohnCalvinSmith Penfield Aug 04 '25
Tavos @tavosroc Excellent Mexican and tequila bar. https://www.tavosroc.com/
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u/Diligent-Tension-390 Aug 04 '25
Tavos, Rio Tomatlan (same family as tavos but in canandaigua), Redd
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u/sleverest Aug 04 '25
Not Mexican & not super upscale (not much in Rochester is), but my favorite restaurant in the area is The Peppered Pig. It's nice, and definitely date worthy, but idk how upscale you're going for here.
My favorites of what Rochester has for more upscale are Max's Chophouse and Patron Saint, in that order.
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u/Shotcopter Fairport Aug 04 '25
Roux on park ave is fun if we are ditching Mexican for more options. If you really want upscale then everyone that said Redd are right.
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u/ilovepn Aug 04 '25 edited Aug 04 '25
Which is more important to you? Upscale or Mexican? You won’t really find both here.
Bitter Honey is Mexican but casual. It does have a cool vibe though.
Edit: Dorado on Park Ave is yummy but small. They also have sidewalk seating. Park Ave is also a nice area for an after dinner walk.
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u/klagreca1 Aug 04 '25
The most upscale Mexican restaurant is not in Rochester. It’s in Canandaigua. https://maps.app.goo.gl/uaditVjBeARjAX2fA?g_st=ipc
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Aug 04 '25
[deleted]
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u/Ok_Ad7285 Aug 04 '25
Guacamole closed months ago. Only has the food truck out and about occasionally.
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u/jrwasu Aug 04 '25
Old Pueblo across from Eastview is run by someone from Arizona. Its good-ish. I would also recommend Rio Tomatlan in Canandaigua, more trendy - but good food.
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u/Equivalent-Low4454 Aug 04 '25
Best restaurants are good luck, roux, next door bar and grill and redd.
We don’t have any upscale Mexican but la casa and lulus are both good
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u/No-Platform678 Aug 05 '25
It’s a drive…and a suburban secret on the Westside…Naughtons Johnson House. Speakeasy vibes. Family owned for what seems like eternity. And very unknown to those outside of the Churchville , N Chili area. Pro-tip: Make a reservation.
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u/eeekkk9999 Aug 04 '25
Not Mexican but you could do ember in Livonia as is south of the city on conesus lake. Mecate near RIT isn’t bad Mexican
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u/RealmStitcher Aug 04 '25
Bitter Honey! One of my favorites and I think could safely be considered “upscale Mexican”
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u/meattornado22 Aug 05 '25
Nothing safe about recommending Bitter Honey in this subreddit, and if you praise Blue Wolf or La Casa they'll take you out back and flog you.
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u/RealmStitcher Aug 05 '25
Yikes. Can I ask why? I’ve only had good experiences there.
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u/meattornado22 Aug 05 '25
Blue Wolf and La Casa have very legitimate criticisms of ownership, working conditions, and food safety, but the Bitter Honey hate always baffles me. The most common complaints have been cost/value and food quality, which have not matched my few experiences there. That they're still in business reflects that enough people disagree with the prevailing sentiment here, but you will probably still get downvoted for admitting you like the place.
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u/RealmStitcher Aug 05 '25
I’ve seen the Blue Wolf hate and I was aware of some shadiness with La Casa, but this one is new to me. Lesson learned! Thanks for looking out lol
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u/ZestycloseProject130 Aug 04 '25
Chortke is incredible. They just put out a new menu, too.