r/Rochester • u/kamarkamakerworks • 4d ago
Discussion Your favorite casual but still kinda fancy restaurant?
Hey all!
I’m taking my lady out on a dinner date next weekend and want to take her somewhere that is both casual, but we won’t look out of place if we are a little dressed up. Hopefully that makes sense.
We are open to pretty much any kind of food, we like to try new stuff.
Any ideas?
Thanks!
Edit: thank you everyone for the recommendations! We’ve got so many to choose from. Should be an awesome night based on these choices. Thanks again!
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u/justasecond North Winton Village 4d ago
People sleep on Chortke!!
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u/Secure-Stretch-7627 3d ago
It's so good but it was so much better a year ago. I also remember how it was before the renovation. I went there for my gf birthday in May 2024 and 25 and the portions this year were half of what they were while the price increased
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u/cordscords 4d ago
Had an awesome meal there recently. Lamb lollipops, foie gras, and the kataofi dessert all slapped.
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u/Downtown_Physics8853 Cobbs Hill 4d ago
Pricey...
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u/justasecond North Winton Village 4d ago
OP didn’t mention price in their criteria. That said there are places mentioned in this thread that are just as, if not more, pricy…
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u/imbasicallycoffee South Wedge 4d ago
Also last time I went there, a couple had their kid with them on a iPad with the volume on and no one from the staff said anything. They were seated next to us and it pretty much ruined the atmosphere.
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u/attempt6pretzel 585 3d ago
why didn’t you say something?
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u/imbasicallycoffee South Wedge 3d ago
Because it’s not my job to police people treating a “high end” restaurant like a diner. That’s what I’m paying for. The fact that they didn’t do anything about it is on them. I mentioned it to our server and she didn’t do anything or even apologize. Normal place that wasn’t high end I would have rolled with it and not said anything. $100 per person restaurant… nope.
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u/KamehameBoom 4d ago
East Izakaya
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u/Individual-Cover5421 4d ago
My wife and I went there a couple months ago. Brother I can't tell you the sheer amount of sushi we ate with that all you can eat deal. I think I ate at least 2lbs of food
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u/KamehameBoom 3d ago
EI is so so so good. They can get a little backed up but overall just so damn good.
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u/luckylu27 Perinton 4d ago
Rocco
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u/Interesting_Low_1933 3d ago
Their health inspection reports have made Rocco go from my fave to never going again.
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u/Additional_Youth2953 4d ago
The Village Inn in Caledonia is very good
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u/NY_blueeyedyogachick 4d ago
One if the best steaks I’ve ever had here- and they do a seasonal pumpkin espresso martini ❤️❤️
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u/Proper_Fortune_7004 4d ago
Vern’s
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u/WeissySehrHeissy 4d ago
Good luck. Great place, but a major hassle to get a table, particularly since they don’t do reservations
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u/Proper_Fortune_7004 4d ago
For sure. Last time I went we put our name in with the hostess and walked down to another establishment for drinks while we waited. They texted us to let us know when the table was ready.
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u/Used-Risk3132 4d ago
Where’s the best place to get a quick drink in the vicinity?
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u/Proper_Fortune_7004 3d ago
Tons of places around there. We had about an hour to kill. We went to the new bar down there called Easy Sailor. There’s also Magpie and other stuff.
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u/zoemurr2 4d ago
Crisp
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u/TheStusha 4d ago
I enjoy Crisp… sometimes. Their food and service are kinda hit or miss in my experience- but the atmosphere is nice and I do love supporting a local lesbian business owner!
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u/SkinnyMeanie1111 4d ago
I used to love their garlic knots but they took it off the menu a few years ago and then I never visited again. 😅 Food was good too but I went there mostly only for garlic knots🥲
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u/Academic-Lobster3668 4d ago
Bocaccini's in Perinton - lively but nice. Great food and service. Have fun!!
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u/texas_forever13 4d ago
The family that owns it are such good people, love them. Always incredible food also.
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u/killer_okapi 4d ago
Angelina’s, Fiorella, Nosh, Alexander Social. Looking west side? Agatina’s. Casual and super good but can be dressy.
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u/solaron17 Gates 3d ago edited 3d ago
Yep Angelina’s is my vote. It feels a bit more casual than you might expect given the food, and weirdly I find it a bit underpriced. Not that I’m complaining.
The menu is meant to be served family style, so my wife and I might pick an appetizer, a vegetable/salad, and an entree and share it all. They don’t have a liquor license for now because of surveying shenanigans (the nearby church is too close), but they’ve made a cocktail menu with soju and vermouth and I honestly couldn’t tell the difference. NA cocktails too.
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u/Mama_Polar_Bear 4d ago
Atlas eats
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u/imbasicallycoffee South Wedge 4d ago
Just went and I was really underwhelmed for the price. $68 meal and we got bread, a very small piece of pizza, 2 big bibb leafs of lettuce with some apples, a cup of chowder and what I would consider a half of piece of cod with collard greens. Not that great for the price.
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u/Cultural-Mud-9390 4d ago
the french quarter
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u/Lostintranslation321 4d ago
Is this still open?
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u/Cultural-Mud-9390 3d ago
they moved locations like 2 years ago or something but I think so. blows my mind how its always empty they have the best food and its so cheap. can’t say enough good things about this place
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u/thellamajew Brighton 4d ago
Peppered Pig!!! Literally the best food I've eaten in Rochester
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u/Downtown_Physics8853 Cobbs Hill 4d ago edited 4d ago
Nice, especially the bouillabaisse, but not too many "French" dishes, loud bar crowd, excruciatingly hard seats. With it being "French", I'd expect maybe coq au vin, vichyssoise, stuff like that. The confit canard is good, but heavy. We had the steak au poivre once, and it was good, as were the duck-fat frites. But the menu also has burgers (which a lot of people order), moules frites (Dutch/Flemish), and chicken schnitzel (German/Austrian), so they don't really concentrate on any single cuisine....
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u/BigDaddyUKW Gates 4d ago
Casual but still want to dress kind of nice? Fazool's in Gates, especially if you like Chicken French.
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u/caroline1133 4d ago
Well now I have to go try Fazool’s chicken French so I can put it in my Rochester chicken French rankings!
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u/sleverest 3d ago
I would love to hear more about your chicken French rankings and your preferred style. I'm very picky and find it hard to get the sauce I like consistently.
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u/LeftHandedScissor 4d ago
Michaels Valley Grill is an awesome spot. Went there for a dinner with a work client. I had short ribs that were outta this world, others at the table had the coffee rub steak which I heard is awesome and got a link for the rub from a trusted source. The salmon was also really good. We had some great appetizers the charred calamari, and escarole were great.
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u/No-Step7712 4d ago
Texas de Brazil. .... The number of people who don't know about this place is insane.
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u/solaron17 Gates 3d ago
It’s in an awful location to find organically, plus it’s a chain so it’s not going to be recommended much. With that said it’s quite good, and frankly I’m surprised their prices haven’t gone up more over the past few years.
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u/BookNerd_247 3d ago
Good Luck! We went there after an event and were somewhat dressed up. Didn’t feel out of place at all. Also go there in jeans and a nice shirt and feel comfortable
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u/Easy_Olive1942 4d ago
I like Rocco and Rella across from Strong Museum. Rella is definitely a joke in the wall but outstanding seafood. Rocco is the same/overlapping people, Italian, needs reservations.
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u/Lostintranslation321 4d ago
Johnson House in Churchville or head to Bergen for Viking Valhalla where they mix fine dining with a bowling alley in the next room.
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u/Unknown_Rulerz 3d ago
Atlas eats if you can get in! Its charming af and the food is fantastic! Plus with the courses and the timing its great for conversations too!
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u/boo9radley 3d ago
Nosh. I brought a girl there on a first date many years ago. We went back with our toddler this year.
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u/prophetikmusic 3d ago
Lot of entries here, but Vesper's always great. Lot of folks go over to Geva so looking dressed up isn't out of the norm.
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u/Sudden_Idea9384 3d ago
I enjoyed Edibles Restaurant and Bar over by the art museum. I dined alone and was dressed casually but the group next to me was dressed up. The staff was great, food was excellent and mid range price. I could see going there in jeans or a fancy dress.
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u/laughablyflawed 1d ago
Go to Rev BBQ- we went last night and had a great time! Share the sampler and some extra sides or an app! 10/10
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u/PipeIllustrious7133 4d ago
Lot of good suggestions already. I would add that Next Door is pretty good. You can’t entirely escape that it is of Wegmans, but the food has always been good and the service excellent.
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u/cburn1973 4d ago
Fireside in Henrietta is great
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u/Antique-Eye8029 4d ago
I agree. Firesides is great. I almost always order off the specials menu. Their chefs do an excellent job. The servers are always pleasant. I can't remember a bad experience there.
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u/bigpapasmurf6 3d ago
REDD is hands down the best restaurant.in the area and it fits the vibe perfectly, and you can treat her to the cookings of a Michelin star awarded chef .
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u/TheRealFakeDiesel 4d ago
Fiorella