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KeyBank Rochester Fringe Festival Food & Drink List
We’ve compiled Yelper recommended spots to visit during your Fringe adventures — everything from brunch to burgers.
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28 Places
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Breanna’s 5-star review: Abilene is still amazing! It's one of my favorite intimate venues for shows. They have a good lineup on the reg. I recommend subscribing to their newsletter to get the latest list of upcoming shows. A lot of the bands I enjoy seeing are the folky, bluegrass, country ones. They fit in really well at Abilene. They have several ticketed shows (some that sell out since it's an intimate space) so before you head there spontaneously, check the calendar. Other nights, there are smaller acts that have $5 covers. In general, ticketed shows are always affordable, around $12-15/ticket. They have a nice selection of craft beer (bottles) and liquors (wine too). You'll see many a folks with PBR and Genny in hand. I typically go for an Iron Smoke Whiskey on the rocks or one of their famous Moscow mules. Think of it as a great spot for a date night and music or a place to bob along to great singer/songwriters with friends and a drink. I've had a few birthday celebrations here too. The vibe is just right for a low key hang. You can also rent the upstairs space for private events! Everyone is friendly too. You'll chat up a few folks as you wait for the act to start. -
Breanna’s 3-star review: A good place to get work done. No longer my top pick for grabbing a coffee so I'll usually get a tea or chai if I'm there for meetings or I'll break out my laptop and have a bite to eat. There's a ton of space and it's bright. Good for productivity. Grab the cajun turkey wrap and connect to the wifi. Upstairs seating is my go-to for people watching from above and it's a little quieter so it's easier to focus. -
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Breanna’s 4-star review: I love the vibe of this space - it's bright and open, has cool mint furniture, white tile floors... basically an Instagram photographer's dream backdrop. I also see it as a welcome addition to the East End area. I've stopped in a few times for all the things they offer, starting off with a drink during happy hour (lots of creative cocktail concoctions), then for the lattes (especially the Cardi B Good), and recently for a breakfast sammie (delish on the brioche). They're still working out some kinks as they get situated in the space, which is coming along. Sometimes food/drinks are delayed if it's busy. I've had dishes dropped off without silverware/napkins. Small things, but they make a difference. I think they're getting into the flow, and I look forward to seeing how they evolve. -
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Breanna’s 4-star review: This spot is a pick for me for casual bar hangs and to really soak up summer in the city on their sunken patio. I'm gearing up for winter and have high hopes to savor cozy eats (and warm up by their fireplace!). The sausages are all good to go. They source them from Swan's Market, which is the top in the biz. I'm a fan of the weisswurst. The pretzel from Amazing Grains is worth the carbs to soak up the pints of beer you'll be sipping at the bar. I'm going to miss the duck pastrami tots with cheese sauce, but I suppose the beer battered cheese curds will do (yes, my mouth is watering. Is yours?). I like that the chef, Derrick gets creative. It's a Bavarian-style menu, but he mixes in some great features and specials that highlight unique flavors and ingredients. They update the menu seasonally so there's a few new things I'm due to try, including a brunch visit too! As for drinks, I love a Kolsch if it's on the menu, same for a sour beer. They have about 24 taps and offer a half or a full glass. Their wine selection is pretty amazing too - lots of good regional features! Huge fan of the Dr. Konstantin Frank Blanc de Blancs. Snag a cocktail too, while you're at it! -
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Breanna’s 5-star review: I'm still loving the vibe at Branca and continue to visit. I have a few updates worth sharing too. For me, this is a great weeknight spot to visit and sit at the bar. I'll meet a friend or two and we'll order wine and a few dishes to split. No better way to spend a Tuesday, right? It's also a great spot for lunch meetings (make a reservation just to be safe). A few of my favorite dishes to order include the calamari, the Caesar salad with chicken during lunch (pair it with a side of fries), the ricotta, and the pepperoni and honey pizza, which has a great sweet and spicy flavor combo. Also, the gnocchi and tagliatelle are always worth ordering! In general, the space is really beautiful and it's a lovely spot to spend date night or an evening with friends. -
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Breanna’s 4-star review: I adore this place. It's a mere 5-10 min drive from my house so an easy stop to grab stuff for dinner or on my way home from a meeting. I can't always make it to the market so having access to local products -- meats, cheese, and produce -- is what I love most about Hart's. There's a lot on the shelves here that I've never seen elsewhere or it's at some random place that I never think to visit. Convenience is key here. Being able to pick up toilet paper, veggies for dinner, and a cup of coffee before my next meeting is what makes Hart's amazing. I love the vibe -- modern, yet simple. I just think it's so nice to have a small manageable space to shop downtown. They're bringing us back to the 50s in some way. There are a few instances where I've seen some price markups, but not everything. Also, a few times they ran out of items I was in need of for a dish (i.e. sour cream). So I still had to make another stop on my way home, which I try to avoid. I do think that mostly is attributed to beginning growing pains and they're getting the kinks worked out. Some key items I'll be picking up on the reg: - Boswellia pills -- natural anti-inflammatory my chiro friend told me about. No negative impacts on liver/stomach. - Cheese... all of it! Their cheese monger has quite the selection to offer. I am especially excited to see 1000 Islands River Rat Cheese on the shelves. - Prepared food items for a quick dinner or an easy item to bring to a dinner party. Three bean salad is delicious. - Cafe -- love their strong flavored coffee, hanging in the seating area for meetings, and their sandwich offerings are awesome. My favorite so far has been the grilled cheese with peaches. - Donkey tortilla chips -- my new favorite tortilla chips. Just thick enough and perfectly salted. Great for dips, salsas, guac, etc. - Fiz soda!!!! It's back on shelves. First place I've seen it in years. - Local products -- it's really awesome to see Hart's focus on local w/ almost 20% of their store sourced from the NY region. Can't wait to see this place thrive! I heart you, Hart's! -
Breanna’s 4-star review: I was downtown for a meeting and wanted to grab a bite to eat before heading out for the evening. I remembered Aunt Rosie's opened up and realized it was around the corner so I popped in to check things out. I started with the polenta, which was delightful topped with shredded parmesan and fresh ground pepper. The texture is like grits. The flavor is somewhere in between risotto and gourmet mac and cheese. I didn't expect to finish the whole thing since I had a sandwich coming, but I couldn't help myself! For my lunch entree, I opted for a panino -- proscuitto, mozzarella (thinly sliced), lettuce, caramelized onions in balsamic vinegar. Due to my devouring the polenta, I only ate half and saved the other for a late night snack (it held up quite well!). I really enjoyed the simple ingredients that all melded well together. The carmelized onions were a nice touch. Some highlights: - Menu changes every 3 or so weeks based on new ingredients and dishes the chef wants to prepare. There's separate lunch and dinner menus. Lunch = more sandwiches. Dinner = full entrees like pasta and pizzas. - As such, the wine menu rotates. A solid selection. - Nearly everything is homemade and local to WNY region. Bread is from Baker Street Bakery. Pastas are made in-house. And, they're looking to make their own charcuterie (yum!) - Italian Fact of the Day: Panino / Panini means the same thing, right? At most places you'd expect hot pressed sandwiches. Not here -- they don't press the sandos. Although, they toast the bread on the majority of them. Just a heads up. ***PARKING*** I drove around a few times to find a spot. On street, metered parking is regularly available in that area (behind the building on Achilles St). I parked on East between Chestnut and Stillson. BUT... Aunt Rosie's owns the lot on Stillson (the one between Stillson and Chestnut -- on the right if you're coming from E. Main). That means -- free parking for all! - It's keycard operated so when you're pulling up, call they restaurant and they'll open it up. If you make reservations, they remind you of this. So happy to see Paul back in the kitchen with the opening of Aunt Rosie's. It's nice to see an establishment like this open up in that area downtown. Hoping to see it thrive! -
Breanna’s 4-star review: This date night was long overdue and what a perfect excuse for a well-deserved steak after weeks of packing, moving, cleaning, and unpacking. Truthfully, I was excited to get dressed up and feel like a real person again. No more takeout! The restaurant was quieter than I expected, perhaps because it was Labor Day weekend. It surprised me even more after I tasted the food and was shocked more people weren't flocking here for the goods. We ordered a bottle of red wine (Vina Rufina Alta Gama 1999) and started with the mussels. We attempted to refuse the sourdough and honey wheat bread they offered, but after the waitress reminded us how good it is dipped in the white wine broth, we caved to the carbs. Mind you, it was a spectacular pairing -- crusty sourdough softened by the rich buttery broth. I prefer mussels steamed in this manner with a white wine broth and topped with scallions. For my entree, I ordered the filet special which came with pan fried fingerling potatoes and swiss chard. The steak was served with a mushroom red wine sauce. It was so rich and flavorful, pulling in a hint of earthiness. I soaked up every last bite with that juice from the Gods -- one of my favorite steaks up to the day of my writing this review. P.S. the bf ordered the Ribeye and was jealous of my dish so opt for the special if you can. Although, his fries were amazing. I maybe ate half of them -- crispy, topped with thick grates of parmesean. Oh yeah! We had to finish our meal with dessert, but after stuffing ourselves we opted to share the chocolate molten cake with raspberry sorbet and a cappuccino. I wanted a few bites of chocolate to finish my wine and I got my fill with just that, but the raspberry sorbet was unreal! That's my kind of dessert. It's probably best that there was only a scoop on the plate because I would have overindulged otherwise. The service was wonderful -- classy, attentive, kind, and knowledgeable about every item on the menu. Can't wait to go back. -
Breanna’s 4-star review: Not normally a bar I'd frequent, but now after visiting, I'll be back when the mood fits. We were there on a Saturday -- SU was playing Duke so everyone was rocking their orange tees. We grabbed some brews and headed to the back where there were dart boards (friends played), we watched them, and got sucked into the game. It was nice that they put the volume on so everyone could follow what was happening. After the game, the music went back on. There are seats and tables for sitting back there too along with pool. They even have a vintage cigarette machine -- I haven't seen one of those in a while. Even though I don't smoke it was still cool to see (FYI takes only exact change). It's much larger than I expected so there's room for people to move beyond the bar, which filled up first. At 8pm it wasn't too packed, but by 10pm it was semi-crowded. They have a good tap selection and cheap! I enjoyed a few Lagunitas IPAs. Lots of peanuts and popcorn for munching. -
Breanna’s 4-star review: You know when you go out somewhere and look forward to having leftovers for lunch the next day. Well, this is not the place to do that. Somehow, someway I finished that whole GD bowl of homemade penne!? I may deem Veneto as the beholder of my favorite penne vodka in town. The thrown hath been stolen. Hear, hear for Veneto! When a pasta dish manages to remain light and flavorful, it's a rare feat. I couldn't stop eating it. I even stopped halfway through in an attempt to save half the dish for the next day. Nope, I couldn't resist. I even sopped up the rest of the sauce with their table bread. It's a delicious balance of cream, tomato and a subtle hint of heat to round out the dish. This may be one of those places where I'll go just for my favorite dish. They have wood fired pizzas as well so it's a good place to go with a group and get things to share. The space is a nice upgrade to the general vibe of East End and I'm glad it's survived -- Likely due to the care taken to prepare and present each dish with simply good ingredients. All in all, try the penne vodka and get back to me about how life changing it was for you. That's my Friday tip for you, ROC. Cheers (and wear stretchy pants so you can stuff yourself)! -
Breanna’s 4-star review: Oh Richmond's, you have my heart. A great sports bar and hang out for good food and beer. They usually have some special beer deal -- not just cheap domestics, which is a plus -- along with special wraps or sandos on the chalkboard next to the kitchen. They also have live music a few nights a week. This is one of my top spots for wings in Rochester. They fry then and then toss them in the sauce in a hot sauté pan. Hello, tasty seared bird! Absolutely my favorite way to enjoy a wing -- crisp-y! Their burgers are a great hearty option to pair with a pint. And they have tots. Try the Cajun ones. I usually opt for the medium heat wing sauce and their honey sriracha is a good spicy sweet flavor. Really you can't go wrong. They're crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. I tried the ghost sauce -- just a taste and it was intense. Not for me, but for all you heat lovers out there -- that is your sauce. -
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Breanna’s 5-star review: I'm officially in with the small/craft roasting situation that's creeping up in ROC these days. I had my first sip of the roast from Fuego yesterday and it's just so tasty. Unfortunately, now I'm jaded and can't enjoy my cheap home brew from my generic coffee pot anymore. The care they put in the roasting process makes a difference in the flavor profile, and of course, when you love what you do that's reflected back into the product you're providing customers. I sat at the bar, which is pretty much the only seating area plus a couple benches in the front of the quaint cafe. They do their roasting in the back and whip up some simple drinks up front. I opted for a cappuccino and was buzzing from the refreshing flavor of the espresso, which had zero bitterness. If I wasn't at risk for a heart attack I would drink these caffeinated bevs all day and night. It was mid-morning and things were slow-ish at the shop so I got a chance to talk to Tony, who is legit the nicest person. He was friendly, engaging, and up to sharing his coffee brewing secrets. It's cool to hear about the experimental process that goes along with small batch roasting. Also, the latte art throwdowns sound like the most badass (without actually being badass) events. That's the kind of underground experience I can jive with because I'm so far from being hardcore - I'm the antithesis of hardcore. Anyway, I will be checking out one of those events in the future. Tony also gave us a taste of the toddy -- it had a chocolate-y finish and was smooth. Again, another coffee brew that could be consumed sans cream. Everything about this place oozes cool. I wish I had taken notes because there's so much to learn. I'll leave it to the pros. -
Breanna’s 4-star review: A standby coffee joint with nice espresso bevs and an eclectic mix of teas and juices. I can always count on the staff to pull a good shot for a latte, but lately my drink of choice has been the iced chai sprinkled with cinnamon on top. A solid blending of clove, nutmeg, and cinnamon. The most flavorful "real" chai (i.e. not a powdered blend) I've tried around these parts. It's a little pricer than the average chai ($4.25), but it's worth every penny. They have loads of cookies the size of frisbees - I opt for the peanut butter. The shop has ample space for studying or working. Although I often find myself distracted - the people watching and quirky artwork gazing provide endless entertainment. Can't say I don't enjoy it. I wouldn't go there if I had to focus, but that's me. I also struggle to find an outlet so computer work will get cut short to the 1.5 hrs. my battery will last. Then, there's the outdoor space. It's usually crowded, but wonderful in the summer. Grab your book and soak in the rays. My favorite visits are to grab a drink to walk downtown or hang for an hour to read through the latest issue of City. -
Breanna’s 5-star review: Lately, this has been a go-to pick for drinks, friend hangs, and the occasional week night dinner. During the summer, we'll opt for the patio and during busy nights we love to sit at the bar. Sometimes it's worth calling for a reservation too just to be safe. Plus, they've recently updated their brunch menu and it's fire. I've been a couple times and I highly recommend you try the chilaquiles and the chorizo & biscuits. That red gravy is the most savory thing, I want to put it on everything. Their cocktail menu is a solid lineup of classics along with their inventive takes. I'm always a fan of their pisco sour or I'll get tequila on the rocks (usually Casamigos). As for dishes we love to order here are a few faves: - Calamari (yes, I've ordered it for an appetizer and then my meal because it's that good. PLUS it's gluten free so Dan can enjoy as well). - Spanish olives, escabeche, and spiced marcona almonds for light bites - Guacamole hands down (homemade fried tortilla chips are a win too) - Enchiladas, carnitas tacos, paella and hanger steak for entrees -
Breanna’s 5-star review: New space is officially open and I love it! I'm so happy to see such a wonderful crew and business revamp the former 1975 gallery. Rory and his team are top notch! Lately, this is my spot of choice to pick up a new bag of whole beans for making coffee at home. They don't roast at Ugly Duck, but rather feature several different roasteries from across the US. A few beans I've been loving are those from Middle State Coffee and Kuma Coffee (Honduras was AMAZING) - both taste complex in a french press. I also come quite often for a drip coffee ($2.50) or an iced almond milk latte ($5). P.S. they don't charge extra for almond milk. The space itself is so bright and wonderful to sit and relax in throughout the day. It's white walls are adorned with shelves housing plants and mugs. The Staach furniture is moveable so adjust the space accordingly for yourself and/or friends at the counters or the community tables. I tend to come for meetings or take the time to sit and relax rather than spend my time working here. It just has that nice community vibe where I'd rather have it be a place to chill out than get work done. Regardless of how and why you visit, the space is welcoming, always. You'll still see Rory's cart pop up at events and you can rent for occasions if you'd like. We did for Upstate Social Sessions and it was a hit (obviously!). -
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Breanna’s 5-star review: The perfect hearty, healthy lunch to-go has to go to Orange Glory. It's a tiny spot on East Ave by Little Theatre where you can easily stop in for lunch. The space is small with a few tables for seating and during the summer there are a few sidewalk tables they'll put outside. I often arrive early between 11-11:30am right when they open to place my order to avoid the lunch rush. I'm impatient when I'm hungry. Their menu rotates, but they typically have their tried and true Orange Glory classics like chicken salad, their lentil burger (my all time favorite - with spicy mayo!), or their black bean and/or quinoa burger, and one with a spinach/feta combo. Lots of options for vegetarians here! Most of them come on sandwich bread and are warmed up on the panini grill. I go for the lunch box combo deal because it comes with a side and a cookie ($10). The lemon cookie is my all time jam! Literally my favorite cookie in the whole world. It's soft and light and lemon-y. The PB&J cookie is also stellar. -
Breanna’s 4-star review: I've been back several times now and this review is due for an update. Firstly, if you haven't tried the ribeye, it's the best there is. Dry aged. We also will opt for some kind of appetizer to start. Among our favorites are the beef carpaccio (it comes with a lovely salad presentation lightly dressed in vinaigrette in a crisped parmesan bowl), oysters on the half shell, or tuna tartare. For sides, the brussels sprouts are always charred and delicious. Since we get an appetizer, one side to share is usually enough for us too because really, we're here for the steak... right? The in-house dry-aged ribeye steak is the ultimate. I used to always go for the filet because it's so tender, but one day I asked the waitress her favorite and have never turned away from the ribeye since. I like the petite cut, which still leaves me with leftovers to toss over a salad the next day. It's so packed with flavor, a lot of it from the char on the outside of the steak. Then, if you can, order dessert and get the flourless chocolate cake for the ultimate decadence and pure chocolate-y magic you'll ever experience. As for the drinks, their cocktails are ok. I prefer to opt for wine, especially red when I'm having steak. I recently had a lovely Pinot Noir from Oregon. The service here is wonderful. You'll have two folks waiting on you throughout the evening, which adds an note of elegance to the experience. We love this spot in particular for a special night out because it's never too loud (light jazz coming through on the speakers), the atmosphere is romantic and cozy, and a bit of a trip back in time with the traditional steakhouse vibe here. -
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