Coal Tower Restrnt

Nobody comes to the Coal Tower for the food — at least, I never have. It’s the kind of greasy, traditional, cheap American food (think hearty breakfasts and weak, bottomless coffee) you get with a friend you haven’t seen in a couple months to talk over, or the kind to cure the aftereffects of a memorable (or memory-​less?) night. It’s fun, it’s loud, it’s warm, and it’s friendly. A $ 6 breakfast plate will keep you hungry until dinner, and after you pay your tab you can burn off some of the calories walking along the canal with aforementioned friend.
No, it’s not going to be the best breakfast you’ve ever had, but whenever I’m home, I always make an effort to stop here for a plate of eggs and toast with my friends. You should too.

Coal Tower, where have you been all of my Rochester life? How did no one shout about this place from its red cylinder roof top?!
Weekend after excruciating weekend, I would crave the greek omelettes of my yester-​Sundays at the Towne in Buffalo, with the orange flat-​top smashed homefries. Instead, I would find myself in a fancy brunch place, eating overpriced egg benedicts with dressed salad leafs (I know I spelled that weird. But that’s ok because I have Coal Tower now and Coal Tower would just let me be me).
No! Fancy is not my cup of tea when it comes to breakfast. I want the linoleum topped tables and a styrofoam ceiling. I want the wall-​menus with the handwritten specials that get crossed off as they run out (gotta come back for those potato pancakes) and changed over to fish specials when the breakfast hours tick by into lunch. I want cheap greek omelettes laced with spinach and heartily dotted with warm feta. With coffee that tastes decent in a white ceramic mug. I want pancakes stacked high with blue-​purple berry smushes, and smiling families crammed into booths, with bright windows, happily shoveling in their perfect breakfasts as fast as they can eat. They’re all well-​dressed because it’s Pittsford, but Coal Tower has the heart that I have been yearning for. I love this place. *also, don’t forget to bring cash! but they have an atm too.*

My grandfather (Rest in peace), Stanley Witmeyer… took me here for breakfast a few times. Im pretty sure i ordered pancakes and chocolate milk

I’m really not sure how I feel about the Coal Tower. It’s family owned, which is awesome, but I didn’t get the greatest vibe when I was in last week. My friend and I originally were going to just grab a cup of soup at Corner Bakery, but when that was closed, we decided to head down here and grab a quick dinner. A quick check on Unilocal showed that they were open until 8:30pm. We got in about an hour before closing time, and there were about 4 other patrons besides us. We were seated after a waitress wiped down a booth near the window. The staff was ok: polite but I definitely got the vibe that they were ready to go home. We both felt rushed, despite customers coming in after we were already seated.
The menu is pretty traditional casual American: a few salads, some wraps, sandwiches, and their specialty: burgers. They have several burger combinations to choose from, but none were striking my fancy, so I decided to go with a plain burger, but ask for grilled onions instead of the normal raw ones. When I went to order, the server told me the grilled onions would be a dollar extra. Seemed steep, but when the burger itself was less than $ 4, why not? I also ordered onion rings instead of the potato chips (their sides of fries/​onion rings/​etc. are around $ 3.50), and my friend ordered a cheeseburger with curly fries.
The food came relatively quickly, and my burger was cooked the requested medium rare. I like that they are cooked on a griddle and have a nice crust. The onion rings were forgettable, a little burned, if anything. I wouldn’t order again.
We finished and paid up, and my friend noticed that not only did they charge for the grilled onions, which I was aware, but they also charged me a dollar for lettuce and tomato. Really? I let it go, but that seems ridiculous and cheap to me. I understand it’s a small family business, but I don’t like to feel nickel and dimed, and that’s exactly how I felt after my experience here. That plus the chilly service resulted in a less than pleasant dining experience.
It’s in a pretty location, but I’d recommend any of the other surrounding restaurants before I’d head to the Coal Tower again It’s also cash only, but they do have an ATM.

I used to LOVE coming here until I stopped by for brunch with my boyfriend, who happens to be African-​American. I couldn’t help but notice the difference in service and I found it to be disappointing and disheartening. Despite the questionable service, the food was decent. Not good enough to return though.

We love the Coal Tower and recently made a trip back for breakfast after too long of a time away. This is a classic Diner in a great location. The wait staff have in the most part stayed the same in the ten years I have been visiting this place and it shows, fast and efficient handling of orders and food. This weekend I had the hash with eggs and toast, first rate at a good price. Kids had french toast and choc chip pancakes and enjoyed immensely. Parking is (usually) good but can be problematic. We had a ten minute wait for a table, that always adds to the thrill in my mind (vs the thirty minute wait to place your order at some of the local competition). Warning, cash only so be ready (they do have an ATM, but it will charge you a service fee).

Pretty good food. Some things were a bit bland. Atmosphere was not fantastic. We felt kinda squeezed in. The staff was very friendly. Overall a nice experience.

We’ve always had great breakfasts at the Coal Tower. Their breakfast specials (especially their seasonal special French toast) are delicious. Coffee is great too. Service is fast and friendly. It’s always busy on Sundays with the breakfast/​brunch crowd but tables move fast and the kitchen and wait staff keep things moving. The wait is never too long, but you don’t feel rushed out of your meal either. Just make sure to bring cash. No cards are accepted (but there is an ATM onsite, with a $ 2 fee). An all around tasty, laid back, local place with a great location right next to the canal path.

2 scrambled eggs, 1 sausage patty, $ 8.07??? Seriously? Owner is an old arrogant Greek miserable argumentive jerk!
Oh, don’t bring a debit card. Cash only? Wonder if the IRS knows this?

Solid diner food. Been around forever. Really wish they served breakfast all day! The pumpkin soup in the fall is the best.

Had a great breakfast at this place with a friend and our sons. I had the breakfast sandwich. Affordable and very tasty. Simple and filling. I’d come back here for breakfast anytime.

I love that this place is right on the canal, with lots of parking. Large menu with affordable prices. This place only accepts CASH.

After searching all over for a new spot to get brunch on a non-​weekend, we settled on the Coal Tower. It’s not too far of a drive from downtown, and there’s plenty of parking in the lot behind the restaurant. Many people are off from work today so the area was pretty busy.
It was a bit crowded when we arrived but we were seated within ten minutes. I went with the special of the day which was french toast with cherries and blueberries baked in, along with a side of bacon.
The bacon was a bit flimsy and greasy and did not have much crunch to it. The french toast was excellent, the berries mixed in were not too overbearing and were a nice compliment to the syrup.
Our waitress was very attentive to our table despite the large crowd. My coffee cup was never left empty which can be an issue at certain restaurants. Overall, a solid breakfast stop and one that I am sure we will be adding in to our regular repertoire.

Coal tower has many diner favorites to choose from for the perfect unassuming and quaint breakfast or lunch. Don’t let the old building fool you though, many a Pittsford deal has been likely struck under this roof. The coffee is always good and hot as it should be and service is fairly quick.
It probably deserves 3.5 stars, but I have to choose, so I will lean it into 4 as it has been good over several visits. For what it is — a diner, it does it well. You can’t go wrong with this little slice of Americana along the Erie Canal.

At 2pm, our party of 5 adults and 2 children were greeted, seated & served quickly. Although the large dining area was almost empty, we were placed at a square & round table pushed together, which was comical, if not uncomfortable. Quality of service was very good from that point on. Large, affordable menu selection. I’m told the ruben sandwich was very good, and I wish I had gone with that instead of the less than satisfying salad I decided on. Everyone else liked their meals except for the open face prime rib sandwich that we were told would be very lean and wasn’t. My only major complaint was the terrible chemical fumes coming from the open kitchen when they were cleaning the grill towards the end of our meal. That’s probably why I forgot to order my pie ;)

It’s extremely «ok» here at the coal tower. Good location along the canal in the village of Pittsford. The food is not quite memorable. The first time I dined at the coal tower it was because another nearby diner was closed for Labor Day that day. I just finished my brunch– I ordered «the barge” — which is home fries, cheese, bacon and eggs put into a ‘boat’. I envisioned all the ingredients mixed together like a casserole. I requested my eggs be scrambled rather than runny. When the meal came out I literally got a scrambled egg on top of the rest of it. Ha, okay… I dove in. The home fries don’t have much flavor, everything else tasted fine. I think the meal would’ve tasted much better if it was hot and the cheese melted over everything. I love breakfast but I don’t really love the coal tower…

Went here for lunch with my boyfriend, his sister, and his nephew. It was surprisingly busy, considering it was midday on a Wednesday. We were taken care of quickly considering how packed it was.
The food was okay, and the prices are reasonable. My boyfriend got a caesar salad, which he said was good. His sister got a burger and fries, and her son got a grilled cheese sammy. They didn’t remark that their food was exceptionally good or bad, so I’m assuming it was decent. I got the chicken chili and split a side of sweet potato fries with my boyfriend. I didn’t care for the chicken chili at all — it had no flavor, but the sweet potato fries were really good.
Lunch for all four of us rang up to $ 35-​ish. Not bad, but I probably won’t go back.

Food is very good. However a little disappointed in the chicken finger dinner. Only 3 small chicken fingers. Little disappointed. Even the watriess made a comment that the meal was small. I would go again.

Love the blueberry pancakes! They keep me going til late afternoon and then I remember I’ve missed lunch! Service is always good here, they are very friendly. Good cup of joe too! One of the best places for breakfast in Pittsford and the canal is right there if you want to take a little stroll after your meal.

A local favorite for many Pittsford residents, Coal Tower is a great place to get some quality food along with superior service. I’ve had several items here in the past but most notably and recently I’ve had the fish fry. I really like it here — not over fried and the fish has always been flakey and perfectly cooked. I tend not to eat the outer fried portion and stick to digging my way to the interior. I like the fries as well — they are the thick cut kind (which is typically the case with fish fry) and they turn out very well. Actually, they have run out of fish on some Fridays — so beware! A good sign in many ways but at the same time stinks if you only want fish fry and can’t get one :) So, it can be very crowded on fridays and i’ve had to wait anywhere from an easy 10 minutes to 30 – 40 minutes. I personally find it worthwhile.
I have had several other items on the menu over the years and they have all been very well done in my view. I’ve come with people that have had the burgers with rave reviews. Most of my Coal Tower knowledge surrounds the fish fry so that is what I can speak to with the most experience.
I like the location and the seating is relatively ample. Like I said, the service has always been great and it conveys a family owned/​operated atmosphere. They have a nice selection of homemade pies/​cakes for those with a sweet tooth.