Nox

This is a cool place. The ambiance is very nice. You feel like you are eating/​drinking in a library or some villain’s secret lair.
The drinks are the new hip «mix-​a-​bunch-​of-​ingredients-​in-​a-​glass-​and-​charge-​10 $-for-​it» trend. So if you are into that, it’s prefect. I am not, I am in for the food.
The bar staff seemed very excited to be closing and going home. I am not a fan of hearing about what their nightly antics are after they get out of work – I want to be served and have a happy person doing it. There was a lot of what looked like «pre-​closing» happening with dishes being cleaned, and things being prepped for the next day. With a busy bar, the focus should have been on the customers and not clean glasses.
The food was described well (very creative names), and it sounded good, but what was delivered was not it. One example: their version of poutine sounded awesome but was a salty pile of cheese and gravy with some bacon on it. It seemed to have been warming in the kitchen for a while.
I will give them another chance since so many menu items seemed great.

Go for the drinks — not the food!
Love the drinks here. They are creative, interesting, and strong. We have been here several times for cocktails (range $ 9 — $ 11) and we have enjoyed them every time.
Recently, we decided to try out dinner. While the descriptions in the menu are extremely amusing, that’s where the fun stops. We didn’t feel that there was anything special about the food and, on top of that, the portions were small. In fact, we had to order a third entrée as we were still starving following appetizers and main meals.
In short, I would go back for drinks, but skip the food.

The drinks and food menu are fun, and there was clearly a lot of time put into designing them. The atmosphere is cozy. They seem to be attempting to mix old and new with TVs set to black and white and mismatched furniture that looks like it came from goodwill.
Unfortunately the same attention was not applied to actually making the food. The food was served almost immediately after ordering and it was barely warm. Clearly they had it just sitting already plated in the back. Serving everything on small cast iron skillets is an interesting idea, but the execution was poor. The food is definitely overpriced for the quality.
They were not very busy for a Saturday night, so getting drinks was not an issue with three bartenders. The mixed drinks had fantasy inspired names and the ones that I tried were decent.
I definitely wouldn’t stop here for food again, but I might stop in for one drink if I’m in the village gate. I certainly wouldn’t spend the whole night.

3 stars for the food and service. 4 stars for drinks and 5 stars for atmosphere and general coolness! So, 4 overall.
We came here recently for the Geeks Who Drink pub quiz (a lot of fun and highly recommended) and decided to order dinner as well. For the prices I was slightly underwhelmed by the food. The drinks are really pricey by Rochester standards as well, but I enjoyed them so much I can’t even complain there…
For dinner, I had the Soylent Green veggie burger. On the menu it was described as having pickled radish, carrot, and cucumber (banh mi style), but they were barely pickled. The burger itself was average — I liked the sriracha mayo a lot though. I also got to try the fritters (pass on these, they were too dry), mac and cheese (good but super rich), and «It’s a Trap!» (their not quite like the real thing version of poutine). Now, you can’t go wrong with gouda and bacon, but the fries were a little too soggy for my taste.
The drinks are a different story. Yum! I had the Vader’s Escape (rum, porter, cinnamon). Deliciousness in a glass. My husband really enjoyed his Dorian Gray’s Halo (gin and bitters). I really wanted to try the Hobbit on Holiday drink too… these inventive drinks are perfect for cold Rochester nights.
To sum up: It’s definitely worth checking out for a good drink, cozy atmosphere, and the novelty of getting the bill in a hollowed out book.

When you walk through the door and then the big curtains, you feel as if you’re transported back in time to medieval type of watering hole. Dark and cozy with a focal point of a bar stacked yay high of all types of liquid imaginable. Cool and different place to bring to village gate area. It took a whileeeeee to get a drink the bar was fairly crowded but nothing out of the ordinary for a bar. After our drink orders were taken it probably took 4 minutes to craft 1 cocktail. I get that it’s an art and the drink I had was fairly tasty but this «crafting» took a bit longer than the norm.
I didn’t have any food service there, but the tables did not seem to flow and it was confusing to see who you would go to to get seated or order.
Worth a check out, but not on the top of my list for a drink.

What makes this place super enjoyable for me is the environment that Nox creates with the lighting, the lounge chairs, the bookish atmosphere. There are tons of tables which are perfect for bringing board games (I am that person, much to the dismay of several friends), and I think they even have a «board game night».
I love all the geeky art and unique stuff put up on the walls; I love the minimalist «destination» posters they have all over for sci-​fy places, like Tatooine, for example.
The food was okay, I usually don’t get anything to eat when I come here because it hasn’t knocked my socks off the few times I have.
The mixed drinks were hit or miss for me, I liked most of them, some of them that cinnamon elements are waaaaay too cinnamon-​ish. The Blue Harvest cocktail was really good, it would be too easy to drink about 7 of those. They also have a GREAT selection of beers. My only complaint is the lack of Tolkien and Star Wars themed drinks, oh well.
The staff here is attentive without being overbearing and they’ve always been pleasant to be around when I make the trek out to Nox. The feel of this pace, the beers and the people will keep me coming back!

Great atmosphere and the service was perfect! The cocktail where new, fun and very good! I had the «hobbit on vacation».

Went for a late-​night drink. And by late-​night, I mean 9pm. I ordered one of two hard ciders, the Ace California Cider. It was gross, and I did not drink much of it. My friends thought it was good, but they’re all girls, so maybe gender has something to do with it. It was way too sweet, like I was drinking liquid sweet tarts. You may think it sounds delicious, but no, you’d be wrong. I like my ciders much more musky (if that makes any sense.) So, I am basing this review off the bad cider I had. Which is probably not fair. I will say that our waitress was awesome. She was attentive at the beginning and checked in on us at appropriate times.

I am a huge Harry potter geek and Nox had a cool fantasy vibe that mirrored my love for fantasy. You walk in through a fantastic set of wooden double doors that you would imagine seeing in a castle then preceeding through a set of red curtains. On the walls there are dragon heads and the bar has a mysterious buy pleasant vibe.
There were four or five drinks on the menu that were Harry potter themed and more on the screw menu if you ask about it!
The owner was very friendly and willing to answer all of my questions!
I got pear vanilla hard apple cider and was pleasantly spuprised. It had the right amount of sweetness with a harder finish that you would expect out of a wine. Definitely a must order!
My friend received her drink «The Malfoy» in a cutout Harry potter book under a chapter from the 6^th book with Malfoy’s picture on it.
Overall it was a great experience and I will be returning!

There’s not much I didn’t love about Nox. From the eclectic cocktails to the inventive food menu, we had a great time trying things and relaxing in a comfortable setting. I love the nerdiness of that place. And I love the poutine. And the fact that Viggo is right by the bathroom. HE IS VIGGO!
Nice art hanging on the walls, and great waitresses. Try it out!

If I’m in the right mood for Nox, I love Nox. I’m not much of a craft cocktail drinker, but sometimes I’ll indulge. My fave cocktail I’ve tried there so far is the «Hobbit on Holiday.» It’s both potent and delicious. Plenty of beer options as well that are a little more affordable.
I’ve sampled some of their food and have not been disappointed! The poutine is amazing– tons of cheese and a generous amount of bacon piled on top.
And of course, love the atmosphere. I’m a big nerd and particularly love the Dave Pollot art on the walls. And the encyclopedias and nox/​lumos lightswitch plates in the bathrooms. And all the literary drink names. I could go on and on. Definitely worth checking out, especially if you consider yourself a nerd for any books, TV shows, or other miscellaneous pieces of pop culture!

Love the atmosphere here! Very chill Game of Thrones meets grown up Harry Potter meets eclectic heaven. They have a great craft cocktail menu that not only have fun names, they also taste delicious (and some may also put some hair on your chest haha). My favorite was ‘If on a winter’s night’ which basically taste like a Carmel Apple, with booze.
We ordered the ‘it’s a trap’ poutine style fries for an appetizer. They come out in a mini skillet and it is just a bubbly, cheesy, bacon covered delight!
Then my husband and I shared the Law and Order KFC and Noble House (I think that was the name) Mac and cheese with the mashed potatoes. IT WAS ALL SO DELICIOUS! Seriously get there and order some food stat! The KFC was a sandwich where the bread was a homemade cheese biscuit. And the Mac and cheese was topped with crackers and bacon. Would have liked the Mac and cheese to be a little cheesier, but by no means was it below average.
I’ll def be going back soon!

Tried a variety of different dishes and drinks of off their menu and I’m pretty confident in saying that their drinks are far better than their food. I tried out a dirty vodka martini, a «Mother of Dragons» and a «Hufflepuff». The Mother of Dragons stood out to me the most. It was a sweet tasting, smokey drink, but it hits you with a lot of spice. It’s a drink you’ll enjoy but you definitely won’t want more than one. Also enjoyed the Hufflepuff which was a sweeter and fruiter drink made with lime juice and muddled blueberries.
As far as food goes, I tired out the poutine, the charred brie, the roasted chickpeas, the calamari, the Minotaur burger, and the KFC chicken sandwich. The chicken sandwich was pretty dry and the biscuit bun it was on fell apart really easily. The Minotaur burger would probably be your best choice if you’re hungry and need a full meal. The calamari was good but I was underwhelmed by the dipping sauce. The charred brie was great and the grapes it was served with added a nice sweet bite. I’m not much of a chickpea fan, so I’m probably not the best to judge that, but the poutine was definitely my favorite of the bunch. If you’re planning on paying a visit to Nox, go for their apps which reign far superior to their big plates.

Nox is a fun place to visit with a bunch of friends. There is plenty of seating for small groups as well as big comfy couches.
The menu is very unique. I felt like I was ordering from the Renaissance times. I ordered the red wedding and was pleased. The bartenders were really nice. I wasn’t sure I would like my drink so one of them followed up with me to see if I wanted them to tweak it. I wasn’t a fan of the dried ginger that accompanied it though, but I didn’t feel that was worth bringing up.
I especially loved the décor; there were dragon heads for sale and I actually considered buying one… I don’t even like dragons.
I didn’t visit the outdoor space but plan to next time I visit. The one con is the price of the drinks. Mine was $ 11. I think it’s a bit excessive. However, I’ll definitely stop by again.

I really liked this place. I met a friend on a Saturday night, close to 9:00, and the place was pretty quiet in terms of people and action. It’s a pretty low key environment, especially at the bar area. It is dimly lighted, whereas the dining area has a bit more. There were a few couples at the bar, a group in the couch area, and a four top across the way. We sat at the bar and ordered drinks and food for a few hours.
The drinks were great. They do craft cocktails, vintage throwbacks, and themed drinks well. The liquor is top notch and so is the quality of the ingredients. I had two Draper’s and a Cylon and enjoyed them all. I really liked the Draper, it was reminiscent of a Whiskey Sour. My friend loved both of her drinks.
We ordered the chickpeas for an app, I ordered meatloaf for an entrée, and she ordered grilled cheese. The chickpeas/​garbanzo beans truly earn their criminally tasty name on the menu. I make these at home often, and have had them at other people’s house, but these were superior to anything I’ve eaten. We finished the bowl. I normally do not order and rarely eat meatloaf — I threw it up once as a kid and never could fully commit to going back — but I decided to give it a go and glad that I did. It was exceptional. It was cooked and served in cast iron pot with a layer of bacon and cheese. I would order it again. My friend got the grilled cheese and she loved it.
I read in some other reviews about the bartenders service, the difficulty getting drinks in the dining area, and comments on the ambiance or feel of the place. The night I was there everything was great. The bartenders were attentive, but they are not all over you. They are a little business like at times, but the girl who took care of us most of the time was friendly. The way they interact with customers seems to add to the intimacy of the bar area. And I think they are trying to create intimacy between their customers, not with the bar staff. The seats are big and lush and so is the size of the bar. I think this encourages the old school mentality that not only are you drinking, but you eat at the bar too. It’s kind of nice. I didn’t sit out in the dining area and didn’t pay attention to the service out there, so I can’t comment on it.
I will definitely be returning here. However, it should be noted that you can quickly spend a lot of money here. Everything is elevated and you pay for that. This place adds to a growing niche of higher end bars in Rochester.
On a side note, I don’t care for bar staff to all wear the same uniform or costume per se, but I don’t think you should wear shorts if you work with customers here.

We are updating our review since the first review four months ago. This is our third visit, this time with a group. Also this is the first time we did not sit at the bar and it was a very different experience. It appears that the bartenders double as waiters/​waitresses which does not really seem to work since it felt like they saw this as a pain having to waitress.
Our waitress was very grumpy, and did a poor job of following up once we got our drinks — she would glance at our table from a distance but never engaged with us to ask us if we needed anything. It took 15 mins to get our check when we were ready to leave.
Our observation was that the entire staff was very unhappy. A recent review captured it well when they stated that the staff looked annoyed. We were really hoping this place would be a regular hangout but not with this negative vibe. Three stars is being generous but given our earlier experiences I am cutting them some slack.

If you’re looking for a cheap night out or a dive bar, this isn’t the place for you.
Came in on a Thursday night around for after work drinks. I’d never been to the Village Gate during the week, so I wasn’t expecting the nightmare that just finding a parking spot would be. Though, it was right around dinner time and happy hour so I probably should’ve expected it. After wandering around for a bit, I finally found the place. Take note, Nox isn’t actually part of the huge Village Gate mall complex but across the courtyard right next door to Selenas.
I kind of felt like I was walking into the study of an oldschool castle somewhere, you literally walk through huge wooden doors and a velvet curtain. The place has dark wood everywhere, dimly lit, bookshelves and a quiet reserved vibe. It was already pretty crowded when I got there, but we were luckily able to find seats right at the bar. The bartender was attentive, and got to us pretty quick which was also nice.
The drink menu here is pretty interesting, and I’m digging the names that they chose for the drinks. Everything is based around sci-​fi and fantasy television/​books. I chose the Invisible Monster, solely on the fact that it was the only one on the menu that I knew at least half of the ingredients in. It was pretty good, a little too much ginger for my liking though. The drink prices are on the higher end, expect to spend about $ 7-​$ 12 for the signature drinks.
The food menu stuck to the same theme as the drink one, I stayed on the safe side and stuck with french fries. The fries are normally served with a spicy ketchup, but I requested regular ketchup and was given a really strange look. Honestly, I’ve had better fries at a fast food place. These were super greasy and limp. Maybe their higher end food is better, I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt on that one.
When it was time for the check, the bill came in a hollowed out book, which was a super cool touch and did a great job adding to the overall theme of the place.
To sum it up, this really isn’t my kind of place. It was cool to take in something new though, and it would be a great place to take someone on a date.

Geeks and Nerds rejoice. Nox has a great atmosphere full of delightful and quirky references to sci-​fi, and fantasy film, television, and literature. It seemed that no matter where I looked I could find something that made me smile.
Their cocktails seemed a bit hit or miss. The Luna Lovegood from the secret menu was a tasty treat and a vibrant green color that attracted plenty of attention from others. Darmok and Jalad, another great reference, was also very enjoyable. Before you ask why the Darmok and Jalad wasn’t at Tanarga, you should know that that’s the email address there tanagra@nox.
We also had a couple of cocktails we were less happy with. The C3PO and the Cylon #7 both tasted good for a few sips but would have been better as shooters. They were just too overpowering to drink for too long. 3PO definitely had the essence of singed droid on wookie-​back.
I’ll definitely go back to try the food. It looked excellent.

Nox is a welcome addition to Village Gate! The literary flair and comfortable atmosphere make this the perfect place for anything from happy hour to late night cocktails with friends, even a place to get some work done.
Pros: lots of seating for groups — a mix of couches & chairs and tables, mismatched, but random. Plus, they give you your bill in a hollowed out book. Classic. By the way, this is the place for the spirits lover with the core focus on craft cocktails. I also like how the bookshelf-​style wall of liquors is a focal point for the space. And the entrance is akin to that of a castle. Their heavy, engraved… very much like those in the Twilight Zone Howling Man episode when he comes upon the hermitage.
As for the cocktails, I had the Lemon Wallpaper, which had a lemonade vibe to it, but masked the gin so I didn’t really how bold it really was (alcohol-​wise). After one, I was feeling a little loopy. After a long work week it was just what I needed to loosen up. Go for The Bell Jar (on the secret menu — there’s whiskey, ginger ale, walnut bitters).
A menu that calls the small plates snackatizers is a-​ok in my book. A smattering of things I’ve enjoyed thus far:
— Brie with Rosemary and roasted grapes — charred brie is always a win and the combo of grapes and rosemary pairs perfectly
— Trio of hummus — my fave was the regular, a tasty basic hummus.
— Fried chick peas — salty & crunchy, a tasty bar snack and weirdly reminiscent to the flavor of McDonald’s fries. Anyone else?
I look forward to spending a late afternoon with my laptop and a cast iron skillet of mac ‘n cheese.

As of this review, Nox has been open less than a week.
Nox has a very informal and cozy vibe, with wooden tables and large, comfy sofas. One sofa was draped with a blanket proclaiming «Call me Ishmael», «Elementary, my dear Watson», and other literary references.
The drink menu too, continued with the literary vibe, with drinks named after famous authors and making references to some famous (some more obscure) literary figures and novels. I tried four of their craft cocktails (the Bukowski, the Guy Fawkes, If On a Winter’s Night, and the Siren of Titan), and found them to be rather weak and watered down. My favorite of those four were If on a Winter’s Night, followed by the Siren of Titan. The Guy Fawkes was much too lemon-​y, was not strained properly (I found a lemon seed in the first sip), and was not silky as a drink with egg white should be. The Bukowski was smokey, but rather bland.
In terms of food, I had the meatloaf wrapped in bacon, which came in a skillet. Solid, tasty food, but also relied too much on the ketchup for flavor. Additionally, I tried the baguettes with brie, honey, and roasted grapes — this simple item was perhaps my favorite of what I had that night.
The bartenders were very polite, maybe even a bit overly cautious. The bills came in hollowed out books, which was a very nice touch. Even the bathrooms had copies of Calvin and Hobbes!
I think this place has a lot of potential, and I love the literary vibe. However, there are some kinks to iron out: as a place advertising themselves as a craft cocktail lounge, their drinks need to pack more bang and umph, ya know? The descriptions of the drinks are attention-​catching, but the drinks themselves are watered down. Their beer menu is very favorably priced. Solid food, and (at least on a Thursday night) a good place for conversation.
I’ll likely be back in a few weeks once they’ve settled down into a more steady rhythm.