Rochester Bistro

This restaurant isn’t good. It’s just not. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. After visiting Rochester Bistro I’m convinced there is a possibility that I am actually invisible. If the food was mediocre but the drinks and service excellent, that would make this restaurant a romantic option for people with eating disorders who need an excuse to push food around the plate without actually consuming it.
The bartender is either blind or I’m invisible. I mentioned that already. Maybe it’s possible that the bartender has this Helen Keller thing going on and I’m like Stevie Wonder. That doesn’t even make sense. Is Stevie Wonder blind or invisible? Bottom line, I think Helen Keller would have provided a better service experience than this woman working behind the bar. I don’t mean Helen Keller during her time either, I mean the dead Helen Keller now.

Sorry — wont be going back. Thought we had hit the lottery — open table on a Saturday when there were lines everywhere else. But not so much. Average food, boring décor and maybe the loudest restaurant I have ever been in – found it hard to even have a conversation at a table of four…

They have the best French onion soup! Love the gnocchi as well! Great management and staff!

My girlfriend really wanted to try this place out. The decoration and ambiance was really nice. They have a nice Christmas thing going on. Even had red and green napkins. Server was nice as well.
But that’s about all the positive things I have to say.
I ordered the Bistro Burger, medium rare, and calamari. My girl friend ordered the Roasted Pork Shoulder. The calamari was not bad, but also not that good. Ask for the sauce on the side if you want it to be crispy by the time it reaches you. The burger I got was well done and burnt. They said that it was a mix up, which is understandable. The second burger was medium, which was totally fine. However, the outside was still burnt, which made it really bitter and left a horrible after taste. The fries were not any better either. Tasted like cardboard with salt.
I can’t go too much into detail about the Roasted Pork Shoulder. My girlfriend just said it was way too salty and dry. I had a little bite of it and it just reminded me of the pork you would have in a type of Chinese soup.
All in all, it was a disappointing experience. We will not be back.

My mom, sister, and I were doing some shopping when we wandered into this place on a whim. We were all impressed, as the service, ambiance, and food was outstanding. I can’t recall our server’s name, but he was such a doll and was very professional. I had the lamb chops, and they were simply divine. My sister loved her burger, and my mom really enjoyed her peppered spaghetti. The drinks were awesome as well! I’m a «martini snob», and this place definitely impressed me. I will most definitely return!

Excellent food, service and atmosphere. I have been coming here for several years, and never had a complaint. One of the better places to go in Rochester.

Mu husband, daughter and I went to The Rochester Bistro tonight and were very pleased with our meal and the service. My had the shrimp alfredo tortellini, sirloin and steak salad. Everything was delicious and cooked perfectly. Michael, our server was very attentive and pleasant. We will definitely come back again soon!

Some hits and misses here.
Positives:
Nice décor/​ambience.
Wait staff was very pleasant and friendly.
Calamari app. was very tasty.
Wine list was extensive with some solid choices.
Less positive but not necessarily negative:
Wine by the glass was a bit chintzy on portion size. 3 – 4 sips and my glass was empty.
Food was good (crab gnocchi for
My wife & filet for me) but nothing special and lacking flavor. The filet was an 8oz. but came out looking closer to 6oz. (with standard tasting red wine reduction) and my wife didn’t care for the gnocchi/​crab combo.
This place has potential buy maybe a bit more inventiveness in the meal creations and seasoning would go along way from just being another steak and pasta joint.
Yes, I would go back. Just not for the steak and gnocchi.

was absolutely BLOWN away
by our dinner here the other night and am writing this review because we’ve been looking forward to this weeks dinner again here ALL week. (which is saying a lot, I LOVE trying new places on my days off and considering bistro is RIGHT in my backyard I’d usually venture further)
anyways. grilled octopus appetizer was literally the best I’ve had in my life. fresh, super tender, and amazing flavor. for entrees, I was dying for a filet, but Mia (bartender/​angel) talked me into the 52 wet aged bone-​in ribeye that they had for the special… omfg. I ONLY eat filet so
it was a tough sell but once again, best steak I’ve had. super tender, perfectly seasoned, it was even rested properly before being brought out. absolutely amazing.
food was seriously awesome, plus my hot date got to ramble on about New York and geeky wine stuff with Mia (which I absolutely love, geeky wine knowledge is always super impressive) and danny is a gem. can not say enough good things about our experience. hope this place sticks around

Excellent wine selection! The filet was divine, pasta dish was a little overpowered by the sun dried tomatoes, other then that great atmosphere and wonderful service. We’ll be back!

We went there for dinner. Appetizer and main course all excellent! Good service
Will definitely go back!

My wife and I decided to try this place last night. We started off with the Calamari for an appetizer and it was average at best. She ordered a pasta dish with lamb. The lamb which was shredded still had a bone in it and was extremely grisly/​fatty. Not to mention it was cold. I order the filet it was cooked perfect, but again was on the colder side. The whipped potatoes were a nice touch, however it tasted like someone took the entire salt shaker and poured it in my single portion. They did correct it 5 minutes later with a side that tasted like Hungry Jack mashed potatos. Our server Amanda was extremely friendly, and service was good. I noticed the manager did go from table to table to ask how the food was since they had just open within last couple weeks. He seemed to walk by our table about 2 dozen times, but did not bother to ask how our meal was. Hope this review helps improve your food quality. This place is average at best and does not justify the high food prices. I usually do give restaurants a second chance, so you may see another review by me down the road.

I was impressed with Rochester Bistro. This is a nice addition to the downtown.
The space itself is well suited for a wine bar. The bar area is separate from the downstairs dining area by a wall. There’s also a dining area upstairs and some tables out front on the sidewalk.
Servers were very friendly. We ordered the cheese plate, and my friend asked if the waitress could make it a charcuterie board instead. No problem! The Chianti I ordered was mediocre, but my friend loved her vodka tonic.
All in all, this place would be great for a totally affordable date night.