Village Gate Square: A Unique, Artsy Complex in Rochester
Village Gate Square is an artsy shopping mall located in the Neighborhood of the Arts in Rochester, New York. Previously a warehouse, it now houses various boutiques, restaurants, and unique artwork. Most of the stores and restaurants are located inside the complex, but some are stand-alone stores. Outside of the complex there are colorful sculptures, and on the second floor inside of the complex, more fun, colorful artwork is displayed. Some hang from the ceilings, while others are floor displays. The complex also has brightly-colored poles of yellow, purple, and blue.
Village Gate Square is both a great place to shop and an artistic experience! Here’s a list of some of the shops and restaurants to check out in this creative complex!
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sweet poison cupcake
Sweet Poison Cupcake is a pop culture store that sells Japanese lolita clothing, kawaii goods, and other fun, handmade kawaii jewelry. “Kawaii” is a Japanese word meaning “cute.” Kawaii merchandise usually features cute patterns that are colorful or pastel, and have adorable cartoon animals or objects on them.
The store officially opened in 2010. The business came to be when the owner, Tempest Page, started making kawaii jewelry in 2008. When she was in 8th grade, she used to sell cupcake rings at school. She always had a love for kawaii-themed jewelry, and thus the business was created! The business has attended Tora-Con—Rochester’s annual anime con—for multiple years and was featured in the Democrat & Chronicle newspaper.
The store sells a wide variety of merchandise, such as clothing, accessories, plushies, and makeup. Some featured brands sold in the store are Pasheen, Rilakkuma, and BT21. This store is perfect for those who love Japanese fashion and kawaii goods.
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get caked bakery
Get Caked Bakery is one of the must-try bakeries in Rochester and is founded by female entrepreneur Kelly. Kelly is from a home of family bakers and learned many recipes from her great grandma and grandma. Some of those recipes, she learned, could be made completely vegan. She decided to open a bakery that offered many options for people who are vegan. She also makes treats that people with gluten, dairy, and nut allergies can enjoy.
The menu consists of cakes and cake slices, cupcakes, cookies, macarons, brownies, rice krispies, muffins, and other pastries. In addition to baked goods, the bakery also has regular and decaf Columbian coffee, and tea in flavors such as Earl Grey and Raspberry Pomegranate with a selection of creamers and non-dairy options.
The bakery also allows you to customize cake, cupcake, and cookie orders for special events and parties. Those interested can purchase a custom order on the bakery’s website. The selection at Get Caked is ever-changing, and there’s always something new and delicious to try!
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the unreliable narrator
The Unreliable Narrator is a unique small business located just outside the shopping complex. The store sells books, candles, crystals, handmade soaps, artwork, and more. The store also has a comfortable lounge to read in. If you’re a lover of the creepy and mythical, this is the perfect place for you!
The shop is queer-owned and sells LGBTQ+ merchandise and queer books. For those who are not in the area, the shop has an online bookstore that sells bestsellers, fiction, nonfiction, young adult, and kids’ books. The site runs multiple promotions, such as a Women’s History Month 15% off discount on Bloomsbury female authors’ works.
The shop sells a lot of mythical creature merchandise such as stuffed animals, creepy art of witches and monsters, and classic supernatural novels such as Dracula and Frankenstein. There’s even a shelf dedicated to witchcraft books. This store is a hidden gem in Rochester!
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polizzi’s
Polizzi’s is a casual fine dining restaurant that serves Italian, Greek, French, and Spanish cuisine. The restaurant has various menus, such as a wine, bar, kids, appetizers, entrees and sides, coffee, and house made desserts menu. On Wednesdays, there’s also an Italian American menu. The restaurant accommodates people with gluten allergies, and lists gluten-free items on their online menu.
Notable items on the menu include the Creamy Mushroom and Herb Risotto with Lump Crab, the Vegetable Napolean which consists of a layered potato pancake with roasted and sauteed vegetables served under a balsamic glaze with polenta fries, and the Tuscan Chicken Pasta, which has penne pasta topped with grilled chicken, artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, cannellini beans, and peas.
The house made desserts are a highlight of the restaurant. Some include the Butterscotch Budino—butterscotch custard with salted caramel sauce and chopped almonds—a fried ice cream Spanish sundae, and Chocolate Espresso Pots de Creme, which is a chocolate-espresso custard topped with whipped cream, chocolate-covered espresso beans, and mini chocolate chips.
This restaurant offers a delicious combination of European and Mediterranean cuisine!
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shui asian fusion
Shui Asian Fusion is a restaurant that offers Chinese and Thai cuisine. They serve lunch, dinner, dessert, beer, wine, and bubble tea. They also have restaurant favorites called “Shui’s Pick” which include the Chinese Cabbage and Tofu, as well as the Triple Crown: chicken, beef, and shrimp served with vegetables such as broccoli and carrots in a special brown sauce.
Their menu features sections called “Thai Best” and “Chinese Kitchen.” The Thai Best section includes the most popular Thai dishes, such as the Volcano Beef and Chicken Volcano. The Chinese Kitchen section lists the special sauces the restaurant uses in their Chinese dishes, such as Hunan Sauce and Sichuan Sauce.
Some highlights of this restaurant are the dessert and bubble tea menus. The dessert menu consists of fried banana topped with honey and sesame seeds, and Kao Niew Ma-Muang, which is fresh mango served over sticky rice with coconut milk. The bubble tea comes in various flavors, such as taro, jasmine, mango, peach, and strawberry.
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the gate house
The Gate House is a gourmet burger and wood-fired pizza restaurant. The restaurant offers customers an affordable casual dining experience. The restaurant is committed to supporting human and organic farm practices, so all eggs in the dishes are cage-free and all dairy is organic. The restaurant is also completely operated by solar and wind power. Herbs come from their organic garden, and most produce comes from local farmers at the public market.
The menu consists of burgers and pizzas. On Sundays, there’s also a brunch menu. Notable brunch menu items include the Brunch Pizza, French Toast, and Skillet Pancake. The burger menu has classic burgers such as the American Cheeseburger, and unique burgers such as The Wegman—a lamb burger with Meyer lemon Greek yogurt sauce, feta cheese, and a mint and pine nut pesto.
The pizza menu has various options as well, including vegan ones. Each pizza is named after famous Rochester landmarks. The RPO pizza has tomato sauce, vegan pepperoni and meatballs, vegan mozzarella, banana peppers, and fresh basil. The Kodak pizza has tomato sauce, Italian sausage, roasted peppers, basil, asiago, and mozzarella. Each item on the various menus is made fresh with wholesome ingredients.
conclusion
Village Gate Square offers great dining, unique shops, tasty bakeries, and an artistic experience. The complex attracts many visitors, especially students from the surrounding area. If you’re looking for a place that has it all—good food and cool places to shop within just feet of each other—then you’ll want to give Village Gate Square a visit!
