You Won’t Want to Miss This List of Hand-Selected Bars in Rochester!
Rochester is a small city, so many people may not know that it houses a lot of cool bars. There are many hidden gems in the city, with bars that have funky decor and fun, lively atmospheres. The bars serve good drinks and delicious food. Here’s a list of the best bars to go to in Rochester!
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Salinger’s
Salinger’s is a funky joint in the East End of Rochester. They offer 22 different types of beer and are famous for their cheap refills on plastic mugs of beer. The bar offers many entertainment options, such as a pool table, electronic darts, and an Internet jukebox. There are also multiple televisions showcasing sports games.
The bar's interior consists of multiple neon signs hung up, a black and white checkered floor, and a small bottle wall across from the bar table. The bar has an extensive beer menu, with options such as Bud Light, Abita Purple Haze, and Blue Moon Belgian White. There are also recommended beers on the menu, such as the Vermont Hard Woodchuck Cider and the Weihenstepher Hefeweiss beers. Prices typically range from $3-$5 per 16 ounces, depending on the flavor.
Customers rated the bar well, saying that the bartenders were friendly, there were a lot of fun things to do, and that the drinks were affordable. Near the Eastman School of Music, this bar is perfect for college students of age!
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marshall street bar & grill
Marshall Street Bar & Grill is a bar in downtown Rochester serving both drinks and food. The bar offers a friendly, neighborhood atmosphere with various spacious seating options for dining. Reservations are available for birthday parties and other special events. The owners Don and Kelly Bush created the bar to provide a place with a welcoming vibe where everyone is treated like family.
The food menu offers classic American cuisine with gluten-free, vegan, and vegetarian options. There are salads and starters such as Irish nachos, mac and cheese, and fried pickles. Lunch and dinner options include quesadillas, sandwiches, burgers, and “volcano plates” which come with fries, mac salad, jalapeno queso, and your meat of choice.
The drinks menu offers a large variety of beers, such as Genesee Spring Bock, Coors Light, and Guinness Draught. Every day, the bar offers drink specials like $4 pints until 7 pm. Each day of the week has its own dedicated drink special, including $10 and $12 pitchers on Mondays and $3 domestic bottles on Wednesdays. If you’re looking for a close-knit environment with great food to have fun in, this bar is perfect for you!
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swan dive
Swan Dive is a bar and pizza shop on Alexander Street. The bar offers both food and drink menus. There are also DJ lineups that give live entertainment to visitors. There are specials on each day of the week, such as wine and wings specials on Wednesdays and industry specials all night on Mondays. Happy Hour runs daily from 5 pm-6 pm. The Happy Hour menu consists of snacks such as pizza slices, chicken fingers, and tater tots, and drinks such as various wines, limoncello, and cider. The bar is closed on Tuesdays.
The food menu has many classic American dishes. Notable items on the menu are O.G Pizza—a pizza with tomato sauce, mozzarella, oregano, parmesan, and basil—mozzarella sticks, cheesy garlic bread, chicken nuggets, and Swan’s fries—house cut fries with truffle, parmesan, basil, and special sauce. The bar’s food specialty is pizza, with various flavors such as pepperoni pizzas and pizzas with vodka sauce. This bar has food to fit any craving!
The drinks menu is an extensive list of natural wines. The wine comes from regions all over the world, including Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria, France, and America. Notable wines are the French Les Vins Pirouettes white wine and Spanish Lectores Vini ‘pomagrana’ red wine.
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kerny’s pub
Kerny’s Pub is a pub located at 2001 East Main Street. The bar carries a wide selection of craft and local beers. There’s a beer menu, a food menu, and daily specials for drinks and food. The food menu consists of wings, burgers, sandwiches, and wraps. There are also appetizers, such as fries, pretzel bites, cheese curds, and pulled pork tacos. Side dishes include coleslaw, curly fries, side salads, and mac salad.
The beer menu is extensive, with options such as Three Heads Honey Smuggler Lager, Stella Artois Pale Lager, and Smithwick's Premium Irish Ale. The online menu lists the notes in each beer, as well as the percentage of alcohol.
There are various specials throughout the week. On Mondays, the bar offers a wing night, with 10 wings for $8. Tuesday is taco night, and on Wednesdays, classic burgers are $3 off. Thursdays offer $8 boneless wings, Fridays have weekend food specials, and Sundays there is brunch from 11 am-2 pm. If you buy a draft between 2 pm-5 pm Monday-Friday, it only costs $1. Kerny’s Pub gives customers the chance to eat great food and drink good beer while saving money with these specials!
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lux lounge
Lux Lounge is a funky dive bar located in the South Wedge Neighborhood of Rochester. The bar has a jukebox, board games, a pool table, and a huge backyard with a firepit for entertainment. There are also various events and shows, such as karaoke and musical performances. Every day, they offer a drink special of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer for $3. It’s the most famous drink special in Rochester.
The exterior of the bar is red with a large sign that says “LUX” on it over gray wings. The interior is gothic, with red-painted walls, a bottle wall with a red flame border surrounding it, and a statue of a bartender with a devil face by the bar counter.
The menu consists of beer cans, bottles, drafts, and specialty cocktails. Notable drinks include the Prosecco Splitz, the “Cheeseburger Shot” which is tequila chased with tomato and pickle juice, and the “Garden Gnome” which is cucumber vodka, St. Germain, lemonade, and club soda. If you’re looking for a cool joint with lots of live entertainment and bizarre drink concoctions, this is the bar for you!
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turcott’s taproom
Turcott’s Taproom is an upscale pub offering an intimate but casual dining experience. The pub has an extensive Bourbon and scotch selection and offers a delicious English-inspired breakfast on Saturdays. The pub also has lunch and dinner food, with the menu consisting of salads, bar snacks such as wings, loaded nachos, and loaded fries, and sandwiches, wraps, and paninis. The Steak Panini and Bacon Swiss Burger are just two of many delicious options on the menu.
The pub also has cocktails and drafts of various flavors. Some flavors include the Brooklyn Lager, the Bells Winter White, and the Rohrbachs Scotch Ale. The pub's exterior and interior are heavily inspired by European and specifically London architectural designs. The pub front is black and red and looks like a London hotel front, and the inside has dark wooden floors and counters with red stools. Entertainment includes karaoke events and bar games.
conclusion
These bars offer the perfect opportunity to have fun with friends and family. With extensive food and drink menus, great prices, unique decor, and tons of entertainment options—you’ll never be short of a good time at one of these bars!
