For two weeks I was in Rochester, NY. I was there for work/school experiencing the Monroe Community College Optics program to better understand optical concepts. But I’m not going to bore you with the details on that, no, we’re here to hear about the food, THE NOMS. If you watched our most recent Isaac video, you may have heard about how much food I ate while away. In case you haven’t seen it, boy oh boy, I have never eaten out so much in my entire life!

In this post we are going to go through some (not all) of the restaurants that I got to experience, and at the end you’ll get to see which one I recommend the most. Below are links to all of the restaurant websites so that if you happen to find yourself in Rochester you’ll know where the good eats are.

Cam’s Pizza, dogTown, Dino Bar-B-Que, Fattoush, Get Caked Cupcakes, OTR Woodfire, Mamasan’s, The Distillery, The Gate House, The King and I

Picture-less must-mentions: Genesee Brewery, Mama Lor’s, Sticky Lips BBQ. (These are places that I got my food, devoured it, then realized I didn’t take pictures, so keep your eyes peeled for next time!)

I will be reviewing them in alphabetical order, and then at the end I’ll go in order of which I enjoyed them most.

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Cam’s Pizza

Starting off simple I received a recommendation for good local pizza, a place called Cam’s Pizzeria. Ironically I didn’t end up getting pizza. A calzone and some tenders were my dinner of choice one fateful night in Rochester. I’m very accustomed to half-moon shaped calzones, so when that box flung open and the munchies kicked in this near half-pizza sized beast sent shivers down my spine. Setting it to the side for a moment I began with the wings.

Crispy, yet tender, both spicy & sweet, no rubbery bits, and still piping hot after the ride home! These wings…*ahem*… tenders (since they have no bone), were an enjoyable starter that built up my confidence to take on what I now call “The Beast” of all calzones.

I like my calzones like I like my women: simple, yet cheesy, with a little meat on them, and a lotta sawce! Jokes aside, what you’re seeing is a cheese and pepperoni calzone and a side of marinara. Do not let the picture deceive you, this son-of-gun was BIG, and it was packed full of cheese with layers, LAYERS, of pepperoni. It was a bit on the softer side of calzones but that’s understandable with how much stuffing there was. The only bad thing I can say is that there was no well-seasoned ricotta to accompany the mozzarella. Overall, the tenders went down fast and the calzone lasted me a couple meals so I got my money’s worth.

I give it a 7/10, it’s pizza.

dogTown

dogTown, to me, is quite literally a town hole-in-the-wall. Known for their hotdogs, I wasn’t planning on getting anything else. If you want to see their full menu check out their website, but for this review I’m going to just be talking about their dogs.

Now, I didn’t know what I was in for getting two dogs. I sat there thinking, “It’s just two dogs, you have two dogs all the time, sometimes three!” At least, that was what I was thinking until my food showed up…

Two specialty dogs, onion rings, a cookie, and water is what I got from here. Can you guess which two I ordered? It was a tough call to be honest, with nearly 20 to choose from, so I settled on the Greek Stray & a Hawaiian Poi (there is no poi).

On top of the fact that these were big boi dogs, the buns are no joke either! But the flavor, each bite was a whirlwind of savory goodness! And when I got to the Hawaiian Poi, the pineapple BBQ combo added to the mix in a way I had never expected.

Let the record show, that on that day, I did eat a Kalamata olive. Though, I’ll probably never do that again.

Overall, flavor was off the charts in two different directions. Savory Greek notes with the Greek Stray and sweet & tangy complimented by the bacon on our Poi boi. My downfall at this place came from how much food I actually ate. These dogs came along for the ride and didn’t wanna go away if you know what I mean! My recommendation, settle on one dog and a side, and if you’re curious come back another time.

7/10 these puppies unapologetically came home with me.

Dino Bar-B-Que

Boy oh boy! I’m going to have to apologize in advance for this one. Realistically, Dino should be on the Picture-less mentions since I snarffled down my Cuban Sandwich and AK Chili in seconds. Had half a mind to dip my sandwich into the chili, but not enough time to actually do it. I didn’t know what they AK stood for, so I asked the waitress who responded in the best way possible: “A** KICKIN’!!!”. Loud and proud sister; let the world know what that chili’s gonna do to me in a few hours.

Without a picture of the food though I guess I’ll just have to go back *hehe*. All in all, there’s nothing quite like BBQ, especially when it’s good BBQ and Dino does is G-O-O-D GOOD. My only downside is the downside I have with any BBQ joint, I eat way too much! Then I leave feeling like I’ve gained 50lbs and another reason to go full food coma on the couch.

Review for Dino is TBD without photographic evidence.

Fattoush

Before I came to Rochester I did a little searching. I like to scope out where I’ll be staying and plan a little on the variety of foods I might give a try. Having recently discovered a love for Lebanese/Mediterranean food, Fattoush was checked off as a must. It took me all of 5 minutes to decided on what meal I would order. On the right you see my Chicken Shawarma. I would also show you my Baklava, but they forgot it.

It’s ok, they seemed really busy that night. I didn’t realize it till I was in PJs, and I wasn’t planning on driving back. But good Lord above, there’s something about how Shawarma is cooked in general that gets me going. If you don’t know what Shawarma is, look it up right now. I’m not going anywhere… I’ll wait.

Ok you’re back – the depth of flavor in this meal is to the moon and back. A profound savory start followed by a plethora of herbs and seasonings topped off with that hint of lemony citrus from either the hummus or tzatziki sauce. If they didn’t forget my most beloved dessert, Fattoush would be a top contender for sure.

8/10 and you can keep your stinkin’ baklava. At least I don’t know what I’m missing 😭😭😭

Get Caked Bakery

Time for a sweet stop pit-stop. I was looking for bakeries in Rochester, and it felt like they were few and far between. Then I happened upon this holy grail. If you don’t like sweets, I understand (no, I don’t), but I love sweets. Taking a bite of something savory only to follow it by sweetness intensifies the experience ten-fold!

I got six flavors for little ol’ me. Settling on Almond Joy, Boston Cream, Funfetti, Salted Caramel, Tiramisu, and Vanilla Caramel Espresso. I booked it back to the hotel room and what followed was anything but holy. I’ll keep it short and sweet: I loved Salted Caramel, Tiramisu, and Vanilla Caramel. I’m neutral about Funfetti. Boston Cream & Almond Joy are both a big nope for me.

Disclaimer: I got there at the end of the day because of class, so don’t knock any of these till you try them.

8/10 I grabbed more for the ride home, and I’m not sorry.

OTR Woodfire

This one might be a bit controversial, or it might not, anyway here we go. I think this was maybe the second or third night and I was just looking for quick places to eat at. The ever-wise Mandy had some words of wisdom for me when it came to pizza: “Get one slice, and if you like it, buy a pie.” Words I should have listened to indeed.

Now, without a doubt I’ve had worse pizza *looks at Papa Johns* but I’ve also had so much better. I loved the tavern atmosphere of this place as well as being able to openly see such a beautiful woodfire pizza oven. But my pie was a bit doughy. Don’t get me wrong, the sauce and cheese were delicious, but the crust is a foundation. Without a well founded foundation, you just have cheese and toppings. Oh and my fries had no salt. Don’t ask me why I ordered fries. I was desperate and hungry.

5/10 and I’m petitioning to salt all fries.

Mamasan’s

Mamasan’s Noodle Caboodle Restaurant was actually a surprise! I had no plans of going here, nor did I even know it existed. During one of our classes, the professor wasn’t able to join us for lunch. After shooing us out of the lab, a couple of classmates approached me and suggested Mamasan’s. I wasn’t going to turn them down since I had no clue where to go, so off to the Noodle Caboodle we went.

I got the Vietnamese Style Phat Thai with pork and a Vietnamese Hot Coffee. Now, you’ll have to bare with me as I don’t know how this dish is supposed to be prepared. The yellow noodles had a bit of a texture to them, almost like they weren’t fully cooked. But that could very well be how this dish is prepared. Everything else in here: veggies, pork, and sauce was delicious. And to top it off the coffee, which is actually sweetened with sweetened condensed milk, was extravagant. It lasted me the rest of the day and well into the next morning. It was very strong, so I put it in the fridge for later.

7.5/10 Still not sure about those noodles.

The Distillery

Before stopping here, we had been on a tour that went way, WAY over my head. Coming down from that experience, I needed to make my head spin the right way if you know what I mean. Wings and dranks baby, that’s what I’m talking about! While I don’t remember the drinks I got, I 110% remember the wings. If you cannot see the menu, let me clarify. The Distillery’s claim to fame is: “Award winning wings Since 1980“. There was no way in Hell that I wasn’t trying them. And with a sauce called Garlic Cajun, sign me UP!

Something I see a lot in Connecticut wing spots is that our wings are coated, COATED in sauce. CT needs to take a page from The Distillery. Wings first then sauce. Every bite of these wings were some of THE most crispy, most otherworldly satisfying bites I’ve ever had the pleasure of experiencing. I wanted to order more, but with a side of fries (well salted) I was too full.

8.5/10 I will be back.

The Gate House

So, The Gate House is located in the same plaza as Get Caked Bakery, just saying. My brother had recommended this place, so I had to go. You see when he recommends something, it’s not just good, heck it’s not just great, it is pristine! You see, unlike me, my brother has what I like to call “standards”. He doesn’t just settle for an everyday Joe-Schmoe burger like I do.

In case you cannot see the writing on this fancy menu, I ended up getting The Wease: Fontina Cheese, Bacon Jam, Roasted Garlic Aioli, Black and Tan Onion Rings. As I shiver writing this, there is only one other burger that competes with this one, which unfortunately is not in driving distance. (And that’s a story for another road trip). Cooked exactly how I like it (medium), this burger was good to the last drop, I even left the tomato on it! And wouldn’t you know it my fries were seasoned extensively too!

8.5/10 Good to the last drop!

The King and I

At The King and I, I ventured out a little bit. I ordered Chicken Phat Prikpao with Steamed Rice (left). I do not remember what the soup of the day was (right), but it was warming in the cold weather with a hint of spice. The nicest thing about The King and I, as someone who doesn’t know the culture, was at the beginning of the menu there is descriptions for item. No, not just ordinary descriptions, for example, I didn’t know what Phat Prikpao meant.

In the beginning it is explained as: green beans, celery, bamboo, and basil in a sweet chili paste. I probably wouldn’t have gotten it had I not known what was in it. And I definitely would have missed out on a meal that left me filled, but not overstuffed.

8/10 I should probably eat more food like this.

Takeaways

The scores that I gave each restaurant were based around my entire experience at each individual establishment. This included how the food left me feeling after eating (I’m looking at you dogTown). But lets put things in order of how much I enjoyed exclusively the food.

In order from Least to Most enjoyed: OTR Woodfire, Cam’s Pizza, Mamasan’s, dogTown, The Distillery, The King and I, The Gate House, Fattoush.

I’m purposefully excluding Get Caked as they are a bakery, and next time will get their own category. And Dino, even though that Cuban was out of this world, I have no picture so it feels unfair to include without proof. I will not disrespect you like that again.

It was a lot of fun talking about how each of these meals were, and we hope you enjoyed reading about them! I plan on going back sometime in June 2023, so stay tuned for more Rochester Eats with yours truly!

As always, leave us a comment, especially if you’re a Rochesterian and have places to recommend. We’re all ears when it comes to good noms. If you really enjoyed reading about Rochester’s munchies, maybe someone you know will too, so share this with them. We’re sure they will. And one last thing, if you enjoy our food-talk, why not try our game-talk on YouTube, might be worth a click or two just to check us out.

We look forward to seeing you in the next one!