Bars
- Jack's Extra Fancy 825 Atlantic Avenue Rochester, NY 14609
A Little Disco. A Little Dive. A Little Irish. Always... EXTRA FANCY.food
- Joey's 561 E Main St Rochester, NY
Neighborhood bar located right in the heart of downtown Rochester.late night
- Mortalis Brewing 5660 Tec Dr. Avon, NY 14414
Amazing brewery, lots of fruited sours, IPAs, and stouts.
- Other Half (FLX) 6621 State Rte 5 And 20 Bloomfied, NY 14469
Killer brewery and hang-out joint about 30min drive from Rochester.
- Radio Social 20 Carlson Rd Rochester, NY 14610
Middle eastern menu, craft cocktail + whiskey bars, 34 bowling lanes, lounge areas, a variety of indoor and outdoor games (seasonally on the back lawn).foodvegetarian optionsdrinksgames
- Skylark Lounge 40 South Union St. Rochester, NY 14607
Cool bar hangout with a meatball menu (including vegetarian options).foodvegetarian options
- Spirit Room 139 State St Rochester, NY 14614
Drinks and Foodfooddrinks
- Strangebird Brewery 62 Marshall Street Rochester, NY 14607
Hand-crafted beers and eat made-from-scratch food.foodvegetarian options
- Swiftwater Brewing 378 Mt Hope Ave Rochester, NY 14620
A community-centered farm brewery in the heart of Rochester’s historic South Wedge neighborhood.food
- The Playhouse / Swillburger 820 South Clinton Rochester, NY
The Playhouse is a combination bar, arcade and eatery; complete with vintage arcade games, craft libations and Swillburger, a modern take on the classic American burger joint.foodvegetarian optionsdrinksgames
- The Richmond 21 Richmond St Rochester, NY 14607
Beers by Mortalis (fruited sours, IPAs, crazy stouts, etc), and food by Dough Boys (pizza, wings, sandwiches)food
- The Sheffield 1776 Monroe Ave Brighton, NY 14618
Tons of beers on tap and can/bottles, great pub food.foodvegetarian options
Book Stores
- Greenwood Books 123 East Ave Rochester, NY 14604
Since 1998, Greenwood Books has provided Rochester with used and rare fiction & non-fiction in a welcoming storefront on East Avenue.
- Small World Books 425 North St Rochester, NY 14605
Tons of used and rare books.
Coffee Shops
- Fuego Coffee Roasters 1 Woodbury Boulevard Rochester, NY 14604
Larger place to hang out, with great coffee, pastries, and more.
- Java's Cafe 16 Gibbs St Rochester, NY 14604
Great place to chill downtown, right next to Eastman Theatre and Eastman School of Music. Good coffee and other drinks, as well as sandwiches during the day.
- The Chai Guy 729 Park Ave Rochester, NY 14607
The best chai in town. Tons of options.
- Ugly Duck Coffee 89 Charlotte St. Rochester, NY 14607
Awesome coffee shop downtown. Great staff, great coffee.
Restaurants/Food
- Balsam Bagels 288 North Winton Rd Rochester, NY 14610
Best bagels in town. Plus tons of breakfast sandwiches, with vegetarian and vegan options too, along with other pastries, soups and morevegetarian options
- Cedar Mediterranean Restaurant 746-A Monroe Ave Rochester, NY
Awesome Mediterranean food. Lost of vegetarian options as well.vegetarian options
- DogTown Hots 691 Monroe Ave Rochester, NY 14607
Awesome variety of hot dogs, burgers, and other specials sandwiches, including tons of vegetarian options.affordablevegetarian options
- El Latino Restaurant 1020 Chili Ave Rochester, NY 14611
Compact, unfussy eatery specializing in Latin American specialties, including tripe & seafood.affordable
- Fiorella 5 Rochester Public Market Rochester, NY 14609
Traditional farm-to-table Italian cuisine featuring artisanal pizzas in the authentic style using naturally leavened dough, handmade pastas, vegan options, and house gelato.
- Georgie's Bakery and Cafe 857 South Clinton Ave Rochester, NY 14620
People love their style of a Cuban sandwich. Great pastries and breads as well.closed early
- Han Noodle 687 Monroe Ave Rochester, NY 14623
They're probably moving soon, so definitely double check. their new location is just town Monroe a bit and across the street.
- Joe's Brooklyn Pizza Multiple locations. Check their site for locations and phone numbers. ,
One of the best places in Rochester to get NY-style thin pizza.
- Mark's Texas Hots (late night) 487 Monroe Ave Rochester, NY
Late night/24hr diner food, including their version of the Rochester Garbage Plate. Burgers, fries, breakfast plates & other comfort bites are served at this no-frills 24-hour diner.24hrslate nightaffordable
- Nick Tahou's 320 W. Main St. Rochester, NY 14608
Nick Tahou Hots is a Rochester, NY landmark restaurant famous for its Garbage Plate. (no longer 24hrs, so check hours in the detail page or call them)affordable
- Peach Blossom 9 E Main St Rochester, NY
Amazing authentic Mexican food. Not the quickest place in the world, but worth the wait! They have limited hours (mon-fri from 11-6, but check before going).mexican
- Peels On Wheel Pizza 1157 Culver Road Rochester, NY 14609
Incredible pizza featuring NY style, Detroit style, Sicilian and more.
- SEA ,
Really great south-east Asian cuisine, including Pho.asian
- Sinbad's 719 Park Ave Rochester, NY 14607
Vast offerings include pitas, kebabs & Mediterranean platters at this buzzy, earth-toned eatery.vegetarian options
- Voula's Greek Sweets 439 Monroe Avenue Rochester, NY 14607
Despite the name, full-service restaurant serving savory Greek vegan and vegetarian meals and baked goods.vegetarian options
- Wegmans Multiple locations. Check their website or map for nearest location. ,
Full service grocery store with prepared foods, beer, etc.
Movies
- Dryden Theatre 900 East Avenue Rochester, NY 14607
Arthouse theatre, different movie every night.
- ROC Cinema 957 S Clinton Ave Rochester, NY 14620
This comfortable and trendy venue is the place to go if you’re looking for a exclusive experience along with delicious food and great drinks!fooddrinks
- The Little Theatre 240 East Ave Rochester, NY 14604
American independent and foreign films — as well as music and visual arts.
Museums/Galleries
- George Eastman House 900 East Avenue Rochester, NY 14607
World’s oldest photography museum and one of the oldest film archives. The museum holds unparalleled collections—encompassing several million objects—in the fields of photography, cinema, and photographic and cinematographic technology, and photographically illustrated books.
- Memorial Art Gallery 500 University Ave Rochester, NY 14607
Rotating exhibits as well as a pretty decent permanent collection.
- Rochester Contemporary Art Center (RoCo) 137 East Avenue Rochester, NY 14604
As a center for thoughtful contemporary art, RoCo provides unique encounters for audiences and extraordinary opportunities for artists.
- The Strong National Museum of Play One Manhattan Square Rochester, NY 14607
Museum for kids, but also very cool for adults, especially the extensive video arcade.
- Visual Studies Workshop 31 Prince Street Rochester, NY 14607
Visual Studies Workshop’s mission is to support makers and interpreters of images through education, publications, residencies, exhibitions and collections.
Music Gear
- Cadence Drums 2109 Buffalo Rd Rochester, NY 14624
If you need drums and drum parts, this is the place to go. Out on the west-side of the city, but an easy drive (its right off of I490). Check hours on their site, since they are somewhat limited.drumslimited hours
- Rochester Drum Trade 140 Troup St Rochester, NY 14608
Your home for vintage & modern drums, cymbals, hardware, & accessories.drumslimited hours
- Sound Source 161 Norris Drive Rochester, NY 14610
If you need music gear, this is the place to go and very close to downtown. Tons of guitars, basses, amps, pedals, keyboards, mics, cords/strings/supplies, and not, some drums.guitarsampscords/suppliesdrumspedals/effects
- The House of Guitars 645 Titus Ave Rochester, NY 14617
The House of Guitars has in insane amount of music gear, with a focus on guitars. Definitely a place to check out.guitarsdrumsampspedals/effectscords/supplies
Parks/Outdoor
- High Falls Pont de Rennes Walking Bridge Rochester, NY 14614
The High Falls are one of three voluminous waterfalls on the Genesee River, that flow through the city of Rochester in New York. The High Falls are located about 2 miles upstream from the lower falls and act as their source.
- Lower Falls 43.179378, -77.627761 ,
Lower Falls can be found in the northern reaches of Rochester and is the last of the five major waterfalls on the Genesee River before its confluence with Lake Ontario
- Mount Hope Cemetery 1133 Mount Hope Ave Rochester, NY 14620
Mount Hope Cemetery, one of the most remarkable Victorian cemeteries in America, is a magnificent 196 acres of lofty hills and picturesque valleys created by glaciers and transformed into a beautiful historic cemetery. A diversified forest of trees forms an arboretum shading thousands of marble, bronze, and granite monuments. The cemetery is a veritable museum of funerary sculpture and mausoleums spanning more than a century and a half.
- Turning Point Park 260 Boxart St Rochester, NY 14612
Turning Point Park covers 275 wooded acres along the banks of the Genesee River
- Water towers at Cobbs Hill 80 Culver Rd Rochester, NY
The Water Towers are located near Cobbs Hill Park, above the Monroe County Water Authority's General Offices at 475 Norris Drive. These Water Authority storage tanks have become one of the few places around town where Graffiti-ists like to gather and work. The best way to find them is to head to Cobbs Hill Reservoir, and look for giant Sky Blue structures on the top of the hill.
Record Stores
- Bop Shop 1460 Monroe Avenue Rochester, NY 14618
Huge record store with a ton of jazz, rock, classical, prog, and more. Tons of vinyl, some CDs and cassettes.jazzusednewvinylrock
- Hi Fi Lounge 1822 Monroe Ave Rochester, NY 14618
A pretty small record shop that gets some good used record collections in from time to time. Mostly rock and jazz. Always a great place to dig. They also sell and repair a bunch of home audio gear.vinylnewusedrockjazzhome audio
- NeedleDrop Records 1780 Monroe Ave Rochester, NY 14618
Small shop, but tons of great stuff, specializing in punk, indie, hardcore, metal, experimental, and noise.vinylusednewpunk/hcnoise/experimentalrockweirdo
- Record Archive 33 1/3 Rockwood St. Rochester, NY 14610
Very large record store, with a wide variety of stuff to pick from, CDs and vinyl, along with a lot of knick-knacks, etc. They also have a full service bar.
- The House of Guitars 645 Titus Ave Rochester, NY 14617
Aside from having an insane amount of music gear, they're also a huge record store. If you like digging, here ya go.vinylcdsnewrock
Other
- Brighton Farmer's Market 1150 Winton Road S. Rochester, NY 14618
Brighton High School parking lot - Sundays 9am to 1pmfoodcoffeebakery
- Rochester Pinball Collective 349 W. Commercial St. Suite 2965 East Rochester, NY 14445
The Rochester Pinball Collective is a pinball arcade, open to the general public, located in East Rochester, NY. We feature around 45 different pinball machines dating from the 1950's to new releases.
- Rochester Public Market 280 N. Union St. Rochester, NY 14609
Rochester's City-run Public Market has served the community at its 280 North Union Street site since 1905, and is open Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, year-round. Offer local produce; produce from around the country and world; meats and seafood; eggs and dairy products; ethnic delicacies; prepared and packaged foods; specialty items; general merchandise; and more in three covered outdoor vendor sheds and also a fully indoor shed.
- Strong Museum of Play One Manhattan Square Rochester, NY 14607
They have a large arcade with old video games and pinball machines.