Which restaurants serve the best burgers in Rochester?
It’s a daunting question. Burgers find their way onto the menus of everything from Rochester’s iconic hots restaurants to its priciest steakhouses.
When D&C photographer Shawn Dowd mentioned in passing that he and his longtime friend, Gene Beaumont, go out for burgers and beer most Thursday nights, I convinced him that they were the perfect team to take on the question, just in time for National Burger Month in May.
Shawn is the unsung hero of the D&C’s food beat. He’s the guy who’s behind most of the eye-catching food photos you’ve seen in the D&C.
Moreover, he knows his way around food. He grew up on a dairy farm and worked the line at a busy chain restaurant. He’s traveled extensively internationally and sampled the local cuisines. He’s been known to do his own personal deep dives into specific culinary niches, such as visiting roughly 100 restaurants in search of the best barbecue across the country.
Shawn and Gene quickly ran headlong into the conundrum that faces every food writer: you just can’t taste everything, if only for your own health.
“Everybody has burgers. We only had so much time,” Gene said.
They turned to online research to develop a short list. The decided to focus only on local restaurants, and to highlight burgers that were unique. “I like the above and beyond,” Shawn said.
“We had to differentiate because so many were so close,” Gene said, so they also factored in the sides, the atmosphere, the service and the beer selection.
Shawn literally went the extra mile and made stops during his lunch hours, sampling 25 burgers in the span of a few weeks. Some places were visited twice.
All in all, they found that Rochester has a lot of really good burgers. “There’s not a bad bite in that 25,” Dowd said. “They’re all great. I could make a case for three to four to be number one.”
Below is their all-time favorite and those that finished in the top 10, listed in no particular order.
This is meant to give you new places to check out, and not to be the final word. Do you think a different burger belongs on this list? Email me at tracys@gannett.com and we’ll consider it for a future project.
Best of the best: The Gate House
The Gate House, a longtime standby in Village Gate in Rochester, came out on top for not only its burgers, but also for its varied sides and great beer selection.
The laid-back bar and restaurant is a great place take to take visitors because it names several dishes after Rochester landmarks and its burgers after notable Rochesterians.
The Duffy, named after Bob Duffy, the 65th mayor of Rochester, is topped with barbecue sauce, bacon, Cheddar cheese and fried onions. The Pandora, named after comedian and drag queen Michael Steck (aka Pandora Boxx) is a spicy number. It’s made with sauteed jalapenos, avocados, pepper Jack cheese and sriracha mayo.
The half-pound burgers come with a choice of regular fries, garlic rosemary fries (which are pretty darned tasty), red cabbage coleslaw, pasta salad or grilled veggies. Grilled chicken, a turkey burger or a veggie burger may be substituted for no additional charge but a gluten-free roll will cost you.
Go: 274 N Goodman St., in Village Gate; (585) 473-2090, thegatehousecafe.com.
The Vesper
The Vesper, which opened in 2016, defines itself a gastropub – something between a casual restaurant and fine dining.
Its bestselling burger is 10-ounce beef patty topped with a bacon, onion and tomato marmalade; smoked gouda cheese; and garlic aioli on toasted brioche. Gene’s assessment: “Really good flavor. The bun doesn’t fall apart.”
It comes with fries, but you can substitute truffle fries or mac & cheese for an up charge.
Go: 1 Capron St. downtown. (585) 454-1996, rocthevesper.com.
The Tap It Bar and Grill
The Tap It Bar and Grill, which opened in 2021, is an informal bar with a fun, creative approach to food. In 2025 and 2026, The Tap It was named one of the Top 10 burger restaurants in the Best New York Burger Competition, held annually by the New York Beef Council.
“The menu is phenomenal,” Shawn said.
Their favorite: The After Math Burger, featuring a half-pound burger with American cheese, bacon, hash browns, fried egg, meat hot sauce and onion straws.
Go: 1761 Scottsville Road in Chili; (585) 436-6390, thetapitbarandgrill.com.
BRU
BRU Kitchen and Sports Bar is a casual spot in Greece with lots of televisions for watching sporting events.
Their favorite was the Lone Star Burger, made with an 8-ounce beef patty topped with barbecue sauce, an onion ring, bacon and Cheddar Jack cheese.
“Some of the best fries next to Gate House,” Shawn said. “It’s one of those that checks all the boxes for our nutty criteria.”
Go: 3208 Latta Road in Northampton Towne Center Plaza in Greece; (585) 434-0583, brukitchenandsportsbar.com.
Rabbit Hole Tavern
The Rabbit Hole Tavern is in Corn Hill Landing and offers floor-to-ceiling views of the Genesee River, the Rochester skyline and The Frederick Douglass–Susan B. Anthony Memorial Bridge.
Shawn and Gene liked the Queso & Jalapeño burger, which is stacked with lettuce, tomato, jalapeño peppers and is topped with warm queso dip. It’s served on a croissant bun, but “it was more hamburger roll than croissant so it held together,” Gene said.
Go: 284 Exchange Blvd. in Corn Hill Landing; (585) 270-8789, rabbitholetavern.com.
Jack’s Extra Fancy
Jack’s Extra Fancy is housed in the longtime home to iconic Irish bar Jack Ryan’s, and it pays homage to its predecessor while also updating the concept of a neighborhood bar.
It serves bona fide smash burgers, craggy edges and all, topped with kosher pickles, caramelized onions, Dijon mayo and cheddar cheese. You can order them extra fancy, topped with egg, bone butter and thick cut house smoked bacon, but the basic version is plenty satisfying. “The meat is juicy,” Shawn said. “It comes piping hot. It tastes so good. You can taste the grill on the meat.”
Instead of fries, there are latke tots. It offers an ever-rotating assortment of craft beers as well as a Genny on a side pull.
Go: 825 Atlantic Ave., jacksextrafancy.com.
Spotted Octopus Brewing Co.
Spotted Octopus Brewing Company originated in Buffalo’s Allentown neighborhood and opened its second location in the former Roc Brewing Co. site in Rochester in 2025. Its kitchen, owned by Brendan Zugibe, is a separate business called Flow Food.
It offers five takes on smash burgers as well as a creative burger of the week.
The standout was the Smash Poutine Burger, made with grilled chopped onions smashed into the burger, and topped with gravy, cheese curds, tomato and arugula.
“It’s very unique,” Shawn said. “I hadn’t seen that anywhere else. They were definitely top of our list for smash burgers. The place was awesome and it was a microbrewery, so it was near and dear to our hearts.”
Go: 56 S. Union St.; (585) 270-5927, octopusbrew.com.
Genesee Brewhouse
The Genesee Brew House, on the campus of one of the oldest continually operating breweries in America, is a 9,200 square-foot beer destination that includes historical exhibits, a gift shop, a pilot brewery and pub-style restaurant that offers views of the High Falls.
The latter serves a commendable burger. The Cowboy Burger tops a half-pound patty with onion strings, bacon, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato and barbecue sauce on a hard roll. Burgers are served with kettle chips but you can add on other classic sides.
“They do such a great job with their restaurant,” Shawn said. “The burgers have always been great. They have beers you can’t buy in the stores. They check all the boxes.”
Go: 25 Cataract St.; (585) 263-9200, geneseebeer.com/brewhouse/.
Merchants Grill
Merchants Grill is a comfortable neighborhood bar with lots of TVs for watching sporting events as well as a patio in back.
It’s well known for its chicken wings, but it also makes good burgers. A favorite was The Merchant Burger, with grilled onions, mushrooms, bacon, jalapenos, meat hot sauce and choice of cheese on a grilled hard roll. Tater Tots satisfied but other possibilities include macaroni salad, home fries, broccoli or a side salad.
“Awesome atmosphere,” Shawn said. “Great food. Beers were great.”
Go: 881 Merchants Road; (585) 482-2010, merchantsgrill.com.
Moo’d Burger Bar
Moo’d Burger Bar is a casual full-service restaurant that features over-the-top burgers and milkshakes.
Our testers picked the Hangover Smash Burger, layering a smash patty with American cheese, bacon, bacon jam and a fried egg. They liked sweet potato tots on the side; other options are fries, mac salad, garlic Parmesan fries, onion rings and mac & cheese.
“It was a neat place, very cool place,” Shawn said. Although he eyed the great selection of microbrews, he appreciated a milkshake at lunchtime.
Go: 1344 University Ave.; (585) 287-5368, moodburgerbar.com.
What about Rochester’s traditional burger joints?
Shawn and Gene considered the longtime Rochester-style burgers a category of their own. But to be thorough, Shawn paid many of them a visit at lunchtime.
There’s much less to differentiate these joints, but his top three were: Jim’s Ground, Schaller’s and Charlie Riedel’s.
Do you know a burger you think belongs on this list? Email Tracy Schuhmacher at tracys@gannett.com and we’ll consider it for a future project.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: 10 best burger spots in Rochester you need to try right now
Reporting by Tracy Schuhmacher and Shawn Dowd, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
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