Rochester’s food and drink scene is worthy of national recognition, and that’s why it’s great that USA Today publishes an annual Bars of the Year list.
While other “best of” lists involve writers visiting cities for a night or two, the reporters who nominate establishments for the USA Today list live in the communities they cover. They spend nights out on the town and hear the buzz.
The first two Rochester-area bars to make the USA Today Bars of the Year list were Radio Social and Marge’s Lakeside Inn, and both remain at the top of their games. This year’s nod went to Jack’s Extra Fancy, a creatively casual neighborhood bar in Rochester.
Buy the Book! Jack’s Extra Fancy featured in ‘Shake & Sip: Recipes from the Best Bars in America’
The downside to this kind of project is that not every bar can make the list, and as is to be expected, they generate a fair amount of healthy debate. But generally, those that are nominated get the drinks, food and service right, and also are unique enough that you wouldn’t find a similar place in every other city.
Here’s my all-new short list of 11 Rochester-area bars deserving of national recognition. They range from casual neighborhood bars to swanky hot spots. Included on this year’s list are restaurants that have great bars, whether or not you stick around for dinner. Want more recommendations for a great night out? Our short list of 12 from 2025 includes great destinations as well.
What places should consider for next year’s nominations? Drop me an email at tracys@gannett.com and make your case for why your favorite bar or restaurant deserves the spotlight.
Flight West Wine & Whiskey Bar
Flight West Wine & Whiskey Bar in Greece makes a dramatic first impression, with its floor-to-ceiling back bar of dramatically lit bottles of spirits. When you’re seated, you’re presented with a binder, 16 pages long, 14 of them devoted to beverages. There are wine flights and spirit flights. You’ll find more than 40 wines by the glass or bottle. The longest list of spirits is its bourbons, but it also has large selections of rye, whiskey, Scotch and tequila.
Cocktails? Of course, ranging from classics to seasonal creations.
Curiously, there’s even more that’s not in the binder: its allocated spirits. If you’re a fan of the really good stuff, you’ll have to request that list. Yes, they are pricey but the prices are within reason when compared to their usual going rates.
The food is upscale and varied, ranging from a house pretzel with dipping sauces to a Wagyu filet. I recommend the smoked gouda Cajun mac & cheese but be forewarned that the spice can increase the burn of high-proof spirits.
The lighting is dim and the sound level is loud.
836 Long Pond Road, Greece; (585) 417-5332, flightwestgreece.com.
The Vesper
Over the past 10 years, The Vesper, tucked into the Capron Street Lofts downtown, has become known for cocktails, burgers and oysters.
Owner Joe Frocchi, who was a longtime bartender before he opened The Vesper, presents the seasonal cocktail menu in an approachable, tongue-in-cheek manner, ensuring that you don’t have to be a walking encyclopedia of spirits and mixers to make an informed choice. If you’re a martini drinker, try its pickle martini, which is a dirty martini made with a splash of brine from its housemade pickles instead of the usual olive juice.
The menu changes seasonally but you’ll find wings, charcuterie, salads, seafood dishes and its always popular burger, which is served on toasted brioche and topped a bacon, onion and tomato marmalade; smoked gouda cheese; and garlic aioli.
Oyster specials are offered from Monday through Thursday.
1 Capron St. downtown; (585) 454-1996, rocthevesper.com.
Bitter Honey
Bitter Honey is a laid back Mexican-inspired restaurant next to the Rochester Public Market. It is dominated by a large bar with seating on three sides; behind it, backlit shelves show off its selection of agave spirits (and others). Its margaritas and cocktails are stellar and the staff is friendly and knowledgeable.
The menu offers creative takes on Mexican staples, including a dozen different tacos. Taco Tuesday, when every taco except birria will set you back $4, is a great day to visit. My favorite is the tasty vegetarian ojai, filled with agave lime fried Brussels sprouts, pickled vegetables, cilantro and jalapeno crema. Happy hour deals are offered at the bar from 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Friday.
The restaurant, which opened in 2017, is housed in a cavernous former warehouse and is accented by contemporary-meets-rustic furniture and artwork. During the summer, glass garage doors connect the bar to a pergola-covered outdoor patio.
127 Railroad St., Rochester; (585) 270-4202, bitterhoneyroc.com.
Hattie’s
Make no mistake: the big draw for Hattie’s, on the ninth floor of The Strathallan Hotel, is its views of the sunsets over Rochester’s city skyline.
Inside, it’s a cozy but swanky bar with modern leather booths, a sunken bar, dramatic chandeliers and a wall of windows that maximize the view. Outside is a wraparound patio with seating and fire pits (if there’s a wedding or an event in the event space next door, some of the rooftop will be roped off).
It serves a concise menu of cocktails, four rotating beers on draft and more by the bottle. The wine list has 14 premium international selections or ask to see the bottle list.
Food is usually limited to bar snacks but it offers pop-ups serving casual fare on some weekdays; check its website or social media for updates. It also serves a brunch with live DJs on Sundays.
Fun fact: Hattie’s was a legendary rooftop bar in the same space from the 1980s and 1990s.
550 East Ave. in Rochester; (585) 461-5010, strathallan.com.
Bonnie and Clyde
Bonnie and Clyde is housed in the Renaissance revival-style 1924-built Fairport National Bank and Trust Company building in the Village of Fairport. While it’s an upscale restaurant, it’s also a great place to go for drinks. A long bar, faced in diamond-shaped green tiles and topped with marble, stands where teller windows used to be. In an alcove near the bar is cozy lounge seating where you may enjoy drinks and appetizers.
Its scratch-made craft cocktails range from original creations to takes on classic cocktails. Several feature its house-branded Bonnie’s Giggle Water gin, made by New York Distilling Co. in Brooklyn. Its new wine list features 100 bottles from all over the world.
The original outdoor teller window has been converted into a large window that opens to its patio; on the other side is a bar that seats six. The patio also has six tables and lounge seating. Summer brings patio parties that, depending on the week, may feature paella, burgers or a cigar smoker; watch social media for announcements. Dogs are welcome on the patio.
58 S. Main St.; (585) 678-4040, bonnieandclydefairport.com.
Carmella’s Wine Bar
Carmella’s Wine Bar is a hopping wine bar in Pittsford’s historical Schoen Place. It has a chic but comfortable ambiance, with wooden beams, well worn vintage pine floors and comfy furniture in muted tones of caramel and rose.
It serves 25 wines by the glass, ranging from sweet to dry, full body to light body, affordable to pricey, as well as more than 400 bottle selections from all over the world.
Carmella’s also has a full bar that focuses on the classics, including variations of the martini, margarita and old fashioned. Its cocktail best seller is its Basque-style gin and tonic, presented in an eye-catching manner with lots of garnishes.
The kitchen serves a tapas-style menu of small plates; it also serves light fare for lunch from Thursday through Saturday.
And cheers to Carmella’s for not only being wheelchair-accessible but also having a section of the bar at a lower height to welcome people in wheelchairs.
3 Schoen Place in Pittsford; (585) 267-7158, carmellaswinebar.com.
The Richmond by Mortalis Brewing
The Richmond by Mortalis Brewing is housed in a legendary space, more than a century old, that’s been home to the likes of Richmond’s, Shatzee’s and the Mickey Mouse. Now it’s the downtown taproom for Mortalis Brewing Co. in Avon, Livingston County, which is known for its creative, well-made beers.
Downstairs is a long bar and some intimate tables. Upstairs is comfortable lounge seating. It has two outdoor spaces: a rooftop patio and a sunken biergarten.
Its beer lineup is almost entirely Mortalis beers and collaborations, which can be ordered on draft, in cans and as flights. It also offers craft cocktails and its wine list focuses on producers who follow a low-intervention approach to farming and winemaking.
The food, available until close every night, includes shareable plates including wings and Neapolitan-style pizzas. I recommend the garlic parm fries.
21 Richmond St. in Rochester; (585) 603-1020, 21richmond.com.
Easy Sailor
Easy Sailor is a cozy, narrow and dimly lit tiki bar, with a long bamboo-clad cabana-style bar on one side and banquette seating on the other. Strewn from the ceiling are thousands of green palm fronds. The walls are packed with oddities, memorabilia and ephemera. The cocktails – many of them rum-based – are served with flair, incorporating creative vessels, fruit garnishes, plastic decorations, colorful straws and sometimes fire.
If you’re not into fruity cocktails, Easy Sailor carries 164 brands of rum suitable for sipping.
The food menu, geared for sharing, is inspired by the world’s rum-producing regions, like the Caribbean, Hawaii and Japan. Happy hour nibbles and a cocktail special are offered from 4:30 to 6 p.m. nightly.
622 Park Ave., easysailortiki.com.
Patron Saint
Patron Saint, a swanky steakhouse in downtown Rochester, was named one of USA Today’s best romantic restaurants in 2026. One way to experience it if you’re not on an expense account is to visit its bar, which is decorated in shades of emerald and raspberry, with dramatic lighting and comfy seating throughout.
The bar serves super-premium craft cocktails and its martini service is a standout. Choose from an Italian wheat vodka or the Australian Four Pillars Gin; both were selected to complement the olive-oil wash used in the martinis. A classic martini will add vermouth, orange bitters and saline. A dirty martini, made with olive brine, can be garnished with whipped bleu cheese stuffed olives or truffle blue cheese stuffed olives. You can even add 4 grams of caviar.
“It’s kind of like a build-your-own martini,” said Meghan Gentner, bar manager. “There are so many things you can do with it.”
But the best part is that martinis are served in a carafe on ice, along with an ice-cold martini glass. This means you’ll enjoy a nice cold martini, even if you sip it slowly.
Another luxurious cocktail is its old fashioned, based on fat-washed bourbon made with fat from rendered A5 Wagyu beef. The cocktail is smoked tableside.
There are also 14 wines by the glass, including high-end selections like Dom Perignon Champagne.
If you are hungry, the Patron Saint menu is available at the bar. The bar does not accept reservations.
260 East Broad St.; 585-270-5918, patronsaintsteak.com.
Mulconry’s
Mulconry’s Irish Pub and Restaurant has been a standby in the Village of Fairport for the past 18 years or so; it opened a second location in Greece in January 2026.
Both locations have a casual vibe that lean into owner Damien Mulconry’s native Ireland, with lots of woodwork and artwork that pays tribute to The Emerald Isle. Both have pleasant outdoor patios.
Mulconry’s offers a rotating assortment of beers on tap but you’ll always find Guinness Stout, Smithwick’s Ale and Harp Lager, as well as Magners Irish Cider. It also has a full bar; a perennial customer favorite is Jameson Irish Whiskey, straight up or on the rocks. The menu spans Irish and American pub fare; its bestselling dish is a comforting shepherd’s pie.
And then there’s the star power: Jimmy Fallon, the comedian and host of “The Tonight Show,” who is friends with Mulconry, has shown up at the pub a number of times unannounced.
17 Liftbridge Lane East in Fairport and 390 Elmridge Center Dr. in Greece. mulconrys.com.
Carroll’s
Carroll’s is a friendly neighborhood Irish bar that’s across from East High School in Rochester. It’s been a home away from home to two generations of the Carroll family and devoted regulars for the past 50 years.
It’s a cozy place with a long wooden bar on one side and a dining room on the other. Warm wood and green walls are covered with Irish memorabilia and beer signs. Guinness Stout is the best seller by far, but it also offers other Irish and American beers on tap, various Irish whiskeys and a full bar. Customer favorites for food include its Reuben sandwich, wings and beer-battered fish fry on Fridays during Lent. It’s cash only but they have an ATM.
1768 East Main St.; (585) 434-3628, facebook.
Tracy Schuhmacher has been food and drink reporter for the past 11 years. She consults with a list of frequent bar-goers for stories like these. Do you enjoy visiting different bars and like to share your opinions? Email her at tracys@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Best bars in Rochester? These spots are deserving of the spotlight
Reporting by Tracy Schuhmacher, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Tracy Schuhmacher, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle | USA TODAY Network
