We stopped in here while we waited for D'Amato's restaurant to open. What's super convenient is…read morethat Gracie's and D'Amato's share the space together. They have a number of craft cocktails that are absolutely delicious. I had the Cherry Bourbon Mule and my wife had a Dirty Martini - both were awesome. In fact, I had 2 more Mules afterwards if that tells you anything. The bartender was great - responsive, cordial and even humorous. When we come back to Royal Oak, we will certainly be back. Give it a try!

We tucked into the bar on a Saturday night for an early evening cocktail. They have a Saturday…read morehappy hour menu! So...the lovely barkeep took our drink order quickly so we could partake. A shared Caesar salad and zoodle/pasta dish later and we are sufficiently suffonsified. House made sauces are delicious (we tried the marinara but I'd like to try palomino next time) and there is no pressure to drink like fish or overindulge in food. DJ was setting up as we were leaving, so I'm sure the hospitable atmosphere only improves. We'll return.

We saw this place after leaving Too-Ra-Loo and decided to make a trip back to Rochester to check it…read moreout. What we learned is that The Hemmingway Room host 6-8 week pop ups. Right now it's Hanana Nights and the menu is Cuban. We ordered cocktails while we decided on dinner. My wife ordered Hotel Nacional and I got Call Your Mother. The drinks were served in fun cups and were absolutely delicious. We started out with an order of empanadas. They were crispy and full of tender meat. For dinner I ordered the pork shank and my wife the pineapple burger. She liked the burger, but stole most of my plantains and rice! The pork was delicious. Cooked to a perfect tenderness that fell off the bone. It was super flavorful and, while I didn't get much of the rice or plantains due to my wife, they were excellent. I would love for Havana Nights become a permanent restaurant, but look forward to whatever Hemmingway does next!

My wife and I went to Hemmingways for a date night. She'd been there twice before for events and…read morekept wanting me to experience the place too. We had a nice table which started quiet and proceeded to get louder and more vibrant as the night went on. Service was fine and fast throughout. She had the Smoky Maintain which was strong enough for her to ask for an extra splash of pineapple juice. I had an Amaretto Sour which was nicely presented and tested good enough. It wasn't as strong as hers though. She ordered their Salmon Bowl which had both teriyaki and boom boom sauce; tasted good and was an ample size. My steak and frites came. The steak itself needed a little more seasoning and could have been larger but the truffle fries were top shelf. The chimichuri sauce was good too. The key lime pie for dessert presented well, but it packed the tartness one wants. There was too much whipped cream and not enough lime. That was the only real disappointment. Everything else was pretty great. A 4.6 rounds to 5.

This place was great for a chill vibe, good ambience and live music. Loved the cocktails.read more

Shift has a really cool vibe and excellent happy hour specials (5-7 on weeknights). They had live…read moremusic on Wednesday night and food is 40% off and 50% off drinks. Our server Scott was a sweetheart and the food came out pretty quickly. He even made me a mocktail that wasn't on the menu with grapefruit juice, cranberry juice and soda. My favorite item was the filet tips- the quality of meat was so good and it was seasoned well. It came with some goat cheese, peppers and arugula. I will say that it was a rather small portion of food though- maybe 6-8 bites of meat. The lamb lollipops were good with the balsamic drizzle but I preferred the filet tips since they were leaner. We also got the beet salad, the vinaigrette was good but otherwise the salad was just ok. Edamame was standard. Veggie/hummus tray was fresh. Lettuce wraps were good but had a bit of a kick. You can park free for 2 hours in the lot accross the street.

Delicious! Yummy appetizer with gluten free crackers. Great cocktails and mocktails! Friendly staff!read more

We were a group of 3 who wanted to be seated outside on a hot and sticky Michigan day. Luckily…read morethere was a nice breeze. Ok make that 2 of 3 that wanted to be outside. As we followed our greeter to our table I kept screaming in my mind "no no no no no not that table no!" and she sat us at a table in full blasting sun. Nevermind the fact that there was a whole shaded section in the back part of the patio area. The rest of my group said it was fine and a beam of sun slowly bore a hole through my chest. Drink orders were up. I ordered a fabulous cross between a Moscow Mule and a Mojito. A+++ for the drinks. Mine was loaded with fresh mint from their garden. Same grade for our waitress who explained the drinks in detail and ended with "ugh- are you sure you want to sit at this table straight in the sun?" The other two said it was fine. I was ready to move, but was out voted. She continued to check in regularly and brought extra water. Most items on the menu were hot. I considered the fish, but we all landed on appetizers and we would just bounce from place to place for bites and drinks. We ordered the charcuterie board and the lavender lemon whip with bread and cucumbers for the 3 of us. The charcuterie board was the large version and had minimal offerings. It wasn't full and pretty. It was little piles of each thing on a board. This one definitely wasn't making it into Better Homes and Gardens magazine. There was a little pile of mixed nuts, a little pile of lose green grapes, a little pile of lose red grapes - not all grapes pristine or large and none were on the vine. There were 3 little piles of cubed cheese and 2 types of sliced sausage and sliced pepperoni. There were 8 crackers that were wheat thin size. This matters because we had some onion jam on the board and a nice serving of mustard. There really wasn't anything to put them on except for the 8 little crackers. That part was weird. These weren't elevated offerings. I could have picked up any of these at Walmart. They were not elevated quality either. We also got a lavender lemon infused whip which was their answer to tzatziki sauce. It was excellent but again, we were given so much of the sauce without a bunch to put it on. The cucumbers were sliced lengthways and there was a lovely bread that tasted like sourdough. There was 6 pieces of bread, and these were not particularly large pieces. A lot more would have been needed to use all of the sauce they gave. The proportions were off. All together the bill was over $100 for the 3 drinks and appetizers. If I ever did go back I won't order food based on what I experienced. There are too many other great options within walking distance.

The Eastman is a cool, basement level speakeasy. The door is located in the back, but otherwise not…read morehard to find. This cocktail bar is small, low ceiling with low lighting, and simple decor. Their menu is a small book of interesting, and priced as such, cocktails. Each has a fun name. They do offer a small list of beer and wine, and obviously you can order a standard drink as well. They have a few snack offerings, but there is no full menu. A friend and I went at the right time, the late end of happy hour on a Friday, but before any crowd. We did not have a reservation, but they were quiet when we arrived and we were seated immediately. They do have a 90 minute table limit for busy nights. The service was fantastic all around. We both enjoyed our drinks and the atmosphere. This may be the best place in Rochester for a drink.

I found out about this place on Instagram and we stopped by last week when we were out to dinner to…read morecheck it out, and were able to visit for a drink this weekend. I love the little speak easy bars popping up all over the city, it is a fun way to use the space. During the day, this is a hallway that leads to a barber shop, then turns into a bar during the evening. I loved the dark aesthetic, with the black lace draped tiny lamps at each table and the slightly spooky Halloween vibe. The people working here were incredibly nice and helpful and very eager to serve drinks and make this a fun evening. We came as a pre-dinner cocktail, since I am trying to eat around the city and visit as many establishments as I can. I liked their very themed menu, and their additional Halloween drinks. They had a lot of very creative types of infused liquors to try, ranging from candy infused to meat infused alcohols. But we went for the very standard espresso martini (since we are trying them at as many places as possible) and a very tropical martini. The espresso one was good, not quite at the top of my list, but I am a very big fan of Dessert Oasis, which is right above this bar and I am told shares owners. The tropical one, called For My Fans, was excellent. I would get that one again. This seems like a fun place to go, especially with friends, for quick a drink and to try new flavors.

Went here recently and the food was on point. It is small plates but has a punch of flavor with the…read moredishes that we ordered . The service was quick and I love the ambiance of this place . Very clean industry vibes . Absolutely love the decors. The drinks were very tasty also. My favorite was the pate dish. Omg it was so flavorful. I will be back for sure

Vino & Vibes absolutely lives up to the name. Can I give this place 10 stars??…read more First off, the food was amazing. Everything tasted super fresh and the menu leans more "snacky" in the best possible way -- perfect little plates that are clearly meant to pair with wine. We ordered a few things for the table and it felt like the kind of place where you just keep ordering one more thing because everything sounds good. Nothing heavy, just really well done bites that let the wine shine. Speaking of wine, the selection is awesome. It's not the usual predictable restaurant list. There are some really interesting bottles and styles on there, which makes it fun if you actually enjoy trying different wines instead of just defaulting to the same thing every time. Service was great too. Everyone we interacted with was friendly and welcoming, and you can tell the owners are really hands-on and working hard to make the place special. That always makes a difference. And the ambiance... chef's kiss. Moody lighting, cozy, stylish but not pretentious. Just good vibes all around. It's the kind of spot you want to linger at with friends and a second bottle of wine. Already planning my next visit :)

I've been in several times before comedy shows at Mark Ridley's Comedy Castle. I'm no regular by…read moreany means but the service at the bar has always been prompt and friendly. For a Royal Oak bar, prices are very reasonable for drinks and food. It's a fairly large place and can usually accommodate a group in the early evening, though that might be tougher as the night goes on. I normally just go with my husband and we find spots at the bar. It's a clean enough place with a decent bar food menu and good prices. In RO, that's about the best you can ask for.

I've been coming here for over 20 years and still love it. Cold beer and good chicken strips. I…read morehad their chicken noodle soup today and it did not disappoint. Come check them out.

My family has been going to saint 1881 mostly every Sunday for probably close to a year now. We…read morereally enjoyed it, but within the past few months, the service is not as good as it used to be. It seems that every time we've gone in the past few months, that something was missed in our order. My dad has always gotten the same thing, but it's been messed up so many times that he decided to change his order today. For instance we've ordered the breakfast burrito, and the eggs had been forgotten in it like 3 different times. It seems that when we ask for small changes to our order that maybe the cooks are overlooking it. It's kind of frustrating when you start to enjoy a place, and it's not consistent anymore. I'm not sure why it changed. But when you have regular people, that don't have a problem with any staff, start saying things I think it needs to be noticed. I hope what is said is taken as constructive criticism, because I do want this restaurant to do well.

After trying the Rochester Brunch House (RBH) the day before, my wife noticed Saint 1881 was…read moreserving brunch, so we gave it a try. We thought it looked very similar to RBH, but after talking to our server she explained it was owned by the same owner. Like its sister restaurant it is a restored church with high ceilings and chandeliers, with an elegant yet comfortable feel. It's larger and a little more upscale than RBH with much more outside seating at the front entrance, near the street, and at the side (where we sat). Looks more suited for cocktails and wine, than food forward. The brunch menu is scaled down from RBH, but similar. I ordered the Chicken Omelette (omelette version of the Chicken Scramble at RBH, which I enjoyed the day before). It was noticeably smaller and less flavorful, but still was ok, though priced the same. Be prepared as a cup of coffee is $5. Yikes! We sat outside just after opening and hoping to have a beautiful relaxing breakfast. However, they seemed to have chosen a club like playlist from some pretty loud outdoor speakers, which felt very out of place, Maybe it was purposeful to get people revved up, but still, just felt off. Our server was warm, friendly and said some very kind things about the owner. She even told us how the restaurant got its name. Apparently there was a huge fire which destroyed several churches in the area and in 1881 this church was the first to be rebuilt. Saint 1881 pays homage to their roots. Very nice tribute. Our food took a little longer than expected since we were the only customers at the time, but not overly excessive. Between the beautiful outside seating, friendly service, interesting history, we will be back - maybe for cocktails or a nice glass of wine.