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    Don's Original

    3.6 (91 reviews)
    InexpensiveAmerican, Sandwiches
    Closed 7:00 am - 9:00 pm

    Don's Original Photos

    Business Info

    DON'S ORIGINAL ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Divey
    Casual
    Good for groups

    Recommended Reviews - Don's Original

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    Patio
    Maria T.

    I love the food, especially the smashed cheeseburger, the staff is friendly and knowledgeable. The location is great! The atmosphere is welcoming ! I just can't say enough about it. Ya'll get over here and order you some delicious eats!!

    Kelly K.

    First time here with a friend and these guys KILLED it! They all worked together like a well oiled machine to bring out some of the best comfort food I've had in a while. We each had cheeseburgers, drinks and onion rings and everything was on point. Service was great and we sat outside on a gorgeous summer night.

    Tara M.

    Dons original has a great location near the lake. The place is small inside, but has plenty of outdoor seating. Service was fast and efficient. Food was made to order, so it was fresh and warm. Our little guy loved the onion rings. The one thing I thought was weird is that they offer milk, but not in individual cartons. They would pour it out of their gallon into a cup.

    Dave B.

    Been coming here for almost 50 years and virtually nothing has changed besides the price.

    Good eats with the boys
    Jake H.

    Came in with large group of around 30 people. Staff was kind and on top of the rush. Food was amazing as well, highly recommend.

    Reen K.

    First time visiting here and I really enjoyed myself. Today was really nice out. I decided to come here since I was out sitting and watching the ducks, jet skis, boats, next door at the lake. I had a root beer float, my son had a banana shake, and my husband had a vanilla custard with a cherry on top. Many people were out enjoying a delicious treat. The inside is open for ordering as well as the outside at the window. The inside was mainly for guests that were ordering hot food. I didn't post the inside menu because I only had viewed the frozen menu. My family and I will definitely be back, especially since it's hot now. :-)

    Double Banana Custard
    Sara P.

    We were out hiking, geocaching and exploring the beautiful Irondequoit Bay Marine Park and the nearby Durrand Eastman park on a hot Saturday afternoon when we walked by Don's Original. We had seen quite a few people walking around with ice cream and decided we had to stop, boy were we glad we did! Don's original has an indoor counter from which to order a variety of burgers, hot dogs, french fries and the like. They also have an outdoor window from which to order all of their ice cream options. there is outdoor picnic tables with umbrellas for seating. As we visited during the pandemic it is also important to note that they were only letting a few people inside at a time to order food, others had to wait outside. All staff members wore masks, and there was paint on the ground to help remind people to spread out while waiting in line. Now onto the best part, the ice cream! We were very happy to discover that they make their own custard! They offered 10 homemade flavors when we visited including the traditional custard flavors in addition to a variety of others, some with mix-ins like almonds, or peanut butter chips. Although custard, it is so thick that it is scooped like hard ice cream. I ordered the orange creamsicle. It was so creamy and delicious. I felt like I was eating a creamsicle! My husband got the banana which was also creamy and so good. Tasted like real banana, not fake banana flavor. The prices weren't completely unexpected for location or unreasonable in my opinion. I noticed some people mention the prices were high, and they were a bit high, however I found them similar to most ice cream places you visit these days, and if I'm going to pay for ice cream out I definitely prefer to do so for delicious homemade custard! As we had already eaten a picnic lunch we did not order any food, but the menu looked good and reasonably enough priced that I'd be interested to try it when back in the area, and I will definitely be back soon for more of their creamy, delicious homemade ice cream!

    a sign for don's frozen custard
    Max K.

    Pretty good custard. They have specialty flavors in addition to vanilla and chocolate but they're more expensive. I got cookies & cream and chocolate peanut butter. If I was to come again I would get chocolate or vanilla and add a topping. There wasn't a lot of candy mixed into the specialty flavors. I think you would get more candy and its actually cheaper if you just add a topping

    Quincey H.

    We were driving by and saw the frozen custard sign so we decided to stop in! The sundaes were good but didn't taste particularly like custard. The place got really full after we got there so seems like a popular spot for a Sunday afternoon!!

    Lea B.

    NO AIR CONDITIONER. Come on Don's.... get with the times. I get that you're going for the old school vibe with the counter seating... but please grant your patrons some AC! Overall.... quick, decent place for a greasy burger. Conveniently located across the street from Marge's bar and close to the beach and Sea Breeze. You have your choice of 2 kinds of buns. One is your typical grocery store soft bun and the other is Rochester's version of a "hard roll". Your burger is served on the tiniest plate ever.... so don't let anything fall off and onto the counter. eek! I didn't try the onion rings but the person at the counter next to me did and they were over fried and too oily. Beware.

    Awaiting our mouth watering meals

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    11 years ago

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    10 years ago

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    14 years ago

    Nothing like the ground round. First class burger and dog joint. An American classic!

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    11 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    10 years ago

    Love the burgers, the frozen custard and the nostalgia at Don's Original.

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    13 years ago

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    11 years ago

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    12 years ago

    Amazing ground rounds! Awesome custard! Great fries! Prompt service! Love the pickles! A staple for my crew!

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    Shamrock Jack's Irish Pub - Fish fry

    Shamrock Jack's Irish Pub

    4.0(132 reviews)
    0.4 mi
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    I was in Rochester from out of town and wanted to find a place to watch the Sabres game. This bar…read morecame across my radar and when I asked around it came across highly recommended. It was NOT a disappointment. It's crazy I lived in Rochester for 18 1/2 years and never heard of it before and that was my loss. The atmosphere, the energy, the community in this bar was outstanding. They have a great selection of beers on tap. I started with The Kind but when I saw they had Mass Riot from Prison City I quickly moved to that. Didn't think I was going to eat but the food smelled so good I had to order. SO many things looked great on the menu it was so tough to choose. Ended up getting hot Buffalo Wings and the Pot Roast Grilled Cheese. The wings were good. A little sweet which is not my jam for Buffalo Wings but they still were good quality. The Pot Roast Grilled Cheese was absolutely freekin outstanding. Shamrock Jacks is now on my must visit every time I come back to Rochester.

    If you live in Rochester or visiting, you must make it a point to take in a dinner at Shamrock…read moreJacks. Awesome food and a great selection of cocktails. They have always changing Irish specials and a whole list of other delicious food. A host of very attentive and welcoming staff and there is plenty of parking off the street. If you visit during the Holidays you will be treated to a beautiful tree made with Jameson Bottles standing tall out front.

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    3.8(21 reviews)
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    The good: this is a beautiful restaurant, the drinks and appetizers were very good, the ribeye,…read moresalmon, and eggplant plant meatballs were tasty. Desserts were also very good. The server was friendly. The bad: they were woefully understaffed. It seems like there was one server for the entire restaurant including two large parties. Ours was one of those parties. Our reservation was at 6:15. We were seated quickly but did not see a server for at least 30 minutes after. It took at least another 30 minutes to get half of our drinks, another 15 to get the other half, and another 30 to get appetizers. When our main dishes came out, some were not very hot, the crab fried rice was missing crab, but the rest of the dishes were good. After appetizers, dinner and dessert we left the restaurant about 2.5 hours after arriving. I'd try this restaurant again because the food and drinks were good but it's probably best to go with a smaller party.

    I had a lovely time at the Alexander restaurant. I came on a Thursday night with a group of six and…read moreyou didn't make a reservation. However, the restaurant was pretty empty. Service was friendly and the weight staff checked on us a lot. I ordered the Caesar salad with french fries the garlic stuffed bread, and we tried to the spiritless cocktails on the menu. The food was delicious and I have no complaints there. However, the spiritless cocktails left a lot to be desired. I would probably come back here again.

    Photos
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    A great space for events.

    The Alexander - The cheesiest pull bread. So good!

    The cheesiest pull bread. So good!

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    4.3(839 reviews)
    5.8 miNeighborhood of the Arts
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    Love this place on a Saturday night to sit at the very energetic and entertaining bar with our…read morefavorite bartender / mixologist "Allison" and her fellow awesomely friendly & inviting other bartenders "Leo" and the rest of the staff there. We always order the same thing to share and it is always PERFECTLY cooked and delicious, "The Steak"! Thank you Good Luck for always providing a delicious and fun experience! Matt & Renee (Red) ;)

    It wasn't bad. It just was not good. I get the concept, but I don't think it's for me…read more First off, the drinks. We each got one at the bar while waiting for our table. I enjoyed mine, but my dining companion's (the Saturn) tasted like straight juice. With dinner, I wanted to get a draft beer and was able to sample the two IPAs. While one was tasty, I didn't order one because the beer was lukewarm. I got a burger, and companion got the black cod. The burger is $32 and a full pound and served with a heap of fries. For the price, less than impressed. The overly thick patty was just too much. It was dry and just not for me. I would rather have two well-seasoned and juicy thinner patties. The fries and sauce were good. But not $32 worth of good. The cod itself was decent but it came in a sauce that was cold and odd tasting. Ambiance is fine. It was loud and crowded, but clean. Service was friendly.

    Photos
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    Kitchen view from the chefs table

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    Don's Original - tradamerican - Updated May 2026

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