An interesting on-site restaurant inside Hilton Garden Inn Rochester (near medical center). Tall ceiling, lots of natural light. Came here for dinner. Calamari is quite good; not industrially produced "rings" but real calamari. The mussel is also quite good. As soon as they seated us they served bread, though it was cold, not fresh and warm. That's a bit off for an Italian restaurant. read more

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Grappa offers a decent happy hour, although it was difficult to fully enjoy it because our server was so busy. The restaurant was quite crowded during Friday happy hour, and one server was responsible for both the tables and the bar. He was clearly overworked, so we were not attended to as consistently as we hoped and we only had time for one round of orders. The food took a long time to arrive, while the drinks came out almost immediately. *Cosmopolitan Bianca: was very heavy on the gin. I could only taste the lime, with no hint of cranberry or hibiscus. The hibiscus reduction added a pretty purple color but did not provide any tart or floral flavor. *Sweet Potato Fries: were not perfectly crispy, but the portion size was generous. The honey could have used additional spices, since the dish leaned heavily toward sweetness. *Pepperoni Pizza: This was a good shareable option, although it lacked a proper char and crust even when fresh. The dough sat in a noticeable amount of salty oil. The pepperoni cupped nicely and added a slight bit of texture, but the rest of the pizza was rather soggy. The happy hour menu was serviceable, but nothing was executed particularly well. It is not a bad spot for small bites after work, but I would not go out of my way to dine here. read more

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Located inside the hotel at college town. Really enjoyed the ambiance. The food itself was also delicious. We ordered multiple plates and shared family style, not the intention of the menu but doable. Also enjoyed tasting the namesake, Grappa. The bartender was very helpful in helping us choose a grappa that fit best into our flavor profiles. read more

Came in on sunday night, we were seated right away. We ordered some crispy calamari to start. The moscato wine was excellent! We didn't want to over eat so something light we got for dinner house salad and chicken cutlets was delicious. I was hoping their sauce for calamari is a bit less heavy. But everything was delicious, I haven't been here in a long while. Yhe ambiance is still good. I love how they switched up their menu, i love coming here. read more

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This restaurant is not Italy! I just got back from a two week cruise on Viking so I've had a taste of the real thing. The food is very good. The physical restaurant isn't comfortable. Cold and minimal! The service was friendly with a good staff recommendation on wine. Expensive! I knew this before going. So, should spaghetti and meatballs cost $20. No! I make noodles homemade. It's not special and shouldn't add to the cost. read more

Grappa - This is a restaurant in Rome! - Italian Near Me - Rochester, New York

Would give them 3.5 stars. We got there at 5pm on a Sunday evening when they first opened. Clearly there was nobody there but the host asked my friends if they had a reservation and they replied "no", in which the host said they could only stay for 2 hours as they were short staffed. It was a little off putting. I was not there when they checked in but my friends weren't sure if the host was judging them by the color of their skin. Either way that left a bad taste in our mouths of their service. I still stand that it's best to get the appetizers to share. The calamari, truffle fries and chicken wings were the stand out on the menu. I tried the main entree of the Veal Parmesan with pasta. I found the sauce sort of bland. The linguine that was served with it was stuck together and was cold. Even when we left before the 2 hour limit at 7pm, the restaurant was not packed and clearly there were enough tables and the wait staff did not seem overwhelmed. Next time, I would hope the host team would be more considerate of their service skills for those who dine in and especially if they did not make a reservation when the restaurant was totally empty. read more

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Took my work team for a service retreat in the private dining area. Excellent service. Good food. Plus, happy hour was underway as we wrapped up. read more

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This was delicious authentic Italian food. The calamari was amazing, some of the best calamari I have had ever. And the mussel dish was so very good as well. Mussels were perfectly cooked and tender and the sauce was flavorful with just the right amount of heat. The staff were all hustling because the computers were down, but had I not overheard one of them say it I never would have known. They did a fabulous job and the service was great. I highly recommend this place. read more

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Had a wonderful Pre Valentines dinner. Food was delicious! I had the Pork chop and my partner had a pasta dish with a spicy meatball. Defiantly his favorite. We loved the atmosphere and the service was amazing. We will def return soon :) read more

We are from out of town and decided to stop in this restaurant for a quick lunch while in Rochester. The building itself is very beautiful. Our food server was very nice and kind and offered us lots of information about the menu as well as the area itself. We decided to have a salad and pizza which we all enjoyed very much. Uen Rochester I would definitely recommend this place. read more

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Everything was amazing. The food, the beverages, the service. Big kudos to Doris, our server. She was by far the best we've had in a long time and she made our night. Highly recommend the zuppa de pesche. It was incredible. read more

I made a reservation on OpenTable for Grappa. The reservation was for my mom's birthday. It was just us two. The host wished her a happy birthday as we walked in! Every staff member did as we interacted with them. The restaurant was amazingly cute and the food was insanely good. Neither of us could finish! Then they brought out a slice of cheesecake with a candle for mom! Absolutely amazing experience read more

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So I want to start this review off by stating that when we went it was New Year's Eve so some consideration has to be provided because of how hectic and crazy a restaurant can get during the holidays. Our party of four arrived about 15 minutes before our reservation time when we checked in we acknowledged and understood that we were early we're just giving them a heads up that we were there and they were very polite about that. We waited in the hotel lounge as they doesn't seem to be a waiting area in the restaurant itself which was a little odd... The hostess came out several times to advise us that they were waiting on a specific table there was going to be ours to leave and that they were taking their time again it's a holidays and we understood. The table actually walked past us when we were leaving and making several nasty remarks about their meal to us but we still we're hoping to enjoy the meal. We were eventually sad about 15 to 20 minutes after our reservation time and again it was New Year's Eve so that's not outside the realm of receptacle. We started with an order of calamari for the table then we ordered a pizza and appetizer and two pasta dishes. Where things started to go wrong was when our server introduced ourselves and she was obviously frazzled. This seemed to stem from the fact she was not giving the opportunity to set the table before we were set. We were very relaxed and outgoing and told her that we understood it was a busy night and this wasn't a problem for us the table was fine. We just wanted to have a nice meal.. She did not get our drink water correct she did not get any refills at any point unless we specifically asked her to she gave me in inappropriate amount of questions about who was getting what dishes and was very dismissive of our order. My mother wanted the meatball appetizer and the server question this asking if she was just going to get those little meatballs. It's not a small appetizer it's probably 12 oz of beef on top of the ricotta and the bread that comes with it. I explained that we are going to share some of our meals namely my wife and I were going to be sharing one of the pasta dishes and we had ordered the pizza for everyone at the table. Again not that it was any of her business. The food itself was okay My father very much enjoyed his chicken rickies The rest of us thought it was all right. The fettuccine dish was very rich and the peas were like freeze dried? They would have been a great compliment to the dish if they were in any way fresh even if they'd been frozen and thought whatever they were they were gross and gritty and dry and bad. We had also ordered a side of the truffle fries which were dry, bland battered fries that were crying out and paying for some kind of dipping sauce that they did not seem to come with. They also totally forgot our appetizer and then tried to bring it to us after we had gotten our entrees. We had to ask them and explain three times that we no longer wanted it as we now had our entrees they were very pushy about it in it felt off. The last observation I have about this place was that it was very very loud. I don't know if that's cuz it's really designed to have the doors open to the patios and the warmer months but it was almost hard to hear people sitting right next to you It was so loud. Maybe on an evening when it's not crazy like it was a New Year's Eve if that was crazy for them everything would have gone better but I can't recommend them without a lot of caveats. read more

We dined here on 12 23 2025 and unfortunately had a very disappointing experience. The restaurant atmosphere was overall OK, but there were clearly visible cobwebs behind our table which was offputting. As for the food it ranged from average to absolutely awful. We started with calamari, which was just average and the meatball appetizer, which was actually good the Parmesan chicken wings, however, came out burnt. For entrées, we ordered the white pizza which was barely white and lacked any real flavor. The gnocchi was by far the worst I've ever had. It had the consistency of Elmers glue and tasted like floury paste. It was topped with burnt Brussel sprout leaves, which made no sense and certainly didn't improve the dish. We also had the chicken cutlet which was simple and average and the chicken Parmesan, which was nothing memorable. The burger came out with truffle fries, but the truffle oil flavor was overpowering and lingered unpleasantly. Overall, the restaurant earns a one star rating and that's only because they remove the pizza and the gnocchi from our Bill without that gesture that experience would have been even worse. read more

Expensive but very nice. Relatively quiet at lunch, but get reservations for dinner, even though the place is enormous.

Five stars for parking and friendly employees! Two to three stars for food and beverages. The cost was substantial and the food was mediocre. Meatball appetizer was the best part of the whole meal- Highly recommend! As for our entrees...I had the gnocchi and bay scallops, while the scallops were large and good, the burnt flavor from the overly thick red sauce was overpowering and a complete turnoff. My partner had the spicy pasta and chicken dish that was extremely spicy which made it hard to enjoy (they stated it was "good" but way too spicy - and they like things HOT!). Unfortunately, won't be planning another dinner there. read more

While Grappa might not be a five-star restaurant, it has a five-star bar. We were there on a late afternoon Friday happy hour. This joint was jumpen! Packed with revelers of all shapes and sizes, Grappa transformed from a nice hotel bar to a destination cocktail lounge rivaling any watering hole in Rochester. Kenzie and the bar manager Tom were the only two bartenders/servers in the place, and they worked their butts off. I was exhausted just watching them. Their work ethic was motivating. We ordered pizza and it was pretty darn good considering. My cocktail was mixed well and was a generous pour. Grappa could stand alone as a bar and survive well without the Hilton moniker. read more

Grappa - A nice cocktail - Italian Near Me - Rochester, New York

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Absolutely great dinners and group appetizers. Great service and pre dinner bartenders were incredible. Great experience.

Food was good, service was very good! A lovely setting, but very weird chairs. Not comfortable at all and everyone's behind was sticking out of the hole in the back. I totally would not come here on a date - that's not really how I would like to be viewed. read more

Not a lot of Gluten Free options but a fun atmosphere. If you're in a pinch fine, but not my first choice. I've been a couple of times and ordered both a GF pizza and GF pasta dish. All in all, nothing too special or tasty. I'm grateful they have a few options, but not overly impressed by the quality for the price. Last time I went the service was friendly and well paced. I did appreciate how the manager came out and double checked what information I needed for ordering, but this happened after I placed my order with the server. Grappa has a fun environment and nice tables both inside and out. There's plenty of parking at College Town but can fill fast depending on the time and day of work. read more

Grappa - Gluten free carbonara pasta - Italian Near Me - Rochester, New York

Went here for a light dinner. Had the calamari and a side of grilled broccolini. Food had good simple presentation and the side of bread came with an amazing tomato aioli, balsamic and olive oil drizzle. The food was good and the server, Ryan was absolutely great. Go for the dinner service. read more

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Food- the Arancini could have used some seasoning and more cheese. The Margarita pizza was awful, I ate 1 slice. It was heavily covered in red sauce and tomatoes but had barely any cheese on it. Ordered cheesecake for dessert, it was good but Frozen! Service- wasn't very friendly. Was rude when we asked for a 2nd basket of bread. Ambiance- very modern, bright, and clean. But also boring, no interesting architecture or decor. Tables are on top of each other and the chairs are uncomfortable. read more

Went here after work one evening (no resi) and it was delicious. The ambiance was great too. Not too dark and available natural lighting. For 4 people, we had a lot of things to share, the Mediterranean pizza, polpette , fries and the calamari(not pictured). And as I said, the food was very good. Our server was very friendly and welcoming as well. Would love to come back soon! read more

Grappa - Mediterranean Pizza, TRUFFLE & PARMESAN FRIES, POLPETTE - Italian Near Me - Rochester, New York

We were staying at the Hilton. Arancini was the best we've ever had. And this is Rochester! Recommend highly, service was exceptional. Thanks Ryan! read more

Grappa - Beet salad with fresh beets:) - Italian Near Me - Rochester, New York

Honestly, it's a hard pass. I dine out a lot and my number 1 put off is trying to be something else. We started off with the artichoke dip and the daily special for their arencini special of prosciutto and fontana- it was nothing close to either. However. I would say it was fried perfectly. We also had the Brussel sprouts and pepperoni pizza- out of those 2 the sprouts were good. Nothing was memorable. The cocktails were interesting, but not consistent. Overall, it was okay. Not worth the price point. It was a beautiful restaurant. Entrance and parking dicey, but not something I would return to or recommend. If you follow my reviews, I pretty solid on the drinks and food, generally don't eeview the atmosphere or service, because it's about the end product. The food it was brings me back or the quality of the cocktails. We always go at 5 o'clock- first in. That provides they best/true quality of the restaurant...for me, it fell short. Please try it, it may be for you. read more

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Took my bf to grappa's for his birthday a few weeks ago and we've been back two times since. The service here was great, food was amazing, and they had great cocktails. This is a great place to come to for a date or just to grab a few drinks after work. I would highly recommend! P.S my favorite thing to order is the bruschetta board. It is delicious and you can customize it with different items they offer. Would definitely recommend the olives and pepperoni. read more

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Everting on point ...service , management,ambience and food taste for fist time customer I was amazed .Will be back to try happy hour read more

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I came to Grappa with a couple of friends to have dinner during the PGA tour and it was naturally busy, though when I have come in the past it was busy as well. Grappa itself has a very classy vibe, so it's a great place to get a little dressed up and have a nice meal with loved ones. For dinner this time, I ordered the rigatoni all utica and it surprised me with it's amazing flavor! There was some heat to this dish that I really enjoyed and I recommend to those who love a little spice! Overall, I have had great experiences at this restaurant. read more

Grappa - Rigatoni alla utica - Italian Near Me - Rochester, New York

Grappa has some really good things on their menu. It's a good portion size so it's filling. The place is well lit and nice. Never too stuffy even if all tables are full. The period are nice and kind. read more

Great dinner tonight. We are outside. It has a nice atmosphere here. We started off with the bruschetta board. We loved it. Wish it came with more toast I could have eaten this for just my meal! The rest of our food was delicious. I had the bolognese and my husband had the short rib. We enjoyed our meals. For drinks I ordered bartenders choice. It's a fun way to be surprised what you get. I enjoyed both drinks. The first one was an Apple Carmel martini. I can't remember the second drink but it was just as delicious. We will come back here soon! read more

Grappa - BRUSCHETTA - Italian Near Me - Rochester, New York

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Met friends here for the first time. Place was nice, very clean, the staff was friendly. We first sat at a table and was told since it was happy hour we would have to order the specials from the bar. The host was kind and told us if we wanted to move to the bar that was fine. So we did. The bartender was friendly and made some great drinks off the happy hour menu. I got the Manhattan Nero, which was a combo of whiskey, cherry and chocolate.. sounds crazy but was surprisingly delicious. My friends got the Cosmopolitan Bianca, tasted like a good lemoncello drink. We shared a white pizza which had a garlic beschamel sauce with herbs, ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan. It's was very tasty for not having anything else extra added to it. The pizza dough was light, soft and airy but with a crispy bottom. I would definitely get this again but will probably add some toppings to it. We also shared an order of potato fries with a spiced honey dipping sauce. My friends really enjoyed it. I thought it was ok. To me it was sweet with sweet. I would of liked maybe a savory dipping sauce. Overall we had a good experience. I will definitely go back. read more

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The setting is very nice. The server was prompt and polite. The cuisine was ordinary at best. We tried three different pasta dishes for lunch and none was worth the inflated price tag. Compared to Fiamma or Polizzi's or Tony D's, Grappa lacks the finesse and originality you should expect in an establishment that is touted to be among Rochester's finest. read more

Beautiful ambience Responsive wait staff Food is mostly stuff I can't eat for health reasons Could they include some healthier options? read more

I am impressed with this place. The environment is chill and modern. I definitely like the aesthetics. As for the food, I was equally impressed. I ordered take out and was not expecting such a good food experience. Even after my meals were sitting in the bag for 25 min before eating, it was still warm and tasty. I ordered crispy calamari ($17), Fettuccine Carbonara ($23), and Rigatoni Alla Utica ($23). Even after 25 min sitting in the bag, 23 degrees and windy, the dishes were warm and delicious. The calamari was still crispy and so good with the sauce. The carbonara was tasteful and not too dense or greasy. Lastly, the rigatoni was savory with a delicate amount of spice. I 100 percent recommend this place for take out. read more

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I can't believe we haven't tried Grappa before now. We probably thought this was a typical hotel restaurant but it is far from that. The decor is definitely upscale with a modern lively vibe and quality food and service. We started with cocktails and followed with beet and Caesar salads, both well-prepared and generous. Our entrees of veal parmigiana and salmon were excellent, especially the fish presentation. Service was smooth with staff attentively helping each other. We'll certainly return. read more

Got a reservation for a week night celebratory dinner at Grappa with a friend. I'm so glad we ended up here. We ordered the calamari appetizer, and I had the bucatini al pesto for dinner. I did a bartenders choice with gin as my cocktail. Drinks - Really excellent. I love the bartenders choice option (you specify the main alcohol). I'm definitely a creature of habit so this was a good excuse to try something new. Appetizer - The calamari was good, but not great. It was cooked perfectly, but we felt the dish could have used something to up the flavor a little. Entree - I could have eaten three plates of the bucatini. AMAZING. The chicken was so juicy, probably one of the best chicken dishes I've ever had. The pesto was bright and fresh tasting. I would definitely order this again. Prices are middle of the road here, little bit upscale but this makes sense to me. Grappa seems like a great place for a special occasion meal or a date without being too overly fancy. The service was fantastic. All in all, I love the vibe here and will be going back to try more of the menu. read more

Let's start with the GOOD: Grappas ambiance is amazing!! Both the interior and exterior blew me away; to the point where we CHOSE to sit outside which is generally not my or my husbands taste and felt like we were in another city altogether. The hostess was very friendly and pulled some strings to get us said outside seating fairly quickly. Our waitress was adorable and friendly and funny. We spent time enjoying the beautiful lights and vibe created on the patio. This is where things took a turn unfortunately. We ordered our drinks and food altogether. A bit later our waitress returned to say the POS system was down so our food might be a bit but she'd at least get us our drinks. We weren't in a rush so didn't think anything of it. We waited a very long time for our drinks and the promised bread came even later. Meanwhile a couple girls had been seated directly across from us and ordered after us. The food took a solid 40 min to come, meanwhile the 2 girls received their food before us. Our waitress even commented on how she "hates that". Again, we were gracious. Our food finally came and we were blown away. My husband had ordered the same thing both girls next to us did and it was a SOLID 30% less pasta than on their plates. It was hard to miss. Now we're annoyed. It gets worse. One of the girls sat staring at her food because she wasn't given any silverware (quick problem solving would have had her stealing from another table but I digress). When the waitress finally came she asked for a fork and was super apologetic she brought her a drink on the house. Meanwhile we're probably 4 annoyances into the night already. As I was about to address our experience kindly with her she informed me they couldn't make another of the (delicious) drink I had because they'd run out of simple syrup. It just kept getting worse. Our bill comes and because it's a "hotel restaurant" (I didn't realize) it was a very expensive bill, with no comps in sight My food and drink was delicious. My husbands baby bowl of pasta was excellent, his red wine was a very stingy pour for $15 (which is more than the whole bottle). It truly felt like I was being punked and the waitstaff was just watching to see what we did. We won't be back. Shame. read more

Grappa - the outside of a coffee shop - Italian Near Me - Rochester, New York

Grappas never disappoints. My husband and I went for our 30th anniversary, along with our family. The atmosphere is always calm and inviting. The food was fantastic and our server Krista was great. We had the bolognese and the seafood linguine. They have great chicken cutlets. The food and beverage director came over to our table, Tom, and introduced himself and thanked us for having our anniversary dinner there. The executive chef, Dustin, is very creative. A great place. read more

We came here with friends for a birthday dinner and had a lovely time! The starter bread and oil were delicious and crowd pleaser. I ordered the orecchiette bolognese which is, rummo orecchiette, slow-braised beef, veal, & pork blend, shaved parmesan. It was delicious and cooked to perfection. I enjoyed every bite of it. Our server was quick, precise, and very helpful. We will be back again in the future. read more

Came here the other day with some colleagues and was thoroughly impressed. We started off with some cocktails that were made with care and our waitress was quite attentive to our needs and even cracked some jokes. We ordered the calamari for the table, but I wasn't a huge fan. It was a bit too salty, but it wasn't enough to bring down the perfect score since it was a table decision rather than something I'd order myself. It was my dinner and my dessert that stole the show. I ordered the scallops and even several days later I'm daydreaming about the texture and flavors. Each piece had a nice crust and the relish drizzled alongside made me stop and appreciate it after each bite. Even the plating was a work of art. The tiramisu was almost as fantastic. Made carefully and plated delicately, Grappa has a unique take on this Italian staple, and I loved it. Each spoonful unlike the last. Its preparation allowed you to customize each bite. It was light yet flavorful. Amazing way to end a fantastic meal. read more

Grappa - Scallops - Italian Near Me - Rochester, New York

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