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Lento Restaurant

3.8 (436 reviews)
Closed Closed
Updated over 3 months ago

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LENTO RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Classy
Outdoor seating
Happy hour specials

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Recommended Reviews - Lento Restaurant

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Alsace Pinot Noir
Franco C.

An amazing farm to table restaurant in ROC. Recommend reservation and arrive early so you start at their open seat bar. Cocktails and Mocktails are very well crafted, fun, and ingenious. Ambience: locals with friends, date, smaller families. Space is very inviting so you can have a great conversation and enjoy your food. On to the meal. Please order bread. They bake it in house and it is flavorful, artisan and comes with house butter that is tasty and light. Crab ravioli was an excellent appetizer for 2. They seve two big ragioli on top of a magical green garlic sauce and garnished with tiny croutons and black ink. Fantastic. Salmon was very tasty and was adeptly prepared on a bed of veggies. My haddock with risotto was simply delicious. Risotto was creamy but not heavy, haddock was so soft, like butter. Japanese mushrooms a d red shrimp made the whole plate a great balance of flavors and healthy ingredients. They also have a great wine selection from organic wineries. We had a Pinot Noir from Alsace and it was a great option for our menu. They can recommend pairing. Our server, Gabriella, was very friendly, knowledgeable of the menu, ingredients and origins of the food. She kept us well served, was kind and made us laugh. The greeter was also very friendly and gave us our table a few minutes before our original reservation. All in all, a delightful experience. We will be back!

$1 oysters
Amber C.

Farm to table experience. We went on $1 oyster night on Tuesday. Great food and excellent service! Nicely decorated place located at the Village Gate where many other shops and restaurants are. We had the beet salad, coconut shrimp curry soup and oysters.

Oysters!
Lea H.

My first time at Lento on a Tuesday, currently their $1 oyster night. Luckily, we did make a reservation because it's hopping. We had been told the oyster service can be slow do we ordered a few things to try and no regrets! The duck wings came with a nice dipping sauce were cooked perfectly. The oyster menu tells you where their selection comes from and you can mix and match up to 2 dozen at a time. Service was friendly. Bathroom was clean. Parking is the big village gate parking lot.

Restaurant space.

Excellent food and service. We hadn't been in Rochester in years and were looking for a nice place to dine on a Friday night. The seafood centric farm to table concept was appealing, so we reserved a table, making sure to catch the happy hour. The space felt private but spacious. We started off with oysters and vegetarian poutine. The oysters were fantastic. I also loved my cocktail. Everything came out very quickly and the waiter was very conscientious regarding timing of the different dishes. The service was the best I ever had. The server was knowledgeable, making careful suggestions on drink and food. He was quick and present. The entrees we chose were monkfish and veal sausage tortellini. Everything was excellent. The dishes were well prepared with high quality ingredients. The shrimp and fish were perfectly cooked and tender. The flavors were well balanced and delicate. The portion size was not big but just enough to safe some space for dessert. I was glad to have chosen a three course. Overall we felt very well taken care of, liked the ambience and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I wish I could take advantage of $1 Oyster Tuesday's.

$2 oysters
Bill R.

Recommended by locals, this farm to table restaurant did not disappoint. Locally sourced fresh seasonal products are prevalent on the small but impressive menu which rotates frequently. Tonight they offered $2 fresh raw oysters from the east coast. The Connecticut Blue Points were excellent served over ice with homemade cocktail sauce and mignonette. I skipped the appetizer page, but the duck fat fries, steamed mussels, and tuna fried wontons are on my watchlist for next time. Sticking with the seafood theme, I opted for the halibut entree. It wasn't exactly a stunner in terms of presentation, but the flavors were on point. The fish was exceptionally flavorful and enhanced by a wonderful chive compound butter. However, it was slightly overcooked which made the texture a bit firm for my liking. The lemon/shrimp risotto that accompanied nearly stole the show! This should be an entree offered on it's own. They have a full array of expertly crafted cocktails and a unique wine list featuring selections from the finger lakes region. Dessert menu includes one of my favorites, affogato as well as a decent selection of digestifs. I would definitely come back to explore this menu further.

Chocolate Crème Pot and Pear and ice cream
Rose V.

I usually come here on Tuesdays for $1 oysters. Reservations can be easily made online or via phone. The Lento's menu changes every so often which is nice. There is a mocktail and dessert menu as well. I love the duck liver pate and mussels. I got the gnocchi and pasta with pork and those were really delicious as well. The chocolate crème pot and pear and ice cream were amazing. I got the house made lemonade and man was it thirst quenching. Oysters are fresh and orders of 24 can be made at a time. Every time we get our oysters, we put the next 24 in. Our favorite are Blue Point and oysters from PEI. I recommend Lento's for good food, drinks, and atmosphere.

Mushroom soup

The food and service were exceptional last night! We started with the baked brie a mushroom soup, oysters, and the traditional poutine. Two in the party had the duck confit which they thought was delicious. The accompaniment to that was a barley risotto which had a chewy texture. Two of us had pumpkin ravioli, which was out of this world and the last in our party had the ribeye steak with horseradish mashed potatoes that were delicious. They did allow a substitute for the brussels sprouts for broccoli. Our waitress was so lovely and really elevated our experience. The wine and cocktail list were on point. This was the best meal we had in Rochester this weekend!

Kristen H.

If I could give 10 stars I would... From start to finish this was the best dining experience that I've had in Rochester in quite a while. We arrived for an 8 PM reservation only to find out when we got there that the online reservation had never gone through from our end and they had no record of it. We were ready to leave and figure out some thing else when the manager worked some magic and got us a table for four. The concept for Lento is farm to table with most ingredients sourced locally or from a a fairly close distance. Our waitress (Alana sp?) was wonderful explaining the story of the restaurant to us and the fact that the chefs are the owners and shared what has sold out already and what was still available. We shared the calamari starter and two of us ordered the Icelandic wolf fish with clams and shrimp, one person ordered the corn rigatoni and another of the vegan eggplant Parmesan... Everything was fantastic! I wish I could eat here every night... To finish the meal we had coffee and sorbet. Highly recommend!!

Kat W.

5/5 oysters, 3/5 for everything else. We came here for the $1 oyster night on Tuesday. We managed to come without a reservation and snagged a bar seat for a light meal (do not recommend doing this in general though). They're very very busy on Tuesdays, so don't expect top notch service (especially at the bar). The oysters were AMAZING. 6 different choices, takes awhile for them to get shucked (understandably so, so make sure to leave a big tip). Everything was tasty and this was hands down my favorite part of the evening. We ate about 30 of them, so tasty. As for the overall 3/5, it was for the rest of the menu. We tried one of the cocktails and it was honestly very disappointing. Served without ice/not that cold and overall sounded better than it tasted. We also tried the grilled octopus and duck fat fries. The fries were decent (SO was not too impressed), though plating was sloppy (it looked like a small pile of fries thrown onto a plate. The grilled octopus was a very generous portion and would have been delicious if it had not been burned on one side (very very bitter taste and blackened to a point of burnt, not just charred). They were so busy on Tuesday and we didn't want to be an imposition, again, because they were so busy, but it was very disappointing (I would rather not have to decide between asking for a remake versus having to deal with something and being unhappy). Overall, a great deal for the oyster night, but the rest of the menu unfortunately disappointed me.

Lavender creme brulee and chocolate pot de creme
Sylvia D.

I have been here 2x. The first time was a month ago, and i stopped in for their oyster night. Tried 2 desserts after, oh my goodness, so delicious. I had the lavender creme brulee and the chocolate pot de creme. I had to come back for the desserts again and this time I tried out some apps - brussel sprouts, duck fat fries and crispy tofu dumplings. Once again food was great and so was the service. I'll be back!

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9 years ago

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4 years ago

some of the best food I've ever had in my life, not kidding. Highly recommend checking out the fish fry on fridays

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4 years ago

Good food and nice artsy atmosphere. For the price I would have expected excellent food.

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11 years ago

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Locals Only - Fried chicken quesadilla

Locals Only

4.1(362 reviews)
0.6 miEast Avenue
$$
Casual dining
Full bar

Came in for brunch to celebrate my daughter's graduation. Worked with Bianca on booking a…read morereservation for 15 people. Everything worked out perfectly, the food was delicious, the vibe and staff were great as well!! Thank you!!

We went to Locals Only for brunch/lunch after a wedding, meeting friends one last time before…read moreeveryone headed back to our own cities. Unfortunately, it turned into one of the worst restaurant experiences. We spent 2.5 hours total at the restaurant. After waiting an excessive amount of time, we watched two tables that arrived at least an hour after us receive their food first. When we politely asked if our ticket might have been missed, we were told those tables ordered before us, which simply wasn't true. We were then told the delay was because burgers take a long time but a nearly two-hour wait for a burger is pretty wild. It took about 25 minutes just for someone to take our drink order, and we were never asked if we wanted additional drinks. We had to flag staff down for everything. No ketchup, no hot sauce, nothing offered. The $30 mimosa flight served in tiny glasses also felt like a complete scam. When the food finally came, two people in our party were served 15-20 minutes before the other two, and the food was cold. One dish had completely raw eggs. When I let the server know I couldn't eat it, she came back and removed the meal from the bill, which was appreciated. However, the interaction itself felt tense and dismissive, which made an already frustrating experience worse. They did give us a round of breakfast shots to try to help pass the time which was appreciated. The food itself was disappointing overall. The breakfast burrito was basically all eggs with raw, bitter avocado, and my husband's burger was missing requested toppings. We also noticed food sitting in the service window while we continued waiting. The only person who was happy with their meal got the biggie fries an it was hot when it arrived. To make matters worse, the bathroom was unheated on an 18° day (feels like 2°) and not clean. We're a pretty chill, patient group and understand that kitchens get backed up but man, this experience completely missed the mark. Ironically, the cooks thanked us for our patience and servers said goodbye pleasantly on the way out. We honestly may have let a lot of this go if the service hadn't felt so dismissive when we calmly raised concerns.

Photos
Locals Only - French Baiser

French Baiser

Locals Only
Locals Only

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Vanni's Jazz Lounge

Vanni's Jazz Lounge

4.8(9 reviews)
0.8 miEast End, Center City

First visit here and was quite impressed. Tastefully appointed and the staff were all friendly and…read morehelpful. You need to know the secret to getting past the gatekeeper as this is a speakeasy setting. (Figure it out on your own, that's half the fun)!!! Once inside there was a smooth jazz group performing. The music was a lovely backdrop to the setting and not overwhelmingly loud that I would be screaming to be heard. You can have a normal level conversation and still enjoy the music. There were comfortable cushioned chairs with pub sized tables for seating. We sat at the bar as all table s were taken. The energetic bartenders filled up in on all the idiosyncrasies of the place and happily answered all of our many questions. They told us that it was quiet for a Thursday night and that the weekends were much larger crowds which would not appeal to me as I'm not looking for a club scene atmosphere. I was happily comfortable. The drinks are creative and include interesting combinations of ingredients. We shared three appetizers, the sliders (my favorite), spring rolls (the side sauce was great), and the tacos with a tasty crema drizzled over them. The staff let us tour the dining room, basically a Ramon Santiago gallery. (The angel was my favorite). We went to see the ballroom as well as I had attended a wedding there 37 years ago while it was still the University Club!!! It was the same lovely room I remember and brought back wonderful memories. My friend was staying there while she is having some work done at her home so got to see the guest room she was in. As expected from a historic building large windows overlooking downtown Rochester, a gas fireplace, and soaker tub. Beautiful space. Some logistic issues with heat and fan not working so this was her second room that hopefully the new owner will address. We ran into their new executive chef and they have done a great job in hiring him. He told us about future ideas they have for putting their thumb print on things and they sound quite exciting. I thanked him for the time he spent speaking with us and appreciated his enthusiasm and forward thinking. All in all a most enjoyable time at the Inn and would recommend a visit by anyone of any age. So glad we have a community that cares for its historic buildings and their importance to our identity

What a fun night, Gio's for dinner, the RPO and to finish off a perfect night drinks at Vanni's…read more What a great place, it was hoping and the vibe was on. We had a ball and can't wait to come back!

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Vanni's Jazz Lounge
Vanni's Jazz Lounge
Vanni's Jazz Lounge

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The Daily Refresher - Hummus with some sort of "chef's choice" flavor (didn't work for me) and no vegetable sticks as per the menu until we asked for them

The Daily Refresher

4.0(192 reviews)
0.6 miEast Avenue
$$$

This is a great place to sit down with a cocktail and stay a while. It is an adorable nook with…read moretwinkle lights, inventive cocktails, velvet settees, and a Victorian charm. My fave place to visit when I'm in Rochester for an annual conference. Bartenders are friendly and super knowledgable, and can create something inventive for you, even if it's not on the menu.

Friends from Albany recommended The Daily Refresher as a cocktail bar to visit, and I'm glad we…read morefollowed up on their suggestion. The bar has what I look for - interesting crafted cocktails (including specials), a good liquor selection, and fun people behind the bar with whom to engage. I can understand why my friends liked the place. We did have some food here, but I'm more enamored with the drinks. We ordered hummus, which was supposed to come with bread (they say naan, I think it was pita, but that's fine) and veggies. It did come out with the bread. When we asked about the veggies, we were given 2 different answers by 2 different people. One implied folks didn't always want them, another said the chef forgot and apologized. The hummus had an unexpected flavor, and when I checked the fine print on the menu it says, "chefs choice flavor." We didn't order anything else here, but we saw several orders of wings go by, and they looked really good too. On a Saturday afternoon, get here early, because if can fill up quickly.

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The Daily Refresher - Front area, lower level

Front area, lower level

The Daily Refresher - Charcuterie Board ($24)

Charcuterie Board ($24)

The Daily Refresher

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Lento Restaurant - newamerican - Updated May 2026

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