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    The Vesper

    4.1 (239 reviews)
    Closed 4:30 pm - 11:00 PM

    The Vesper Photos

    Business Info

    THE VESPER ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Hipster
    Casual
    Trendy

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    Recommended Reviews - The Vesper

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    Gordon V.

    Great service, good, and drinks! Right in the heart of Rochester NY this place is trendy with an old soul vibe. The dishes were prepared perfectly and presentation was superb! The vesper cocktail was reminiscent of speak easy classy drink. Cheers well done

    Fish of the day
    Tom M.

    It was an interesting experience. Restaurant seems to be located on a very remote part of downtown that seems abandoned, with not much happening or traffic early evening. Parking was easy but very limited. After walking to the front door, I found it to be locked and decided to walk around the other side of the corner only to find a sign directing me back to the main entrance. I tried the door again, but it was latched. After attempting one final tug, someone finally open the door from the inside. Apparently one of the servers inside could see that I was having difficulty getting in and realized the door somehow locked itself. Two more workers from the restaurant came out to see if they could fix the latch issue. There was only about three other people in the restaurant eating at this point and one was at the bar. Although it was only a few minutes, I find it strange that they had three people outside working on the door while I stood waiting to get seated. After the door was fixed, two of the workers went back inside in the back of the restaurant while one remained at the front, but did not acknowledge me or even to thank me for bringing this door issue to their attention. I had to initiate the conversation and mentioned I was looking for a table. He was friendly enough and took me to a very small table in the corner so I asked to be moved to a larger table, especially since there were few in the restaurant at this point and I would likely be done before any crowd would come in. I started off with the grilled octopus, which was very good and definitely above average. It was not too chewy and grill just perfectly although the accompaniments took away some of the enjoyment. My second course was the tuna Tart, which had an ample portion of tuna that was fresh But also a lot of deep-fried homemade chips that were good, but maybe too many. The final dish was the fish of the day and was a white fish. It was different, but good, although the portion was a very small fillet. And drenched in a thick broth with potatoes. I'm glad I tried it, but not sure if I would have it again. The restaurant is good, but somehow seems to fall short from trying too hard to have an eclectic or trendy vibe and the prices don't seem to warrant the full experience

    Side Mac and Cheese
    Alex D.

    Place is small and intimate, great date night place. Parking is very limited so recommend ride share or if you're close to walk. And to also make a reservation, it looks like it can get busy out of no where or fill up quick. Service was great, staff is really friendly and very casual. Food was great! Lots of great choices, got the Game Set Matcha drink, delicious, lavender was not over powering. Ordered the Pork Belly and Charcuterie for appetizers both are excellent choices. Ordered the Duck, which was cooked perfectly, wished instead of noodles was on top of rice but flavors were all good. Ordered a side of Mac n cheese, ended up just taking it home but was still very delicious heating it up at home.

    Interior decorations!
    Katie S.

    The Vesper was such a delight. Personally, I found the food and ambience of the gastropub to be perfect. The portions were excellent, the food was delicious, and it seems like a great place for a drink or date. -- I really enjoyed the mac and cheese in combination with the dijon pork belly! I felt like these flavors really complement each other. -- The Vesper is a dimly-lit gastropub with a large selection of drinks. I went for dinner, and though the food menu is a bit limited, I was extremely happy with the selection. The mac and cheese side was of a great size. It was some of the best I've had- not greasy, very cheesy, and light. I combined it with the acorn + pork dish and I found the pork belly was such a great topping for the mac and cheese! I liked it so much I packed it in a takeaway to bring home to my family to try. The acorn squash was very tender. Lastly, the squash + farro salad added freshness to my meal and I found the salad to be less crispy and more on the soggy side (which I prefer for warm salads). I enjoyed the squash and dressing. Post-meal, I was very happy since it was a reasonably priced (~$40 total), large meal and it was so delicious. The service was a bit slow on this Saturday night, but when we were checked-in on, all our needs were met. Food did take a bit longer (~15-20 minutes), but the interior was warm and cozy, so we didn't mind too much. It is eclectic in its decorations and lively/but not too loud. I can see it being a great date spot. Overall, I would recommend stopping by the Vesper to try their food (all of which was delicious) or to grab some drinks for a date.

    Vesper burger 2.0
    Brenda O.

    The place was pretty cool. We were sat at a corner table with a comfy couch that wrapped around. The waiter was nice and very helpful. He suggested drinks and foods that he loved. We got the characuterie for an appetizer. It was good, I've never had sage cheese or some of the meats they had on it. We enjoyed all of it. I got the seafood crab cakes. They had a lot of flavor. It didn't have chunks of seafood which I wished it did. My boyfriend got the vesper burger 2.0 and that was so good. It was seasoned and cooked perfectly, the garlic aioli and bacon marmalade really took your taste buds to another level. The fries were crispy on the outside and seasoned. Everything we had was so good and we can't wait to go back.

    Scallop and Pork belly wins!!!!
    Joy D.

    Work took us to Rochester, New York. I actually posted quite a few of the places we went to, and this is the last of the series. The Vesper, we found via Yelp. And impressed, we were. We had Oysters (#wellfleet and #beausoliel). Seafood Cakes were delicious - #Crab + #Shrimp + #Mahi, #Remoulade.Highly recommended are the #Scallops and #Pork Belly - Grapefruit Supremes, Brussels Sproouts, Wasabi. I liked all the restaurants we visited, but I think I like The Vesper the most. And, I say again, far away from home as it is, Socal Weekend Walkarounds definitely recommends! Check out my Instagram and Facebook short on The Vesper https://fb.watch/oHLfXjojVG/?mibextid=Nif5oz

    Bill R.

    Vesper has a really cool vibe to it with a very soothing atmosphere and friendly staff. My starting cocktail was the namesake Vesper made to specification as 007 described in Casino Royal, although slightly heavy handed on the Lillet. But I'm not complaining. Appetizers were excellent. Shrimp ceviche was fresh and bright with a kick from jalapeño, and served with house made tortilla chips. The tuna tartare was massive! Reminded me of a poke without all the additions. Really nice and shareable. Entrees. The Faroe Island salmon was good. Huge portion perfectly cooked. The dijon tarragon cream sauce was good, but completely covered the star of the dish. Less would be more in my opinion. The potato bacon hash didn't really do much to bring harmony to this one. The Vesper burger was good. Served with a bacon tomato onion jam and smoked Gouda. Cooked to order and paired with some excellent fries. Reasonable prices. Definitely recommend and will come back to explore other interesting menu items.

    Piergies and Sausage
    Tyrone Omar N.

    I have been so many times and love it every time! Their ceviche is great and their sea bass is delicious. This time I had the Pieroggi and Sausage and it was solid. The sausage was the best part.

    Nikki G.

    My boyfriend and I were celebrating our anniversary and staying at an Air BnB above the bar next to The Vesper. This spot was perfect for grabbing a bite and some cocktails before our anniversary dinner, which was scheduled later that night. My boyfriend started the night out with a couple Negronis, which he enjoyed. I went with the Figueroa and the Trejo. Both were great in their own way. The Figueroa was a little sweet for my taste, but I still enjoyed the flavors. I like the setup of the place and the interior is charming and masculine. We also ordered the truffle fries, which hit the spot.

    Parm fries

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    1 month ago

    Great place. Super friendly staff. Great menu that has something new and seasonal every time we visit. Love the food and drinks!

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    9 months ago

    Cold beer, good oysters, great service, and an absolutely outstanding burger! Good times!!

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    3 years ago

    Fancy spot! Love their drinks. It's a great spot for gatherings and celebrations. The service is neat too. Nice people who are gentle

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    2 years ago

    First time. Always heard good things about Vesper. Food and drinks were great. Love the atmosphere.

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    Locals Only - Fried chicken quesadilla

    Locals Only

    4.1(359 reviews)
    0.6 miEast Avenue
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    I love Locals Only - my only complaint is that they are not open later. I love that I can make…read morereservations. My kids love the stuffed pancakes. The tater tots are out of this world and their lattes are great too! Always a good time and the staff is fun too!

    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.

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    The Vesper - cocktailbars - Updated May 2026

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