Called around 7:15 pm on a Tuesday for a reservation for 2 at 8:00 and was told they don't take reservations over the phone and that I had to come in person and wait for a table, which we did. When we arrived I added my name to the wait list and was told it would be about 30 minutes, even though 3 of the 12 tables outside were clean, set and unoccupied. When I said I would like to sit at one of those tables I was told that there were many people ahead of me in line and that we would have to wait to see if the other people were going to show up or not. The hostess said they text the people and then give them 15 to 20 minutes to show up before releasing their table. Then they move down the list to the next person and start a new waiting period. After waiting the estimated 30 minutes (all while staring at 3 available empty tables) I asked where I was on the list and was told there were still 10 people ahead of me. Then a second person came out and suggested we go inside and have a drink at the bar while we waited. He also added that they stopped serving at 9:00 (it was now 8:30), so I told the hostess to take my name off the list, and we went down the street to another restaurant that was much better managed and appreciated our business. There seems to be no logical reason for not accepting reservations over the phone and then utilizing a waiting list of people that have made reservations in person. It's almost like they are trying to create a Studio 54 atmosphere with long lines of people waiting to get in. Must be that they want the place to look like its super trendy and in high demand. read more

This is one of my all time favorite restaurants and the food is always amazing. I have been a loyal customer since they opened but the last few times I've been there I have had the same miserable server. The first time I thought maybe he was having a bad day but I've now been served by him three times. He is so rude. It changes the whole experience. The rest of the staff is so pleasant and multiple people I know have had the same experience with this server. I don't usually write reviews but I love this place and I hope this is brought to the teams attention!! read more

we really love this place! it's a great + cozy atmosphere that makes you feel like you are away. lighting is great + i love the way that the different seating areas look. the cocktails were very nice! we had pizza and a pasta and then, because i guess we just had to absolutely stuff ourselves in one seating, we ordered dessert. we didn't want to pass on anything -in case we never got the opportunity to visit again but after all of that, we found that we want to try more things because they were all so good. now we will make it a point to return. additionally, it is always on our "must try" list for friends. cheers to vern's! of course, we have no pictures to post because we munched it all down and enjoyed so much that we forgot. read more

Tonight was our first experience at Vern's and it was wonderful! All of our servers' recommendations were delicious- try the gnocchis and spicy salad. We'll certainly be back, thank you to our server for making our anniversary dinner so great! read more

Everything tasted extremely fresh, atmosphere was cozy and trendy. The bread and garlic ... undefeated. Specials were amazing and best aperol spritz to ever touch my lips. Would go back 10/10 read more

My group and I ordered 2 of the lost meatball dish, a tomato pie, and a pizza. Food came quickly, and did not disappoint! I am happy with the service, from the nice hostess who sat us, to the chefs and waiter. For drinks we got mojoitos and Moscow mules. Delicious!!!!!!! Atmosphere was warm, calm, enjoyable music. We all agreed Verns is a must try for all Park ave lovers! Alex Malec was our server. He was attentive, kind, and gave us great recommendations of dishes to try! read more

Fantastic food, exceptional service! This was a great find while doing a college search in Rochester, NY.

Went here on a whim with a good friend, food was simply divine. Had a shrimp app followed by their pesto dish and a pizza, perfectly delicious and extremely well prepared. Holds it's own charm with a historic venue with decor to match. Great for a date night or small group of ~3-4. read more

Besr restaurant in town. Always great service and super unique menu. Always something new and creative. Our favorite !

Great atmosphere and delicious food. Plates are shareable which is great if on a double date. Order like 4-5 things for the table. Cocktails are also delicious. read more

This place is great! Love the ambiance of the place, down to the wallpaper and dim lighting. Definitely felt like I was visiting my grandparents and I mean that in the best way possible. We had the bread and butter, speciality pizza with salami and hot honey and the lost meatball ragu. Everything was delicious!!! The cocktails were tasty as well. We will absolutely be coming back here. read more

I'll tell ya what, I was taken here on my birthday by my girlfriend and neither of us had been here, we just heard good things. Sydney our waitress was cool af. This is the best Italian food in Rochester. The tomato pie was sensational, the garlic bread and lost meatball are to die for. We were literally lost in the sauce read more

An interesting experience. For those looking for a fun or different date night, Vern's is certainly the way to go. My first time at the restaurant was packed but eventually after 30-40 minutes we were seated. The drink I ordered- though it looked beautiful, was so strong it nearly knocked me out! The food was pretty good, i think out of all of the dishes we ordered (be sure to try many) the BeeSting pizza and the meatball Ragu was the best. Lol- other than that overall it was okay, most people in ROC are obsessed but I could've swayed either way. read more

yummy food and nice atmosphere. Would recommend this place if you want good pizza and pasta and seafood

Went there for my first time last night and was not disappointed! Started off with an Aperol Spritz ($11) and my date got a Chocolate Boulevardier ($12). Both were very good - the Spritz was refreshing and the Boulevardier was a bourbon-based drink with cacao bitters. There is definitely something for everyone. For an appetizer we got the special - toasted bread with homemade pesto, mozzarella cheese, and tomatoes. It was so tasty and all of the ingredients are as fresh as they come! For the entree, we split the White Pizza. It was hands-down one of the best pizzas I have ever had! The dough is homemade - airy, puffy, and just amazing. All of the bartenders were super nice and helpful navigating the menu. Just a heads up - they don't take reservations. We got there around 6:30 and it was going to be an hour wait. We grabbed a drink and a couple got up from the bar about 15-20 minutes after waiting. We asked the bartender if we could sit and eat there - he said of course! That cut our wait time more than in half. Super cute place that has an eccentric, but home-y feel. We will definitely be back to try the rest of the menu! read more

Food was delicious fish superb homemade spaghetti was peppered but outstanding, braised ribs very Good but not enough. Almond cherry pie fantastic I'll be back. read more

I like the food a lot and they are very close to my house so what's to complain about? Well, the first 18 months that they were open they refused to answer the phone at any time of day or night. Then of course when the pandemic hit they started answering the phone to take out orders. So I've been ordering regularly and loving being able to order takeout, only tonight a new rule: you can't order specials over the phone. I've been ordering specials over the phone for Months. I can't think of a stupider rule, and I'm not walking over there to place my order and then walking over again to pick it up so I'm ordering my food somewhere else! Too bad I love having a nice Italian spot in the neighborhood. read more

My wife and I went to Vern's last night and it did not disappoint. Quite the contrary, it was one of our best dining experiences in Rochester, and we go out a lot. We were greeted warmly and taken care of by a hostess and a terrific and friendly bar staff as we waited for a table to open up. It was our first time there but we were treated like old friends. The experience only got better after we sat because of the excellent service provided by Chrystal. And then the food was served. Wow! Great Italian flavors but not the typical, same old same old. The creative and interesting presentation of traditional Italian entrees and flavors made for a wonderful and thoroughly satisfying dinner. We didn't want it to end. Our only regret is that we didn't ha e room for dessert. We will save some room next time, maybe. read more

We had a wonderful meal at Vern's last night - the food is fabulous! We had a small plate special with Flour City bread that was inventive and delicious. Also loved the grilled broccolini on a pine nut schmeer and the pink pizza with ginger rabbit sausage and other yummy things. All terrific! Server was nice and just attentive enough. BUT the way wine is offered was very disappointing. Only 4 choices by the glass - one red, one white, one 'orange,' and one cava (sparkling). Since we wanted red wine, we had one choice unless we wanted to get a bottle - which we didn't - and their prices were high. If nothing else, a corkage fee would alleviate the problem for many. As would expanding the 'by the glass' choices! Again, the food was spectacular - loved that part of the meal! read more

Staff were friendly and the drinks were fabulous. They provide plates to share rather than getting your own. Plates were relatively small especially for the price. Pizza was not well made, lots of bubbles in the dough. I would go back for the drinks though read more

I ordered dinner to go. A personal size pizza which tasted good except that the crust was burned black.The other entree was a zucchini dish. It came out 15 min before the burned pizza so it was room temperature when I picked it up. The price of the entree was $15.00 which I thought was very reasonable. It turned out to be three small pieces of zucchini, barley the size of a side dish.The staff was very nice. read more

One of our favorite restaurants! The tomato pie is a must . Elementary school aged daughter chose to come here for her birthday. First restaurant we went to in one year inside during covid . Our daughter thinks that their " kid pizza " which is cheese pizza ( not on menu) is the best pizza in rochester. Cocktails great. House wine also excellent. Service fantastic!! Pre covid time , we come here about 3 times a month. For non meat eaters, it is hard to find a dish with non animal protein ( my only complaint ). read more

Vern's is a hipster version of an Italian grandma's comfort food. Menu items are served family style, meant for sharing. Dishes come out whenever the kitchen finishes them and everyone at the table digs in until the next dish arrives. The menu is artsy and a little confusing, but food is old school Italian with a few modern touches. Our foursome ordered a round of "penicillin" cocktails. Very drinkable with candied ginger, lemon and hint of smoky scotch. Next: tomato pie and fried calamari, both decent, if not stunning. Our grilled broccolini was pricey but delicious with "pine nut schmear, parmesan, and spicy crumbs", delicious, with great grill smoke. Our red pizza was perfect, with mozzarella, "Denny's peppers", (Denny is the owner's grandpa), parmesan, onion, and oregano. This pizza was equal to Rocco's pizza, with af perfect balance of oregano and sauce over yeasty brick oven crust. We also ordered the night's special of white pizza with bacon and purple potatoes--phenomenal! Someone ordered another special: fried risotto balls, which I thought were ok, but everyone else gobbled up. I ordered "lost meatball ragu," with fresh ricotta, basil, and parmesan. This was basically thick shell pasta with cheesy meat sauce. But what flavor! This took me back to the Italian grandma I never had, telling me to eat up because I'm too skinny. Great depth of flavor. The family runs several local restaurants and know what they are doing. Food is pricey but worth it. Four stars instead of five because they are still working a few kinks out of their menu, and because my wife had some reservations about our service. We will definitely be back. read more

Worse service ever!! I have been going to restaurants for past twenty plus years along with the Michelin stars, but this was mine worst experience ever "owner was so rude." So basically we waited for 35 mins understandable because we didn't have reservations after that I saw people who came after us were seated before us and when we were seated we were given the worse seats all the way back the high tops and it was freaking cold in that corner. When I was asked the waitress can we moved to another table she said I would have to wait another 35 mins when there were three tables empty but she it's for big party and then again when I asked there is another couple using tables space can you ask us to give table the owner said NO! The waitress told us their is space at the bar so when I asked can we sit at the bar OWNER SAID NO!! I told the owner right away we wouldn't be tipping and he said PLEASE LEAVE!! I He said it's rude not to tip but it's not rude for him to not give us a better table and he didn't even try to ask by another couple to give one of their adjoining table. As two people were using two tables everyone else was using one. Guys, if you want to treated rudely and let them treat however they want them feel free to go. If waiters work hard so do we the least owner could have done is give us one of the adjoining couple . OR HE COULD HAVE SAID WE WILL TRY TO MAKE YOUR FOOD EXTRA DELICIOUS OR MAKE YOU FEEL AS COMFORTABLE AS POSSIBLE. But that was toooo much to ask read more

My husband and I went for a date night and overall we loved it! We tried a variety of dishes- the spicy lettuce salad, burrata, cacio e peppe, chicken cutlet & two desserts (Panna cotta & carrot cake). We tried things we might not normally and had no expectations so overall we were really happy and thought each dish was really delicious. It was plenty of food for two, including a decent amount of leftovers. The wine list left something to be desired for (what I'd consider) an Italian restaurant but we enjoyed our bottle. Food is served to share and I think came out at a steady pace. We enjoyed the evening and will definitely be back. I didn't love the amount of traffic near our table but the space is small so it's hard not to have people standing by / waiting / walking through. Hopefully after the newness dies down it'll feel like a more relaxing environment. read more

It's hard to express how well this restaurant is run. Great staff who genuinely care, and are passionate about their craft. Incredible food, wood fire, uncomplicated preparations. Great cocktail program. All wrapped up in a slick package with great vibes. Looking forward to our next visit (2 hour drive!). Go to Vern's!! read more

Amazing cocktails and really great food. We had the chicken cutlet and a pizza to share between 2 people and it was fantastic. Can't wait to come back! read more

Wow. Spectacular service. (Hope Jenson is your waitress) Taste treats. Love the concept of serving you when the plates are ready and encouraging you to share. Portions good sized. Interesting menu. And did I say tasty food? Well everything they served us was something we all agreed we'd be glad to order again. read more

I'm always hopeful when a new restaurant opens in my neighborhood and although I have mixed feelings about the other places owned by this family, I went in with no preconceived notions. The hostess who greeted and seated us couldn't have been more pleasant and accommodating and we were given a table immediately. I was looking for a glass of red wine to start and there were 2 selections available. One was a California cab/merlot blend and the Italian offering was billed by the waiter as very fruity and light bodied. I went with the Italian which was probably about a 4 oz. pour ($12) and served ice cold. Perhaps it's meant to be served that way but the waiter never mentioned it. It was fine but not memorable and nothing I'd ever choose again. For dinner selections my husband ordered the little gem lettuce salad with 'local' blue cheese, spiced walnuts and a lemon vinaigrette ($11) and chicken cutlet ($22) with something called 'mile high Parmesan' and I ordered the "papa Lee knows best" from the wood grill (market price) which that evening happened to be lamb meatballs with greens, tomato sauce and ricotta. The "little gem" salad which was the first thing delivered was actually romaine lettuce and overly dressed at that. Perhaps they didn't have the lettuces offered that night but we should have been given the option to choose another dish if that were the case. Also oddly, it took about 15 minutes for the salad to be delivered and then immediately the meatballs arrived. We were informed by the hostess that dishes were served "family style" and brought out whenever the kitchen has them ready. So in my estimation Vern's version of family style simply gives them license to deliver food whenever they feel like it. It defies logic that a simple salad and a hot entree would require the same time in the kitchen. The meatball dish was excellent overall, tender lamb, pleasant tomato sauce, freshly steamed greens (perhaps slightly undercooked) and creamy ricotta were a satisfying combination. The $23 price tag for 3 meatballs considerably less so. The chicken cutlet that the waiter exclaimed was a "good choice" was by far the greatest disappointment. The elements were all there as described but the chicken itself was so overcooked and dry it was rendered inedible. Our waiter while efficient enough didn't appear to care one way or the other whether we liked anything or not. He never asked once. He didn't seem interested in selling us dessert either since he never offered it. The check was dropped without a simple thank you and that was that. Our bill was in the neighborhood of $73 plus tip for 1 glass of wine, 1 salad, and 2 entrees. I don't mind paying top dollar for really good food and service but in my opinion Vern delivered neither. read more

First time I went here with a friend it was a great experience, amazing waitress and delicious food and quick service. We had out of town friends visit so we decided to come here with our kids since we couldn't get a sitter for the night. The hostess was lovely. We got our table quick less than (10 minute wait on a busy evening). Once we got seated it became a whole different story.. our waiter was very rude. He is the one who wears a baseball hat. I'm not sure he even introduced himself. Since we were with kids we wanted to eat quick and be out so when he came to get drinks orders we asked if he could put in our food order since we were ready to order and wanted to get the kids fed.. he rudely replied no. That he had other tables dinner orders to put in first. He will put in our drinks and then come back(this took over 30min).. And I didn't even get a drink bc I went to the bathroom with my little one.. so I asked the lady who brought the other drinks to my friends.. when we got to order dinner I also asked for an appetizer that I never received and asked if they had spaghetti not pasta for the kids and he said yes we have spaghetti and ended up bringing me pasta.. our food took OVER AN HOUR to come and our pizzas were burned but still good we don't really complain about that bc we know wood fired that can happen but one of our pizzas didn't look like the one we ordered( I have gotten it previously it looked and tasted completely different) and I mentioned it to the waiter and he very rudely said that's the right one and walked away?.. I honestly should have not left him a tip but I didn't want to wait another hour for my change.. (plus on my bill he charge me a CC charge even tho I was paying cash..?) Probably one of the worst experiences I have had in a while .. they can't pay me enough to come back.. very disappointed and it made a very bad impression on my guests.. read more

So, a super super cute place! From the inside to the bathroom - you want to live here! The food is really good and a solid drink list! The menu is a little limited as far as appealing to everyone but overall a Park Ave must try! read more

Sat at the bar and had a wonderful experience. Menu was varied and unique. We split a salad and entree which was a good tip from the bartender. Bolognese was well prepared and presented. Bibb salad was outstanding. Place is small and intimate so might not work for large parties. read more

Outstanding! Everything we ate was excellent and Casey makes a mean cocktail. The ambience is great and really well decorated. We will be back. read more

In all, we liked this place, but let me share the drawbacks. We ordered the salad with spicy lettuce. They were more bitter than spicy. I ordered an aperol spritz, but it had too much ice, so I ordered my second one with less ice. It just came out smaller overall. We ordered the special carrot appetizer and the special pizza. Both were tasty, but we didn't detect any prosciutto as advertised on the pizza. The toughest part was when we got the bill. The carrot appetizer was $18!! We were truly stunned. We mentioned this to our server, and she shrugged it off stating that they were heirloom carrots. Nice enough place (although upstairs was too warm and smoky), but we won't be rushing back. read more

We would consider Vern's an average place for Italian food. Our server was mediocre at best, little personality and not very attentive. Our entree's came out at drastically different times (About 15 minutes apart). Food was ok. Claims Milano was heavy on the garlic, not so much on the claims. Seeded fish was on the bitter side but did come with plenty of fresh vegetables. Overall, we probably would give this place another shot in the future. The end read more

Great atmosphere and really creative menu. This is a nice and unique take on the whole Park Ave dining experience. The pizzas are easily the best restaurant made pies in Rochester. The specials (and menu in general) are constantly changing so we go there often just to see what they have on any given night. The space is equal parts intimate and social, depending on where you sit. The bartenders are some of the best you'll find, and they really spend the time to come up with a great idea if you don't know what you want. I finally found the place where it isn't frowned on if you don't know what you want to drink or are looking for new recommendations! I also like that you can get something more akin to a home-cooked meal here. For instance, a few months ago I had some really comforting lentil dish that wasn't trying to be too artsy -- it was just really good food on a rainy day. Love the staff, and the owner is often on site, which ensures every plate that goes out is superb. I've gone here probably 25+ times and I've never had a bad or even mediocre experience. Great place for a date; will likely impress whoever you bring if they haven't been there yet. read more