Quick Take/ if it's a nice day and you don't mind sitting around, the food was good. Although service (like many other reviews) as short staffed and lengthy. It was a rough night, but again, food was good, and workers were doing their best, but until they get staffing under control for that large venue, maybe pass. -------------- Food: Really good. I'm not a bbq boss, but I enjoyed my 2 meat platter (pork and ribs) and 2 sides (mashed potatoes and veggies). My husband seems to enjoy his pork and chicken platter with a really decent side salad, not just lettuce, but lots of toppings and corn. My 5 yo had the larger bowl of spaghetti known to man. It was messy for everyone, but good. Large portions, decent to share, or take leftovers. Vibe: We decided on the back patio. Very nicely shaded and an over all decent night. Not bad, but honestly, probably best for our family. Seemed very chill, although you could tell groups were getting restless (see next section). Service: First off, I will say all the staff we encountered were very friendly and doing the best they could, however they were severely understaffed (and according to other reviews, this is not a one night happenstance). There was one waitress doing inside restaurant and outside patio, with a trainee who was VERY green, one bar tender handling the drinks and inside bar and tables, and what seemed like one cook. The wait for food was getting really tough with a 5 yo who spent the day at the beach, maybe moments from burning the place down haha, but she held strong. Random: We picked the place because of the bbq and the mahi fish meal. Got there and they said they no longer serve fish. I ordered a Stella draft, they didn't have it. Daughter ordered a milk, they were out. read more

Place needs to work on their organization. They seem...kind of lost. We went in about 5 on a Saturday so I know it will be busy. Hostess said a half hour wait. OK we decide to wait. 15 mins later another lady is like "Can I help you"? Lmao yeah we're waiting a table like...??? She said "Half hour? You could have already been seated!" OK so work on your communication because your other staff told us 30 mins. Wings were just OK. Good smokey flavour but even the XXX Hot wings had 0 heat. Mac and cheese was good but did not need to BBQ sauce on it. Dining room was head-splittingly loud. Needs some kind of sound dampening. Overall not really worth going back. read more

Not great. We had a very overwhelmed server who seemed to be working alone on a Saturday night, she kept walking away in the middle of us ordering to deal with other patrons or issues. I know being busy and overworked is not her fault, but she kept loudly yelling things to the general dining room, which was pretty startling. We waited over an hour for our food, got the appetizer at the same time as our dinners, didn't get asked if we wanted drink refills, food was so-so and my friend didn't get what she ordered. The spinach and artichoke dip was very tasty, which was the saving grace of my experience. I know this is a bar, not a fine dining establishment, but I would have loved not to drink out of plastic cups. Also, if you're a person of size, you'll likely feel squished in their booths. I would not rush back here, especially when Hose 22 is so close and offers better food and service. read more

Whiskey River Pub and Grill - Spinach and artichoke dip - Pubs Near Me - Rochester, New York

I had a fish fry with fries and great coleslaw. My wife had the Best steak sandwich with a cheddar cheese sauce that was excellent. We were seated by the owner and our server was her sister. They treated us great. Definitely going back. read more

This is becoming a neighborhood favorite! Great whiskey selection (obvs) and good food. The wings are great and we love that they have great entrees in addition to burgers and wings. read more

Whiskey River Pub and Grill - a bar with wooden paneled walls - Pubs Near Me - Rochester, New York

See all

The service was poor. Friendly server, but took forever for our food, which was not all tasty. The shrimp scampi was poor quality and it was very salty. I won't go again. I will say the bread was delicious. read more

Great food, anything with the signature whiskey recipe is delicious. I would highly recommend.

We really enjoyed ourselves here! Sorry no pictures ;( Their blue & gold smoked chicken wings were 5 stars, hands down. Their coconut panko onion rings were really good as well. A bit of confusion as to where to sit; dining room; bar or outside. If we 8 sat outside, $5 each extra (cover "band" playing); dining was 30 minute wait; so bar it was! They would not allow us to put tables together, even tho dining room waitresses told us to do so. But once we got seated, all good! Kellie took care of us! Shout out from K2 to K! They had pizza this particular night. I really liked it as well (not typical NY pizza. It's bar pizza, cheddar cheese, softer crust, great taste). Drinks were good. I absolutely, recommend this totally casual, yummy wings, pizza & onion ring location. Appreciate our friends brought us here! Eat, drink & watch sports on TV in this darker wood establishment. read more

Wings totally on point! We got the blue and gold and the smoked buffalo. Really delicious and crisp skins. Friendly and attentive service even with a busy night. Beers 5 dollars on draft which is not bad in this economy! read more

Fun bar! We enjoyed some onion rings and a drink while riding through the area. Bartender was great and knowledgeable. We will definitely be back if we ever visit the area again! read more

Really cool spot right around the corner from the beach. Came with a group of people to support a local band playing at the outdoor stage and we had a really good time! The stage is really big for an outdoor bar area and it felt like we were at a real concert. It gets very loud but we could still talk to each other. Service was a tad slower but nothing to complain about and our server was friendly too. We started off with the traditional wings with blue and gold sauce, which were messy/sticky but delicious! Nice subtly bbq flavor with actual bleu cheese chunks sprinkled on it. We also got the fried Buffalo chicken wrap with loaded tots on the side. I thought the wrap was decent but my fiancé did not like the warm soggy lettuce inside. Loaded tots with cheese and bacon are a must have, can't really mess those up! All and all we will definitely be back! read more

Whiskey River Pub and Grill - Buffalo chicken wrap and loaded tots, pretty yummy! - Pubs Near Me - Rochester, New York

See all

The food here is always amazing. I recently went here with my family to celebrate my boyfriend's birthday. The wait was horrible for the food, but what redeemed the evening was our server Linda. She was kind, fun, and had great customer service skills. If it wasn't for her the evening would have been ruined. She was a joy and a blast. Way to go Linda!!! I will be asking for her again in the future. read more

Great food and reasonable prices. Friendly and accommodating staff. Definitely a do over. Tried on a whim and beat our expectations, even our picky kids. Service was very helpful and courteous. Had the BBQ, quesadillas, wings and tenders. Can't wait to try the wood fire pizzas and fish fry. read more

Drinks are expensive and bartenders are only worried about the regulars. always feel like you're not important unless you know someone. not impressed read more

We are from out of town and stopped in for dinner and a drink. They had an outdoor band so we sat outside. The service was very good as was the bbq. It was a great evening out. Stop by and check it out. read more

My friend and I went for an evening out, and we were glad we picked this place! We had a lot of fun ! A cover band was in place and the band, drinks and food were all great ! The service was fantastic ! A great place for a nice evening out ! read more

I ordered a BBQ platter with sausage, wings and two sides. The sausage was just a tiny hot dog split in half. It was a joke. The sides which were baked beans and Mac and cheese ($3 extra) were soupy. The only good thing was the smoked wings with the blue and gold sauce which is what I came for. read more

You enter through a grungy, smelly bar. There was a very loud band playing outside at the end of the bar so we turned right into the dining room and sat down. Apparently, this was an unforgivable mistake and the waitress ignored us for 15 minutes. My husband finally went to the hostess who told him we would not be served - EVER. She said others were waiting for tables, but there were 5 or 6 clean tables available and no one was being seated there. Were they making these phantom customers wait in the bar that long to be seated? The dining room was extremely loud - laughter and yelling bouncing off the walls and ceiling. Has the owner never heard of sound dampening? It is not that expensive to install. And the waitresses should be trained in how to be courteous, accommodating and professional. Their behavior was simply awful. We walked a short distance down river and went to the Pelican's Nest. The host and waiter were prompt and friendly. We ate on the deck outside right next to the river with fresh air and a beautiful moon overhead. The food was good. My advice: Avoid Whiskey River and go to Pelican's Nest instead. read more

The Chicken wings and fried pickles are my favorite the only down side to my last visit was in my Togo order both the chicken wings and pickles had I long white hair in it so I unfortunately couldn't eat it read more

Perfect spot to go grab some wings after a day on the lake... I've been here several times and just can not stop ordering the "Award Winning Blue & Gold Smoked Wings." I have had wings from a lot of places in Rochester and this one is by far my favorite! read more

Whiskey River Pub and Grill - Blue & Gold Chicken Wings - Pubs Near Me - Rochester, New York

See all

Wings, smoked are freaking awesome we had them blue n gold and honey Sriracha both were great. We also ordered medium buffalo not smoked and I wouldn't waste the time, they were not bad but couldn't hold a candle to the smoked options. Also had the beans n greens which were unique with their roasted red peppers and banana peppers, it was a delicious bowl. The nachos were ok, as was the quesadilla. Live music on Friday was an adventure and probably a crap shoot, there was some technical interference. read more

See all

Truly the most awkward and unpleasant experience. I frequent restaurants and bars in GP as we keep our boat in the harbor, and couldn't understand why this bar was always empty. Now I know why. I arrived with 10 of my colleagues to celebrate a promotion. We thought it was perfect because we were the only patrons and therefore would be able to sit and enjoy a beer and each other. The bartender was unbelievably rude and dismissive. He lost his temper when asking us to show IDs; we are all 30 and up and happy to do so, so we didn't understand his annoyance with having to check IDs? He was in a foul mood and made sure to let us know it. Both him and the manager made us feel very unwelcome. The whole experience was very strange and we were treated like children. We felt so uncomfortable that the colleague we were celebrating asked if we could leave. I don't recommend giving this establishment your patronage. read more

I was very optimistic with this place when we walked it, the decor was really beautiful! We had a short wait of 10 minutes, the bar was really hopping! The Caesar side salad was good, I liked the dressing. The chicken French was just so over cooked, it was unbearable to eat. The flavor was good, I ate the side of pasta with it, but the chicken was so hard. The whiskey coke was so strong, I swear I was breathing fire too, lol. Probably won't return, but a good option if you love STRONG drinks. Updating my review - we did decide to give this place another chance as a bar - went late night with some friends and the drinks were much better than the first time. We order typical bar food - French fries and chicken Caesar wrap and they were both good. Appreciate this place as a bar, maybe just not as a fine dining restaurant. read more

Came here for a birthday dinner focused on wings around there area. We only ate wings here and drank whiskey. I loved the amount of meat on the chicken bones, and how tender it was. Had lots of flavors. Can't go wrong however blue and gold is where it's at. Not sure of value for money since it was covered by a party host. read more

Nice local place. The weather wasn't nice enough to sit outside but looked like a cozy spot when the weather is nicer. I had the pulled pork and fries, the pork was vert tender. My friend had the burger which she said she loved. The french fries were really good too. The best were the smoked blue and gold chicken wings! I'm not really a chicken wing person but these things were amazing! The right amount of smokey flavor through the sauce! A must-have here! read more

See all

So I'd been reading about the "Blue and gold" wings on yelp And heard about them in person and had been trying to talk Craig into going for quite awhile. We were gonna see a show at a close local venue so I got him to look at the reviews. We went around 7:00 on a Saturday and it was weirdly empty. One table behind us and a large table that was filling up incrementally as couples arrived. We ordered the regular wings and the boneless ones with the blue and gold sauce as a starter. We both loved the sauce that was a combo of blue cheese and a Carolina BBQ SAUCE.. quite good! We had a lovely server who was completely involved and knowledgeable about the menu.. (damnit, I cannot remember her name).. she offered opinions on our initial choices and we ended up with the pork belly Mac and cheese with a drizzle of BBQ sauce (I asked for the bbq on the side for me so I could control the amt) and Craig got the Cubano. Yum for both. The Mac and cheese wasn't spectacular but the added breaded chicken chunks and the pork belly with the drizzle of BBQ sauce took it up a notch and I enjoyed a bit of comfort food with a twist. I left with a bunch of leftovers. Mine came with a side salad which I took home with my half of the Mac.. made a good lunch. The place was clean, and well appointed... gas, stone fireplace on one end of the restaurant side that added great ambiance. I enjoyed the service and the food. I hope they get enough business to keep them open. It's a quaint little spot. read more

Cold food, rushed service, wrong orders, a steak so tough you can see where the jockey was beating it and a half filled venue to serve. One shudders to think of the malpractice should they ever be busy. read more

The wings were delicious, and the beer was cold! A must stop if you're anywhere in the area and try their smoked gold wings. And, of course, wash them down with your favorite whiskey! read more

7-11 has better nachos. Shredded cheese wasn't melted, at all. Cheap gross chips, semi frozen tomatoes and canned Jalapeños. What a joke of a place. 1 star for atmosphere and the lady who took our order was nice. read more

Great vibe overall. Staff and patrons friendly. Diverse crowd. Comfortable for a single to walk in and mingle. Music on Friday nights. Safe neighborhood. Plenty of parking. Makes it easy to avoid the downtown hassles. read more

This used to be my boyfriend's favorite spot for what he calls "the best burger in Rochester" but he claims that has since changed. He used to order the Whiskey River burger and rave about it so much frankly it got annoying. Last time we visited he said it was nowhere near what it used to be. Overall the food is still pretty good but it does seem to have slipped in quality. One of the things that makes it difficult to go here is the hours of operation appear to be a bit fickle. Sometimes we've gone in and the bartender said she's getting ready to close up and it's like 9:00 PM. It's a very low key bar, so don't expect too much but it is a good little neighborhood spot if you can make the time to pop in when they're open. read more

I am not one to post a review but after the poor experience tonight, it felt appropriate. We walked in and stood by the hostess sign for 10 minutes before anyone said anything. Finally, a guy came over and said we would be right with you. 10 more minutes went by and we just asked finally if we could sit in the bar area. 20 minutes went by before someone came to take our drink order and we also ordered our food. We had the pulled pork plate and a burger. It took 45 minutes for the food to come out and it wasn't good. The pulled pork was soggy and the fries were hard. You got 2 stArs because the beer on tap was good. Oh. It was also my birthday. We told them that. Still poor service and food. To be fair they seemed a little understaffed and I want to be mindful of that in this pandemic era; however, they weren't that busy and honestly just seemed disorganized. read more

We have been going to this place for years! We went over the weekend for dinner and the band outside. The food was good, but the wine & beer prices were way too high! I used to pay $7 for a glass of Kendall Jackson & it's now $12! The Genesee beer prices are also way too high. It's too bad cuz I probably won't be back anytime soon. read more

Let me start by saying I have long enjoyed this restaurant and the live entertainment they offer. But last night was a mess! They had one person handling the entire bar and the dining room. It took a very long time for her to come to our table, a very long time to receive our meal, and a very very long time to cash out. I believe they were severely understaffed which wasn't her fault. The biggest disappointment of the night was our meal. It was supposed to be a Spicy Chicken pasta dish. Spicey was an understatement. And there was no chicken in it - raw peppers and some kind of unidentifiable overcooked sausage. Again, no chicken. I have never gone to a restaurant and wanted every penny of my money back, nor did I ask for it. But honestly, the whole night was just a complete disaster. read more

I've been to WR a couple times but only in the afternoons on weekends. When I've gone there's only been people at the bar which was what I expected. The crowd seemed friendly and most seemed to know each other as regular customers which made for a fun place to just chill out with a beer. Being alone at a bar it's not uncommon to overhear conversations and they were across the board topic-wise along with plenty of friendly ribbing which kept the place filled with laughter. The bartender was a seasoned expert and took care of everyone in a friendly and efficient manner. She also took the time to answer all my questions. I checked out the menu just to see what was on offer for future visits. The selection looked good and a few people ordered burgers and the like at the bar and it all looked and smelled good. I definitely will go back for a meal. I have to say I was disappointed the last time I tried to go. It was about 15 minutes after opening time, the open sign was turned on and the windows were open, it being a nice day, but the door was locked. There was a staff member wiping down the bar so I said a friendly hello a few times through the open window but even though I felt like I was was loud enough to be heard (and there was no music playing inside) the staff member never looked up. Maybe she was wearing ear plug headphones that I couldn't seem. Needless to say I gave up and went somewhere else. read more

Whiskey River Pub and Grill - Pubs Near Me - Rochester, New York

See all

If you like that charcoaled seasoned and salty ribs they have them. A 3.5 % charge for using credit card. read more

Stopped in here on Thursday night for a drink with my daughter. Awesome bartender-Casey- quiet night but a great atmosphere. Plenty of room in the bar to sit, watch the Telly , catch up on what's been going on I the world etc. Came back Friday night to try some of their smoked wings. We had a double order of their Blue and Gold wings with a tangy BBQ sauce and chunks of blue cheese. Very messy but very delicious. They were so filling we took most of them home. Washed down with an EBC Blueberry Ale. Looking at the menu, I will definitely be back to try a few more options. Watch the prices-some burgers are a little pricey but if they are good, might be worth the cost. I'll keep you posted! **Just an added note- went back here on Saturday for the prime rib special- husband was disappointed - the rib was not rare as ordered and was rather dry. The garlic mashed potatoes did not really taste of garlic. The shrimp Scampi and blackened chicken sandwich were great. Looks like it could be hit or miss or just a good place for bar food. I'll reserve judgement for another night read more

See all

A Private party upstairs decided to come down stairs and start a bar fight with regular local patrons resulting in family friend being hit with a bottle and another with a bar stool. Owners did nothing nor acted fast enough to prevent this from happening. A large group of us will not go back nor have been back since. Pretty lousy that stuff like this happened and owners were aware and did nothing. Don't feel safe here at all. Shame because I like the wings but will not recommend or be back ever read more

Whiskey River Pub and Grill - Pubs Near Me - Rochester, New York

See all

Have never had a meal there but I have attended a few musical events and the place was great. Enjoyed the atmosphere very much.

Stopped in from out of town, three young people. Was looking forward to a good atmosphere, and great food, not to mention their great beer selection. But we encountered more than a few problems. First problem is that despite tons of outdoor seating being, we were told that we would have to wait 30+ minutes, or be seated inside. Ok, fine, let's be seated inside. Second problem, our waiter, Tara, came over once, and brought our drinks very quickly, awesome! She then didn't come back until an hour later, despite trying to get her attention multiple times. In addition, we LITERALLY, watched other people sit, eat, and leave. I wanted to think "oh she's just busy" but proceeded to watch her dance around every other table except ours. Frustrating to say the least. Burger came back, and you can see in the picture it was burnt. Gross. Manager came over to argue that that's just how it is. No. That is not how it is. Cooked through does NOT mean burnt. If it does for you, you need to do something about it. Refused to pay for it, and after more arguing it was taken off bill. Also ordered shrimp scampi, menu says 17, got charged 19.95, didn't have the patience to argue again. Sauce of the scampi still tasted like alcohol, aka not made properly, you have to boil off the alcohol. I have a feeling because we are apart of the younger crowd (20-25) we got no respect and terrible service. I hope this is a wake up call because most young people tip good because we know how it feels to work as a waiter believe it or not. Wasn't happy, and will probably not come back. Hope the manager sees this, fix your establishment. read more

Whiskey River Pub and Grill - Burger - Pubs Near Me - Rochester, New York