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    Bug Jar

    3.9 (57 reviews)
    InexpensiveBars, Music Venues
    Closed 8:00 pm - 2:00 am (Next day)

    Bug Jar Photos

    Business Info

    BUG JAR ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Very loud
    Live music
    Divey
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Bug Jar

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    Reviews With Photos

    Outside
    J C.

    I've been coming here since I've been of legal drinking of age. Between the libations and live music(punk, metal,etc.), you have not experienced the Rochester music scene unless you've been here.

    Just smokimg on the front end
    Jordan M.

    So i went here for emo night and the bands were pretty good for a dive bar, the bar service was great even when the place was packed and the drinks were cheap and well made, security was actually kind of passive.... Which is good for patrons but bad for them, bathroom was surprisingly clean and everyone seemed to have a good night. Would go again.

    I got some 7ft tall dude to take my pics.

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    10 years ago

    Neat venue in Rochester! If you look up the ceiling, furniture is hanging there upside down haha!

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    Page 1 of 2

    Ask the Community - Bug Jar

    Review Highlights - Bug Jar

    But you'll always find interesting people in the Bug Jar, and their Thursday Night Shakedown is an alternative to the live music.

    Mentioned in 5 reviews

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    The Easy Sailor - Huge selection on rum

    The Easy Sailor

    4.2(18 reviews)
    1.1 miEast Avenue

    A much needed Tiki spot in Roc! Easy Sailor is one of those spots whose entry many of us have been…read moreawaiting in the area. I'm glad they are here. If you aren't a Tiki connoisseur you should still check it out for their unique take at South Asian and East Asian cuisine. The drinks are stellar. Very refreshing and smooth. Gotta remind yourself to go easy on them or you might find yourself very drunk very soon. The food is good. I wish some of the dishes came with the option to have a side of rice instead of ordering it separately. The mood, aesthetic and vibes hit you right including the decor and lighting. Take a moment to look around and above you to appreciate the art and craft mounted on the walls. Even the wallpapers contribute to the Tiki vibe. It's well done. Sean took care of us the whole time we were there. He is so warm, welcoming, patient and ready to give you suggestions from the menu based on what you need. Importantly Sean is attentive and makes sure your specific needs are taken care of. As for Drinks, Mai Tai- 4/5 It was a pretty well balanced Mai Tai. It is a strong smooth drink. Sherrykiller- 4/5 I liked the balance of flavors and how the sours managed to hold their own in this drink. Boomslang Fang- 4.5/5 Another smooth yummy drink. The flavors complement each other. Boozy Shipless- 4/5 Well presented. Tropical flavors through and through which I loved. I was not a fan of the garnish on top at first but it grew on me eventually. Now the food, We started with Sesame Garlic Brussels sprouts. 4/5 for that dish. Beautiful flavor. Well roasted sprouts. Coconut Sticky Rice- 5/5 Perfect rice. Well made. Well presented. The salty and the sweet flavors have wonderful chemistry. The rice was the right amount of fluffy and soft. Mandarin Tea Chicken- 4/5 Very yummy. Chicken was wonderful. I wish it came with rice and had more lean white meat as it seemed that it had more fatty dark meat. Jaffna Shrimp Curry- 4/5 Wonderful dish. The shrimp was well made. Perfectly cooked. The lentils could be more softer. The sauce was beautiful and combined all aspects of this dish perfectly. I'm not sure what leaves they used for garnish. I hoped to see curry leaves in there given the South Asian roots of this dish but alas they weren't there. Nonetheless it was a wonderful meal.

    Pros: They have some vegan options. Our server (C.J.) was efficient and friendly. The décor is…read morenice. Our table got free shots because one member of the party was celebrating her birthday at Easy Sailor (she also received leis around her neck). Cons: Expensive. Small portions. Food is OK, but not worth the cost. Drinks are VERY expensive. The vegan appetizers are coconut sticky rice, sesame garlic vegetables, and kung pao cucumbers. There is one vegan entrée: Spamfu fried rice. The coconut sticky rice was decent, but not filling. And it's hard to eat it without making a big mess, because they foolishly serve it to you in a small, overstuffed dish with no plate under it. So when you dig into the ball of rice with your fork, you end up dislodging bits of it all over the table. They really need to figure out a better way to serve it. The sesame garlic vegetables were quite good (better than the rice), but also not filling. My wife had the Spamfu, which was a surprisingly small portion given that it's billed as an entrée. The vegan bits of "Spam" were cubes of marinated tofu, and there wasn't much of it. Given that tofu and rice are both cheap, the cost of that dish was pretty outrageous. And speaking of outrageous costs, the fancy drinks were priced astronomically high. The menu is written in a small font and is hard to read, especially given the dim lighting in the restaurant. I had to use my iPhone to take pictures of it, so I could magnify the photos on my screen. The water carafes are impractical. They have very long, thin necks, which means you can't put ice in them -- and they tend to block your view of other people sitting at the table. They don't hold much water, so you have to keep asking the server to refill them. And the water glasses are too small. The restaurant really needs to get bigger (but squatter) carafes that hold ice, and they need better water glasses. If you're not especially hungry and money is no object, then maybe Easy Sailor is right for you. Otherwise, I'd skip it.

    Photos
    The Easy Sailor - Cool Tiki tunes jamming from the travel agent's desk

    Cool Tiki tunes jamming from the travel agent's desk

    The Easy Sailor
    The Easy Sailor - Great Tiki Bar

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    Great Tiki Bar

    Turcott's Taproom

    Turcott's Taproom

    4.0(27 reviews)
    0.6 miPark Avenue
    $$

    Hit up Turcott's for the first time after an event this weekend, and am so sad I didn't know about…read morethis gem prior to now! Best part? Completely dog friendly inside! This is the best for folks who like to bring their pups everywhere and I wish I had known sooner. I also heard they have a rockin' weeknight karaoke, and I know my partner and I will be hitting that up at some point in the near future. This is your standard Monroe Ave dive (not the diviest there is but divey nevertheless) and it fits in great with the rest of the Monroe scene. I went with a raspberry vodka soda and it was perfectly strong, made by a super friendly bartender who was attentive to everyone seated. I will for sure be back for drinks with friends when I am in the area (and to try some food!)

    Turcotts Taproom got more than a face lift from the days it was Lola's. It got a soul transplant…read more Or maybe a soul merge. Lola's had a great run, and the well known corner real estate on Monroe Ave ( a major conduit to downtown Rochester) has had several past lives. Today's reincarnation is that of Turcotts. Turcotts belong to the same family of tap houses as Oxfords, Magpie's, Murphy's law, and Brass (check out the Yelp reviews). Bye bye to craft martinis and burlesque nights with the scantily dressed and goth-ish lady staff. Enter stage left: mixologists with that gritty-Monroe Ave-Dude! Where have you been my whole life-being. Instant liquid compadre and confidant. Maybe because of the heavy pours, but I'm sticking to my stance of good people good drinks. Prove me wrong. And now a brief history... This multigenerational-"family"-owned network of bars lost a dear and close "family" member when the longtime manager of Oxford's passed away. As an homage to this veteran bar manager the owners approached his family and asked if they could honor the fallen by renaming Lola's after him....or more exactly his family name: Turncott! Hence, Turcotts. Cheers to this! The physical layout of this watering hole has always been a challenge. Not only for the staff but for the patrons as well. It's narrow and doesn't accommodate groups greater than two. So if you're on date night or rocking lower Monroe Ave solo; then be sure give Turcotts some play. The makeover this establishment received is a huge upgrade. Goodbye great dive bar and hello jump off spot. Generous accents of red leather trim with matte black wood trip gives the place a good attempt at being not divvy- almost reminiscent of the British turncoats!...A good checkpoint on any Monroe Ave adventure. The drinks at Turncotts are definitely on par with the neighborhood. Depending on your relationship with the mixologist behind the bar, you're gonna have that off menu specialty or you're ordering one of the staples on the cocktail menu. You'll get a good drink with any choice. Don't look for the craft beverage on tap, as they offer little that's not bottled. Bottom line: tip your bartender and enjoy life. You're either gonna kick off at Turncotts or splashdown here. That's what makes the patron mix oh so good. If you hit the magic hours between 10 and midnight, you'll definitely have a story to tell at the water cooler. Overall: great homage to a fallen friend. Decent atmosphere with decent drinks. Either we start here or end here... Either way: Tip your bartender and party on Wayne.

    Photos
    Turcott's Taproom - Turcott's Taproom

    Turcott's Taproom

    Turcott's Taproom - Private darts machine in the back by the large booth.

    Private darts machine in the back by the large booth.

    Turcott's Taproom - 21 Beers on Tap (November 2015) : Beers are subject to change

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    21 Beers on Tap (November 2015) : Beers are subject to change

    Bug Jar - bars - Updated May 2026

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