I saw a short review by a friend of mine that the food at Charlotte Tavern was excellent, so I decided to take my wife there on Valentine's Day for dinner. I also was a bit late in getting a reservation so I was lucky to get one there. Our reservation was at seven and we were seated within five minutes after chatting a bit with the bartender who is really friendly. We had a booth to ourselves in the main dining area. There's also a smaller side room with two person booths. They had a great selection of beer so I ordered a hazy IPA as usual. It took a while for us to figure out what to order because this menu is huge! I shared some pictures of the menu and the special sheet. We ordered the Italian calamari as an appetizer. It was very good, with banana peppers, and olives, and an Italian dressing on it. Also, the bread they gave you was really great! They have a woodfired pizza oven, which is massive by the way. You can see it from the main dining room. My wife ordered a medium veggie pizza. It was very tasty, I tried a few bites myself. Not as crispy on the bottom as I'd like, but with a veggie pizza you're fighting a losing battle I know. All those veggies have a lot of water in them so making a crisp crust is tough. I ordered the Chicken Riggies - which I will be honest. I think it's the first time I've ever ordered it! It's rigatoni with breaded chicken pieces and lots of green, red and spicy peppers. They said they could make it as spicy hot as you wanted. I ordered it medium and it was medium, which is fine. I've tried it at some restaurants in the Utica area and it comes out so fiery hot that I can't even hardly eat it. You can always add heat you can't take it away! It was really good though. We both took half our meal home so we had dinner the next night too. I will say that the prices at Charlotte Tavern are very reasonable and the food selection is awesome. We will definitely have to come back! The atmosphere of the place is really cool too. It's been around since 1873 and they have old pictures of Charlotte landmarks adorning the walls. Our server was great too - I forgot her name but she was the owner's daughter and she did a great job. She apologized a few times that the food was taking a little while, but we realized on Valentine's Day places are busy. I guess they had a lot of takeout orders so people must know the food's great and if they can't get a reservation, they just order it to go. Which is not a bad idea by the way. We will definitely make this restaurant one that we go to regularly. read more

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This neighborhood bar & grill has it all - bartenders that know your name, friendly regulars, chef-inspired food, and shuffleboard! We have been coming here a couple times per month for over 10 years and are never disappointed! One step up to get in the door (enter on the side of the building), bathrooms are one at a time, and you can choose to sit at the bar or in the dining room. The full menu is available Wednesday - Saturday, bar menu (limited choices) only on Tuesday, and closed Sunday and Monday. Hoping they bring back local made desserts soon because COVID messed that up. Tuesday night still has live Irish music every week. They have a Touch Tunes machine for music otherwise. Tonight we came in and were pleasantly surprised with their St Patty's day week-long special of Corned Beef sandwiches (platters also available). This sandwich was the best corned beef sandwich I've EVER had (and I've had a few over the years lol). They offer choice of Sauerkraut, Cole slaw or house made cabbage (cooked in the corned beef juices) on marble rye with 1000 island on the side. We came in a couple months ago and the special was a prime rib Beef on Weck - my all-time favorite sandwich- and this sandwich is now my "gold standard" for beef on weck! Paul (bartender & Chef extraordinaire) is also my gold standard for Cosmos! Come on in and try it. We always sit at the bar (unless it's full) and talk to fun people, enjoy a drink and a good meal. Thanks John & Jake for keeping this establishment open for 3 generations! read more

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5 stars for the restaurant, food is amazing, we love the brick oven pizza. Servers are nice and attentive. Beautiful interior with vintage pics of Charlotte. 5 stars for the bar when PAUL is there, but 1 star when Melissa is the bartender. Melissa is beyond rude, she's lazy and dirty!! Just a couple of the awful experiences with Melissa include: once I asked for a baby Guinness shot, when she poured it she didn't use a spoon so it looked like a baby Guinness, when I asked her about it she said I dont have time for a spoon... Another time I asked what was for dessert, and she told me she doesn't know because mst people don't bother her about dessert at the bar... When Melissa is bartending the bar is full of dirty dishes- Paul would never let it look like that! She is too busy eating and drinking to do her job! We stopped going because of Melissa!! read more

We know we'll always get a great meal here! Everything we've had has been delicious!. Definitely a local go-to! read more

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Fun place! This establishment was recommended to us to go get some dinner and drinks with a casual atmosphere-When we arrived on a Friday it was super crowded!Not even room at the bar, but every one tucked it to make room for us and we had drinks while waiting for the table. I have to admit I had no expectations about the food really but it was excellent. And I will tell you it was one of the best pizzas I have ever had and my husband agreed. Nice homey atmosphere, very nice staff, and reasonable prices especially considering the quality of the food.I definitely see myself returning soon. read more

Reel down to earth owner, really has history and family ties deep in the roots of Rochester and I love the good local feel of the place plus the food is great!. It's been there for many years and hopefully many more! Well loved. Five stars. read more

I have never had a bad meal here at the Charlotte Tavern. Do NOT be fooled by the location or the outside appearance. I assure you that you will not find a finer place to eat, and I consider myself a connoisseur of good food. If you're looking for anything served French style, this is your place, although tonight I did not order it, and ventured off my typical dish. Check out my pictures of the two enormous steaks we ordered.... Phenomenal! Let's talk about the wood fired meatball appetizer. It was amazing; an entire pound! Didn't leave us much room for dinner though, so a lot came home. I don't usual like red sauce that I don't make myself (picky Italian gal), but I must say, I could have ate it with a spoon, while the ricotta, fresh basil, and mozzarella took it over the top! Great job and thanked the owner/chef as we left who personally thanked us for coming. Outstanding! Our server Darlene was great too! read more

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I grew up around this area and I have never eaten here as an adult. I had high hopes. They have elevated the atmosphere since I was a kid. I was so disappointed with my meal. I ordered the roast beef, it was so dry that I couldn't even eat it. The mixed vegetables were very similar to bird's eye small chopped frozen peas and carrots. The wood-fired wings were burnt. My husband ordered the prime rib and it was not bad but a low-end meat. I want to give them another chance maybe I have to order a more Italian dish as that is what they may be known for. the bill came to $160 so it was disappointing on the quality with how much it was. Positive the service was great! read more

Walked in at 9:05, asked to order food, well kitchen closes at 9. Okay no problem, I can understand that. then it was, I could ask but the owner is back there tonight and he's not in the mood to stay. Don't know about you but that's a turn off. Well I'm not in the mood to spend my money. Off to murphs ! read more

Best kept secret in Rochester! Best chicken parm I've ever had! Portion was so big I got two meals out of it. my daughter in law had chicken French, my son had the 4 corner pizza, and both raved about their food! We will definitely be back! read more

We had a lot of fun at this little spot. The chicken fries appetizer was a huge hit. They're chicken nuggets shaped like French fries, and everyone loved them. They'd be great with hot sauce! The clam chowder was very good, and the bread was served with choice of butter and an oil and vinegar mix. Most of the table got fish fry, chicken parm, and pizza, and everyone was happy. read more

Charlotte Tavern - Pizza, Breaded Fish Fry - New American Near Me - Rochester, New York

Waitress Darlene was awesome. Owner was an absolute arrogant, rude man. My mother's 80 yr old friend complained that her Pasta Isabella had no flavor. Owner abruptly came over to our table and verbally abused her. This was without not even knowing at the time who he was. Stating "the dish has 17 different vegetables, it's his daughter's recipe and has been made by the same chef for years". Mind you this is in the middle of dinner service on a Friday night. We were not loud or even upset just wanted her to have a meal she could enjoy. We were thoroughly embarrassed and lost our appetite. They did remove her original meal from our bill, but her fish fry was served without lemon or any other condiments. By the time she received said condiments her food was cold. Hope he can sleep at night after speaking to not only a paying customer, but an 80 yr old woman. They will never receive another dime from me or any of my family or friends again. read more

Having moved out of Charlotte last year, the amazing food brought me back to enjoy my favorite dishes in a way that no places out in my new neck of the woods does. My daughter was so impressed by the scallops french that she learned how to make them and frankly that's the highest praise I can think of. My trips to Charlotte are less frequent, but incomplete without stopping in for the delicious food at the Tavern read more

We have been coming here for years. Let me sun it up for you.....great service, great food, great value and a great relaxing environment.

We had a group of 12 for a birthday celebration and we had a wonderful time. The drinks were flowing and the food came out at a very reasonable speed. We started off of the tavern style mozzarella logs, which were devoured by everyone followed by lots of mmmmm's. It's basically a mozzarella stick on steroids, HUGE hunks of cheese but so so good. We also got bbq chicken wings which were tasty and cooked perfectly. Now for the entrees, the main reason we came here was because the majority of the group wanted the Buffalo fish fry. It's a massive portion and was once again devoured by everyone in the group. I got to taste a bite and if you like Buffalo sauce, give this a try! I got the surf and turf was was very impressed by not only the quantity but also the quality. It was a beautifully plated dish, with a generous sized lobster tail and large portion of steak. Lobster was tender and steak had that great grilled flavor that didn't need any steak sauce. Our server was so attentive and friendly all night long. Major props to her for making our night even better. We were all so impressed with the food and service that we all talked about coming back again. read more

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Went here tonight with two friends one which was from Ohio and here visiting. They both ordered the beer battered fish fry and one also ordered pasta as a side dish. I ordered the special which was cedar planked salmon that was supposed to come with rice , asparagus and broccoli. While waiting we got to be entertained by the fat cook coming out of the kitchen and was yelling at the guy working the wood fired oven making pizzas. Then went back to the kitchen right behind us slamming the door. When the food came out both of the fish fry's looked disgusting. Very small and couldn't even tell if it was battered. My salmon came out with mash potatoes because they didn't have any rice. Instead of telling me this before hand and giving me the option of saying yes or no they simply brought it out. I don't eat mashed potatoes due to the diet I am on. I had only water and my guests both had a small glass of wine. Meal total was 99.00. Waitress was good but she also should have corrected the mistakes. All in all we got a 40.00 meal for 99.00. You want junk food? This is the place for you. read more

Love the tavern feeling Ate at the bar Bartender was ok Mozzarella sticks are delicious They could cut them in half and still charge $17 Chicken parm no seasoning lack taste To thick Sauce is not that tasty Meatballs to big I have had huge meatballs at other places and the same thing no taste tastes like hamburger Bartender put the order in so fast everything came out at once clams salad mozzarella sticks chicken Parmesan all came out the same time We will try it again we always a second chance will try the prime rib had a glass of wine that wasn't that good cause we did not complain that's how we are Mark and Jennifer foodie read more

Great place to visit with family and friends. Its been in the current family for over 50 years. Great selection of menu items as well as a great bar selection. As always guys please be safe when u drink and drive. Enjoy. read more

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Best restaurant around. Good excellent Paul the bartender is fabulous and all around we have a great time every time we come here. Which is every Tuesday and Saturday. read more

first of all the Tito martinis are $17 A PIECE, the house wine is $9 a small glass and a bottle of mic ultra is $5 for starters. Ordered three fish fry's, two were great... one was under cooked. Sent it back and cook remarked it was cooked fine.....then after my meal, server finally brought out my salad and seemed to be very put off that I had to remind her. Didn't care for service at the bar where we ate, felt I was inconveniencing her at every turn. Will not go back ...will not recommend read more

The only reason I rated this as high as a '2', is that the bartender is awesome. Our service was horrible, the wait for our food was extremely long (over an hour). The food was cold and some inedible. When this was mentioned to the server, it was 'oh well'. The pizzas were good. I'm not sure the waitress even knew she had our table to serve. Sorry, this is a no-go. read more

My wife and I made this the destination of our monthly date night last night. We were regulars here about 12 years ago before moving away and returning. A lot has changed and a lot has stayed the same. It has the same friendly neighborhood pub atmosphere and delicious food. We found they don't serve the full menu Sunday through Tuesday, just pub fare and their new addition of brick oven pizza. There has been a lot of work done to the Tavern and it looks great! We ordered wings and had them finished in the pizza oven. They may be my new favorite wings(dead man sauce). We then got a medium CBR(chicken, bacon, ranch) pizza. This was fantastic! Well done and keep up the good work! read more

We had a party of 12 there last night! Calamari, , Fish fries, Wood fired pizzas. and Shepard pie! These all ordered by our group. Everyone loved the food ! Our server was amazing as he worked through the busy crowd! We will definitely be back! read more

I do like places with tavern in their name that also serve food. And I like a good neighborhood joint with a classic shuffleboard game in the bar section of the tavern - which is nice .. unfortunately the food here is just OK. A low divider separates the bar from the small dining area with a dozen or so tables. The staff is super friendly and on this night very adaptable to keep serving while a medical emergency played out in one corner of the dining room. The menu is heavy on typical Rochester Italian favorites... but I have never seen 12 types of items that can be "frenched" nor 9 that can be "parmeseaned". Wow! I selected the bacon wrapped shrimp which was surprisingly bland, though the 3 shrimp were huge (still just three shrimp for $25?). The Chicken French was also ordered and the verdict was that it also lacked in flavor - which is unusual for this dish. The beef roast was more successful - tender and juicy. It was pretty crowded so a reservation is a must on a Saturday night. Perhaps next time I will go for a burger or wings... tavern food! read more

Great local, neighborhood bar. I've been going there for nearly 15 years and have never been disappointed. Whether it'a Fish Fry Friday or Prime Rib Saturday. I recommend the Pasta Isabella or any of the French's. read more

Charlotte Tavern - New American Near Me - Rochester, New York

The BEST fish fry I have ever had !!. Beer batter was light and fish was flakey and delicious. Can't wait to get back there for another one!! read more

What a surprise! Very good food, excellent table service and reasonably priced. I had chicken french and happily ate all of it as I complimented the chef as he walked by. I dont donthat too often. read more

Oh Charlotte Tavern, how I love your food. But please, for the sake of us diners, please fix your shabby exterior of the building and maybe update the decor inside just a tad? Our very first time we came to the Charlotte Tavern, we were giving it a try because of Groupon. From the outside, it always looked like a shabby, neighborhood bar. I had no idea the food was so good! My husband and I loved it. How can you NOT enjoy at least a dozen varieties of "French" prepared items? I am a sucker for Artichokes French, and everytime we go, I enjoy a plate all to myself! But also Asparagus, Eggplant, Tomato, and even Portabella Mushrooms? All French? You know you're in Rochester when you see so many varieties of French? There is a huge variety on the menu and anyone would be able to find something they like. In our various visits we have had the Shepherds Pie, Stuffed Strip Steak, Chicken Marsala, Prime Rib, and Pasta Isabella. All delicious. The salads that come with dinner are not just a bunch of iceberg lettuce with a tomato thrown on top! They're nicely mixed salads and the dressing choices are delicious. If you are feeling especially low in cholesterol levels, you MUST try the "Tavern Style Mozzarella Logs" as an appetizer. HUGE and amazing!!! All in all, we have had great meals here, but I will be honest, I will never bring an out of town guest, and will probably not suggest any friends come and dine here for the first time until the exterior gets a much needed face lift. I posted some really sad looking pictures of the exterior, and I really hope the owners have enough pride to get things spruced up. It's too much of a gem to look like a run down shack on the outside. read more

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Local place, very nice comfort food, they recently updated there dining room and it looks nice. Food is very good read more

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We went for dinner for the first time tonight and we will not be going back. The food was average at best. But, the service was terrible! The waitress was not attentive, we had to ask the owner to take our order after sitting there for 15 minutes. (We were one of three customers.) Additional, the owner could be heard yelling at staff in the kitchen. Overall, it was a disappointing experience. read more

Went to Charlotte Tavern because of their other location (Tavern 19, which was great). This place had a good vibe and an old style look. The clam chowder was excellent, but that was about it. My wife and I ordered burgers (MR) which were over cooked and dry. Tasted like they were probably frozen at some point. Gave half the burger to my dog, and it even gave him gas. As the rating says, Meh, I've experienced better. read more

Not your usual neighborhood pub. The food is simply amazing. Best clam chowder I have ever had in Rochester. The cheese logs are to die for and the Best chicken French I have ever had in my entire life. The atmosphere is cozy and warm, the service is attentive and they are glad to make suggestions. Take the drive up to the lake I promise you will be glad you did. read more

Charlotte Tavern - New American Near Me - Rochester, New York

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Been going to this establishment for years. Girlfriend never experienced their corned beef & cabbage, so we went on St Paddy's Day. Bar was busy, but dining room was empty. First RED flag!! Last year, the place was packed!! GF ordered the corned beef, & I ordered the Shephard's Pie. This place never posts prices on its menu or specials board, & I'm starting to understand why. I payed 15 bucks for a plate of mashed potatoes!! NEVER AGAIN!! read more

Charlotte Tavern - 3/4 potato, barely 1/4 meat - New American Near Me - Rochester, New York

Great food and delivery received. The chicken french was delicious!!! Highly recommend Charlotte Tavern.

A great neighborhood joint. Best clam chowder this side of Boston. I recommend the Buffalo fish fry. Bartenders are very friendly and attentive it's not cheap but not expensive either. read more

In Rochester, you can do much better than the Charlotte Tavern for dinner! We had purchased two discounted $30 groupon vouchers for the Charlotte Tavern. We were looking forward to having dinner there as we remembered how good their meals were in the past. Unfortunately this is no longer the case. This was our second attempt at having dinner there. Our first ended in our not even being able to use our Groupon voucher due to our final bill being so heavily discounted due to the numerous problems with the service and quality of food which we received (see previous review). First the Good: The bartenders on both of our outings were very pleasant, friendly and helpful. Due to the single waitress being so backed up they helped out with the seating and supplying our pre-dinner drinks. Even though the waitress was extremely backed up she was friendly and was obviously trying to do her best. She also apologized for our long wait. On our first visit the waitress was very apologetic and discounted our dinner bill. Next, the not-so-good: Even though the restaurant advertises heavily with Groupon they refuse to have enough waitresses on the floor to handle the number of people coming through the door. We experienced this on three separate occasions. Although the waitresses were friendly it was very obvious that they were new and not familiar with the menus. One mentioned that there had been a recent employee walk out. The music from the overhead speakers was very loud and made it difficult to have a quiet conversation with your dinner partner. Both the dining room service and the kitchen were very backed up due to not having enough help. The dinner rolls were served cold on both of our visits Food prices are too high for the quality of food received. We ordered the Black Angus Beef Roast and although the meat was good and fork tender the assorted vegetables were mushy and obviously canned and not fresh as I would expect for an $18 dollar meal. On two of our visits it took between 50 and 65 minutes for our entrées to arrive at our table. This will be our final attempt to enjoy a good meal at the Charlotte Tavern. There are just too many places in the Rochester area to get a really good meal at a lower price. It's too bad to see how far the Charlotte Tavern has fallen over the years. read more

I had the misfortune of taking my family to the Charlotte Tavern for dinner tonight. Some of the dishes we were served were ok but the Fishfry i was served was tastles, burnt on the outside, and raw on the inside. Several of the people in our party had the same experience. Obviously frozen fish. When I was paying the bill and informed the waitress of the poor quality she stated that we should have told her BEFORE we ate. We had waited over 2 hours to be served and didn't want to have to wait another 2 hours for our meal. They did nothing to compensate us for the horrendous service and inedible food. When we were leaving, we saw one of the waitresses sneaking in the backdoor with food from Salvatore's across the street. Obviously the staff knows better than to eat at the Charlotte Tav read more

I will be loyal to this place until the day I die. I make a point to come here every time I come home and visit my parents in Charlotte. The Tavern is a staple in the neighborhood and the food is awesome. There is no question about it - the Charlotte Tavern is undeniably "Charlotte." It's got a cozy interior, very few frills, and strong drinks. My mom and lamented forever about how terrible the broken awning on the outside of the building looked. But I always run into people I know here from the neighborhood. It's a big part of my childhood and has a lot of nostalgic value. My favorite part of Charlotte Tavern is the section of the menu entirely devoted to "French." My personal favorite is artichokes french served over angel hair. There is simply nothing like it. This will forever be my favorite dish at any restaurant. If you're into chicken, veal, or anything "French," you absolutely have to give this place a try. read more

The food was so good I will be definitely ordering from there again thanks guys be safe

So we were told what changes have been made and how great the food is, so we decided to try it. Well it falls short quickly with NO hostess. Waitresses have to many tables and no busses, they are covering all. Kitchen serving meals, which fell way short of expectations. Sorry, we won't return. Girls were working hard. They are great. They need back up. Get a new cook. Marsala chicken was awful, couldn't finish. It was more like a sweet sour chicken from a Chinese restaurant. My husbands meal equally undesirable. read more