As an event work space, this place has ample parking and it's easy to get in and out. It's next door to another popular eatery-social place which is a plus if you are here until that other place opens. The environment is good for a meeting but note that their screens are just large TV's so if you have wordy slides projected they will be hard to see. Also food was just ok, the salad was good but they only had two dressings and no other add ons like croutons. The bread was hard as a rock. Pasta was good but there was no grated Parmesan cheese or pepper flakes to add. The Parmesan chicken was like a piece of cardboard, that needs to be replaced! They had a light continental breakfast that consisted of bagels , yogurt and fruit and that was fine. All in all, it was a good location, bad for food "chicken in particular "! I would bring my own sandwich next time. read more

Went to go see Randy Feltface October 25th, 2025 & it was amazing! The drinks were delicious. Food was a bit pricey, but it's a comedy club so I figured it would be. read more

We had amazing seats at The Carlson. Were able to look directly at the stage and not be interfered by other show attendees. Food and drinks were reasonably priced for the venue. The staff did a great job of attending us and ensuring we were closed out by the end of the show. read more

Comedy @ The Carlson - Getting ready for the show to start. - Comedy Clubs Near Me - Rochester, New York

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Kevin Nealon was hysterical. No disappointment there. Wish we would have eaten before the lights went down,though, because we couldn't see a thing. read more

food was fine but honestly me and my gf almost got kicked out for cheering too loud and we arent the only ones. and then we missed the meet and greet for vinny because they werent specific eneough directions... like a grey wall line up in enough information when every wall is grey and there is another line for the next show. so we had to wait for another 2 hours for the meet n great only to show up and be confronted by the owner because of our demeaner... this is honestly ridiculous and idk if im just used to a small town but this is honesly ridiculuous. i paid 300 dollars to watch a show and meet a celebrity and was nothing but nice, accomodating, and understanding of everyone and everything and then got fucking harassed for it all. i have never been treated worse in a public setting. if you can go to somewhere in buffalo or Syracuse. nick tho was a really nice person to us. read more

Had a great time tonight. The venue was clean and welcoming. I appreciated that the room wasn't cold (this is uniquely important to me). I was very happy with my asian salad and next time I'll get the jumbo pretzel, it looked great. They have coke products (not just pepsi) which was amazing. The waitress was kind enough to give me a free refill on my soda. All the staff were professional and kind, setting a tone of respect. When the jokes got a little dicey and over-the-top insensitive, the crowd didn't encourage it and the comedian moved on. I appreciated the culture of awareness. We all had a good time. read more

Got tickets to the Joel James show and went with a group of friends. Picked up our tickets at will call window and made our way to the bar to grab drinks as we couldn't get in to show yet. Drinks were pricey and not much alcohol if any. We ordered huge Bavarian pretzel and nachos. Food was good. Service was slow and she forgot our plates and napkins when she brought the food. After 20 minutes I flagged her down to remind her. Joel James was great! The room was packed but still plenty of room to walk between tables. Staff was friendly! read more

Comedy @ The Carlson - Tribute to Bob Saget - Comedy Clubs Near Me - Rochester, New York

I love Comedy at the Carlson! Great bartenders, great acts, great community feel, and a nice way to escape the world for a few hours. The only negative experience I've had here was with the Pete Davidson show and that is in NO way the venue's fault...just Pete's fault for being an ass and doing a terrible set. We came this past weekend to Gina Brillon's 9pm Friday show and had a fantastic time. The crowd was great, the service here is always fantastic, and we were able to catch 40 minutes or so of the free show in the Rickles room, a space I had yet to see. I am looking forward to watching the range of comics coming through the Carlson diversify, as it looks like the calendar right now is showing exclusively white male comics for 2022. I am glad to have a "staple" club in Rochester now to take part in the burgeoning comedy scene in Rochester, and also look forward to watching the industry, the club, and this neighborhood continue to grow and evolve. read more

Comedy @ The Carlson - a hand holding a glass of wine - Comedy Clubs Near Me - Rochester, New York

Comedy At The Carlson is a pretty cool little venue! I absolutely loved my visit, and I can't wait to go back. The food was great! We had a comically large pretzel (which is vegan by the way - one of my friends follows a vegan diet). Unfortunately, they were all out of the vegan pizza, but the hummus plate came with plenty of veggies (could have used more hummus though). The buffalo chicken pizza was fantastic! Loved the spice to it. The mocktails are fantastic and only $5 which I appreciated because I couldn't have alcohol due to a surgery. Excellent menu. The comedy was fantastic too! We saw Bob the Drag Queen. The opening act was also fantastic. With low prices and great food and drinks, I think I'll definitely be back soon! Of note, I was using my wheelchair, and I didn't have any accessibility problems in the building. Of note and reported to the city, however - there's a crosswalk directly across to the parking lot that is NOT wheelchair accessible and we had to walk to a further crosswalk to get from the parking lot to the comedy club. read more

Went to DabbleCon and had a great time. I drank so much! They had this Coors Beer special in honor of Stuttering John! I drank so much alcohol. Good thing I didn't drive home! I'm from California and the comedy clubs in CA usually cut you off when you drink as much as I did but I guess in Rochester they don't. The comedians were great! The club was beautifully designed, the waitresses were wonderful. I kept drinking Coors and eating pretzels, those waitresses kept 'em coming. I hope they do DabbleCon 2 here so I can get Coors wasted beyond the legal limit. They don't care here how much you drink. read more

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Very fun place to go! You can buy the tickets online for different showtimes and pick them up at the call window. Seating is generally open and they do ask that there is a food minimum. Service is excellent and it was an entertaining time. They are very strict on timing though, so we were immediately kicked out after the show so be prepared to have after show plans if you pick the early show (starts at 7 PM, done by around 8:30). read more

Comedy @ The Carlson - a close up of a receipt on a table - Comedy Clubs Near Me - Rochester, New York

I received notification a show I paid for needed to be rescheduled. Unfortunately, this reschedule date conflicts with plans I have where I will be out of town so I requested a refund. I have sent 3 emails, left one voice mail and sent a message through Instagram and received no response. Maybe a bad review will get me a call back. read more

Decided to catch a show tonight 8/16/24 since local Karl Heberger was putting it on. Everything was okay enough until they began playing video of a man screaming "Kill Ni***rs" repeatedly and laughing at it. There was not context to it. I don't usually care about salty language but saying kill black people and using the n-word is pathetic. The venue had plenty of time to step in and didn't so they must approve. I've seen several shows here before that were great. Sad to see what this place has become. read more

They have food there if you want to get a meal. I had dinner before I showed up so didn't need any food. We showed up about 30 min before and got a seat right in front. It's first come first serve. read more

We were here for the Russell Peters show. The show was great, the staff was friendly, nice ambience, reasonably priced drinks, interesting cocktails and typical bar food menu. Only con was we asked for water and right away asked to change it to beer instead. She acknowledged our request, got us a beer and then came back with bottled water after 5 minutes of serving us the beer. She said that she accidentally rung it in. We didn't want to argue as we were busy enjoying the show. Later we got the bill, I paid without looking at it because I was busy enjoying the show only to find out later that we were charged for the bottled water. It was just $3 but I still feel that's unfair. read more

We didn't attend a show here but booked the venue for a birthday party. Overall, we were impressed with the customer service while meeting to discuss the party, costs, space and service during the party. We opted for party friendly food - wings, pretzels, nachos and sodas. Small note- the pretzels were originally presented as giant pretzels but they were chopped up into pretzel bites style at the party. I'd have preferred to be told this ahead of time. We opted to have the club provide the DJ - whose name I didn't get. This might be the only negative of the night. While he played the music my daughter picked. That's all he did. There was no interaction with the audience. Which is expected of a DJ and I shouldn't have had to specify this. He also had an assistant (possibly his girl friend?) sitting next to him on the stage and she just looked bored the entire time. Not a great addition to a party atmosphere... If you book an event here, pick your own DJ or interview them which we didn't do and should have! The waitress (supposed to be two wait staff but we really only saw one possibly because both weren't needed) was great. She was constantly checking on everyone, getting drinks, refilling food, etc! The party space was also good! Stage lights to go with the music, bathrooms next to the party room and plenty of room to dance or sit! A full bar was available by the main entrance for those who wanted a drink. We'd absolutely return to watch a show or book another party. read more

Comedy @ The Carlson - "VIP area" - Comedy Clubs Near Me - Rochester, New York

This is a great room to catch a comic... nary a bad seat in the house. I'd recommend getting there a bit early since parking can be a mess. Ordering drinks there can be a bit confusing. For instance, the wine selection is limited and confusing. If you want a rosé wine; in Carlson parlance that is a "blush". The Duchess and our table companion couple needed to verify what the "blush" actually was before ordering a glass, since the house Pinot Grigio was fairly "meh". Once they visualy inspected the bottle (which was a French rosé, btw), that was the preferred order for the evening. One minor suggestion... food. I'd like to see the Carlson expand on their food selections, since we are getting tired of Nachos. I know the Nachos are easy to prep, but they've progressively gotten worse every time we order them. Suggestions? Quesadillas, perhaps? Bueller? Bueller? read more

Comedy @ The Carlson - Gilbert! - Comedy Clubs Near Me - Rochester, New York

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Great small venue to catch great acts. There's food, a bar....all the things you could need. I do wonder what the connection is to the old comedy club that was in Henrietta. Better than the one in Henrietta, there's no drink or food minimum. You can also rent out the venue for company meetings or professional development in the off hours. read more

I expected bar type food, but I was pleasantly surprised! My friend ordered the pretzel with cheese sauce which was huge, hot and ready to dip into the cheese sauce. I enjoyed the cheese quesadillas with chicken. They were hot, crispy and throughly enjoyed! I was even more surprised by their menu prices. The service was quite efficient and we didn't wait long for our food. They were extremely reasonable and affordable. It was an enjoyable experience! , read more

The headliner spent the whole night making fun of the audience. She didn't have a real show, even though she was supposed to be a big act in Las Vegas. Venue was nice but show sucked! read more

Comedy @ The Carlson is the premiere comedy destination for folks looking for an authentic comedy club experience in Rochester. The Carlson has both huge names and cheap prices, and has always been my preferred venue for seeing a show. Parking is free, food and drink prices are very reasonable, and unlike most clubs, there is not an item limit. Usually the headlining shows will follow a traditional comedy club format, with an Emcee, a featured act, and then the headliner. If you want to sit closer to the performers, be sure to get in early, as oftentimes patrons will be seated on a first come, first serve basis. If you don't want to be picked on, avoid being seated close to the front. read more

Love the set up not a bad seat in the venue. Service was good considering it was a sold out show. Great drink options, especially if you like Red Bull mixed drinks. Worst nachos that my boyfriend has ever eaten by far. Huge pretzel was OK needed better dips. read more

Nice venue! It's been so long since I've seen any live comedy. Kevin Nealon was great! Will definitely come here again. There isn't a bad seat in the place. The staff were spot on. Fast and more importantly, friendly. Gotta say- I am a fan of Rochester- this city and the people here. read more

Comedy @ The Carlson - a woman standing in front of a microphone - Comedy Clubs Near Me - Rochester, New York

Nice large venue with plenty of room vs the former comedy clubs here. It was clean, the drinks were strong, and fairly priced. And based on former reviews; it looks as if the portion sizes have returned to normal. The nachos were huge and overflowing, tasted great, and were too much to finish. The Buffalo Chicken Pizza was good, not dry at all, on a wonderful flat bread. I only wish there had been a bit more of the Buffalo Sauce as the flavor of the bread came in over the Buffalo Chicken. Not a bad thing at all, just wish it was slightly more balanced. The comics were funny, food and drinks were good. I loved the homage to "Comix Cafe" in the corner as that is where many of my wife and my first dates were 16 years ago. This is an excellent successor to that club. read more

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Great time, friendly staff, good food and drinks. Best comedy in Rochester by far. Looking forward to the next show

Located right next to Radio Social in the historic Stromberg-Carlson Building, Comedy @ The Carlson is looking to be Western New York's premier destination for all things comedy. Comedy @ The Carlson features a 350-seat showroom that hosts some of the nation's best entertainers weekly. Alongside their main showroom is a beautifully renovated atrium bar, which contains many nods to the building's rich history, and also a smaller show room for more intimate shows, along with a pool table and games for patrons to play. I've gone to the Carlson twice in the past month for a couple shows. First time I'd ever been there. It's a beautiful place inside, modernly decorated and immaculately clean. I saw a show in each showroom, and both are very nice with great sound quality. Plenty of seating in their main room for bigger shows and names. What I like about them is it's not just comedians. Yes, you get the local and big name comedians coming through, but they're also trying to add some variety with one-person and variety sketch type shows, and bringing in interesting names that aren't necessarily considered comedians. Ticket prices are fair, employees are very friendly. My only gripe with them is they have a very limited food menu, and it is all very expensive for what they offer. Overall, I'd recommend it for the shows, but I'd advise grabbing some food beforehand elsewhere. I'd go again and am already planning another visit next month. read more

Great time!! Food was great. Show was awesome. Ask to sit in Lianas section for seating...she was great. Very accommodating and attentive. She added to the experience!! read more

Service was good - a nice venue for comedy - parking was easy and free -- we had a nice evening...

Funniest part of the afternoon was the 'charcuterie board' . Real knee slapper! Otherwise everything was good.

Quietly, under cover of night, a world class comedy club opened in North Winton Village (literally- and I'm using this correctly- in my actual back yard). What emerged in the July 1st open was a fully formed bar, comedy club and event space. They have an impressive tap selection and a specialty cocktail list. I've been in for open mic and for a drink, and I've been wowed by the finishes, the space and the attention to detail. In a few short weeks since they opened they have brought in almost a dozen national acts to sold out shows. Shows are very reasonably priced so you should get there and check out some great comedians! This place is a hidden gem. read more

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I first heard about this club through an ad while browsing through City Newspaper. I was excited because my husband and I LOVE comedy clubs and frequent the ones here in Rochester CONS: Menu is incredibly small :-( I'm sure this is because they are just starting out, but please do yourself a favor and eat dinner BEFORE you go. Show was advertised for a 10:00 start and nothing happened until about 10:15pm. Not a huge wait, but a wait nevertheless. PROS: Very nice atmosphere. I could smell how new the carpets were. Very big and open space! Upon first entering the building your eyes are greeted with huge paintings of famous comics. Really cool. There is also a nice lounge/hangout area when you walk in for you to enjoy before or after your show. Pool table, darts, bar, and a music stage. Although you don't have many choices, the food on the menu was satisfying. I had the cheese board and my husband had the nachos. My cheese board was deceivingly filling and my husband loved his nachos. OVERALL: definitely worth a visit to judge for yourself. The comedy club is attached to Radio Social (another restaurant/play place for adults). read more

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Top of the line club. What more can you ask for. Complaining about talent on the club page is wildly missing the point. Almost... comedic?

We came here to see Pete Davidson. All of his shows were sold out, so we got tickets to the 5:00 show, which was early. I couldn't find anywhere online what time doors opened, so we got there at 4:30. There was plenty of parking, no line at will call, and the room was not even half full yet. I got seated right in the center, which was nice. But there were only 2 of us, so we had to share a table. Fortunately the people that sat with us were nice, but I really don't like that. I also was surprised that there were signs everywhere, and you were immediately yelled at upon entering, saying you'd be thrown out with no refund if you did anything with your cell phone. First of all, it was $70 for the 2 of us to see him which I thought was ok, but is a fairly high price for this place. Threatening to kick me out and not refund me the second I walk in the door and BEFORE the show even starts is pretty unreasonable to me. While the show is on, ok. But before anything even happens, why? The people we were sitting with said they'd been to other shows and it wasn't like that, so maybe each act decides, but seriously, let people use their phones until it starts. We didn't even know what time it was because we couldn't look at our phones. I didn't want to eat or drink anything because I wanted to hear the show. My husband ended up ordering drinks though. They were decently priced for an event like this, but when they brought the bills, some of the other couples drinks were on our bill. When you're seating people with strangers, it's important that you get the bills right. She fixed it when we told her, but bringing the bill was an interruption, fixing the bill was an interruption, giving her the credit card, etc. The last 20 minutes of the show, I only heard about half of what he was saying. The show was good, and both opening acts were pretty good, too. It ended right at 6:30, and people were already lined up for the 7:30 show. There wasn't much traffic, and there was still plenty of parking, which was great. But overall, I would have to really like someone to come back here again. read more

I really enjoyed my visit to Rochester to see Bob Saget at the Carlson. This place was much better organized and setup than other comedy clubs i have been to int he past. They were very good at getting everyone seated on time and all the seats seemed to be in good view of the stage. The waiters were quick to offer food and drink suggestions and they came out quick. Prices for drinks are around 9-10 dollars. I had the nachos as well which i had heard in the past were very bad but i thought they were great, very generous with the guac and sour cream. I will definitely be back to see more shows here if they get anymore studs like Bob Saget. read more

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Bought tickets to see Jay Mohr as soon as they went on sale months ago; then the show was rescheduled due to Covid. Not a problem and I was still looking forward to the show until the club suddenly cancelled my tickets to the new show with no explanation and didn't even give me a full refund! Not a very professional or customer-friendly way to do business. read more

I'd say the entire experience was good. We saw Ron Funchess who was funny and adorable. The drinks were fine. Food, mediocre. But who goes to a comedy club for the food? Mostly, no one. I'd definitely check out more acts there. read more

Walk in here and I dare you not to be impressed with the place. I havent been to many comedy clubs but this one was so cool. They have a expansive bar area that you enter into with a small stage for headliner acts. Then there is an adjacent huge area where the comics perform. It has separate tables that seat 4-6 people but the chairs are arranged so you can watch the show while you eat. The servers walk through and take orders while the show is going on so you can continuously imbibe and indulge while you laugh. The bartenders and waitstaff were all on point. Shout out to Jimmy the manager for coordinating an awesome evening with Karen Williams comedian! Even the bathrooms here are pristine, spacious and well lit. There is plenty of parking, plenty of choices on the menu. We didn't eat but the pizzas seemed popular. The Comedy @ The carlson logo is visually appealing and whoever came up with it knew what they were doing. I can't wait to see more shows here in the future read more

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I was used to going to the other comedy clubs we used to have in town. This is way bigger and nicer. They have awesome caricatures of great comedians from the past on the walls, which I thought was a really nice touch. The bar area and main room are humongous. I know they have at least one smaller room for performers as well. The bar is big and nice. Don't worry, they have beer taps! They're on the wall and not obvious if you're not looking hard enough. The bartenders were great and very attentive. The beer prices seemed a little steep. I didn't have any food, but some of the people I was with did. The pretzel is huge. Someone got a chicken Caesar and it was $13 and so very tiny and not worth it. But hey, most don't go there for the food. This is a nice place. read more

I went to The Carlson last night for the Drew Micheal show. The venue is spacious and has tons of parking (though be prepared to walk). This was my first comedy show and Drew was hilarious. The bar was okay; the bartender was a tad rude. When I ordered a drink she made eye contact, but was still collecting IDs from the rest of my party. I apologized because I thought I was interrupting and she said "I can do two things at once, ya know"? read more

Great venue for top comedy! We recently saw AGT contestant Vicki Barbolak at the Carlson! The host of the show, Joe Bruno, was fantastic as was Vicki's performance! The club is large, well organized & we enjoyed the live music in the lobby area! Nice date night! read more

Comedy @ The Carlson - Comedy Clubs Near Me - Rochester, New York

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