First time here and tried several items. Everything was excellent! The employees were cheerful and friendly. They even wished my daughter a happy birthday and gave her a piece of cake. read more

Food was interesting, excellent and different. Served family style, the choices were amazing. We had the sweet.potato egg rolls, endive tapas and deconstructed golumki. Superb! Service was excellent, informative and timely. A little noisy but fun and comfortable ambiance. read more

We've been eating here since this joint opened and it's never been short of fabulous. Some of our favorites are the house salad and the Mac and cheese. Go here! You will be a fan! read more

Stopped in here on a Friday night. Got seated promptly. Waitress was friendly and attentive. She explained that the food comes out as it is ready. Some things take longer than others. Lots Of the dishes are shareable. The bread was amazing. I ordered the bone in pork chop, mashed potatoes, and apple slaw. The pork chop was tender and had a nice crispy coating. The mashed potatoes were delicious and flavorful with the bacon and cheese. I didn't like the apple slaw which consisted of apples, slaw, and onions. It did have a good light vinegar dressing. Overall, good meal. I had my dinner ate before the rest of the table received their burgers. read more

Ember Woodfire Grill - Porkchop - New American Near Me - Livonia, New York

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Neat place in an unassuming building. Very nice inside, very upscale. High ceilings and a very nice bar area that fills up very quickly. Happy hour specials, but at the bar only. Our server was very friendly, we never wanted for anything. Keep in mind that food come to the table as it is ready, so some members of the party could have their food and one waiting dependent on what was ordered. I had the burger, which was a super generous portion. the burger itself was huge and the portion of fries were even bigger! I am a saucy person, so the burger sauce and toppings were on the light side. I ordered an additional portion. Overall, good flavor of everything, great service. read more

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Wow! What an amazing dinner I love this place. An old train station turned into a romantic restaurant with a wood fire grill. Walking we received a warm welcome and headed to the bar for a drink before being seated. A great selection of wines, beer, spirits, and they support local wineries which is always nice to see. The dining area is all stone with fires built into the stone walls. Our waitress greeted us promptly and with a big smile and genuine happiness. We were served an assortment of bread and she explained how the restaurant encourages sharing plates, tapas style. We started out with the house salad which was awesome! What a presentation in a huge bowl mixed with pickled cauliflower, fresh tomatoes, chickpeas and onions. We finished the bowl just the two of us. Then onto the entrees. The Faroe Island baked salmon was cooked to perfection, flaked off the fork, moist, and mouthwatering. Cooked with a pear & bulgogi glaze on top of roasted sliced potatoes in a ginger chive oil, topped with crisp roasted brussel sprouts and hot honey. My mouth is watering all over again. Highly recommend this restaurant I can't wait to go back. Friends had the sesame seared wild caught ahi tuna, wakame, ginger soy glaze over wontons with chili lime aioli, sriracha, and wasabi. They loved it and the presentation was spectacular. Kudos to the owners and staff for making this a wonderful experience. Also check out their specials, Mondays no corkage fee, Tuesdays & Wednesdays kids make their own free pizza, Thursday 1/2 price bottles of wine, and Friday Happy Hour 3:30-6. They have gluten free options, family friendly. Hope you check them out. read more

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Food, service and ambiance excellent. Limited menu and I still left hungry. A bit pricey for portions. read more

I was supposed to come here with a friend but he's sick so it's a good thing I like dining solo just fine. I went right after they opened and there were several tables there already. Maybe Solar Eclipse traffic??? I was greeted right away-from across the room actually. I think it was the manager because he made the rounds to the tables asking how everything was later on. I started off with a lemon sour. Delicious. Never had one but if you're looking for a sweet drink this ain't it. It was on special. I was delivered bread with honey butter, pickles and hummus. I thought that was weird but it was actually so good on the bread. I had a piece of Italian bread, some onion bread and probably focaccia. The bread plate was insane-I could have just had bread there and been happy. I ordered a wood fired pizza. I mean that's in the name so that's what I got. It was pretty good. The sauce is on the spicy side. Just enough heat to wake up your tastebuds but not so uncomfortable that your mouth is on fire. I heard the table next to me also was talking about the spice of one of their dishes and talking about their nose running when things are spicy...same girl, same. And my nose was a little runny. I wish the pepperoni had been cup and char but that may have put that pizza over the top with having such a robust sauce. I did indulge in dessert. Against my better judgement because I full! But luckily my dessert stomach stepped her ass up to the plate and took one for the team. I do not think the dessert selection is that fantastic. I think every dessert has some chocolate in it except for the crème brûlée so if you're not a chocolate person, there's not a whole lot to choose from. I really wanted the coconut cake, but that had chocolate ganache on it, and the oatmeal cake just sounded unappealing so I passed on those. The crème brûlée was really good. My server was really good. I can't complain. It's a good place to eat-worth the drive and I liked the atmosphere. I found it to be a little drafty though and I noticed others keeping their coats on. I didn't have a coat so I was a bit chilly the whole meal. Good drink selection, not many appetizers though not that you'll need them. They encourage plate sharing. The pizzas are quite big especially for one!! read more

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Got an 8pm reservation on a Friday for dinner with my daughter. We were in town to check out the nearby college. We were seated right away. Ambiance is awesome! Lighting is just right, decor is modern, and the seating is situated nicely for conversation. Staff was excellent from the gentleman running the process to the absolute "foodie" of a waitress. She took the time to discuss the food options and also took time to talk to us about the area, so that my daughter could get a sense of what a student would experience. On to the food. Straight awesome! Definitely a foodie paradise. Sharing plate setup is a dream. We had a margherita pizza, premium tomato taste, fresh mozzarella, and a crunchy and chewy crust! Jerk chicken and rice and Mac and cheese were also hits. Raspberry chocolate truffle dessert engaged parts of my stomach that don't usually get engaged. Loved it! All around great experience! read more

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Not only was the food delicious but it was fun to share several things together. We came for a belated birthday celebration and not only did they make sure to say happy birthday they give you a slice of the oatmeal cake for free! Our server was lovely and I loved the low lighting inside. I would 100% suggest going with the expectation to share. They keep larger utensils at the at the table for just that! And they list on the menu the portion sizes so you can get an idea for each item. read more

Limited menu, kinda pricey, really good food. Got seated right away, took a while to get service. Won't sub anything, didn't want the fries, but they included them anyway. Wedge was delicious, and the 18 day aged burger was super flavorful - grilled onions on top complemented the beef well. read more

Ember Woodfire Grill - New American Near Me - Livonia, New York

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Never had a bad meal at ember! Everything is amazing. The service is always quick and so friendly. Inside is lively and fun. Have never sat outside but it looks lovely! read more

Ember is now one of my favorite restaurants! Love the family style shareable dishes, you can try a bunch of different things! And yes, the portions are actually suitable for this! We shared the steak burger, the macaroni and cheese, and the house salad. Best burger I've had in a long time, and best salad I have had in a long time! Mac and cheese was very good, just not my favorite. Service was excellent, they are so friendly and serve the food as soon as it's ready - which is fast. Super cute place, I just wish they had outdoor seating. Will definitely be coming back soon! read more

Ember Woodfire Grill - Burger - New American Near Me - Livonia, New York

Visiting the area, we picked Ember grill because it had good ratings and is close to our lodgings. The service was outstanding and our waiter was careful to explain the way things worked with ordering and serving of food to our table. We shared a pizza and the deconstructed galumpki. The pizza was so cheesy with a crispy crust. I could have done without the drizzle of mustard sauce, but it wasn't overwhelming. The stuffed cabbage dish had a generous portion of meat and rice filling. It was a little too spicy for my husband, but he still enjoyed it. House red wine went well with both dishes. The atmosphere was pleasant. Overall, a good meal and fun experience. read more

Ember maintains an elevated ambiance indoors and a comfortable atmosphere on a spacious outdoor patio. The menu is focused with a carefully curated selection. A menu mix that goes well together. Perfect for sharing! Awesome! read more

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Very good food and nice ambiance. I use to take my daughter there when she was little because she liked making her own pizza.

Amazing food, service, and ambiance. We go to this Resturant once a year when we are on vacation and it is the high light of our time. read more

Ember Woodfire Grill - New American Near Me - Livonia, New York

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Loved the ambiance and their food is a little different but very tasty! Had nice drinks too!

First time to eat at EMBER... well well, its really pretty place. Host is friendly. Waitress is friendly too and its awesome that she is willing to communicate w/ Deaf customers. Thats awesome. Food? Pizzas are really good!! Mac & Cheese is kinda not bad. Fries is pretty ok but we added salt to make it better. Breads is not bad but if you add sweet butter or sweet dill.. or other- that'd better taste. Thats why i give 4 stars. Also, theyre shareable and hugeeee!! Inside of the building is really nice!! It looks like 4-5 stars fancy. Rocketman hanging up on ceiling is cool. Cleanest!! Definitely will come back again for date night. read more

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This post is a little late but like they say better late than never! I went to Ember for the first time a couple weeks ago, and what an experience it was! To make a long story short, the food was AMAZING my friends and I did try several things because we could not choose from the list they had. Ultimately, we ordered the steak and fries salad, goat cheese and arugula pizza, hummus bruschetta, and hot wings. Everything we ordered was spectacular. We were a little skeptical about ordering the pizza since it wasn't like a traditional pizza (no sauce or mozzarella). Instead the pizza had an apricot jam which made the dish sweet and savory, so although it was different, it was delicious. For those of you that have never been to Ember, the dishes are meant to share and let me tell you... it's more than enough. I went with two other people and we may have over ordered as we were all stuffed leaving the restaurant. A little more about the restaurant, it's in an old train station and the inside is sooo nice and fancy. I felt a bit under dressed dining in when I came in my casual attire. The staff members were all so nice and the service was great. Overall, I had a great time and will definitely be back. 10/10 recommend read more

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The food was delicious! My first ever family serving sized restaurant, and I loved going with family and compromising on what we all wanted. Super nice restaurant with kind staff! Will go again!! read more

Very interesting concept of American style fresh tapas. Flavors were very good and unique. Menu had lots of interesting options. Sweet potato eggrolls had an unexpected kick to them. Burger was cooked with a great flavor and carmelized onions tasted so good on the burgers. Service was ok. read more

Ember Woodfire Grill - Sweet potato egg rolls - New American Near Me - Livonia, New York

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Really cute restaurant! The space is large inside and has a big patio area as well. We sat outside where the was live music and an outdoor bar. Our waitress was friendly and attentive. Had a lemon drop martini which I really liked. Good selection of draught beer too. Menu had unique choices but decent selection. The burrata and pear went very well together, just wish it had more crostini to go with it. The dill pickle pizza had lots of flavors and was a fun combo. We also had some sweet and spicy wings, which were a good size and packed a little heat. Prices were very reasonable. Would love to come back if in the area again! read more

Ember Woodfire Grill - Black Garlic Dill Pickle Pizza - New American Near Me - Livonia, New York

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Great service and delicious food! Fun cocktails made tonight!! Thin mint martini made up, and made amazing!! read more

Ember Woodfire Grill - Thin Mint Martini - New American Near Me - Livonia, New York

This is one of our favorite go-to's for a piping hot meal, great service and crafted cocktails! The restaurant is an old train station and has several rooms to enjoy a meal, including a back patio. Check their schedule for live music in the summertime. read more

Service, atmosphere, quality of the food and wine were fantastic. We visited while traveling through the area and were thrilled to find this place. Highly recommended. read more

Ember Woodfire Grill is a pleasant surprise in Livonia, NY. An upscale bar and grill with a wide variety of drink and food items. Items are meant to be shared family-style and come out from the kitchen immediately when ready. The 3 of us ordered way too much, but we enjoyed the variety. We tried the Dill Pickle Pizza, Calamari Salad, Roasted Carrot & Parsnip Toast, Strip Steak and the Chili Roasted Carrots. The Calamari salad and the Dill Pickle Pizza were the two standouts. As others have mentioned, the Calamari Salad can easily be shared amongst 4 ppl (if not more). It was a good balance of savory calamari and acidic vinaigrette. The Dill Pickle Pizza was also unique in having a creamy ranch like dressing and sour pickle topping. The strip steak was also cooked perfectly and seasoned well. As far as ambience goes, Ember does a good job creating an upscale, but still casual vibe. We were seated by the bar where there were a few TV screens and very dim lighting. Joe our waiter, did a good job explaining menu and was extremely attentive throughout our dinner. 30 minutes is a bit far to drive from Rochester for a meal, so I am not exactly sure it's worth it overall (as opposed to a place like FLX Table). However, if you happen to be in the area, it's definitely a great place to grab a drink and a bite to eat. Food quality, service, pricing and portions were all very good here. read more

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Very good Food !! Excellent Service !! Very Beautiful Ambiance !! It is in an old Train Station !!

Food was GREAT. I was excited for the Knicks Playoff game, and they accommodated me with a table by the bar TV! Would highly recommend!

5 stars for the calamari salad alone! My first time to Ember this past weekend was 5 stars top to bottom. Fabulous service, great prices, perfect variety, and HOLY MOLY so delicious. Here's what we tried: Basic board: 0/10 do not recommend getting this without a cheese or meat add on. It's just pickled veggies, pate, and butter with some less than stellar bread. Perhaps if we had opted to add cheese I would have been more on board. Not worth it without any additions. Bread: YUMMMM so good so fancy. Comes with meal - do not skip. Calamari salad: A must order if you're a calamari fan. Bright, light, filled with veggies and no skimp on the calamari. This fed 6 people passed around no problem. Sweet potato egg rolls: Nothing too special here, but great for the vegetarian diners at your table. Served in a delicious glaze sauce. Mac & cheese: SO filling! Cute orecchiette pasta and great ratio of crispy to creamy. Would order this again in a heartbeat. Burger: YUP. Not as easy to split but this would be the perfect order for that person who hates splitting at your table. Or just leave that person at home and do what we did...cut that burger up and enjoy. SO tasty. Fries are a great addition. Nashville hot chicken pizza: I want to try all of the pizzas at this spot. The Nashville Hot Chicken doesn't do much by way of spice, so maybe skip if you're looking for some heat. Okay without the kick? This is an awesome addition to the table. Our server was a rockstar and the space is stunning, save a creepy swordfish greeting you upon entry. Cannot wait to go back here for a date night with my partner SOON. read more

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Some others have mentioned that the interior could use more work. To me, Ember doesn't feel fancy or upscale in terms of decor - and maybe that's why it feels approachable to a lot of people. The food was priced reasonably and according to our waiter, everything is supposed to be shared. The dishes came one after another as they were made. Ravioli with beef shortrib: big pillowing ravioli, fork tender juicy flavorful beef. Ahi tuna dish in nacho style: flavor and texture bomb Country fried oyster mushroom: I wouldn't like it on its own but it was a nice contrast with the rich ravioli dish, thanks to the acidity in the gravy. Overall, I think the food vibe is certainly leaning toward rustic fare instead of refined and delicate, based on the plating and the portion. It's def worth a 30 min drive :) On a Thursday early evening, there was a lot of guests coming in. read more

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Came here for my nephews 16th birthday dinner with family (they live close by, it's about a 40 minute drive for us.). Wow is this place impressive! The history behind the building, the cozy atmosphere and of course, the food! I did not capture many photos as I was trying to set the phone down and enjoy family time, but everything we tried was delicious! So the menu has a bunch of options to share with the group, so we ordered the sweet potato egg rolls, chili carrots and dill pickle pizza to share. For my entree I had the steak salad and my husband had mushroom ravioli with bacon braised beef. Everything - phenomenal! Sweet potato egg rolls - a sweet & decadent appetizer that tastes almost like a sweet and savory dessert (but great as an app!) Chili carrots - spicy carrots served over whipped feta which I would never think to pair with but it worked SO well! Dill pickle pizza - just try it. Creamy cheese with dill pickles on a pizza. My first time ever trying a dill pickle pizza and now the bar is set VERY high because this was everything I never knew my tastebuds wanted! Steak salad - WOW. Juicy steak that was so tender my butter knife cut it, loaded with French fries (SO GOOD) and topped with a house made mustard dressing. This could be shared but I ate the whole thing :) Mushroom ravioli with bacon braised beef - smaller portion but my husband said it was one of the best braised beef dishes he has ever tasted although the serving size was a bit smaller for his liking. All in all, I will be back to try more, and their menu changes twice a year as the owner travels to find different menu items to add! Friendly workers and lots of different beers on tap & wines to try! read more

Ember Woodfire Grill - Steak salad! - New American Near Me - Livonia, New York

We have been enjoying meals here for a few year. We recently went for a birthday celebration and we're excited about their menu changes. The steak sandwich that was on special was perfection. You can't ever go wrong with their salads and anything they do with short rib. The staff is great and attentive without hovering. Service was fast. Still one of our favorite places to go in the Rochester area! read more

This place is amazing. From the food to the five-star service! We loved the family style eating. Such a treat to try several items. We had the Ahi Tuna, Sweet Potato egg roll and Raspberry jalapeño wings. All were excellent! I wish I could recall our waiter's name. He was so engaging and interactive. He truly made the experience enjoyable. He was so professional, helpful and fun. We stumbled upon this place by accident and I'm so glad we did! read more

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I had such a wonderful girls night out this past weekend at Ember! It was the perfect spot to have some great cocktails and even better food. It had been quite a while since I was last at Ember but with my party of 4 we all decided to pick one dish and we would share everything since it's a family-style restaurant. Our food selections consisted of the Mac and cheese (this is a must if you go!), Cajun chicken, Bolognese pasta, and the Nashville chicken pizza. As they bring out each item as it's ready, it's nice to enjoy each food individually before the next one arrives. Everything we had was delicious. While there was a mixup with our Cajun chicken (we ended up having to wait longer because our order went to another table), the staff quickly resolved it by not charging us on our bill for that item which we greatly appreciated. We ended the night by grabbing a couple more drinks at the bar. It was such a fun night filled with amazing food and drinks and was the highlight of our night. read more

Too much panchetta in salad and the pizza crust was poorly risen and proofed. Bland with no flavor and the sauce was meh. Dough needs help badly for it's lacking attention and sauce. Good basil and cheese char though. Ambience great. Pizza looked fantastic that's it read more

Buffalonians this place is worth the trip. Whether you head over for the weekend, overnight or day trip. Reservations are a must. Unfortunately, they do not have the best reservation system in place. You have to call and leave a message and then they call you back to confirm if they could fit you in. Weird in this day and age. Open table help them out! Lucky for us they had an opening!! We sure glad they did!!!! Food: There was not a single complaint about the service or food. Everything tasted amazing. The big favorites were the pickle pizza, the sweet potato rolls and the Ny Strip. I want to note that this is a Tapas restaurant. The plates are meant to share and come out as soon as they are ready. So, don't expect all the food to arrive all at once. Service great! Friendly and timely. Overall the experience was fantastic and we will definitely come back next year on our Next Fingerlake Adventure weekend read more

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You know when you see the staff eating at the same restaurant that they work at that the food is really something special. I was lucky enough to make friends with some of the people who worked there and we all ended up splitting a ton of massively sized dishes, it was great! First of all, definitely order from their cocktail menu. They have a rotating seasonal menu, when I was there I ordered the London Calling: Gin, Mint, Lemon, Lavender Simple Syrup, and Iced Earl Grey Tea. It's just a bit sweet, refreshing, and balanced. They also do beer flights, and have a wide selection of craft choices. They give you a bread plate instead of a basket, and it comes with spreads of hummus, pesto, and butter. More places need to do this! Just a few tiny portions of something unique made me so happy. So the plates are meant to be shared. Seriously. I know you have a big appetite, I know you think you can pack away a certain amount of food. But really, this is family style eating. On their menu they mention the Calamari salad can be split between 2-4 people. Fried calamari with mixed greens, cucumber, onion, tomatoes, and cheese, drizzled with a citrus vinaigrette. If you're not a salad person, this is the salad for you. They're not stingy with the calamari, you'll barely notice all those pesky nutritious greens. The beef tacos come with mango, picked red onions, and avocado crema, and they're a good choice, but combine the rice and bean with them and it takes them to a whole other level. Rice and beans might not seem that exciting but you might find yourself scraping the bowl clean if you order theirs. Sesame Seared Ahi Tuna nachos are served rare on wonton chips, one of the smaller options. Served with ginger soy glaze, wasabi tarter, sriracha sauce, and chili lime aioli. This dish can be easy to mess up by drowning the fish in the condiments but they don't overuse them, it's easy to get a bite with just a bit of everything or only one or two ingredients. I didn't know what to expect from the sweet potato egg rolls. I was so skeptical, I was told they were good but they just seemed so strange! Spiced sweet potato puree in a deep fried wonton wrapper drizzled with a ginger glaze. This was sooooooo good. I will say, I think this is a dessert, which is how I ate it, forcing it down after ordering too many other things. But it was too delicious to turn away. It's like all the flavors of fall hitting you at once, and because it's fried it also makes you feel full and sleepy, perfect to take a food induced nap someplace cozy. read more

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Gem. Not too far of a drive from Roc. Went for dinner after a day of boating. Staff was very friendly and accommodating for our big party. Must make reservations if a big party a week or two in advance. The menu is a little limited for me and the "T" servings was confusing. read more

I really hate to have to downgrade Ember to 3 stars but it's necessary. My previous review stated the reasons and I will elaborate here. There's no denying Embers Food, Ambiance, and Servers; it's what gets them 3 very bold stars, what's massively lacking at Ember is a general understanding of how to run a business. More Specifically, how to effectively and efficiently plan reservations and walk-ins. Ember rarely has reservations available but say they always welcome walk-ins. This isn't true. You can't make a reservation the day of until 4 on which basically defeats the purpose. I also understand that for a popular place (ie, good luck) that you need to plan far in advance and make reservations. I also know that when you walk into Good Luck on ANY evening, they're busting at the seams, they also get you seated as a walk-in fairly quickly even given this busyness. This is where Ember is eternally mysterious. They AREN'T busy on a Saturday at 5pm. In fact, it looks like the walking dead. So upon arrival as a walk-in, there's no reason to believe there will be ANY kind of wait, until Luke, the ever present, ego-saturated guardian at the gates, tells you glibly that "it's gonna be 45 min" (as you look around hearing crickets and seeing tumbleweed blow by). You decide to wait. Meanwhile he turns away appx. 7 more groups of walk-ins who invariably are thinking the same thing we did and scratching their heads. Tables remain EMPTY. There are more empty tables than full and he's turning business away, for what? Exclusivity is the only conclusion I've come to. Luke wants to give the "perception" of good business by shaming customers who aren't smart enough to make a reservation. Luke is rude, childish as a host, and a bit too big for his britches. Whoever at ember is keeping him up front has been making a huge mistake and you need to hire someone who knows how to turn tables over and move patrons. Luke turned away a solid $1500-$2000 of business just between 5-550pm tonight, all to hoard tables that don't have reservations until 7 pm. It's bad business and I will not be back here. read more