I have been working downtown for years and just finally made my way into Founders! It's a cute little cafe with great outside seating. The inside seating is limited, so I recommend getting there a little before noon to beat the lunch rush. They have an excellent selection of paninis, sandwiches, and salads. The ingredients are fresh, the food is simple and delicious with great flavor. Perfect place for a reasonably priced lunch that's tasty and filling, without being too heavy. I've eaten here several times and the food has yet to cause the dreaded 3pm crash at the office! :) read more

A true diamond in the rough tucked in a historic building downtown. A must try breakfast and lunch cafe. Great menu of gourmet sandwiches, paninis and wraps. Delicious soup, salad and specialty coffee choices as well. Can't wait to return again and again! read more

Founders is a fantastic lunch spot either for sitting and eating inside the cafe or getting food to go. I ordered a wrap and a salad from them and it is consistently delicious! I work right downtown on Main and it's super convenient. Especially during the winter, they offer free delivery which is super clutch! read more

Wonderful new - to us! - spot near city hall in Rochester. The paninis are great - perfectly crunchy and melty and fresh. In the beautifully renovated Academy building, on Fitzhugh, and worth the trip downtown if you're not a 9-5er (if you are, you likely already know about this secret gem!) read more

I was downtown for work and was looking for a quick bite to eat for lunch. I loved the atmosphere in the café! I had the turkey avocado chipotle panini, it was so good! The portions were huge, I only ate half of it (even though I wanted to eat the whole thing). Definitely making a trip back into the city for lunch here again! read more

Founders Cafe - Turkey alvacado chipotle panini - Sandwiches Near Me - Rochester, New York

A great little breakfast spot if you can find it. Follow the placards into the middle of the Academy building. My kids devoured the egg bacon and cheese on ciabatta. Friendly staff. Cool decor. read more

I'm in town for a meeting and needed a place to kill some time, get work done and grab some lunch. This place was perfect. I've tried a few other places in the area and this one is my favorite. Here are the deets: - Delicious Coffee - Friendly Atmosphere - Free WiFi - Good prices - I ordered the turkey chipotle panini with bacon mayo and it was DELISH. It is a little tough to find if you don't know where you're going - it is inside a large brick building. Walk down the corridor and you'll see it. My advice to the founders team would be to get a few more signs so people like me can find you more easily :) read more

I loved the set up here for a quick lunch. Food was good and reasonably priced. Will come back for sure

florentine breakfast sandwich was delicious especially how they cooked eggs was perfect!! read more

Founders Cafe - yummy - Sandwiches Near Me - Rochester, New York

Went here for lunch, ordered a $9 salad, which came in a plastic box rather than a salad bowl. Was small and unfulfilling such that I went to another restaurant immediately afterward to get more food. Restaurant was clean and pleasant but food seemed a bit overpriced for what it was. read more

Assuming they had decent wifi because the 3 people there had laptops. Also the menu and case looked pretty good however we didn't get to try anything. Walked in at 11:01AM and was told they just stop serving breakfast. I mean how hard is it to crack a single egg on a ham and cheese sandwich? Even McDonald's is now serving breakfast all day. Did the chickens clock out at 11 o'clock or leave early for the day? read more

I come here for lunch often because my office is right around the corner. Nice atmosphere and food is good. The service is quick, even on days where i work overtime and take a half an hr lunch I'm still able to order, eat, and have a little time to relax. The staff is very friendly and personable. read more

I go there a minimum of once a week for lunch since my office is around the corner. The food is good and the portions are typically acceptable. I just got a lobster roll (on special) to go and brought it back to my office. Very disappointed in the size of this sandwich for $11.95. It is the size of a small hotdog roll and filled with romaine lettuce with a very small amount of lobster salad on top. I could be spoiled because I lived in New England for 8 years and the lobster rolls had twice the meat for less money. But, if you aren't going to provide a high quality sandwich, don't charge that much for said sandwich. I wont be going back to this establishment. Plenty of other options in downtown Rochester. read more

Great place with delicious breakfast sandwiches. Their bagels were crispy on the outside and chewy fluffiness on the inside which is exactly how you want them. Coffee is bold flavorful and their prices are very very reasonable for being downtown. This place is hard to find and its one those types where someone you know takes you there because you never knew it was there and you are thankful they did. Highly recommended. read more

Re-write after the owner contacted me - a little too long of a wait on Tuesday, at a busy lunch hour, we had to get it to go because we didn't have time left to eat in, but the sandwich was still delicious.... To quote Yogi Berra "no one goes there nowadays, it's too crowded" read more

I found this cafe my first time visiting Rochester, and I've been back many time since a moving here. They've got amazing breakfast sammich options, all being delicious. I've tried a couple of their panini sammiches as well, also delicious! Definitely check this place out. read more

Great coffee. Fresh healthy salads. Service was great. I will definitely come back. Looks like a church. Inside is clean with seating both inside & outside. Cob salad is big & tasty. Substitutions were no problem. Large menu & friendly staff. read more

A little hidden gem, I adore this place. Great cold brew, and also the friendliest staff. Quiet and tucked away, this would be the perfect little place to hideout and read a book. You wouldn't realize you were in the middle of downtown Rochester! read more

They have fantastic mac salad! Along with a great variety of options, all made with very fresh ingredients! Highly recommend

Good food, fast service. I'll go back and always look forward to lunch whenever someone suggests this place.

I have gone here for lunch multiple times since its so close to my office. I really like the decor and how it matches the name. I like most of there good but they are pricey. read more

Random location for a cafe. Somewhat of a confusing menu. Good amount of coffee for the price. Food was decent.

The coffee is way too dark for my liking. Nice service and good gluten free food. Overall a good place. Just not a fan of their coffee.

Great food and crazy fast delivery, wow! I got distracted and ended up ordering lunch super late for a meeting of about 6 people(several paninis and couple salads) and they had it here within 20 minutes of me calling. Amazing! Highly recommend this place. They also have free delivery, I believe. read more

so YUM I would highly recommend stopping here for some of the best sandwiches in ROC!!

Great atmosphere great food. I had the Cajun & Blu Cheese panini. Soooo good! Finished up with a fresh cookie and espresso.

By far the best cafe in Rochester. Delicious food , solid menu, attentive staff and just all-around great . Worth every penny. Simply put, "the best." read more

Very accommodating to the large group i came in with. The place is small but roomy. The food was liked by all and the manager was very sweet! read more

Great place to grab a panini. I go here on my lunch hour during work weekly. They have a huge menu with salads sandwiches and even some breakfast items which are delicious. Great coffees also! read more

Yesterday, I had lunch for a meeting delivered from Founder's. The owner brought it himself, and all the salads and sandwiches were fresh and delicious! Today I ordered lunch again, and when I picked it up he remembered my name. I've had breakfast and lunch here many times, as well as FABULOUS coffee, and I intend to come back often. Founder's is the best lunch spot downtown has to offer by FAR. read more

Breakfast sandwiches are quite good. I thought the coffee and atmosphere were better. Only complaint is that some of ingredients are not fresh and not prepared well. Red peppers on my breakfast sandwich had a distinctly "canned" taste - lukewarm, briny, and not in keeping with the rest of the sandwich. Overall, I dig it, I'd like to give their lunch sandwiches a try. read more

Great food and great service. Employee was very sociable and gave us some great tips since we were visiting from out of town.

When my son andi, who were visiting my other son at school, first entered FoundersCafe, we were a little disappointed, not having realized it wasn't a sit down restaurant with a full breakfast menu. But our disappointment was quickly dispatched. I ordered the Florentine sandwich and my son got a ham, egg and cheese on an everything bagel. Simple but delicious. The eggs were cooked to perfection - not too funny and not to hard. The lemon aoli on my sandwich had just the right amount of tang. And the ingredients all worked together. The excellent coffee just topped it off. If I lived in Rochester, this would be a regular breakfast stop for me! read more

Founder cafe just opened down town they have a large lunch menu the best coffee in rochester I would say the best lunch spot in the city I stop by a few times a week outside seating too love enjoying my lunch here read more

Founders Cafe - Sandwiches Near Me - Rochester, New York

Took too long (over ten minutes) to "grab n' go" from their cold case. They have just one register, and people ordering from 'grab n' go" and from the menu stand in the same line. Undercuts the experience. Building and decor look nice. Seems like they are still working out the kinks. read more

Excellent breakfast and lunch cafe! Great coffee! Reasonable prices with a friendly staff

I schedule out of town meals for my son's hockey team. We were visiting Rochester and we were looking for a good lunch between games for the team and family, which was 41 people. I called The Founders Cafe and spoke to Mike, the owner. He told me that we would fill the entire cafe but didn't hesitate to tell me that he would close the cafe to accommodate us. Most places that accommodate that number of people require a limited menu but Mike allowed us to order from the breakfast and lunch menus! I emailed Mike everyone's custom orders ahead of time. He even allowed the families to pay separate checks which is also rare! I actually did not travel with the team on this trip but our manager said "Everything was spot on and food was great!" Mike runs and great business! read more

Found this little place on yelp when in town for the weekend & loved it! Delicious soup & sandwiches & real chai! Everything from scratch. Inside a historic city building, loved the decor. Definitely will come back. read more

I always enjoy what I eat there and nice people work there but sometimes pricing seems off. $7.95 for a grilled cheese plus an additional $1 for cheddar seems excessive. With a bottle of water $12! read more

Wednesday around 10am, no one here (customers or employee at counter). Took my time to decide what I wanted and employee came out just when I figured my order. Had the Florentine for late breakfast, and was amazed by the taste! Best breakfast I've had in a while! Great service as well. read more