My first time in this restaurant and i love every single detail of it. From the waitress to the food, the atmosphere, the bar and the people, this is one of my favorite ones in town! Not to expensive either! read more

Grappa is an excellent, mid-range date location. The atmosphere strikes a sweet balance between modern and friendly, and the space is open and bright. I've tried a number of things on their menu. But first, let me start off by saying that the warm bread and olive oil dip to start with is A++. Cocktails: Through the woods: blackberries, thyme, and prosecco. Love it. So refreshing! Food: Fettuccine cabonara - I love myself a good cabonara. They make theirs with some cream added. Veal Parmesan - Veal was so tender! Was not a huge fan of the someone tart tomato sauce on the spaghetti. I've also enjoyed the orecchiette bolognese and beet salad. Dessert: I've been impressed with all the desserts I've tried so far. Just the perfect touch of sweetness, and the size is ideal to make you feel satisfied and not overwhelmed. Ricotta Cannolis are my favorite here! I'm not usually a fan of cannoli, but I loved their version. The ricotta was creamy, and just the right touch of sweetness. The dark chocolate cannoli shell were perfect! I could eat these all day. The citrus Panna-Cotta was super refreshing and light! The tiramisu is solid. I gotta come here for just drinks and dessert sometime because that's where they really shine! read more

Great food and excellent service. By far the best restaurant at CollegeTown. Very underrated breakfast buffet :) Nice environment to meet with friends, a date, or even business. Definitely give it a try. read more

Seated outside. Less noise. But that won't last long in Rochester. Mussels to start, reasonably good. No mussel fork though. House salad. Ok, nothing special. Smoked mozzarella stuffed ravioli in. Light tomato sauce. Pretty nice. A bit too much sauce. I did enjoy them though. Ordered double espresso finish. Came out cold, not even warm. They brought a second that was hot. They comp'd the espresso. read more

Went for NYE dinner. Weird atmosphere and the food was awful. The fettuccine tasted like aluminum. They were playing club music during the meal. The server was very nice but the rest failed miserably. Not recommending. read more

Yay! I'm a fan is the best line...for now. Visited with some friends last Tuesday evening for drinks. We wanted to check the space out and figured if we were satisfied in the first 15 min of arriving, we would put our names in for dinner. Of the four of us, 2 craft beers, wine and the Rosso Sangria were ordered. The sangria took an extra few minutes to make but my friend said it was worth it! We decided to ask for a table at 6:45pm and were told there were none available until 8:00pm!! Over an hour wait on a Tuesday night! We saw plenty of open tables but decided others must have used opentable.com to book rezzies. No problem...we'll give them another shot in a week or two for the food. AND now we've learned about the HH specials so it wasn't meant to be that night anyways. Until next time...and updated review...you should get there and check them out!! Great space, outdoor seating, fire pit, updated decor. read more

Visited on their second day and they've got my vote already! Terrific staff ! We dined outdoors and it was just lovely. From the landscaping to the decor to the quality of the food, Grappa is a welcome addition to Rochester's higher end restaurants. College Town area offers many ethnic food choices and now great Italian . Save room for desserts for sure! I'm not going to include a photo here. It's worth the surprise to order the Apple Crostini. read more

I love Grappa! I have been here 3 times. One time for drinks and then the other two times for dinner/apps. The food is amazing. I haven't had anything I didn't like. The pizzas are delicious, the wings are perfect and the spicy meatballs are where it's at! I have one of the best martinis here and they have a killer happy hour! The first time I went the service was very slow, BUT it didn't go unnoticed by management and they hooked us up with a free app! The food was so good that it didnt even matter and we were chatting so it wasn't a problem. The last time i was here I ate with my parents, which was awesome because they never like to go anywhere new, they are old school and stick to what they know and like. Service was MUCH quicker and I was so happy to see my dad loved his linguine with clams. We ate here after we decided to choose the Hilton attached to Grappa as our wedding venue, and after hearing my father loved the food, I was ecstatic! My father is Armenian so food is a huge thing for him and if he didn't like the food at Grappa, there would have been a good chance we wouldn't have had our wedding there (the chef for Grappa is the same chef for the wedding). Over all, I love this place. I love the look of it, the food is great and the pricing also is really reasonable. Definitely recommend Grappa! read more

This was the perfect place for my birthday dinner! We are outside on the patio, the waiter was very patient as we took our time picking out a bottle of wine. The bread situation gets TOP marks. It was so fresh, creatively sliced, the correct ratio of crunchy outside and doughy inside that you except for amazing Italian bread. It was also served with my personal favorite, seasoned olive oil: with roasted garlic, crushed red pepper, Parmesan. All of our entrees were delicious, well-balanced, perfectly cooked, and good portions. Everyone at our table had some sort of seafood. My cioppino was excellent, with the toasted crostini to dip in the access lemon garlic sauce. My mom had the same sauce and crostini with her mussels. She ordered the appetizer as her meal and was not disappointed in the size- so big she still couldn't finish it. My two friends both had the salmon- grilled to perfection over a wonderful looking vegetable risotto. And my boyfriend had the best (I tried them all!) dish of all, linguine with clams in a lemon garlic sauce with Parmesan and parsley. Great atmosphere on the patio outside, great service, amazing food. I have one gripe for Grappa. My mom had brought some mini cupcakes from a local bakery, 6 of them, each about the size of a quarter in circumference and less than an inch tall. Despite this not being an actual cake that require cutting, they wanted to charge us the cake plating fee of $15 to enjoy them at the table. While I understand this is surely some sort of policy, I didn't think it was the smartest business move. She had already brought them, so we were going to eat them one way or another and this meant we were already not ordering their dessert. However, if they allowed us to eat them, or "plated them" at a more reasonable rate given their size and lack of cutting required, perhaps we all would have ordered some coffee or after dinner drinks to accompany them. Seems like a potential loss in business. It's probably unique though, if it had been a whole cake, then it would have been worth the $15. We enjoyed mini cupcakes in the parking lot on the hood of my mom's car, instead. Nevertheless, we will all be back! read more

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Loved this place. Had gluten free veal parm that was to die for. Friends were vegan so they also catered to them although my friend ordered greens and beans minus the sausage and butter but it came out with no beans either. She sent it back and came back with beans. They exchanged my pasta for salad since the pasta was precoated with soy oil and also brought at gluten free bread with olive oil at no charge. Wine list also very good! Will be back read more

My wife and I have been looking for a place in Rochester that served Pasta Carbonara. After checking out the menus of several places we decided to try Grappa as their recipe looked similar to what we really enjoyed in Italy although the original recipe is with Spaghetti and Guanciale not Linguini and Prosicutto. We were disappointed. We ordered Calamari as an appetizer and although the Aioli was good, the Calamari was greasy as the oil it was cooked in must not have been hot enough. We enjoyed our cocktails, but the wine we had with the meal was a really skimpy pour. The highlight of our meal was the salads. I had a side Caser and my wife had a side Beet. They were the best part of our meal, a good portion and really well dressed. The Main meal of the Pasta Carbonara was somewhat stodgy and not enough sauce. The portion was also small. The design of the place is nice, but the tables are just to close to each other and the noise is too much. Also, our dinner was rushed. They served our mains before our appetizer was cleared in spite of the fact that I mentioned to the server that we eat slowly. All in all, there are so many better Italian restaurants in Rochester, I would not return to this one. read more

If I could give this place a 0 I would. First off this is my first time going here and last time. The food was overly salty and undercooked told them waitress she didn't even seem surprise or amuse even told us that she heard other customers complaining about it that night. Ask for bread and condiments didn't come out till more than an hour later. Got ignored a few times. Spilled oil all over the table and didn't even give me a new bag for my food so I just left my food there didn't bother to bring it home. Honestly never going here again not sure why they are still in business still. read more

I don't usually write negative reviews however two nights ago I had possibly the worst filet mignon in my life at Grapa. It arrived with a brown sauce on top (the first warning), which had not been described in the menu or by the waitress. Second it was about 15oz which I thought odd but then thought perhaps they were just very generous with their portion sizes. Then I cut into the steak and it was a very strange texture. The texture was something like a roast....very poor/low quality meat. My dining partner commented that she thought I had meat loaf on my plate. The meat was either very very old (and I do not mean aged) or was actually a different cut and not a filet. Then the flavor was absolutely horrible. The crusted seasoning was so bad that it shocked my mouth. I normally like a very peppery/garlic seasoning on my steaks (like a Montreal flavor) but this was very bad. Then the brown sauce had an insanely high vinegar content. And I don't mean like an A1 sauce (which I shamefully use on occasion) but more like the British HP sauce (truthfully I think it was HP). To top off all this, my steak was over cooked. I ordered it medium rare and it came out medium to medium well. And in retrospect, perhaps they did this to cook out all the bacteria and to ensure I wouldn't be sick. While at the restaurant I didn't overly complain when my waitress asked me what was wrong (my mistake). I politely told her the basics about how bad I thought the steak was. She did not offer to remove it from my bill but did offer to "bring me something else" which by the time this dialogue occurred my companions were done. So I paid $30+ for a shoe heal.... read more

Food was great and came out quick. I had the manmosa with the cutlet and waffle , both tasted great read more

Grappa - Italian Near Me - Rochester, New York

In this time of uncertainty around dining, this is an excellent choice to enjoy a great meal, spacious surroundings and friendly professional service. Chef Dustin's food is consistently excellent. His in house pasta and cured meats are outstanding. Special cudos to Tom's drink creativity. We had a fantastic meal and Sara, our server, made the evening fun and relaxing. read more

Overall good food. The setting is stylish. It's a little chilly during cold weather so it's a good excuse to wear a favorite sweater to dinner. Our service was great and friendly. We were never kept waiting too long. Greeter was very friendly. The carbonara was quite good. Meatball appetizer was excellent. Nice sauce with decent blend of flavor. Potatoes with the pork were a tad salty but the dish was still well above average for taste. Italian wedding soup is underwhelming but not terrible. I don't think I'd order it again. Everyone like their cocktails. We definitely go back. read more

First time here as a U of R student! Impressive decor and atmosphere, good food, and one of the nicest date-night restaurants in the area. However, it is a little pricey for a college-student budget. The staff were wonderful and we ordered based on our server's recommendations - the linguine with clams and pork osso buco (he said this is the best item on the menu). Other recommendations were beet salad for best salad, and greens and beans for best small plate. Our food came out quickly, and as promised the pork osso buco was excellent. Two thick slow-roasted cuts of pork done perfectly and on gravy with mashed potatoes and vegetables. Good portions, lots of flavor, very satisfying. The linguine with clams was a little less impressive. The sauce didn't have as much flavor as I would have liked and I've had better clams. Portions were fine, but it was really just an average dish. We stayed for desert and shared a tiramisu! It comes individually made in a cup. It was delicious and very nicely done. My one complaint is that there was a lot of cream. Unless I dug into the center, I was getting spoonfuls of mostly cream. At least the cream was good! Pork Osso Buco - 5 stars Linguine and Clams - 3 stars Tiramisu - 4 stars Staff & Atmosphere - 5 stars read more

Grappa executed a large birthday party with ease! The food all came out at the same time and was excellent. Steaks were cooked to perfection and the service was friendly and attentive. My only gripe is a previous event planner had charged me a $100 booking fee which was not returned when the previous party was cancelled, even though it was done in a timely and appropriate fashion. Why do they need to keep my 100$ if I happen to change my mind about a venue and don't have a party with them? Didn't seem fair and was done so in an ugly manner. The party planner hung up on me several times when questioned...This person doesn't work there any more... Surprise! read more

We ate at Grappa when traveling from out of town. We came early evening and sat right away without a reservation. The food and service was good. This seems like it would be a great place to visit with a group when more active. read more

Great service! My husband ordered the grilled wings and I ordered greens and beans to start. The greens and beans were tasty but extremely salty. For dinner, we both ordered the filet mignon, cooked medium. Mine came out perfectly cooked, while my husbands came out well done, so we switched our plates so he could enjoy his. Overall, it was a nice dinner with a great atmosphere. read more

Grappa - Grappa Dinner Menu - Italian Near Me - Rochester, New York

The decor is beautiful and it has a cool vibe. I had the fiery ginger hand crafted cocktail, which I liked. I'd also recommend the sautéed calamari appetizer. My husband had the ossobuco and it was excellent. Service was prompt and the price point is good. read more

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10/19/18 - I've been back here a few times since this review and decided I needed to knock back a star. I've had plenty of good meals here - and happy hour is quite possibly the best part about Grappa, but I've also had some mediocre meals that disappointed me. Lately I've been coming for happy hour only. The food is affordable and reliable and the drinks are tasty and cheap. ---- I had a great experience here with my boyfriend and his parents. We all loved our meals, the service was excellent, and we took advantage of the great happy hour they offer. I can't wait to come back again! read more

Grappa was amazing! I honestly did not know what to expect just because it being in the college town area. However, elegant appearance, creative cocktails, and flavorful food will be making this a regular spot! I had the Pork Osso Bucco for my main entree and I give it a 10! I wish I could remember the cocktail I had but needless to say I had one to many because was fantastic....look for pumpkin spice in the ingredients! read more

Grappa - Italian Near Me - Rochester, New York

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Found gluten pasta in my gluten-free pasta dish. Dissapointed in the care they are supposedly taking in preparing gluten-free dishes, free from cross-comtamination. No longer safe for those with Celiac's :( read more

A+ Decor & Ambience. Food is B+ at Best. Pizza looked very delicious but it tasted as if the dough had been frozen and not fully thawed. I'm certain that wasn't the case, but it sure tasted like that. I'd rather go there for drinks with friends, than dinner. read more

I wish the food matched the ambience of the restaurant. First let me say the service was great. Waiter and waitress were magnificent. On the other hand food was mediocre. First we had the wings which were pretty good. But our entrees were not Ihad the manicotti which was suppose to have Italian sausage but I only taste pasta and cheese and ragu. My friend had Lobster mac and said it was horrible. He could of had better dish at Olive Garden. Once again the atmosphere and decor or a 10 but please get new chefs or fixed the food ...MORE MEAT, BETTER QUANITY PLEASE. I would love to love this place but right now I only like it. And that's for th ge ambience and service. read more

My husband and I used to love Grappa--in fact, we had our first date at Grappa--but the food has changed since we've last been there. The ambience and service was still wonderful, but the bruschetta board is actually a board now instead of crostini topped with all the ingredients (no big deal, just not as flavorful since some seasoning and sauces are no longer part of the dish) and the ricotta, as well as the ricotta in their white pizza, is now flavored with lemon. I absolutely hate it. It makes the ricotta taste more like a dessert than the great salty taste of untouched ricotta. The lemon flavor is also very pronounced in the chicken cutlet entree which, again, makes the dish far too sweet for me. Unfortunately, we probably won't be going back for dinner because those were our staple dishes there--maybe we'll go for a glass of wine and their bread basket because the olive oil and balsamic reduction dipping sauce is delicious. read more

We spent our anniversary there, good atmosphere, attentive waitress, excellent food, we had a nice time there, we will be back for the special greens & beans. read more

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We ate there for an early dinner last Thursday. Service was fine. Food was excellent. The HH deal was misunderstood by us after the explanation. Bottled beer was the special not draft. The greeter didn't say that and we only asked about selections. Bad on us but they should have covered it. Will definitely return as this is a fresh, upscale, cool place in the new area. read more

We stopped for drinks and the manager Tom and CJ were fabulous! There are good people in this world. Those two guys at the bar had the best customer service. Try the Hibiscus Rose Spritzer! read more

I have had two wonderful experiences here. The food is always delicious and the servers are attentive. We came here most recently to celebrate our anniversary and they definitely didn't disappoint. Try the spicy meatball appetizer! read more

Very attentive service ate at the bar good place Beans and greens excellent calamari small plate in hot sauce excellent preparation but calamari not great quality read more

Grappa - Calamari in a hot pepper sauce sauce great but calamari okay - Italian Near Me - Rochester, New York

I had the opportunity to dine at Grappa one evening. I sat outside. The waiter Chris was quite attentive. I asked a few questions and he explained it well and recommended an entree. I ordered a house salad and an entree chicken dish. I mentioned that the appetizer I wanted to order is coated with bread crumb so I decided not to order it because I don't like bread crumbs. The waiter recommended chicken entree but the chicken was coated with bread crumbs and I don't remember looking at the menu stating that. Whatever that is, I thought my waiter would have not recommended that since I said I don't like crumb. Aaaawww, was forced into eating it because I don't want to be a difficult customer. I wish I would have ordered linguini seafood or something like that. After trying it, I thought it wasn't so bad. So Chris did a good job recommending this. Sometimes it's ok to try something different especially I'm a food critic. I had a nice dinner, a nice feeling going back to grad school and a nice time in Rochester. It's all good. The restaurant is pretty big, long bar with quite a nice ambience. I actually went back another night to snack on calamari appetizer and that was delicious. Heard the restaurant is new, so I look forward to coming back next year when my school trip brings me here. read more

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Calamari was ok but pasta was awful. Way over cooked and it was a clam pasta where they added canned clams. Really odd considering it's an Italian restaurant. Anyhow it was convenient for us since we got in on a late flight. Edible read more

I have been here a few times for work dinners. The atmosphere is chic for Rochester, and I appreciate the friendly staff and service. The food is generally fine, their menu could use more vegetarian/seafood friendly options (almost every pasta has meat). read more

Decided to give grappa another try but I was utterly disappointed because the service was slow and they messed up our order when it was only two people even though it wasn't busy at all during the time. The meal that we got was really flavorless like there was no seasoning at all just like last time. Would recommend going somewhere else if you want a lovely dinner and a great meal because this place is kind of over price and isn't worth it in my opinion read more

Grappa - Filet mignon with mash and fries - Italian Near Me - Rochester, New York

The atmosphere is like having dinner in a warehouse with the very high open ceilings with all the beams and duct work painted black. It is quite loud despite the high ceilings. We were a group of 8 there for a birthday celebration. I found it to be very pricey as a round of 8 drinks , with tip, was $100 and none of the drinks were generous. I also thought it odd that they did not have a Riesling on their menu and they also did not have any Bloody Mary mix. We ordered a couple apps for the table. If you like paper thin pizza this is the place for you. I personally thought the pizza left much to be desired. The crust was tasteless while toppings were adequate. Also pricey - $15 We each ordered entrees. 3 of the ladies ordered the Salmon. The complaints were that the Salmon was very salty. They also served it over a slice of squash that had been grilled with brown sugar and cinnamon. The cinnamon flavor mixed with the Salmon was not a good combination. None of the ladies finished their meals nor did they care to take it home. I ordered the Orichetti with Bolognese Sauce. The pasta was severely under cooked, Well below alidante and all stuck together. The sauce was somewhat flavor less. Had it not been for the Parmesan cheese and Red Pepper flakes it would have been inedible. The bill for 8 people was near $360 tip included and the drinks were paid for at the bar. I can't see any way this can survive in College town. I don't mind spending more on a meal but the meal has got to be worth it. Even at affordable prices this would not rate a 3 in my book. Especially with all the awesome Italian restaurants in Rochester. Given the price and lack of flavor I am being generous giving it 2 stars. If you like trendy, overpriced and below average food you will love this place. I will not return. read more

Had a great experience, ordered a few appetizers to share the lobster Mac and cheese, the crispy calamari, and the bruschetta. All of it was great. It was a little pricey but lobster ain't cheap. We will definitely be back! read more

Enjoyed the food and had a great time with a couple of friends from out of town. They had a couple of drink specials that we took advantage of and the cocktails were really reasonable. Dinner was great. Everyone's food was cooked as expected. Friend has a food allergy and they were very conscientious of that. Also, we had their 3 year old with us and the waitress was very kind to him and brought crayons, brought his food early, and really just did a great job of being aware of our needs for the night. We ended the night with a dessert from a local bakery that was on point. Overall: good quantity of food and great taste. Drinks were consistent through out the night and with an appetizer and dinner we all took home left overs. It was super filling but ended up being great the next day as well. Will return again. read more

Making a reservation was super easy. Great service! Delicious food! Must try the Colazione pizza, it is perfection. read more

Grappa - Italian Near Me - Rochester, New York