Perlo's of East Rochester, NY: Reading the reviews, it seems you love it or hate it. Having eaten there many, many times over the past 20+ years, we used to love it. Our recent experience has changed that. We informed staff of our dissatisfaction at the time and left contact information so the restaurant could follow-up; then mailed Donna a letter explaining why we were dissatisfied; and then followed that up later with email to her. Crickets. So now it's time to post a review: If your party of three likes waiting for your entrees while larger parties around you arrive after you, eat their meals, and leave, this is the place for you! If you like your waiter telling you the food is "coming soon" 30 minutes after the appetizers, and then tracking him down after 50 minutes to ask where your food is, this is the place for you! If you like being told that your meal would be comped as an apology, but have that courtesy overruled by Matt, the bartender, this is the place for you! If you like the bartender telling you that 50 minutes between appetizer and entree isn't a long time, and that you just don't understand how food flows out of the kitchen, this is the place for you! And after all that, if you like being offered a cannoli by way of apology, this is the place for you! As mentioned, we've eaten there many times, so obviously have never experienced anything like this before. We're understanding about busy nights, which this was, and have no problem with a reasonable wait. We do have a problem when a simple order of two shrimp scampi and an eggplant parm is nowhere to be found while diners around us arrive, eat and leave. And we do have a problem when management condescendingly dismisses our dissatisfaction as being uninformed about how a restaurant functions. After that insulting experience, we said we would wait no longer, did not want the meal, and would find our dinner elsewhere. Miraculously, the food came out as we gathered our things to leave, over an hour after the appetizers had arrived. Diners around us undoubtedly found the situation uncomfortable, so as a courtesy to them, after briefly reiterating that we no longer wanted the meal, we decided to accept the order as take-out. Incidentally, the eggplant was good; the shrimp scampi and pasta was poorly prepared, bland and unsalted. We left the cannoli. read more

A Must - Visit! I booked a same-day reservation for four at 8 PM, which was super convenient. The ambiance is perfect for a date night, with beautiful chandeliers and a cozy atmosphere. Service was outstanding--our waiter let us set the pace, and even though they closed at 9, we were never rushed and stayed until nearly 10. We brought our own wine ($15 corkage fee), but their wine menu is also excellent and reasonably priced--we grabbed a second bottle of Cab Sauv for $45. The food was fantastic! We started with calamari, a wedge salad, and greens & beans with sausage--flavorful, garlicky, and a generous portion. For mains, we had Chicken Asiago, Chicken Parm, Chicken Marsala, and the special Lobster Fra Diavolo (a steal at $38 for two 4 oz lobster tails). Everything was delicious! Reasonably priced, amazing service, and incredible food--we'll definitely be back! Perlo's is a gem, highly recommend! read more

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We had a nice table location, not in the center of the restaurant, as requested. Our entrees of course were large! The salads are very basic, my sausage-broccoli-penne dish was very good. The chocolate cake was excellent! read more

I went here for my bachelorette party dinner. The food was truly incredible, portions are out of control...in a great way if you're hungry. Our server Chris made us feel like "when you're here, your family"! The dining for itself was very packed and busy....the true Italian restaurant experience. Will definitely return! read more

We made reservations earlier in the week for Saturday night @6:30. Neither of us have ever been Perlo's before so we were both curious about the restaurant. We went in and immediately you are at the hostess station and we checked in, we reserved a round table as we were waiting for the other 4 people in our group. The hostess sat us at our table like immediately and had the menus & specials of the day already on the table. The waitress came shortly thereafter and took our drink orders. And we waited for about 15 minutes for the rest of our party to show up. The waitress came back and took our appetizer orders and the drink orders for the table. The waitress was nice and knowledgeable she was busy so there wasn't much time for her to exchange pleasantries. The table that we sat at was in the corner right by the kitchen and it was darker there than in the rest of the dining area and the AC was on and I was freezing. However once I started eating & drinking I warmed up. Overall it was a nice establishment and a change from the norm. Then about 15 or so minutes later the waitress came back with our appetizers which were artichokes French & Calamari the artichokes French was really good and the 2 baskets of rolls that were complimentary to the table were delicious and served hot cuz the butter wasn't soft. The waitress then took our food orders and it took about 15 minutes for our food to arrive and when it did it was hot and delicious. I ordered the bow tie pasta, Ricotta and peas and in my opinion it was delicious my BF got the Fra Diavolo to which he thought was really good too the rest of our dining party was happy with their dinners as well. Then we got dessert for the table I got the chocolate cake and my BF got the cheesecake with the pecans both were delicious and then after we were finished with our meal and about to leave Donna Perlo came over to our table and spoke to my BF for a moment. That was nice gesture on her part so all in all a great night was had by the 4 of us. I'd definitely go back there again. read more

Perlo's - Bow tie Pasta, Peas & ricotta with a bread crumb topping. - Italian Near Me - East Rochester, New York

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My first time here. I had the spaghetti carbonaro - very good. They were very busy on a Saturday night but Marissa did a great job serving us. Noise level was not bad considering the crowd. It was easy to make a reservation and it's convenient for me. So, I expect I'll put Pearlos on my list of preferred restaurants. read more

Our son's birthday is today so while visiting him at Fisher over the weekend we picked this restaurant to celebrate. The hubby put this in his reservation notes but alas dessert came and went and no acknowledgement of the occasion. In addition to the big miss we found it odd that you had to request bread (our son noticed this on the menu). We ordered a bottle of wine which 3 out of 4 of us had glasses for and after the initial pour the waiter never refilled. We felt he was rushing us along...we had a 5PM reservation and the place was filling in but don't be so obvious or if you have a policy in place state it up front. Food was just okay; nothing special. The Caesar salad was not romaine lettuce and some of the leaves were not healthy. Would not be interested in returning and he's only a freshman so we'll be in town somewhat regularly for the next several years. If you want to be more upscale there needs to be far more attention to detail. read more

Ordered the 'house made' gnocchi's. This was NOT 'house made' unless it was made in a factory house. The beer selection is horrible. There is ONE lite beer on the menu, Michelob Ultra (like drinking water). read more

We were there for Easter dinner so we knew it would be crowded but our table was backed up to the bar area so folks were right on top of us. Our reservations were for 5 and we didn't get our dinners until 6:30 and my dinner was completely the wrong item. They offered to take it back but no way was I waiting for them to make me the correct dinner. I was so disappointed as it was one of their specials which I was really looking forward to. They did comp me the dinner and everyone else enjoyed their meal. I would go back but definitely not on a holiday. read more

State of the art...amazing cuisine...fabulous service! Our go to is crab cakes, anything pasta and specials! Make your family go to Perlo's! read more

If you're looking for nice Italian food with a home cooked, feel give, Perlo's a try We had a delightful waitress, who was very knowledgeable, and made some great recommendations. We loved the pasta dishes the best and the pizza the least. read more

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This is our new GO TO restaurant! The food is AMAZING, the service is impeccable, and the ambiance is wonderful... I had the linguini with white clam sauce, and it had so much flavor! The portions are very generous, and you just feel good from the time you enter the restaurant until hours after you leave... I can't wait to go back! read more

We had reservations on Sunday for 11 people at 4:30. We got our food at 6:13pm. We were all upset it took so long, and when we got our food it wasn't hot, but we didn't want to send it back. I went into their site and wrote a letter to Donna Perlo, but have not heard back from, her. The restaurant didn't seem busy, to wait that long for warm food?? The best part of it was our server AJ who was exceptionally nice. I wouldn't recommend Perlo's. Much better Italian nearby! read more

Our Family decided to go here for Fathers Day, and it was a very good choice. Very nice restaurant that was full but that did not take away from service. I had the Chicken Parm w/Penne and it was the best I've ever had at a restaurant. The piece of chicken was huge and the pasta and sauce were very good. Prices are High but that is normal everywhere nowadays. A+ read more

While visiting Rochester last week, our friends chose an Italian restaurant knowing Italian food is pretty much our favorite. We've never been to Perlo's on our previous visits. We won't make that mistake again. The menu is extensive with virtually every dish named after someone. (I believe the dishes are named after customers but I forgot to ask). It took me more time than usual to choose that perfect entrée' as everything on the menu looked so fantastic. I was also easily distracted watching waiters bring out dishes to other tables as well. My final choice (and our friend's as well) was Chicken Marsala. Chicken, mushrooms and artichokes along with the wonderful Marsala wine made this dish perfect. My wife enjoyed her lasagna as well commenting on the amazing sauce and flavors. Our friend's wife ordered Linguine and Clams. Soup or salad along with fresh baked bread was also served. Service was flawless. I mean really flawless. We never wanted for anything. I was reminded of dining in Europe where being a waiter in a fine restaurant is a profession rather than "just a job". Our waiter had that aura of professionalism. A great evening of food and friends! read more

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Love Perlo's especially Donna Perlo and the excellent choices of real family food from pizzas to Lobster French they have it all enjoy yourself and bring your friends and family! Thanks Donna & Brian we love you! read more

Easter Dinner Disappointment We brought a party of 8 to this restaurant for Easter dinner, expecting a special holiday meal. Unfortunately, by the time of our reservation, they had run out of one of the main entrée options--the beef--which was one of the few listed on the fixed Easter menu. No apology, no substitution, and no effort to make it right. We were still charged the full $48 per person for a plate of pasta and two very small lobster tails, plus dessert. To make things worse, a 20% gratuity was added automatically to the bill--without any mention or warning. When you promote a holiday menu and charge premium prices, guests expect the full experience. Running out of a key entrée before fulfilling all reservations is poor planning, and failing to acknowledge or address it is just bad service. Won't be returning. read more

Very nice Monday evening dinner at Perlo's. No wait for table for two without a reservation....nice. Ambiance was relaxing and exactly what we needed after a long busy day. The cosmopolitan was excellent. My husband enjoyed a Hendricks gin gimlet. We both ordered Haddock Casino which was delicious. Generous portions. We both left with leftovers. Our waiter was attentive with excellent service. The pasta dishes looked good so I'll try one next time. Happy dining! read more

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We haven't been back since Donna got in my face for being told the first table we were given twenty minutes to eat. We requested another table and got one next to the swinging kitchen door. She got close enough sarcastically asking if we were happy, I could smell her bo. Never returned! read more

Friday date night we figured we would go to Perlo's. Spouse ordered the chicken Marsala, the sauce tasted like they pour wine over the chicken and pasta. We all like el dente pasta but this was way too hard! I'm not very adventurous so I went with the beer battered fish fry!! It was a sad looking filet, thin and small and overcooked., to the point where some of the fish was hard. Same with the fries, overcooked! Our waitress was great and the place is nice inside but chances are I'll never go back again! Complete waste of money for me read more

Disappointed 7/3/25 had the special Veal Braciola when done correctly this dish is amazing unfortunately mine was extremely overcooked and tasteless. Was disappointed as we have dined here before. Also the noise level is just tolerable read more

Last night we celebrated our anniversary at Perlo's and I have a lot of feedback to give! We made early reservations and in their survey they asked if it was a special day and if it was our first time there, which it was! I ordered to start a Cosmopolitan ( so strong I choked). We ordered our entrees but discovered they don't come with salads. I chose the lobster with marinara sauce but I really wanted to try lasagna so I ordered both while my husband ordered haddock French .We had decided not to order an appetizer since we had the lasagna to split.Our meals were served promptly and since no bread had been offered earlier, I asked for bread and butter. The lobster was perfect but I skipped the linguini because of the lasagna. The lasagna was thinner than expected but it was fine. Our waiter was polite and checked in frequently. I did ask for more ice and cranberry juice so I could finish my drink. We ordered the sample desserts but disappointed that we were served two desserts , a cannoli and tiramisu which I must have misunderstood because I thought it would be a sampling of a few desserts not just two .Overall, there's no reason for me to return to this restaurant. The lasagna in two other restaurants is definitely better and the hospitality was better as well. I will say that the private dining area we had was superb as is the excellent cleanliness of the restaurant and restrooms. The perfectly white linens are a plus! read more

Make a reservation! The dining room was busy on a Tuesday night. My girlfriend and I were sat immediately by the hostess at a large two top. We started with side salads that were the portion of an entree salad. Loved the house balsamic. Next seafood choppino and lobster french special served over angel hair. My pasta was perfect al dente. I needed more lemon salt and pepper for my entree. The 2 4 ounce lobster were delicious. My friend loved her choppino but also seasoned it well with salt and red pepper flakes. Semi long wait for plates to be cleared and check delivery but again the dining room was full. Very nice italian dinner but please more seasoning! read more

The bartender makes a mean cosmo. We should have sat at the bar instead of gotten a table, but the waitresses were super attentive and nice. My friend didn't like his dish after only a bite, and they took it off the bill (unasked!). I hope to return at least once or twice. read more

Perlo's - Cosmo and pork/lentil soup - Italian Near Me - East Rochester, New York

The food and service are very good but the way people are packed in and the noise level make it almost unbearable. Our party of four finally fled before dessert and coffee because it was so loud. We literally couldn't hear ourselves over the yelling of our uncomfortably close neighbors. read more

Food is good along with atmosphere, only issue is overpriced and add on charges take away from overall experience. 1.50 for crumble blue cheese 4.00 for side of marinara sauce for calamari read more

Went on a Wednesday evening. It wasn't busy got right in. The food was ok. I thought it was bland. It wasn't horrible but I expected much more flavor. I got the chicken parm and calamari for app. read more

Phenomenal food, great service, lovely atmosphere. This was our first time, but we will definitely be going back!

Food was good. Atmosphere is elegant. Waiter was ok. He was fine just did not click well with us. Food did not have a great flavor we remember from my last visit. I still would recommend. May be we just had a off day. A lot of items were not avalable. read more

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Donna and staff do a wonderful job. The food is the best in town. A cozy atmosphere inside and out. A must if you're in the East Rochester area. read more

We just hosted a graduation dinner party in one of their private rooms and had a wonderful time! The food was great and everyone raved about it.. the bolognese sauce was outstanding! All of the people working were courteous and took great care of us and the set up was perfect! I appreciated being able to drop some things off early, even before they opened. All around a successful event with fabulous food!! I'll be going back for more dinners there for sure! read more

Was there for Easter and had a wonderful dining experience, food and service were on point!! They were busy and certainly didnt disappoint. Have dined there regularly and always enjoyed the food and service. read more

Perlo's takes me back to the nicer restaurants that my family went to when I was a kid. Simple furnishings, pleasantly unhurried service and great food. Kind of nostalgic for me when compared to the chain restaurants or the flashier establishments in the downtown area. We stopped in for a bite before a concert and, while the multiple dining areas were quite full, were seated promptly. Our server was helpful and attentive but unhurried... A nice change from places the are just trying to move you through to get the next group in. She chatted a bit and explained some of the menu items and the specials. A salad is generally just a salad but this one stood out with very fresh vegetables and a fantastic, house made balsamic dressing. I would've been happy to just have a larger version for dinner. The menu is extensive but I went with basic spaghetti (there are, of course, multiple pasta options) and huge meatball. It had a thicker, zesty red sauce and the meatball was tender and perfect. The sauce was stirred into the pasta which isn't my preference but it would be silly to complain about that... Which is apparently what I'm doing... I think I just prefer to do that myself or, in other words, play with my food. My girlfriend was more adventurous and tried the Orecchietti... Pasta in white wine and butter sauce with onions, mushrooms, artichoke hearts and diced tomatoes. It was excellent! It was a little pricey for pasta but, when you figure in the pleasant atmosphere and old school great service, not out of line. I would definitely recommend giving them a try! read more

Perlo's - Basic, and delicious, spaghetti and meatball... It doesn't look like a lot of pasta because the meatball is huge - Italian Near Me - East Rochester, New York

Perlos is unique because it is upscale and classy but has a very warm family feel. The owner and her husband are almost always there to greet you with a smile. The food is exactly what you want Italian to be, simple ingredients and high quality. We have been there many times and everything we've ordered has consistently exceeded expectations. By far the best Calamari around and I'd recommend the garbage plate (not what you'd think) as well! read more

This might be my favorite spot for Italian in the ROC. I love that the dining room is a decent size, especially during these times. I have always had a pleasant dining experience here. I always find the staff to be friendly. The last time I went, the food took quite a long time, but I expected that due to he fact that restaurants are understaffed during covid. As long as you go in with this in mind, you should have a pleasant experience. I get the same thing every time I go here-pasta, peas, and ricotta. It's so darn good that I crave it all the time and I get it every time I go, as I only get here once or twice a year. Just an FYI, they also have a very tempting and large dessert selection, so save room! Unfortunately I didn't the last time. read more

Perlo's - Pasta, peas, and ricotta! - Italian Near Me - East Rochester, New York

We started off with drinks and one of the glasses came with it's own lipstick. When we asked to have a new glass they poured the drink in it.....um a dirty glass why would anyone think the drink would be clean? The waitress was maybe having a bad day, her body language and vocal tone seemed annoyed at any questions we asked and the request for a clean drink in a clean glass. We ordered chicken bella, NY strip, alfredo, greens n beans w chicken, haddock casino we all agreed that the food was unmemorable. I was particularly discouraged by the haddock casino I envisioned haddock with clams casino it was a spongy piece of fish with bacon and breadcrumbs on top. read more

Perlo's - Haddock casino - Italian Near Me - East Rochester, New York

We visited Perlo's on a Friday evening. The restaurant was fairly busy and we were immediately greeted by Julia, the hostess. She welcomed us and promptly sat us in the dining room. We ordered wine, an appetizer of fried calamari and dinner entrees of gnocchi with vodka sauce and Salmon Piccata (the special). Our food and service were excellent and our experience was great. We'll definitely be back to Perlo's soon! read more

Perlo's - Salmon Piccata over Angel Hair - Italian Near Me - East Rochester, New York

We were given a gift card for Christmas for Perlo's. We have never been there before so we went online to look at the menu. The menu online stated clearly that Entrees & Specials are served with a house salad or cup of soup, bread and butter. I had stuffed shells, my husband had eggplant parmigiana. Unfortunately we didn't notice until we got home that we were charged $6.50 a piece for the salads!! When I called the next day to ask about it, the girl said "oh yeah...we've been trying to get a hold of goggle to change that". If indeed they wanted to now charge for a salad the waitress should of notified us at the time she took our order. She told us there was an extra charge for the crumbly blue cheese but failed to tell us there was a charge for the salad!! My stuffed shells were ok and my husband gave the eggplant parmigiana a 7 out of 10. I was disappointed that they never apologized. They should of honored what it said on their online menu. I still have my receipt showing the charge. I doubt we will be returning to Perlo's. read more

Drunk at the bar with his kids loud and over the top. I thought this place was fine dinning. Yet the host allowed this to happen. Would NEVER sit near bar again. My chicken French was bland but my wife's artichoke French was excellent read more

I wish I could say something positive about my experience at Perlo's. The last thing I want to do as an Elite Yelper is to leave one star review to any business. However, I don't even think it's worth my time mentioning all the details here. In general, the food was nothing special at all, I recommend going to Charlie Brown or Limoncello instead, where you get treated nicely and enjoy quality food. I must mention that I have never seen a rude, arrogant and disrespectful bartender like (Sam) the one at Perlo's. I even saw her disrespectfully yelling at one of the food delivery drivers (in front of everyone) while he was picking up his order. I have to say, I will never come back to this place nor recommend it to anyone. The owner/manager was there next to me, I whispered to him and said "she could've been nicer", he said "you know what, we all could've been nicer" read more