Meh. They've gone franchise. They've lost their brews. The building is pretty unique. Barn-like. Kenny L. has the right idea w/the summer months & the balcony. Otherwise, there are better places to find yourself. read more

This is an okay place. Nice vibes inside but most of the food is simply subpar. Tonight I had French onion soup and poutine. The soup was pretty good, although could've used some more seasoning. The poutine was one of the least appetizing I've had. Gravy had really no flavor other than salty. Needed some herbs or something to dress it up. Also French fries themselves were a bit soggy/too potatoey to me. read more

I come here a lot. It's within walking distance to me and it scratches that "greasy bar food" itch you sometimes get after a long week. The beer selection is expansive and changes with the season. The food? Standard pub fare. The food doesn't blow me away but it does satisfy that "I'd do unspeakable things for a burger right now" urge we all get sometimes. I'd actually give Distillery 3 stars on food - it's average, and there's nothing wrong with that! Sometimes that's exactly what I want. However, we always get great service here when we come in (it could be because the staff recognize us!) For me, that alone deserves another star. You'll go home fat and happy. read more

1/2 price appetizers and $3 pints (of not bad beer)? Um, yes please. We got a variety of food and the wings (buffalo garlic parm!) were pretty good. None of the food really stands out as unique and incredible- just greasy (but tasty) bar food. The patio is nice and spacious in the summer. This place won't blow your mind but isn't half bad. read more

Love love love there nachos, in my opinion best in Rochester. The Mt. Hope location has the best food among the other locations. You can't beat there happy hour - half price appetizers after 9pm! Great place to go to with friends, family, co workers ect...overall highly recommend. read more

The Distillery Restaurant Mt. Hope - Chicken Cobb salad - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Rochester, New York

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Always a fun place for lunch near U of Rochester campus!!! Yummy salads crammed with toppings, awesome juicy burgers, and a ton of other delicious choices. I love sitting in the bar area because the people watching is fricking awesome there! read more

I came here with my husband and sister in law. After a long drive from n.y.c to university of Rochester, we just wanted to go and grab some good eats. We got recommendations to go here. since they have a great selection of beers and food. We had a good time, eating, drinking, and enjoying the game. The only thing that was a little bit of a bother was a loud group that we were seated next to. But, it wasn't too bad. since this place is a hangout spot, and not a fancy smancy restaurant. If your looking for food thats good with beer and tv. then this is your place. I recommend: Appetizer: stills sampler Entree: stills burger read more

After a long day me and my girlfriend had no energy left to decide what to eat so we went to our favorite place in Rochester for a burger and beer, the distillery! If you don't know many beers their selection is fine if a tad pricey but if you're a beer snub it can be somewhat lacking. That doesn't matter though because their burgers are always on point. Julie C was our waitress and soon after sitting down we were sharing a perfect medium rare Bleu bayou burger and an amazing corn beef reuben. Their corn beef is done in house and great and they're one of the few restaurant ive found that consistently gets their burgers medium rare. Get the sweet potato fries, they're leaps and bounds better than their regular fries. Avoid everything on their menu short of the burgers and sandwiches and you'll have a good experience everytime. What to order: burgers and sandwiches. What not to order: everything else. read more

Love it! 1st time visit here. Atmosphere is light and fun. Food is amazing! Philly cheese is tender with soft homemade bread. Natural cut fries are cooked to perfection. Home made bleu cheese dressing is to die for. Staff is smiling and friendly. Definitely worth the trip... will stop again if in the Rochester area. read more

The Distillery Restaurant Mt. Hope - Philly cheese steak with au jus for dipping natural cut fries and brown gravy... C'est Magnifique! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Rochester, New York

When there are sports to watch, the Distillery is my go-to location. TVs everywhere, loud but not deafening, and if it's big game, you can really get the whole bar cheering when good things happen for Bills / Sabres / Team USA. And they'll let you sit there all day long and watch what you want. That being said ... I wouldn't go there for any reason other than to watch sports. The food is ... fine. They do have markers on their menus for things under 500 calories, which I always appreciate. But they used to have a lot of great food that either took a nose-dive in terms of quality or mysteriously disappeared off their menu. I like the hummus appetizer a lot (though I wish I got a little more). Don't get any of the fries apps -- they have lots of stuff loaded on top, but the actual amount of fries is about how much you get as a side; definitely not worth the cash. The sweet potato fries are average, if a little in need of salt. Don't fall for the 2-for-1 margaritas. Sounds like a great deal, but they're weak and way too sugary. (And I can barely stay on the sidewalk after just one glass of wine, so when I call a drink "weak," you have a problem.) Bottom line: ok place to get food and drinks if there's a game you want to watch. read more

A University of Rochester institution. One of the places that most students will wind up at before they graduate. It is a good sized sports bar with drink specials all the time (one of the most popular being the 2 for 1 margaritas). Food here is always good as well. Nothing special, but much better than what you would normally get at a sports bar. The Distillery is a wonderful place to hang out with friends at. Make sure you head over! read more

Not too different from any other American restaurant but still good. The Distillery is a big place with a lot of seating and a lot of parking but there's often a long wait, especially for bigger parties and on weekend evenings. It's got kind of a bar-y atmosphere so it's laid back and loud. I recommend going in the few warm Rochester months to sit on the large balcony/upstairs patio area but it's always a good time and good food. read more

Ok as a foodie I have to say I love the food at this location. The mozzarella sticks and the pasta usually does the trick for me but the burgers are also heavenly. I would highly recommend this location and encourage people to try it if you haven't already. The manager her is a doll and really goes above and beyond. I will say I hate that they sometimes change the menu. Once I find something I like I tend to stick to it and it kinds hurts when I get a craving and its no longer available. read more

This was the best hamburger that I have eaten in a long time. I ordered the Hangover. IT came out a perfect medium. The egg was prepared perfectly. My onion rings were delicious. read more

Had lunch today with a few buddies. We sat at the bar and found the game we were looking for. Ordered our drinks and waited....and waited.....finally two of us got our beers, but not the dude drinking the Dew. A solid 10 minutes before the bartender even can near us so we could grab her attention. She seemed annoyed that we reminded her about the Dew. We got our food quick, but most people like to have utensils and napkins, but not this bartender. She slapped our appetizer down and walked away. 5 minutes later she was once again annoyed at our audacity to ask for silverware and napkins. Drinks were downed for a while before she noticed. She got our beers quick and said she would grab a refill on the Dew (which would have required her to reach down and grab the soda fountain) but she must have forgot on the one second and walked away. 10 minutes later she came back and asked if we needed anything so we reminded her about the Dew....she "oh right, I'm so sorry," but then walked away again! A few minutes later she came back with the bill, but my buddy asked for his Dew again. This time she got it, but seemed annoyed again. Food was great. Atmosphere was great. Service sucked. read more

The staff are extremely rude to customers. Overall, there are much better bars to go to in Rochester. The best time to go is after they have closed. read more

We went to The Distillery after an interment at Mount Hope Cemetery because it was close. Even though we were a large party, they were very kind to us and seated us all together upstairs. They have a gluten-free menu, which we appreciated. The manager came out to talk to us because they don't have a specifically dedicated gluten-free grill, which is fine with us. We try to avoid it as much as possible, but it isn't a life threatening allergy. It was very nice of them to explain this to us, though! I had the chicken caesar salad without croutons. It was delicious and filling. They brought us all waters along with our drinks, because it was a really hot day, and an additional pitcher of water to keep refilling. The service was excellent. It was a very memorable lunch. read more

Great food and attentive service. We had blackened chicken Alfredo, caesar salad and spicy garlic wings. In two words, tasty & awesome! Kristopher was our server. He did an awesome job ! read more

The Worst service. Period. Ignored by the clueless bartender for 10 minutes. And only 5 people at the bar. I walked out. Used to like going there. Never again. If the management had half a brain they would clean house. But its poorly managed to allow this insult of a sports bar to function like the crap hole it is. Zero stars. read more

Went here for a couple of Beers and an appitizer. The beers were good and cold, but my calamari was skimpy and over breaded. Usually the food here is much better. The wait staff was very prompt. read more

Good for beer and large screen sports viewing. I'd categorize their food as above average bar offerings.

I had dinner here with a business associate while staying locally on business travel. The place is huge, and has several different seating areas. The host started to seat us in the rear corner (near the bathrooms), but it was noisy and the lighting in that area was really harsh. We decided to sit at a high-top table in the bar area instead, which was surprisingly quieter than the dining area. I had the Buffalo chicken wrap with the homemade chips. The food was pretty good and the beer was cold - what more can you really ask for. read more

I only come to the Distillery to watch college football games. There are numerous TVs in the restaurant, which makes it very easy to watch your favorite team. The staff are attentive. Not a fan of their food though. The wings are probably the best game watching food option. If you like spicy wings, they have a ghost sauce that will make it feel like you burned a hole in your stomach. read more

The Distillery Restaurant Mt. Hope - Strawberry lemonade - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Rochester, New York

Normally a place I visit occasionally for lunch, the Distillery has many more non-beef options than a typical bar, and it's easier to be seated by a window, away from the vast quantity of big-screen TVs. In the evening, they're less able to accommodate TV-free seating, and the wall-to-wall ESPN can be pretty distracting. Great food selections -- more fish choices than any other tavern in town -- and our server was exceptionally attentive. There was a bit of a push to turn over the table, but nothing obnoxious. And for a place hosting a party and a full dinner crowd, the noise wasn't offensive at all. Suggestions: more choices for sandwich rolls than the "big fluffy whitebread bun" or whole-grain flatbread. More vegetables in house salads (olives? pepper slices? cucumber slices?). Still my go-to place when friends want an in-the-city, all-purpose dining and drinks place that isn't an Applebee's or Jay's Diner. read more

Awesome wings, as good as dany zack's in Buffalo back in the day, the wings are a 5/5, only negative is the blue cheese, not very good at all. read more

The Distillery Restaurant Mt. Hope - Huge wings! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Rochester, New York

It's easy to see why this place has been in business since the '70's. We couldn't find one thing wrong with the place. We were there an hour prior to happy hour and was pleased to learn there is always a drink special in addition to happy hour. We had Fishing Fry Friday, at $14.59 I thought it might not be worth it....but it totally was! Plenty of food for two if us (one order) and litterally the best fish and chips I've ever had. Cooked to perfection. The service was super fast and the waiters were attentive. I can't wait to come back....I hear the wings are there specialty..... read more

The Distillery Restaurant Mt. Hope - Fish Fry Friday.....ummmm, ummmm, good! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Rochester, New York

Stop by every time I am in town for work! Great wings and 1/2 price apps. Sunday through Wednesday till 6. Hangover burger for dinner. Can't beat it. Stop by and you won't regret it! read more

We asked to be seated outside. A waitress came by after about 7 minutes and announced our waitress would be with us shortly. After 12 minutes, my wife asked the hostess to please send us our waitress. We watched as another table walked in, sat down and was promptly approached by a waitress. We left after 15 minutes. A shame as I used to like their Reuben. Unlikely to be back. read more

Dirty ! 7.30 on a Tuesday night, sat at the bar. A manager and new trainee bartender on duty , 5 people at bar and restaurant was not busy at all. Took 10 minutes to get acknowledged and another 10 minutes to get our drinks right! Ordered a steak sandwich and nachos with chicken. The steak smelled from burnt onions and old grease and the nachos had micro scopic bits of chicken and kalamata olives. Needless to say food was terrific and service as worse and conditions were filthy. This place has changed from what it used to be. Save your $$$ and your health and stay away! read more

As another Yelper said, I'm not sure why this place was rated so low. I'm not much of a sports bar fan, but I found this place perfectly acceptable to sit down for a good beer and a burger. The service was good, especially for a Saturday night. Both of our waitresses were super-nice, and we did not lack for anything with our meals. Our beers were served promptly, the appetizer came with plenty of time to finish it before our meals, and we did not have to wait for a table. My boyfriend and I started with the Buffalo Mountain Fries. The fries were served with plenty of cheese, bacon, sour cream, and other condiments that made these fries over-the-top, but delicious. My only gripe is that they cost $11.99 (!!!), and the serving was about a standard size. For that price, I was hoping the portion would be a lot larger. For our meals, I had the jalapeno cream cheese burger (a special this month), and my boyfriend had the reuben. My burger was good, but I wish the waitress would have asked me how I wanted it cooked. It was a medium-well, which was okay, but I prefer mine a little more on the rare side. My boyfriend said his reuben was good, which was evident by his empty plate. Overall, The Distillery is good for what it is, a sports bar/restaurant with good beer and burgers. This place received four stars for the decent food, good service, and the beer selection. However, it lost a point for the underwhelming $12 fries. read more

I often go to the Distillery late at night usually to grab a beer or two with some friends. The great thing about the Distillery, there are always great deals on drinks and beer. Also, Mon-Thurs I believe after 9pm is half off appetizers! As far as the food goes, I usually just stick to the wings. I ordered the fried calamari once and was pretty disappointed. If your looking for a place to chill and even looking for a place to watch a sports game, the Distillery is a great place for beer and wings. read more

I called this place thinking that it was the one on Square Drive in Victor, and asked if they had the Niners game on. I was told by a really friendly hostess that the game was on the Big Screen. Hub, being an avid Niner's fan, was elated! So off we went, to the Distillery on Square Drive. As it turned out, we were in the wrong Distillery! We took a look through the restaurant and found that nary a screen had the Niner's game on...nor was there a REALLY big screen! I finally figured out that we were in the wrong place and headed off to the correct one in Rochester. The hub and I were thrilled to feel all the Niner Love there! The food was great, service at the bar was amazing, and they even have gluten free beer! Oh, I can't can't forget to mention their 2 for 1 margaritas!!! Honestly, I'm DEFINITELY heading back to this place the next time we're in Rochester...and not just for Niner's games! read more

A nice place to watch the game, good food, smaller sized portions, beer is on the expensive side but Deanna was so nice. Outdoor area is amazing nice fire to keep me warm. I will go back once it's nicer out to really set those summer nights going. I got the wing dip and it was amazing tho. read more

I would love to review the food but after an hour of waiting after we placed our order, our food never arrived. No explanation could be given why. We were in town from Michigan for our boys to play hockey and we received recommendations that this place had great wings and they were right down the street from the rink. It's now 11 pm and after a long day at the rink, I still have not eaten dinner. I guess that's one way to try and sell us more drinks. Extremely disappointing. Now to find some place to eat at 11 pm. Thanks for making me hangry. read more

I find a place like Distillery hard to rate. As a sports bar, it's a four star place. Great beer selection, good finger foods, a patient and attentive staff that doesn't mind you sitting there from 1 to 11 on a fall Sunday. As a restaurant, it's a two star place. A menu too large to master, inconsistent quality, and priced a little too high.. Therefore, I am giving it a three star. If you're looking for a place to watch the game, Distillery is a great choice. If you just looking to having a quick beer and snack, you could do worse than Distillery (The beer of the MOnth is $3 a pint and is usually a high quality brew). If you're looking for a great meal, I'd probably go elsewhere. read more

Great bartenders and wings!!! I've been coming here fir year's and only a few doubts but with the best bartenders Ton/Cati... I'm in the right place. read more

The Distillery Restaurant Mt. Hope - Awesome bartenders Ton/Kady. ...wing's are amazing. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Rochester, New York

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me and my partner often came here for the boneless wings and have been pleased by the service, until this incident. My family was visiting from NYC and we took them here to treat them to a great Rochester area restaurant as it was their first time up. the server was extremely rude when the order was incorrect. My mother had ordered boneless wings and was given bones wings. the server left before we could ask to get the correct wings. when she returned we told her that the wings were not boneless. she responded by saying she'll replace them with boneless and ripped the plate out of my mothers hand while she saw she was eating one of the boned wings, followed up by saying hastily that it would take upwards of 20 minutes for her new wings, while the entire table was served. respecting your customers is key, and for their error they should have left the incorrect wings my mother was still eating and brought out the new ones when completed. this was done in front of my two young nephews and sister and my partner gave almost all his wings so my mom could eat. to make matters worse, when she returned with the hill, we told her we have a student discount, which we have used multiple times at this spot, as recently as a week prior. she proceded to try and tell us that there is no student discount and it's only for bar orders. we corrected her and the manager confirmed. we are very disappointed by the service and will no longer be coming here read more

Was pleasantly surprised. Staff was very helpful and friendly. Found the game we wanted and got us a good seat for it. Wine selection was good and the food was hot and tasty. Not sure why another review bashed the fries; I thought they were very good. read more

I loved every bite! Buffalo chicken sandwich was crispy and the right amount of spicy. I couldn't stop eating the roc fries and the molten chocolate cake was wellll worth it. Enjoy! read more

The workers here are the nicest people I have met. Very sweet and very very understanding. I go here almost 2-3 times a week and get their Impossible Burger with Ghost Sauce all the time. The food is great and so is the customer service. I always bring new friends here and they all love it. Also Gia is the nicest. She always looks at us and is like those are my customers haha. read more