Excellent bar to sit down and enjoy yourself with a good group of friends. Doesn't get too loud so conversations can be easily had, and the drink selection is phenomonal. Food is good (for British food), and the Shepards Pie is arguably the best in Rochester. Great bar, get there early with a group of friends to get a table and enjoy a great night. read more

I was new to the area when I first tried The Old Toad. I had moved from Britain and this was a welcome return when I was feeling homesick. The Staff were very nice and they were great to have a chin wag with! The beer list could use a look at as most of it is not available in the UK but it is nice all the same. The Scotch list is good, Some of it is deemed as rare when it isn't but they have at least chosen the ones that are worth trying - They need a Laphroaig 18 Year Old.... The food is reasonably authentic and very tasty. The menu is rather outdated when comparing it to a UK pub but that is not really a problem as the 'Old Classics' are not a problem. Overall, I very much like this pub. It reminds me of a English social club in the 70s... which is a good thing. Keep it up read more

My friends and I ended up going to the Old Toad after being given a near 2 hour wait at another local restaurant. Even being that it was a second option, I wish it was our first! The Old Toad gives a great, homey vibe and smells incredible. Decorations are a little outdated, but I believe that's what they're going for (old English style.) I give 4 stars because there we're light errors with the order and things on the menu that were out of stock, but altogether it was a great experience and I would suggest it to anyone! The food is delicious and tastes truly home cooked. read more

This has always been a religious go-to stop for any twenty first birthday within my friend group, mainly for the infamous gas chamber shot. If you don't know what a gas chamber shot entails, please brace yourself and google it. Although we've never had a problem here, this previous weekend we were celebrating a friend's 21st and proceeded to take here for this "ritual shot". When we went to walk into the bar around 11:30pm on Saturday the door was locked, yet people were inside. After pulling on the door for a moment someone came over and told us we were only allowed in if we were going to buy something. Although I fully understand that this would be a bar policy, especially with drunk people, was it really necessary to lock the door?? In my opinion this is terrible business and the only reason why we preceded in is so our friend could experience their gas chamber shot. Definitely will not be paying this bar/restaurant another visit because of this. Maybe they could think of a better solution to make sure customers are not just using the bathroom and leaving. A security guard at the main door or bathroom? I'm not sure, but locking the door is most likely just losing more business than what it's worth. read more

If you're willing to take a chance on a recommend the Old Toad couldn't be better. Near clubs and bars it's the perfect place to go if you want to talk when it's not appropriate to scream over loud music. I've never eaten there but the beer selection is just fine. No easy way to describe the interior so here are pics. http://www.theoldtoad.com/gallery_toad.html read more

I've been here a few times and each time is better then the last. Fantastic beer selection with a very knowledgeable staff. The bar tender suggested a delicious beer, and she had an awesome accent. It's also the perfect place for some cozy food. Their menu is very accommodating for those with dietary restrictions. I personally had the vegetarian pot pie and drunkan cheddar soup and it was everything I wanted it to be. The soup is a must get warms you heart and soul. All around welcoming atmosphere, reasonably priced. Can't wait to go back! read more

I've always driven by this place and have been interested to check it out. Tonight I finally did and I won't be going back. When we were seated our server told us he was the only staff working so we didn't expect a lot. We were brought waters and told that the menu is online, and that's about as far as we got. After waiting a fair amount of time for the server to come back over to take our food order, he walked by and apologized for not taking our order yet and said he would in a moment, then went to take care of one of the two other patrons in this place. When he came back he walked over to the bar where he proceeded to stay. We got up to leave and he then proceeds to tell us we could have ordered at the bar. We could have but he also told us before that he would be back to take our orders. I'm all for being patient with staffing. I'm all for understanding there's a bunch of stuff going on that makes dining out not ideal from time to time. But the entire thing could have been handled differently from the start. No thanks from here on out for this place. read more

Food was cold. Took an hour. Service was poor. Ordered a porter they brought a lager.

Let me start off by saying that I love The Old Toad, the bar. As a craft beer enthusiast this bar has everything you could possibly want. That being said, Saturday night (October 10th) was the most bizarre and disappointing restaurant experience I've ever had. We made reservations for four at 6pm because we had a show to catch at Anthology down the street at 8:30. We figured this would give us ample time to eat and make it to the show with time to spare. Apparently, this was a little ambitious. My mother arrived shortly before 6 and was seated right to the left of the hostess podium when you walk in. We arrived about 10 minutes late to my mother sitting there menu less, despite the fact that she had already asked a passing server for a menu shortly after her arrival. We then proceeded to wait another 15 minutes for someone to bring menus and water to our table. Still nothing. Finally we called the hostess over and asked if we had a server, to which the answer was no. She then immediately offered the excuse a bunch of people came in all at once and there was a new staff, which is why nobody assigned us a server. This would have been understandable if we hadn't arrived before the dinner rush, and two couples to the left and right of us hadn't been seated after us yet still managed to get water, menus, and drinks before us. So we finally get menus, and about 10 minutes later (around 6:45) we get our drink and food orders taken. Thus began another waiting game, this time about twenty minutes before we even saw our server again, still without our drinks, and when we called her over to ask where our drinks were she explained that they had already been put in, but for some reason she needed to take our drink order again...it then takes another 10 minutes for our drinks to arrive, and don't ya know it, she brought the wrong beer for my mother. We decided we didn't have time for her to bring us another beer and just kept that one. So then 7:30 rolls around and we are still without our food. We call our server over and ask where our food is and she explains that the food order has indeed been put in, yet for some reason she wanted to "double check" what we had all ordered...7:50 our food finally arrives. Unfortunately the two orders of fish and chips were prepared with mushy leas instead of the requested garden peas. To be fair, our server could not have been more apologetic and offered to comp our drinks, and eventually she said she would comp the food as well, which given how we were feeling completely forgotten about despite making reservations, we felt was acceptable. The hostess then comes over and asks us to explain what happened, so we do. She offers her sincere apologies, another excuse about how it got really busy and the staff is new - which still doesn't excuse the extremely poor service - and offers to comp our drinks. She then brings our bill, in which we were comped our food but charged for the drinks. Despite hearing one thing from our server and another from the hostess, and not really feeling satisfied with the way we were treated, we decide that we don't have the time or the patience to speak to a manager about this bizarre sequence of events and we paid the bill, tipped the waitress, and left, walking out the door around 8:15. I think it's safe to say, despite the coupons we were given, we will probably never dine at the Old Toad again. read more

I've been coming to Old Toad for years and have always enjoyed it. Back in the day it was to meet friends in the bar and hang out.. as I've gotten older and acquired a more discriminating palate (questionable..but I have moved up from $5 a case beer with 6 friends in a circle at Bobs apt in the attic) I've come to greatly appreciate the beverage choices at this place! Frankly, it's almost intimidating! I LOVE spending time looking at the BOOK full of choices! I tried a "sour" for the first time here this trip... loved! CAVEMAN boyfriend loves to go for the hearty choices.. shepherds pie, bangers and mashed, beef and Yorkshire pudding.. all of which he puts down with merry glee! I recently tried a corned beef sandwich here which for me was not a usual choice, but the onion chutney sounded awesome and did not disappoint!! Im so glad I went for that.. not usually a huge corned beef fan. Service here is always friendly and pretty prompt and I've always liked the cozy seating arrangements scattered throughout. Only thing that stood out for me this last visit was... the floor... the entire floor.. all the way through...was sticky. I know.. weird for me to mention that but it was not something I'd run into there before. Won't stop me from going again... fun trip out with the BF. read more

The Old Toad - Shepherds pie - Pubs Near Me - Rochester, New York

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The Old Toad is a good place with an nice English flair. They have trivia nights Sunday and Monday, which are generally harder than typical bar trivia. The beer is served at the appropriate temperatures (i.e. warmish) and the food is typical (i.e.) bland British fare. Guinness is always poured right and they have a rotation of drafts that most bars would envy. It is not a place to go to eat in a rush but the service is almost always excellent. They have good chips (fries) and have decent gravy to go with them. They will sometimes do pairing events and often offer cask ales. The accents are real, BTW. read more

My friends and I always come to Old Toad to celebrate big milestones in our program for school. Unfortunately, the last few times we have been served by what MUST be the world's most terrible waiter. We have had him three or four times now, and he has not once introduced himself, nor asked for our names, although we go there at least once per week. Tonight he was horrendous. We had a large party, and we asked for separate checks from the beginning so he would be less frazzled at the end. (We also did this because on a separate occasion, he actually had us write down what we ordered on the back of receipts, because he hadn't been keeping track...) He began the night by shakily bringing us glasses of water, and managing to spill some on one of my friends feet, but not noticing and therefore not apologizing. This waiter is nice, despite being clumsy and a bit dull, so I assume he would have apologized, had he noticed. Next, he brought us our drinks, but then left the tray on the table and walked away... and FORGOT ONE OF OUR PARTY'S DRINK! After we parceled out our own drinks, and removed the server tray from our table, when we inquired where the missing drink was. The waiter responded by saying, "Oh, the tap ran out! Sorry, I forgot to tell you." He asked our friend what he wanted instead, but took a while to get it to him. Our food service was OK, but it has definitely been better with other servers. Finally, he took 25 minutes to figure out our checks, and once again, although we told him from the beginning that we wanted separate checks, asked us to write down which items we ordered.We noticed he was on his phone behind the counter, while we waited for our checks. We weren't in a hurry or anything, but it was just a bit obvious that the holdup was from his phone use. On a positive note, I was impressed with the kind yet stern and assertive manner which this waiter handled a homeless man who wandered into the restaurant to beg. This shows me that this waiter, although horrible, is a nice guy. We plan to go again because we love Old Toad. So please, either tell this guy to shape up, or get more wait staff so we can ask for an other, more polite and attentive waiter or waitress! read more

You could walk by this place and not think anything of it, but walk inside and you'll immediately feel like you were transported to a British pub. Some of the novelty has worn off since visiting it for several years, but not much! I love suggesting this pub to people who have never been. Nothing too gimmicky here, just a cute place with cozy booths, quality beers, and British servers. British food isn't really my thing, but I have eaten here a few times and it was fine. My rating is really more about the ambiance and beer. Trivia night is very popular. They have a lot of special events which feature seasonal/rotating bears. read more

This place smells funny. It smells like its been there since 1754, just old and moldy. Haven't eaten here but been here for drinks. I would give it 1 star, but they have really cool drinks that they set on fire, and their drinks are cheap. read more

I have not been to The Old Toad in years. My friends were up for a fish fry so we decided to go. The fish fry was delicious, the chips outstanding and I loved that it came with a healthy serving of peas. They have massive beer selection which is great cuz who doesn't love beer with a fish fry??? I will be going back. I'm glad I rediscovered this gem of a place. read more

I had been quite a fan of The Old Toad, but that was before they took part in the Expecto Bar Crawl (Harry Potter themed) and were horrifically unprepared. As the bar with the famed Butterbeer this was to be the highlight of my and most participants evening. However, they RAN OUT of the special before 7pm. My advice to the Old Toad, either don't participate in large events if you can not handle the demands or make sure you are properly prepared to handle them. This sadly ruined my, and many other crawlers' night. read more

Extremely slow service. Seemed unorganized and unprepared for a Friday night. Not to mention, food was mediocre. A few hours after eating at the Old Toad, my boyfriend became extremely sick with a fever, nausea and vomiting and we spent the next 12 hours at Strong to replenish he fluids and help him recover from severe dehydration most likely from food poisoning. I called the Old Toad to mention that we ate there last night and what happened to my boyfriend, and they man on the phone seemed unsympathetic and almost arrogant. Moral of the story, never coming here again. read more

This was my first experience at The Old Toad. I went with friends for trivia night and we decided to have dinner. They were out of the Vegetable Balti that I had hoped to get, but our server did state that if it weren't so busy she would have made it for me from scratch. I opted for the Chickpea Burger and I was NOT let down. I'm going back again this week and hope to get the veggie balti this time around! read more

To be honest, I've never thought highly of English food until I went to the Old Toad. I suppose I just never had it in the right context, or in the right atmosphere. The Old Toad nails it on the presentation, and the selection of beers make it truly a unique place in Rochester. When I just want to relax and drink with a couple of my friends in someplace that isn't a dimly lit bar, the 'Toad is the place I go to first. I've never had a bad experience at the Old Toad, perhaps it is the british charm of the waitstaff that wins me over every time. read more

Good food and great beer selection. We really enjoyed our dinner here. However, fish and chips is not made with cod. Real English fish and chips is made with cod and not haddock. The service is good. The place has the feel of a real English pub. read more

I've gone here a few times while in college. I always enjoyed the intimate areas to sit with a few friends and enjoy some drinks with good conversation. Now after moving to the SF Bay Area, I am still searching for a great pub like this! read more

First time here and was so impressed. Service was so friendly and helpful. Took a little while but that's by design -- I so enjoyed hanging out and not being rushed between drinks, appetizers and meal. Different meal options and seems authentic (never been to England so authentic in my mind). read more

Definitely my favorite pub in Rochester. It's well-lit and you can actually carry on a conversation because the music isn't mind-numbingly loud. The best part - they have good beer. This isn't the place to go if you want to get wasted on the cheap, but it's damn good food/service. Something that's kind of strange - this place is never really all that crowded, at least compared to the other bars in the area. I guess the beer selection and price keeps the crowd away. But, that's a good thing. Last time I went to the Old Toad, Murphy's Law had a line around the building and the Old Toad still had open tables. I almost forgot my favorite thing - a real dart board. read more

OK, but too pricey. The atmosphere is pseudo english pub, but maybe a little too worn for my tastes. The tables are too short. I had myself and 4 friends (all male) in a booth with a chair on the end, and it was really tight. The beer was quite good, the service OK, and the food pretty authentic. (Greasy in a yummy beefy oniony way) We got the check and it was like $150. Ouch. So it's a nice warm place for a pint. But not so great for lots of pints. If you want to swill cheap beer, head elsewhere. read more

Nice place to go to have a couple drinks with friends! The european setting really gets you feeling like you're in a british pub. Drinks all got funky names so make sure you know what you're getting. And if you're really trying to have a good night I'd recommend the gas chamber, sounds terrifying and it is exactly what it seems like but man up and do it! read more

The English have come!...and they brought alcohol and some cool accents. This place is nice and relaxed, has lots of space and even has trivia (aka the quiz). Definitely a cool place to try. read more

Lovely place when you fancy a pint. Lovely selection too. Enough to cause a bender. This place is definately the dog's bollocks! Cheers mate! read more

Wine was good portion were small service was not good server had an attitude problem when I asked for the manager he told me if you didn't like the food we will cancel everything and no manager showed up will not go back if I could give her a zero star I would read more

I remember this place as "pleasantly stuffy." On a cold, snowy day in Rochester (which more or less describes any day between October and April), it was warmly lit, warmly heated, and the food and stout was heavy and, well, warm too (the stout was room-temperaturish, like stout's supposed to be, not actually "warm" per se). A deliciously thick and fatty slab of pot roast renourished me to survive the rest of the afternoon in the blustery cold. Looked like it'd have been a great place to spend an evening with drinking songs and friendly pints all around. Next time I'll have to plan a longer visit. read more

The beer was great and the food was okay. The service is what we had an issue with last night. Our server was prejudice and kept looking at my partner who was black in disgust behind his back and did not want to acknowledge him or converse with him about when he visit Britain. He wanted to undermined our intelligence and he didnt want to give us what we asked for but just what he wanted to reccomend and thought was right like we needed correcting. I asked for a gin and mule and he wouldn't give it to me and said it's supposed to be a Moscow mule with vodka. He also gave my partner a dirty glass with stains and food all over it that seemed intentional and had an attitude when we pointed it out. He was rude to his coworker who was black also and treated people of color differently in the restaurant. He also did not refill our waters and would not ask us if we wanted another drink and had to chase him down twice for a round of drinks. If we do return we will ask for someone else if we have the same waiter. It's a shame people like him ruin the potential for costumers to return because he is racist. I hope the owners reach out to me for feedback about this issue. read more

Very old and run down looking at this point. They really should update to stay competitive in this area. However the bar is great, service is great. I'm not a big fan of the food though. read more

We arrived at noon on a Thursday for lunch. Our party of three ordered at a quarter past. Our soup and salad arrived 50 minutes later and the salad was not what was ordered. Ten minutes later our food arrived and the chips were cold and greasy. We waited another 20 minutes after we finished to get our check. I'll stick with the whisky and beer over the food. This kinda sucks since this is one of my staples when I come to Rochester. Straighten up mates. read more

This is by far my favorite bar in Rochester. Monday night trivia is always a hit and other nights it's just a great place to relax and hang out with friends. While I always go here for the great beer selection, the food is authentic English pub fair and very tasty. All in all I cannot recommend this place enough! read more

I got food to go here. I got a small fish and chips. The food was just ok nothing special. I hear this place is a good time on the weekend. It has great decor very British. The workers are kind and freon sly as well! I thought it was a great touch having people from England working there! I would say the food isn't the best I have ever had especially since I've been To England! read more

Great pub near downtown Rochester. It actually has two sections - traditional pub area and dining area. Walls separate the two except for doorways between them. I had drinks (Fuller"s London Pride) and ate meat & cheese board at the bar. I actually felt I was back in Britain where I worked for a few month. Looking forward to going back there the next time I am in town! read more

Huge beer selection. Food was marginal. Except for the cheese plate which was awesome.

Thoroughly enjoyed my experience here. I had the shepherd's pie and it was absolutely lovely. The chips were done perfectly. Rose the bartender was an absolute peach as well as the other staff I interacted with. Love love love this place. read more

It's a different kind of place in that the cuisine is strictly British in nature. Great selection of beer but I'm not really a beer person. I've had the fish and chips because nothing else seemed appealing to me and it could've been seasoned a bit more. It's just not my type of food but the restaurant itself, and the service, we're fine. Trivia night on Mondays is also pretty fun. read more

I've been a regular at the Old Toad for their Monday night Quiz for about 4 years now. And as I get older, the Toad keeps getting cooler. A limited but great selection of interesting craft beers on tap, affordable apps, and great company makes the Old Toad a great place to spend an evening any night of the week. The Monday quiz varies from hard to incredibly hard, but the beer questions (where you get a free beer if you're the first to shout out the right answer) keep me coming back every week. Makes my list of top 5 bars in Rochester. read more

I love going to The Old Toad. They always have an excellent beer selection and the chips are great to share with a group of friends. The place feels really authentic; even the staff are exchange students from England. read more