Mother's Day brunch buffet was definitely more of something for families and not necessarily for mom and daughter if you were looking for something to treat your mom to for the occasion. I think unfortunately somewhere else might be a bit better to splurge on. Or if you are more prepared maybe make a nice meal for mom at home. If you are here with a big family though especially kids, it's nice overall for everyone to get food asap buffet style with a good amount of options to choose from breakfast buffet wise (salad, eggs, hash brown, eggs Benedict could be cooked a bit more though). Their carrot cake and other pastry and dessert options were great though! Service was quick on getting people water and it's definitely a bar style restaurant. read more

Whistle Binkies Olde World Pub - American Near Me - Rochester, Minnesota

I was a little worried because I'm not a huge "bar" type eater. Everything was delish! I had a turkey burger (you have to ask for lettuce, tomato and pickle) with sweet potato fries. It was perfect Hubby had the open faced turkey ( we hear it's their best seller) and said it was soooo good. My mother in law had the kids burger and it was a normal sized burger. Everyone with us loved the food. I even bought a sweatshirt to bring back to AZ read more

See all

Love the stir fry, it's great everytime. My sons loves the homemade children's Mac and cheese. The reuben, Irish stew are also delicious.

Good service, massive menu with great daily specials and the popcorn is always a hit with the kids.

Pros: When we walked in it smelled great. The ambiance is decent. Staff was nice. Cons: We had to wait for our food for over 45 minutes. The Waitress was MIA most of time. The food might have smelled good, but it didn't taste good. The food was cold. I had the brisket melt and it tasted horrible. Something was wrong with the meat. Were were there 20 mins before they brought out any popcorn. Everyone's food was cold. No one enjoyed it. Expensive for what you get. Small portions. We will not be back. With so many food choices in Rochester there is no need to go back. read more

My kid got food poisoning not even 2 hours after we ate. Not to mention we where surrounded by bees on the patio and we even got stung.

Really fun place in a cute location on a little lake. In summer, they have beach volleyball just outside! Hearty pub fare. This time I had a fried walleye sandwich (a local specialty) and it was particularly delicious - and HUGE. My aunt's bangers were tasty and her sweet potato fries were to die for. Others in our party had tasty, filling rice and bean bowls and a deconstructed egg roll salad inspired by one of the chefs - such a fun idea! They have lots of different beers and fun rotating drinks specials. The patio is large and breezy. Inside is cavernous and cool in hot weather. We've been here a couple of times a year for... a decade, maybe?... and have never had a bad experience. Wait staff are unfailingly patient, pleasant, and polite. read more

Great place to have a great meal with a great experience from an outstanding staff. Highly recommend stopping in and having a great burger.

The food was amazing! I ordered a Ruben sandwich and my husband ordered the walleye! Apps were fantastic, service was fast and friendly. Love to come back next time we are in MN. read more

See all

I absolutely would not expect the food out of this place to be THIS GOOD!!! And who would think of Ahi Tuna in a bar?!? And it being absolutely delicious!!! This place is full of surprises- and I was loving them!!! We love hole in the wall bars / restaurants but this is kinda one....it does have the popcorn popping which I loved, it has such a full menu with lots of options - HOMEMADE SOUPS, if you're into that, homemade egg rolls, walleye, specials everyday of the day of the week! Need I say more! And the service was great! Very friendly, gave us recommendations and refilled our popcorn! When we come back down for the Mayo.....we will go back!!! Absolutely!!!! read more

We went to grab some dinner tonight and were pleased that it was rather slow. Not only did we have horrible service including wrong orders, wrong dressings, lack of service, forgetting drinks, but at the end when we obviously needed assistance another waitress had to tell our waiter that we still needed service (by that time we no longer cared about drinks and just wanted the check). To top it all off the bartender who was actively serving people drinks and food was NOT wearing a mask. Disgusting. Irresponsible. Hopefully the south WB hasn't turned into a steaming pile of dog poo like this one! *photo attached of bartender not wearing a mask while serving customers* read more

Whistle Binkies Olde World Pub - Bartender in navy shirt and ball cap behind the counter serving drinks and food WITHOUT a mask on. Shameful. - American Near Me - Rochester, Minnesota

This was a great atmosphere to watch a Saturday afternoon sports game! Yummy food and great service.

We have always enjoyed stopping for a bite to eat here. Service was good, popcorn is always good but my dinner was a disappointment. I ordered a Rachel sandwich, one of my favorites. It's like a turkey Ruben. It was jut a pile of really dried out turkey scraps and very little sauerkraut. Not what I was expecting. Hubby had a walleye sandwich and thought it was good. Good beer selection. Poor wine selection. read more

Best beer selection in city. Beautiful patio. Very inexpensive and yummy bar food popcorn is free and delicious

Food was great, crowded so service a bit slow. Ambiance, noisy but fun. (Vikings were playing on the TV's.)

I came here with a friend that I haven't seen in 10 years from Rochester. I grew up in Rochester and things has changed. I am glad that Rochester is improving. Anyways, I came here late at night to chat up with my friend. We had a great time there, sitting at he bar. The bartender was very friendly, he made me a 'PERFECT MARGARITA.' I guess he is known for making the best margarita in town according to a lady sitting at the bar...well, i it was 'ok'...i mean there were too much booze. haha...anyways, i would say this place is great to hang out with friends and for happy hour. free popcorn! ;) read more

Whistle Binkies Olde World Pub - Caramel apple martini and perfect Margarita - American Near Me - Rochester, Minnesota

I've been a patron here for years and feel like they're really slipping. Lately we've had salads with questionably fresh lettuce. They have been short staffed for along time and seem worse now. We waited a half hour without service and the 2 wait staff ignored us. Sad to see this place go downhill so fast read more

Excellent food & grog at a classy (for Rochester) pub-style eating house. It seemed like everyone was happy with their food choices from a pretty extensive menu. The on-tap list is as long as your arm. Kudos to our waitress Jamie who almost single-handedly served about 75 people at our "cousins reunion." She is a professional - a server that takes the challenge seriously and takes pride in her expertise. Outstanding service! read more

Free popcorn, excellent beer selection, and Cuban sandwiches. Perfection! First, the Boom Island Belgian Tripel, VERY smooth! Love it! Second, move the popcorn out front. Third, the Cuban; Very well stacked, excellent bread (not too hard but not flimsy), good balance of meat, cheese, and pickles. I think the pickles should be sliced, rather than wedged, but great sandwich! The cole slaw was delicious. Not overly vinegary, not overly creamy, good flavor, crisp cabbage. Would definitely recommend! read more

Amazing. I no more words. Jon took care of us and his laugh is noxiously boisterous.

They have a great selection of beer but it cannot make up for their TERRIBLE service. The place is almost empty. The sign say, "Seat yourself". We do and are completely ignored by the waitresses who are standing around, chatting at tables or hanging out in the back. After 20 minutes of this I went up to the bar and ordered drinks. I guess food is out of the question. Stay away from this pit of apathy. They clearly don't care for your business. read more

Great atmosphere and hard working staff. Awesome place to hangout with friends. The food is pretty good and fair priced.

Whistles is a no frills pub and eatery on the northeast side of Rochester. It is open for lunch and dinner and has a large beer and cocktail menu. It has multiple televisions throughout and they typically have on local sporting events turned on. During the summer months, there is a patio in the back with umbrella tables. The pros: When you walk in, you are free to pick your own table. A popcorn maker pops complementary popcorn which you can grab yourself. The large beer menu provides an international selection of drinks. The food menu is just as extensive and everything that I have tried has been excellent. The portions are large, and you will likely leave with leftovers. The cons: As there are few places to eat in the NE side of town, Whistles is a popular spot. Expect there to be a line when you walk in Th-Sun nights. Sometimes the wait is 30-60 minutes. Due to the high turnover of tables, they are often sticky/ dirty. The concrete floors are typically just as bad, with popcorn everywhere. Services is slow, and you should expect to wait at least a 45-60 minutes for a drink and sandwich. Don't expect to be checked on, so order exactly what you want the first time. Overall, Whistle Binkies brings great food with a convent NE location, but at the cost of clean and timely service. Only attempt to come here if you are not tight on time and are not OCD about hygiene. Try the: egg roll salad, stir fry, and any of their sandwiches. read more

Whistle Binkies Olde World Pub - The egg roll salad. Seriously the best salad I've had in Rochester. - American Near Me - Rochester, Minnesota

See all

Came here for a birthday dinner and was pleasantly surprised! Great apps, happy hour specials, and quality food for reasonable prices. My party filled up on the sampler platter, the drink specials (my $5 Bloody Mary was fantastic), and the free popcorn, but still managed to order some of the entrees. I just got a side of mashed potatoes with gravy; my friends ordered the Reuben sandwich, fish & chips, the sirloin steak, and the Shepherd's pie. All were delicious and rivaled that of pub food I've tried in Dublin and London. Maybe I was just really hungry, but those mashed potatoes were some of the best I've had, honestly. The service was attentive, almost too attentive; our waitress came by every couple of minutes or so and even made sure my friend's steak was done the way he wanted before she left the table. The restaurant itself wasn't too crowded (it was a Thursday night), and there were lots of families and locals watching football & drinking. Also, maybe this is a Midwestern thing, but my Bloody Mary came with a beer chaser which was surprisingly very good. All the beer here was cheap & of high quality. Overall a solid neighborhood place with good food to catch up with some friends! read more

Whistle Binkies Olde World Pub - Bloody Mary - American Near Me - Rochester, Minnesota

See all

The food is pretty good, large menu. We were there for a late lunch and I think this place needs some serious cleaning. The salt shaker had crusted ketchup on it, reached over to next empty table for another one and it also was very dirty. The popcorn was not fresh, sitting for a while, just so so. read more

Huge menu and great beer prices. We had three in our party and everyone loved what they ordered. I had the Reuben, my wife had a cheeseburger and my mom had the turkey hoggie. All were great! The place has no decor which we could care less about. read more

Here for dinner last night. The food was very good but the service was a bit off. Our waitress seemed to be having a hard time keeping up. Everyone enjoyed their meal and I am sure we will return when we are in the area again. read more

Sat at a table outside for 15 minutes without any wait staff acknowledging my husband's and I. It was busy but would've been good customer service to at least say " we will be right with you". There were 3 wait staff that walked by our table numerous times and no acknowledgment. We left and won't go back. Off to SMOAK we went! read more

I ordered takeout from here due to Covid-19 restrictions, and it was wonderful. I had the fish and chips and bruschetta. It was hot and tasted like it went straight from the kitchen to my dining room. Thank you for being open to help ease the nights when I just want some restaurant food!!! I will gladly support them again. read more

If you want to see where the locals who don't work for Mayo or IBM eat dinner, this is your spot. If you're into dive-y bars with Twins games on TV, this might be for you! I'm in no hurry to go back, but Whistle Binkies is ok for a burger and a beer. It's probably not going to be the best burger or beer you've ever had, but probably not the worst, either. It's just fine for what it is, and is priced accordingly. Nothing fancy, but not a bad place to eat out while on a budget (but not while counting calories). read more

I finally went here the other day, and I like the atmosphere. I love that the staff doesn't have to wear the same "cookie cutter" uniforms. That's good. because the guy that waited on us four was filling his jeans beautifully. :0 The food was OK, great beer selection. Nice to see Grain Belt on the menu. Fun and a little different. I'll be back. read more

Decently priced apps, cheap drinks and a huge selection on tap and on the menu. This place is definitely an old school pub, but a very fun one! The place does get busy and service can be a little spotty if they have a full house. You are still bound to have a good time here though! read more

Whistle Binkies Olde World Pub - Bloody Mary on this beautiful Sunday evening - American Near Me - Rochester, Minnesota

We came to watch the Packers play on a Thursday so no other football game was on. Our waiter went to ask the bartender to turn on the volume for the TVs. He refused since he doesn't like the Packers. We were a group of 7 and there was a few other groups as well there for the game. Thankfully our server eventually manually did it for us. When you have paying customers you can put your feelings aside for a team you dislike to make the customer happy. read more

Usually stop at one of the Whistle locations when I come to town... love the menu variety but I'm an egg roll fan and they rock here. When I'm with others they love there food and portion sizes too! Ya you can seat yourself and theirs popcorn on the floor but that don't bother me or my guest as long as the food is great!! read more

The service here is good, but the bar itself is nothing special. I've only ever gotten drinks here when I'm back in town catching up with friends. The beer selection is good, yet average. The daily drink specials are pretty great. Can usually get a beer/mixed drink for $2-$3, which is pretty darn good. Oh, and free popcorn! read more

I appreciate the difficulties of operating during Covid but expected a better experience than we had. When our food was delivered we were not given silverware, napkins or condiments, that came later. The waiter never returned to fill drinks and left us with a dirty table for a long time before finally bringing the check. Not a great experience. read more

I'm not much of a "bar" guy, but Whistle Binkies is a lot of fun for both th family and when I am out with my peers after work. The atmosphere is very friendly and casual with friendly and quick service. The drink selection is outstanding the menu is excellent. Binkies has it all. I eat at Binkies with the family whenever possible (kids love the free popcorn), with visiting family, and any chance I can get to slip away for a pint. Binkies is now located in two different locations in Rochester, MN. Atmosphere is slightly different, but both are outstanding. My favorite is the North side (smaller and more personable), but the South side is great, too (recommend South side for large groups and outdoor seating). read more

I don't really understand why so many of the Rochester people love this place. The food is okay...but the atmosphere for me leaves a lot to be desired. When I go out for drinks with friends---I want to be able to be comfortable and chat. This place is always packed to the walls with people and crowded and noisy. The seating is not comfortable and you need to stick with the basic beverages here---no handcrafted martini drinks here and if you do venture out and get one---it will be mostly juice, sweet, and more than likely it will splash over the glass and be all sticky when you get it....to me this is just a place where the locals like to go because it is one of the only places in the area.. read more

Super cheap drinks. The burgers are just ok. I loved their Italian beef with au jus. read more

The thought after being here three different times in a month is "there is nothing special about this place". Walking into Whistle Binkies opens you to a very generic bar. Their heritage is Scottish, but they only Scottish thing in there was the drinking and that's supposed to be Irish! Every time I've went, the place has also been dead. For a bar with 20 TVs on the wall, you'd think they'd pack it for the World Cup... The bar menu was substantial for Rochester. A large tap selection, an enormous bottle selection, and a friendly bartender. Sat up there for a few minutes to take the place in and decided on a seat for dinner. If there's one thing I've learned from going to a lot of different restaurants, it's that a large menu is the sign of a restaurant that has no identity or direction. I found myself lost in the menu looking for what might be considered a characteristic dish of this restaurant. I asked the waitress for a signature dish and got a "well, what are you in the mood for?" response, so I settled on the smoked half chicken without a recommendation. I was surprised she didn't recommend one of the Olde world dishes (bangers and mash, fish and chips, etc) That food was good! It was greasy and cooked well and came with some delicious veg on the side. I think my main problem with the place is that it's boring. If it were a sports bar, you'd be able to hear a game (went for the World Cup and all the TVs were on silent). If it were a Scottish bar, you'd expect a Scottish theme. But it's just...there. Plus, I swear I'll never take a group of friends out to a restaurant with such a stupid name. Guys, it's time for a rebranding, especially if the only "ethnic" food you're going to push is Irish when you're a Scottish bar... read more