Cozy, friendly, neighborhood-building community restaurant where the owner/proprietor, a…read morewife-and-husband team, are also the cook and server team. And they remember patrons after one visit and greet you with a warm smile and *delicious* steaming plates of healthy food that makes your body happy. Try not to make this a staple of your diet. It's a foolish goal to have!

Charming small restaurant, simple service ie plastic forks paper plates, but brought to your table…read more Various dishes behind the counter glass, whatever you'd like dished generously onto your plate. It was about $20 each I think? and we were offered more of everything but filled up and didn't want to overstuff! Some of the veggie dishes may not have benefitted from being kept hot a long time, they were still tasty though soft. The lentils, the mild lamb, "mild" chicken (there was a little heat), were all delicious, especially with the fresh tasty injera bread. Cooler has several choices for bottled beverages, apple juice, aloe juice, for example, and some spices are for sale in bags arrayed above the serving counter. Unfussy but nice decor with a lot of wood. Nice wall art, and the warm scent of mixed spices when you enter. Staff was very friendly and kind! We went in between mealtimes, maybe 4 or 4:30 and had the place to ourselves except for several takeout customers. Will definitely be back

Super friendly people and they helped me choose some food when I wanted to try something new. Will…read morebe back.

They are now hit or miss... fell off since being on Lyell. My boyfriend and I ordered food from…read morethere recently; we both got a side of beef. My beef was so dried out, as if it was old or from the day before, while his beef was good and tender. The service is always wonderful; everyone we've dealt with is sweet.

The best Ethiopian food in Rochester. Probably my favorite food in Rochester period. The place has…read morequite a lot of table seating and two bathrooms in the back. The restaurant is independently owned and operated by the nicest people. There are often only one or two people working at a time, so the service can be slow. I would recommend ordering take out and giving plenty of time for pickup if you're in a rush or don't like waiting. But it is well worth the wait!!

I didn't get any photos because as soon as we got the food it was devoured this place is great, the…read morebest Ethiopian I've had in Rochester. The servers are extremely nice and polite. This place is really a hole in the wall. Amazing food, so delicious.

A+ jerk chicken. All the sides we tried were great, the vibe is very comfortable, and the owner Van…read moreis a Rochester treasure. Swing by.

Food is delicious, full of flavor and wonderfully cooked. Rice and peas are light and fluffy…read morewithout being dry, the seafood textures are perfect and not overcooked as many places. Some of the best cabbage you can find in a Caribbean spot, perfect bite and flavor. Collard greens are cooked with meat drippings, as are the green beans. Cabbage is vegetarian. Try the cornbread! Service is helpful and communicative. Popular place for delivery and pick up. On top of that, the owner and operator, Ms. Evangela 'Van' Stanley is widely regarded in the community for her generosity and care for others. While you wait for your food, take a look at the many, many commemorations and honors she has been bestowed by the community, city, and state for all that she had done. She is always finding new ways to help others. Curry shrimp is cooked to order, and fish is often available on weekends. As she's cooking and greeting customers, she's also taking phone orders, so go ahead and call before you come if you have questions or special requests. Great place to stop by if you're by the airport.

This is the real deal. Sooo good…read more My partner had the oxtail stew with plaintains and red beans and rice. I had a beef meat pie with the perfect amount of spice and a flaky crust.

My husband and I went here for the first time yesterday and the food was amazing. The gentleman…read moreworking at the time was incredibly friendly, kind and welcoming when we came and ordered our food. The portions we got were VERY generous, and soooo good. Everything we got was very good, but the oxtail kinda blew our minds. Everything was fresh and seasoned perfectly. Its a small and humble little spot, but don't let that fool you. This place is fantastic and I already know we'll be new regulars here.

I have been meaning to write a review for eons. The place is always clean, the ladies are always…read moresmiling, and there is always many meat and rice options. The food blows me away every time and I have been coming here for years.

The portions are great. The service was very slow, the food was too dry and they didn't put hardly…read moreany beans in the rice it would have been better if not so dry

I work in the Lyell/Mt Read area and Better Choice is one of the better choices I have found for…read morelunch. I don't have much time and they have quick service with consistent food which is worth a lot to me. When it comes to the food, I've tried their jerk chicken, stewed chicken and the curry chicken so far and I've enjoyed them all. The jerk chicken is my favorite out of the three and my go to. Well seasoned skin on top of fall apart cuts of chicken makes this some of the better jerk chicken I've had in town. It is darkly seasoned and just a bit spicy and the only downfall is that the skin can tend to be a little soft. The stew chicken is cooked in a tomato base and brings a little more heat than the jerk surprisingly. I only tried a little bit of my GFs curry chicken and it tasted strongly of yellow curry - a bit too much for my tastes but she loved it. The different varieties of rice have all been a bit inconsistent (yellow, rice and peas, white) ranging from undercooked, under seasoned and the gravy that gets put on tends to be on a grease filled side instead of actual gravy. Sometimes it is right on point but there is a wide range of quality. I'll be making repeat trips when I need some non-homemade food for lunch. One caveat is that it is not in the finest of neighborhoods so keep that in mind when you make a trip over.

Best Jamaican food in Rochester, hands down (and this is coming from a guy who has been to all of…read morethem). Relatively new, and I don't think the word is out there about this place, as small restaurants rely mostly on word of mouth. Wow, is this place good. The breakfast menu (yes, they are open for breakfast!) consists of Jamaican staples: Callaloo, Ackee and Saltfish, Liver and Kidneys, and multiple kinds of porridge (varieties rotate daily). I haven't made it there to sample the breakfast menu yet, so this review reflects my many lunch experiences there. The menu consists of Ox-Tails, Curry Goat, Pepper Steak, Stewed Chicken, stewed kingfish, steamed fish, and of course Jerk Chicken. All are based on availability, but the fish dishes seem to be the only ones that are sometimes not available, though sometimes he runs out of things later in the evening, which is completely understandable for a small Establishment such as this. That said, he's never been out of anything I have ever ordered. There are also daily specials Cowfoot (Wednesdays), Tripe & Beans (Thursday), Stewed Peas (Friday). The Ox Tails are ridiculous good. The best I've ever had, bar none. The gravy is delicious and savory, so much so that you just want to lick the container clean when you are done. Nicely spiced, but not overdone. The Ox Tails are so good, he knows what I'm going to order before I even say a word. The Jerk Chicken is amazing here as well. The chicken is tender and smokey, with just the right amount of kick in the jerk sauce. If you want more heat, there are an array of hot sauces (Jamaican and others) to add some spice. Some Scotch Bonnet sauce will cure that need for heat right quick! The Curry Goat is fantastic as well, but you'd better love the curry if you order it! I've also tried the stewed chicken and pepper steak, both were delicious. You really can't go wrong at this place. All meals come with cabbage, a few plantains, and a choice of white rice, yellow rice, or rice & peas. His rice (choice of is also very consistent and delicious. The rice and peas does not play the filler or side dish role at this joint, it's delicious by itself! I came here for lunch the day after I ate dinner at Black & Blue (not a fan). For about a fifth of the price, we feasted on a ridiculous amount of delicious Jamaican food, and the meal was about 10 times better than Black & Blue. The rice & peas was so Delicious, I declared that if I was given a choice of the meal I had at Black & Blue or just a bowl of the rice & peas, I would take the rice & peas without a second thought. He also has an array of soups, with a different offering each day, so you have to ask what the soup of the day is. The Red Pea & Cow Foot soup (usually offered on Thursdays) is silly good. Spicy and just perfect, packed with fresh spices (sometimes you find the sprigs and leaves in the broth!). I've also had his Chicken Soup, Chicken Foot Soup, Goat Head Soup (AKA Mannish Chowder), and Red Pea soup. All were good, but nothing beats the Red Pea & Cow Foot! There is a small parking lot on the Dewey on the south side of the building, the neighborhood is not bad at all for the city. Everything is served in takeout containers, but there are a few tables to sit and eat at if you wish to eat in. The soup is served in Styrofoam drink cups (I've seen it in other small takeout places, which is kind of ingenious. It keeps the soup warm, and also makes it portable. Nice. A nice note here is that unlike many smaller local places, Better Choice is consistent as hell. He has never had an "off day" that I've experienced. Every time I've gone, I've gotten a great meal at a very reasonable price.

Service was friendly and attentive. We got the Jerk Chicken, Gravy Chicken and fried plantains. Yum…read moreyum! The specialty is the Ox Tail, so maybe we'll try it next time. Restaurant is spacious and clean. It's on Culver near Merchants next time Johnny's Irish Pub.