Best Noodle Pull: Seasons’ Noodle
Seasons’ Noodle doesn’t do gimmicks. It’s a tiny takeout spot in The Columbus Building downtown with a singular focus: noodles. Chef Yan pulls each one by hand—silky, chewy ropes of perfection with a bounce that’s borderline hypnotic. These noodles don’t just soak up sauce; they fight back a little, springing against your teeth in a way that reminds you why food matters.
There’s something primal about a place like this. The slap of dough hitting the counter, the clatter of woks, the heady smell of garlic and spice—it’s not polished, and better for it. These noodles aren’t just a vehicle, they’re the moment. Built to be drenched in chili oil or tangled up in deeply savory broths. Each bite hits you with layers of texture and flavor: the heat, the chew, the slickness of sauce clinging to every strand.
Yan’s noodles are messy, unapologetic and deeply satisfying in a way that makes you wonder why anyone bothers with shortcuts. Every bite is a little celebration of tradition and craft, practiced in a way you can somehow taste. Seasons’ Noodle is the real deal. Yan doesn’t care if you’re snapping pictures or hunched over a to-go container on the sidewalk. He only cares that the noodles are unforgettable—and they are. Skip the fluff. Get lost in the slurp. seasonsnoodle.com —ABBY QUATRO
Best pop-up experience of 2024: The Miscela Project
As someone who plans their social time judiciously, I’m always intrigued by a multi-faceted experience. And often, if my chosen itinerary doesn’t inherently offer that, I’ll create it. Drinks at REDD before popcorn dinner and a movie at The Little Theatre? Done. A Reformery pilates class followed by a gelato stop at Forno Tony? You betcha.
That’s part of why I enjoy The Miscela Project pop-ups so much. The other part is because they are the brainchild of former CITY intern (and occasional contributor) Joe Morrell and his friend (a past CITY contributor who is always welcome back) Natasha Cotrupi. The two met while working for the Swan Family of Restaurants and pitched Jon Swan on testing a pasta-making class and dinner pop-up at the recently opened Pearson’s off Park Ave. (formerly Glen Edith Coffee) this past spring. Seven sold out pop-ups later, they’re quickly becoming a fixture in the local food and bev scene.
I’ve attended two of the pop-ups, and both began with an aperol spritz mingle followed by a pasta-making class led by Cotrupi (if I can do it, anyone can) and then a sit-down, four-course dinner with generous wine pours featuring the pasta we made an hour before. There are thoughtful touches throughout, like wooden paperclips for your wine glass nametag and neatly pressed aprons for attendees to keep their dinner duds flour-free.
But my favorite aspect is the leisure of it all. Each event lasts almost three hours (so go with someone you like talking to). But in all seriousness, this is how dinners were meant to be. Not timed to 60-90 minutes, but savored with friends old and new. Miscela’s tagline says it best: “Mix. Eat. Drink. Enjoy.” themiscelaproject.com —LEAH STACY
Best animal-shaped desserts: Seoul Drop
I cannot resist good kimbap, and you shouldn’t, either. Seoul Drop, in the Shoppes at Lac De Ville plaza, can handle all your rice and seaweed roll-up needs, with plenty of veg-friendly options to boast about. The shiitake mushroom and yubu varieties are particularly notable, as is the spicy tuna.
But here’s where I get myself into trouble. I always assume I can handle more spice than I actually can, and when this happens, I need something cool and preferably sweet to remedy my inflamed mouth. Enter Seoul Drop’s secret weapon: delectable animal-shaped desserts that always bring a smile to my (heat-ravaged) face.
The staple is the strawberry-cat panna cotta that jiggles on the plate, though Seoul Drop has also added some Pokémon flair with the Psyduck coconut mango pudding. (He, too, jiggles while being 100% vegan, gluten-free and dairy free.) Also silky is the chocolate bear cheesecake, which arrives with the titular ursid lying down on a bed of Oreo crumbles.
In addition to tasting bright and rich, these dessert favorites are as good on the table as they are on Instagram — and they look fantastic on Instagram. They also provide a great hack for dining with toddlers who still haven’t embraced more exploratory eating just yet. With a pink cat, a yellow duck and a cocoa bear promised at the end of the meal, the journey is just as fun as the destination. instagram.com/seouldrop_official —PATRICK HOSKEN
Best locally produced N/A drink: Kind Hopped Water
I’ve been writing about beer for over a decade, and at a certain point, you feel a compulsion to keep doing it. I don’t really drink anymore. I’m afraid my party days are over. I’ve played “STALKER 2” for like 80 hours this month and the most exciting thing that’s happened to me in recent memory is coming across an 18-pack of cotton washcloths for $3.99 at Ollie’s Discount Warehouse. (Unbelievable deal, folks.)
Anyway, for the second time in the past couple months, I’m going to tell you about a saving grace: Kind Hopped Water. Three Heads’s sparkling water hopped with the same bill as the flagship The Kind IPA truly scratches an itch. Rochester is not short of great beer. Throw a dart at the map of breweries and you’re going to hit at the very least a decent one. A place where five months of the year are spent in a bitter cold darkness is going to be conducive to a good drinking environment.
Non-alcoholic options though? Not so much.
But I would wager I’m not alone in trying to make healthier choices while still craving
something bitter to sip on. Kind Hopped Water does that. It’s a drink that gives a sense of inclusion to us getting older and less reckless. It makes Three Heads, a place undoubtedly guaranteed to show up in the Best Of finalists, continue to be a place where every Rochesterian is home. I’m not waxing poetically. Three Heads is not the first place to make hop water. But what it does well is replicating something as synonymously Rochester as The Kind in a nonalcoholic package. I love these things. threeheadsbrewing.com —GINO FANELLI
Best place to say “I’m lactose intolerant, but I don’t care”: LuGia’s Ice Cream
One thing about a person who is lactose intolerant (me), they’re going to tell you they are lactose intolerant. It does not matter the setting, and it frequently comes at a time where you may think to yourself, “Why are you ordering that, if you’re lactose intolerant?” You can question their (our) life choices, but to be lactose intolerant means to be intolerant of fear itself. To willingly welcome a world of harsh consequences and relish in your decision that created it. To live in a world of mac ‘n’ cheese, milkshakes and — the king of them all — ice cream is to be brave, to be a warrior.
The battlefield in this case? LuGia’s, 4719 Lyell Rd. in Spencerport, sporting enough lines outside in warmer months to make you think you’re a horse awaiting your turn at the Kentucky Derby and featuring more flavors than colors available from Crayola. And let us not forget the cone size chart that has your inner dialogue fighting to decide if you should swallow your pride and order the kiddie because you can’t handle the “small” (three sizable scoops).
Certainly, with a menu longer than the Declaration of Independence (paws off, Nicolas Cage) there are non-dairy options. But the lactose intolerant individual cannot be contained. They know no bounds. A dairy free menu is but a suggestion and, to some, an insult. The flavors that beg to be eaten and topped to your heart’s content live beyond the confines of any milk alternative. It is on the front lines of this westside establishment that you are most definitely to hear (like a whisper in the wind), “I’m lactose intolerant, but I don’t care.” lugias.com —ROBERTO FELIPE LAGARES
Best edible reason to visit the Finger Lakes: The Big Ass Pretzel at Iron Heart Coffee
Few things hit like a hot pretzel. Is it simply nostalgia that makes me want to take a meandering walk through a cavernous mall, Auntie Anne’s (or Hot Sam if you’re Of A Certain Age™) in one hand, Orange Julius in the other? Give me that sidecar of melted-yet-somehow-still-cold cheese or yellow (never honey) mustard. With the arrival of breweries on seemingly every corner, it’s no wonder that the communal interest in a hot pretzel is on the rise.
Enter the pretzel at Iron Heart Coffee, located within Three Brothers Wineries and Estates in Geneva—better known as “literally the best pretzel I have ever eaten in my life.” It’s described on the menu as Big Ass Pretzel (which it is, but I think we can all acknowledge that size doesn’t necessarily matter) and accompanied by queso (good) and mustard (better). It was an hour’s drive and back—which is also a great excuse to enjoy the gorgeous Finger Lakes scenery, and I would do it again just for this pretzel. (And have offered to do as much with several people since then.)
It’s so easy to make an inferior pretzel. We’ve all had them. They’re dry, they’re cold, somehow both mushy and rock-hard. Here, the crisp, expertly crafted exterior gives way to a lush, plush, bready interior. That the majority of this pretzel was consumed in the car on the drive home and still warrants this accolade is nothing short of a miracle. It will run you the cost of a medium pizza but I can’t imagine a better addition to “snack dinner” or a happy hour. This pretzel is made for a group, but absolutely no judgment if you want it all to yourself. The Big Ass Pretzel™ will keep your secret. 3brotherswinery.com
—JOHANNA LESTER
Best place to hide on a weeknight: SHIKI Japanese Restaurant
As an active participant in the Rochester restaurant scene, I can confidently say there are many great spots for every palate. We have adventurous foodie destinations, beloved classics and go-to neighborhood joints. With such a vibrant dining landscape, it’s easy to fall in love with our city’s bustling restaurant scene. But sometimes, we crave that hidden gem; the place where we can go (possibly in sweatpants), alone or with friends, for a no-fuss, relaxed and delicious meal.
The first time I went to SHIKI, I turned to my friend and asked, “Should we just do this once a week?” Located on the corner of South Clinton Avenue and Beaufort Street in a cozy building that, I would estimate, seats no more than 30 people, SHIKI is an absolute gem — especially during Rochester’s gray months. The restaurant has been around since 2004 and is led by Chef Tanaka, a Japanese-trained chef from Hokkaido. Tanaka opened SHIKI after an eight-year stint in New York City, where he was invited to work after honing his skills in Japan.
My “base order” (a term I use when ordering with friends that refers to the must-haves) includes a large Tokkuri (warm sake), an order of tempura, a roll or two and Tonkotsu ramen. This is no-fuss dining where I can enjoy great food in peace, away from the typical hustle and bustle I typically lean toward within the industry. I love to sit with a view of the sushi counter, watching as perfectly cut pieces of sashimi are prepped. The atmosphere feels like a time capsule from the early 2000s — nostalgic, in the best possible way. SHIKI is delicious, consistent, affordable and could very well become your new favorite hidden gem for snowy days and no-fuss dining. shikirestaurantrochester.com —JOE MORRELL
Best a la carte food + wine pairing: Pintxo
Pintxo doesn’t ask for your attention. It demands it. Owner Julian Plyter has built something here that shouldn’t work: no hood system, no sprawling kitchen — just a ruthless focus on doing more with less. And somehow, it’s brilliant.
This is what happens when Sommelier Thera Clark drops in with vision and zero tolerance for mediocrity. She’s built a wine list so razor sharp, so unapologetically Spanish, it makes you question every glass of Pinot Grigio you’ve ever settled for. It’s bold, it’s precise, and works so well with Chef Pam Cecere’s food that each pairing feels like a conversation.
Cecere designed dishes so tight, so damn good, it’s almost insulting. Tinned fish that hits with the elegance of caviar. Jamón that dissolves like it knows it’s the star of the show. These plates aren’t precious, they’re a celebration of simplicity done with impossible precision. Pintxo nails that casual tapas magic: one plate turns into four and one glass of wine turns into a bottle, until you’ve accidentally had the best meal of your week. They make it look effortless. It’s not.
Canandaigua needed this place. Hell, you needed this place. Pintxo isn’t just good—it’s a reminder that pairings can (and should) be fun. pintxo.wine —ABBY QUATRO
Best NY (in Rochester) Happy Meal: Roux
Around 2023, the phrase began to crop up online: the NY Happy Meal. And to know it was to love it: a martini (prepared your way) and fries (prepared, hopefully, in any way that wasn’t crinkle cut or a steak fry, because no thank you.) The precursor to girl dinner, and the best way to pre-game a movie or recap a night out, the NYHM became ubiquitous. So simple, yet so brilliant … Or so it seemed. In reality, it was much harder to execute. A good martini didn’t necessitate the presence of good fries—and, it should be said, vice versa. For me, the best place to satisfy this craving—no, need—in Rochester is Roux.
A Park Avenue mainstay since 2015, Roux deals in French classics like steak au poivre, escargots and a pocket-sized, lightly warmed baguette (another post for another time) as well as craft cocktails. But time at Roux is best spent by grabbing a seat at the bar with a pal (or solo) and ordering the iciest martini (dirty, vodka—we can still be friends if you’re here for the gin) and a plate of le frites.
The fries at Roux are the closest Rochester has to the platonic ideal of a French fry: McDonald’s. I can hear you scoffing, but if you think about it for more than five seconds, you know I’m right. The perfect crisp-exterior-to-soft-interior ratio. Not so short you have to spear them with a fork, not a wedge that requires a knife to appear civilized. You can “make ‘em bougie” per the menu with truffle oil and parmesan, but stick to the aioli instead. I love New York for so many reasons, and Roux’s take on a now-classic is at the top of that list. rouxparkave.com —JOHANNA LESTER
Best new place to be: The Cannery
The East End has been a nightlife destination for as long as anyone can remember, especially among people who don’t trust anyone over 30.
But it is the entertainment district known as The Cannery, roughly 10 miles east in the Village of Fairport, that is generating the most buzz in Rochester nightlife these days.
What had been a ghastly assemblage of vacant brick warehouses and factory space occupied by the American Can Company before that business went belly up in 1993, has in a few short years become a sprawling and vibrant “place to be.”
With three breweries, a distillery, a healthy mix of upscale and casual restaurants, and a pickleball center (because . . . of course), the complex offers something for most anyone every night of the week.
During the daylight hours, the place is kept hopping by a popular coffee shop, a sewing store, a fitness center and office space that reliably draw enough foot and vehicle traffic before the evening revelry to fuel the feeling that something is always happening there.
If The Cannery has a drawback, it’s parking. It’s hard to believe that 250 spaces aren’t enough most nights of the week, but that’s how hot the place has become. Still, the village is walkable enough to accommodate most patrons willing to hoof it.
When its first businesses opened — beginning with Iron Smoke Distillery in 2014, the bare-bones Triphammer Bierworks in 2016 and the German-inspired Faircraft Brauhaus in 2020 — the complex was very much a “Fairport thing.”
As The Cannery’s nightlife grew with additions like Compané Trattoria, Tin Cup Social, the streamlined Preservation Beer Company and the Nashville-themed Country Roads, locals became hellbent on guarding it like a state secret.
But the word is out, and this place now belongs to all of Rochester, including people who don’t trust anyone over 30. rocwiki.org/The_Cannery —DAVID ANDREATTA
Best place to pho-get your troubles: Saigon Pho
The broth is the thing. Clear as glass, but with layers so complex you’ll feel like you’re chasing ghosts with every sip. There’s no overload of salt or clumsy sweetness—just the perfect balance of roasted bones, star anise, and charred onion—all coaxed into submission over hours of patient simmering. It doesn’t just sit on your tongue, it grips you. A slow, deliberate burn, whispering of smoke and sweetness while dragging you under its spell.
This isn’t just soup—it’s a reckoning. Feeling less like a meal and more like an exhale, this is the kind of bowl you keep crawling back to. Hungover? Sick? Soul-crushed? Saigon Pho delivers. That broth wraps itself around you, seeping into the cracks and warming you from the inside out, reminding you that you’re still alive (even if barely).
What makes Saigon Pho special is its restraint. It doesn’t pander or overreach. Everything is deliberate, balanced and maddeningly precise. The smoky backnotes linger just long enough. The sweetness is soft, never cloying. It’s borderline criminal how perfect it all feels, like someone engineered it to make you question why you’ve ever settled for less. This is the pho you measure all others against. It’s the cure for whatever ails you. Saigon Pho doesn’t want your admiration (there’s not even a website or social media presence to speak of). It wants you to show up, shut up, order the large. Let it fix you. —ABBY QUATRO
Best bartender(s) you won’t find in a bar: Rumble + Stir
Before I met Rumble + Stir owner Kyle Olson IRL, his local Instagram fame preceded him. It’s a slick, curated feed of cocktail photos and recipes, all in what appeared to be professional studio lighting. There were very few selfies or tagged photos, so it was hard to tell who was behind it all. But as the producer of Rochester Cocktail Revival, I keep an eye on this sort of thing. Rumble + Stir is a mobile bar pop-up, available for hire at public and private events, and started by Olson after he moved to Pittsford from New York City during the pandemic with his wife Cat, a Rochester native, and their two young children.
While I won’t completely expose the “man behind the curtain,” I will say that Olson is a mad scientist, and his cocktails — especially of the tiki variety — are *quite* good (and very strong). His crew of freelance bartenders hails from different backgrounds and day jobs, but you won’t find any of them working in popular local bars. They’re in living rooms, in wedding venues and at country clubs. They’ll teach a cocktail class or consult on a menu. Olson himself works a few shifts at the Country Club of Rochester and deejays the tiki-focused “Sirens’ Floating Radio Hour” at 6 p.m. Tuesdays on WAYO 104.3FM, in addition to a full-time job in human resources. If you ever meet (or hire) him in the wild, ask him to make you a mai tai — and maybe about his time as a touring drummer. rumbleandstir.com —LEAH STACY
This article appears in Dec 1-31, 2024.
