Inside Rochester: Cheap Eats


Rochester, NY has a generally low cost of living, at least when compared to downstate (NYC) or other major American cities. That means that you don't have to resign yourself to fast food in order to get an inexpensive meal.

First, as to that (fast food) option: Rochester does have plenty of locations of the big three fast food chains (McDonald's, Burger King, & Wendy's), as well as specialty chains (KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, etc). Coffee choices are between Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, and Canadian chain Tim Horton's (which some prefer to the first two more popular brands). Absent are most western- and central-American chains such as Carl's Jr, WhiteCastle, or Chipotle. Since most users of TripAdvisor are probably familiar with such chains and savvy enough to avoid them, this review won't spend any more time discussing them. If you really want to find them, google or head to the nearest populated streetcorner in Rochester.

Local (and arguably preferable) alternatives to the hamburger chains abound, most of them with either "Hots" (the local vernacular term for a hot dog) or "Char Pit" in the title. Some of them (such as several "Char Pit" restaurants in the suburbs and Gitsi's and Mark's Texas Hots in the city) are local institutions, both for their prices and their quality. Some of these (and many others) serve up garbage plates, a Rochester dining (or at least eating) institution. These heartburn-inducing conglomerations consist of a base of "side orders" (two choices of either french fries, home fries, macaroni salad, or baked beans) with meat on top (two pieces of meat: either hot dogs, hamburgers, or cheeseburgers, traditionally, although options as far ranging as pulled pork, veggie burgers, and venison meat have been offered around town), all smothered in "hot sauce", which in Rochester is actually a greasy, mildly spicy, meat-based sauce. They began at Nick Tahou's Hots but are now offered at a number of restaurants from casual to formal and are popular among young people in high school, college, or just fresh from the bar. They've even spawned a conniseurs' website. Because of the quirk of nomenclature of "hot sauce", be sure to remember when ordering "hot sauce" (i.e. Tabasco or Red Hot sauce) to ask for "red hot sauce" or to ask for a specific brand - despite being far north of the Mason-Dixon line, many Rochester restaurants stock a wide variety of "hot" and "chili" sauces.

Diner food in Rochester offers an inexpensive but often delicious meal option, and again, choices abound. Most are decent and open 24 hours, so you should head to the nearest example whenever the mood strikes you. Special choices include: Jay's Diner, a large, recently remodeled diner in the southern suburb of Henrietta that is open 24 hours, boasts a large menu, and is popular with nearby college students; the Highland Park Diner, an authentic "railroad car" diner that has a menu of traditional brunch fare combined with some more upscale specials (i.e. the Highland Skillet or fruited french toast with their trademark sweet cheese frosting); and the Flour City Diner, a smaller diner owned by a gourmet restaurant veteran that is open just for breakfast, lunch, and weekend brunches, and that features a menu of American and German classics and weekend specials that are truly gourmet, including a rotating variation on eggs Benedict that has included Key West Benedict (fish cakes and a key-lime hollandaise) and Tuscan Benedict (italian sausage and toast and a sun-dried-tomato Hollandaise).

Other "cheap" options abound, including Mediterranean food at the small chains Pita Pit or Alladin's, Asian food at the very cheap and very filling Ming's Noodles, and lots of other options. This page has some other interesting ideas, including the cafeteria at Strong Hospital (a great place to get a very cheap meal if you are in southern Rochester and on a tight budget). Wild Noodles is a new Noodle and Ricebowl joint serving large portions of Asian, Italian, and American dishes for $5-$7.