Bars & clubs
Rohrbach Brewing Company
Although Rohrbach's is a bit out of the way, their beer is worth the trip. Certainly the highlight is the Scotch Ale, and if you don't want to travel all the way to the actual brewpub, any number of establishments in the city will have it on tap, including Frontier Field. However, if there, do try as many of the beers as possible, as it is some of the best craft-brewing in upstate NY. You can get a sampler of 3 oz. glasses before you decide. The food is also quite good and leans toward German fare such as sauerbraten and bratwurst.
Lola
Lola Bistro & Bar is a popular destination for happy hour and the pre-bar rush. Lola offers a full bar, a food-friendly wine selection, and an eclectic selection of appetizers, entrées, salads, soups, and sandwiches.
The Old Toad
Great English beer, poor English food, friendly English staff. A unique atmosphere with reasonable prices, the Toad is an excellent place to get sloshed.
Scotland Yard Pub
A new English-style pub has replaced the Table 7 lounge.
The Distillery
This popular sports bar and grill is expanding and now has four locations around Rochester. The food—including steaks—is quite good for a place known mostly as a sports bar. Also worthy of note are the specials: Before 10PM, there is a different draft beer on sale every day of the week. After 10PM, the beer sale ends, but all appetizers are half off. Naturally, the best time to arrive is 9:45PM.
Bug Jar
The walls display various works of art created by local artists, and the stage area/dance floor has an entire roomful of furniture arranged on the ceiling. Drink specials and live entertainment are featured here nightly, presenting popular local and national musical artists.
Pearl
A retro contemporary lounge with nightly house music DJ's spinning.
Tapas 177
Where the martinis are as big as the day is long.... so kick off your heels, and loosen your tie.
The fourth location is in Victor.
There are several districts to party in around Rochester. They include the St. Paul Quarter, the East End Area around Alexander St. and East Ave., High Falls Entertainment district, and Monroe Ave. Even during the cold winter evenings, people can be seen on the street, hopping from one bar to the next.
Each district has an array of diverse bars, from trendy, to sports bars, to dive bars you can find a bar you will like in each area. Rochester is known for it wide selection of martinis and micro-brewed beers. Visit any mid-range to upscale bar/restaurant and they will probably have a great selection. Ask for their martini menu!
The East End Festival (http://www.eastendmusicfe...), held on three separate Fridays each summer, is a great opportunity for bar hoppers and pub crawlers to hear all sorts of music and try all sorts of drinks. Outdoor stages are added to the usual indoor venues, and the East End becomes packed more packed than usual. The 2010 festival dates are June 5, July 9, and August 13.
Mex
A Mexican restaurant and bar, known for its frozen drinks and Cinco de Mayo parties.
Coffeeshops & cafes
Jembetat Cafe
A tribal arts importer orders select creations from area bakers, inviting guests to dine among large African statues. Take in a coffee while you wrestle with desires for an amber necklace.
Boulder Coffee Company
An independently owned coffee shop with regular live music. Their web page lists upcoming acts. Drinks and snacks are typical coffee shop prices. Free WiFi on the premises.
Spot Coffee
A trendy, popular hangout housed in a former Chevrolet dealership, people come here to relax and socialize while enjoying a cup or two of the brown brew. It's quite acceptable to spend hours here while only buying a single small cup of coffee; students do it all the time. Local art of various sorts is often marked for sale on the walls.
Equal=Grounds
This coffee shop opened in May 5th 2006 and is fairly new to the South Wedge area. It has a great open minded atmosphere and has a GLBT gift shoppe. The coffee, smoothies, and pastries are temptations.
Rochester has its share of Starbucks (http://www.starbucks.com) locations, although that mega-chain's presence is relatively recent and not yet overwhelmingly ubiquitous. Much more popular around Rochester is the coffee at Canadian donut shop Tim Hortons (http://www.timhortons.com).
But venture beyond the big chains and you'll find a number of cozy little coffee shops perfect for lounging around and meeting new people.
The local brew is Genesee (http://www.geneseebeer.com), along with its label-mates Genny Lite, Genesee Cream Ale, and the Dundee (http://www.dundeebeer.com) line of lagers especially The Original Honey Brown. Don't believe the wags who tell you the beer is "brewed from the waters of the Genesee"; although the river is clearer than it used to be, you won't find its influence in the local beverages. Genny isn't as popular around town as you might expect, but it's working at making a comeback, and few locals would turn down a Cream Ale or Honey Brown if offered one.
Sitting as it does at the edge of the Finger Lakes, Rochester is also a good place to get some high-quality wine. Finger Lakes wines can be found in many restaurants throughout the city and its suburbs, although just as many forgo the local stuff in favor of the same old Californian and European selections. If you can, seek out the places that serve local wine; it gives you a better taste of the region and is better for the environment to boot.