Rooney's Restaurant

I have not been to Rooney’s for at least 6 years. I was looking forward to finally returning to one of the best restaurants in Rochester. Rooney’s has always had an amazing reputation for the highest quality food and a superb ambiance. With that said, there has been a dramatic change since I was last there and unfortunately not for the better. I am not going into detail regarding issues that occurred except for one. During our dining experience, my daughter ordered the Yellow Fin Tuna appetizer. It did not taste quite right so she did not finish the plate. Right or wrong when something doesn’t meet expectations, we do not complain, and we do not send the dish back to the kitchen. I decided to write this review because my daughter was violently ill similar to food poisoning symptoms the day after. I can not confirm 100 percent that the Yellow Fin Tuna made her sick but it is a strong possibility because it had a very fishy taste. She had to go to Urgent Care for evaluation and the doctor’s opinion was food poisoning. Fortunately, the symptoms resolved within 24 hours. The restaurant was notified; as of this writing I did not receive a response from management.

I have not been to Rooney’s for at least 6 years. I was looking forward to finally returning to one of the best restaurants in Rochester. Rooney’s has always had an amazing reputation for the highest quality food and a superb ambiance. With that said, there has been a dramatic change since I was last there and unfortunately not for the better. I am not going into detail regarding issues that occurred except for one. During our dining experience, my daughter ordered the Yellow Fin Tuna appetizer. It did not taste quite right so she did not finish the plate. Right or wrong when something doesn’t meet expectations, we do not complain, and we do not send the dish back to the kitchen. I decided to write this review because my daughter was violently ill similar to food poisoning symptoms the day after. I can not confirm 100 percent that the Yellow Fin Tuna made her sick but it is a strong possibility because it had a very fishy taste. She had to go to Urgent Care for evaluation and the doctor’s opinion was food poisoning. Fortunately, the symptoms resolved within 24 hours. The restaurant was notified; as of this writing I did not receive a response from management.

What a wonderful tucked away place for fine dining! Love the antique ambiance and service. Nice to have specially prepared food. A Rochester neighborhood I can't believe I've never explored! Make your reservation!

What a wonderful tucked away place for fine dining! Love the antique ambiance and service. Nice to have specially prepared food. A Rochester neighborhood I can't believe I've never explored! Make your reservation!

We have been celebrating my wife’s birthday (January 1) every year since the mid 1990’s. It is the highlight of our year as the food and service are great and no restaurant in town offers the ambiance. The lamb is one of our favorites, but we have never had a meal that didn’t have us saying “wow” every time. Seating by the warmth embrace of the fire place and sipping a fine wine makes any visit here a winner! Can’t wait until we can come here again.

We have been celebrating my wife’s birthday (January 1) every year since the mid 1990’s. It is the highlight of our year as the food and service are great and no restaurant in town offers the ambiance. The lamb is one of our favorites, but we have never had a meal that didn’t have us saying “wow” every time. Seating by the warmth embrace of the fire place and sipping a fine wine makes any visit here a winner! Can’t wait until we can come here again.

Rooney’s is excellent. This is an old school establishment that takes their food and service seriously. Make sure you dress nicely or else you’ll stick out. Waitstaff is polite and prompt. Food is amazing and portion sizes aren’t too big. You won’t walk out feeling stuffed, just satisfied and very happy.

Rooney’s is excellent. This is an old school establishment that takes their food and service seriously. Make sure you dress nicely or else you’ll stick out. Waitstaff is polite and prompt. Food is amazing and portion sizes aren’t too big. You won’t walk out feeling stuffed, just satisfied and very happy.

I recall visiting this restaurant several years ago and I was blown away. Returning to celebrate my birthday a days ago, it was just okay. We started with a couple of the appetizers. The plantain-crusted shrimp were great. I loved the presentaion, and the flavours were spot on. I found the price of $15 for three shrimp is a bit steep but it was a good tasting and good-looking appetizer. Also placed an order in for the crab cake. The crab cake was absolutely delicious, but I wasn't too fond of the white sauce it came with. It tasted like a mayonnaise-based sauce and I'm not sure if it went well with the crab cake. This also ran about $15 for one single crab cake which I also found a bit steep. For mains, I ordered the rack of lamb. This is one of the most tender lamb dishes I've had anywhere. I found the accompanying sauteed spinach overly salty and the potato gratin a bit underdone. The lamb which I requested medium-rare, was more towards the rare side (which was fine). At $45 for this entree, I expected everything to be spot on, but some aspects missed the mark for me. The girlfriend opted in for the duck breast. I sampled a bit and this was absolutely delicious. A absolutely stunning dish. The flavors were spot on and the puree with the duck were perfect. We both agreed the brussel sprouts were a bit underdone (still crunchy) and some bits had a hard kick of spicy. I want to make clear this is no fault of the restaurant, but the restaurant got quite loud. The dining room is on the smaller side but it was beyond my tolerance. It was rather difficult to hear my girlfriend or ignore the level of noise. I'm on the fence on whether I would return. Even taking the noise level out from my decision, one bottle of still water, two glasses of wine, two appetizers, two entrees and a dessert came to slightly under $200 including tax. I expect things to be near perfect for that price-point which I've found at other restaurants.

I recall visiting this restaurant several years ago and I was blown away. Returning to celebrate my birthday a days ago, it was just okay. We started with a couple of the appetizers. The plantain-crusted shrimp were great. I loved the presentaion, and the flavours were spot on. I found the price of $15 for three shrimp is a bit steep but it was a good tasting and good-looking appetizer. Also placed an order in for the crab cake. The crab cake was absolutely delicious, but I wasn't too fond of the white sauce it came with. It tasted like a mayonnaise-based sauce and I'm not sure if it went well with the crab cake. This also ran about $15 for one single crab cake which I also found a bit steep. For mains, I ordered the rack of lamb. This is one of the most tender lamb dishes I've had anywhere. I found the accompanying sauteed spinach overly salty and the potato gratin a bit underdone. The lamb which I requested medium-rare, was more towards the rare side (which was fine). At $45 for this entree, I expected everything to be spot on, but some aspects missed the mark for me. The girlfriend opted in for the duck breast. I sampled a bit and this was absolutely delicious. A absolutely stunning dish. The flavors were spot on and the puree with the duck were perfect. We both agreed the brussel sprouts were a bit underdone (still crunchy) and some bits had a hard kick of spicy. I want to make clear this is no fault of the restaurant, but the restaurant got quite loud. The dining room is on the smaller side but it was beyond my tolerance. It was rather difficult to hear my girlfriend or ignore the level of noise. I'm on the fence on whether I would return. Even taking the noise level out from my decision, one bottle of still water, two glasses of wine, two appetizers, two entrees and a dessert came to slightly under $200 including tax. I expect things to be near perfect for that price-point which I've found at other restaurants.

You’d never expect that down a beaten path you’d find one of the best hidden gems in Rochester! A cozy, comfy spot with an incredible staff and food. The menu was small (always a great sign) and we got crab cake, escargot, salmon and Duck breast. Blown AWAY! Both chefs have been there for decades and take extreme pride in their hard work. We assumed there was a saucier (turns out there isn’t, and it’s just the handiwork of the extremely talented chefs!) because of how well the flavors came together. Will 100% be back and highly excited to share our experience.

You’d never expect that down a beaten path you’d find one of the best hidden gems in Rochester! A cozy, comfy spot with an incredible staff and food. The menu was small (always a great sign) and we got crab cake, escargot, salmon and Duck breast. Blown AWAY! Both chefs have been there for decades and take extreme pride in their hard work. We assumed there was a saucier (turns out there isn’t, and it’s just the handiwork of the extremely talented chefs!) because of how well the flavors came together. Will 100% be back and highly excited to share our experience.

What a gem of a place!!!! Food was delicious!!!!! We had a beautiful dinner and looking forward to go back! Teres major, rack of lamb, shrimps, escargot, and the crème brulee ooohhhh lala AMAZING!!!!!!!!!

What a gem of a place!!!! Food was delicious!!!!! We had a beautiful dinner and looking forward to go back! Teres major, rack of lamb, shrimps, escargot, and the crème brulee ooohhhh lala AMAZING!!!!!!!!!

Without hyperbole, this is the finest restaurant I have ever been to, and I say this as a resident of New York City. I am certain I will not find better crab cakes anywhere on earth. Rooney's is a must-visit stop.

Without hyperbole, this is the finest restaurant I have ever been to, and I say this as a resident of New York City. I am certain I will not find better crab cakes anywhere on earth. Rooney's is a must-visit stop.