Port Byron Thruway Service Station

This is Lord Byron service area. It’s one of the classics, for sure.
Not.
This service area is halfway between Rochester and Syracuse. I’ve used it several times including just the other day on my way to Syracuse, actually.
This is an average Thruway rest area with over-​priced petrol and awful chain food. Am I lovin’ it? I McDon’t! At least it is fairly clean and has free wifi. Which I appreciate.
I’d rather get off the highway and pump but then I have to pay tolls and all that crap. And it costs a bit more doing it that way (off and on again, new toll ticket), which negates the cheaper gas. Not that there is any Cheap Gas in NY state really.

This thruway stop is not one of my favorites and I try to avoid stopping here unless it’s a real emergency. The bathrooms are not kept nearly as clean as others I have seen at thruway stops nearby. They don’t have any coffee here except for McDonalds. McDonalds coffee isn’t terrible, but it would be nice if they had a Dunkin, Starbucks or Tims. They have a pizza place but the pizza looks absolutely awful. Was with a friend last week and made the stop here on the way home to NYC. He was craving pizza so I figured anything topped with cheese and sauce would suffice. He took one look at the pizza in the window, as did I and it looked like it had been sitting out for days. All dried up and far from appealing. He ended up getting a Happy Meal from McDonalds. They have a convenience shop like most thruways do, but man was that place expensive. While the rest of my crew was using the bathroom and getting food, I strolled around the little shop and was slightly outraged by the prices. They had bags of nuts, popcorn, chips, the usual stuff but for at least $ 3 – 4 dollars more than in grocery stores. They also sold NY sports and NY state apparel such as tshirts and sweatshirts, again SUPER expensive. They have magnets from all 50 states for sale too. I would only buy something from here if I was in dire need. There is an area across from the food «court» if you could even call it that to sit down and relax if need be.

A gas station when you need it! Yay! I needed a bathroom, and there it was. It saved me! It was adequate and had tissues/​soap.

Relative to other Thruway stops, about average to a smidge below: 2.5 stars. It has a McDonald’s and that is the high point. Smaller in size of the building and the parking that most Thruway plazas. The Mobil gas is a bit high, but hey it is the Thruway, you’re trapped.
Been here thrice that I can recall, every time the restrooms (men’s only — do your review ladies) needed cleaning desperately. Dirty floors and stanky! It would have been better to go in the parking lot between two big rig semi-​tractor trailers.*
*(To be clear I am not actually advocating that you do that, especially not in the daytime or in the view of children, but was merely stating the comparison for illustrative purposes only — do not poo, or wee, in public, that is for dogs only!)

This is a fine Thruway rest stop. Nothing special, nothing wrong with it.