The Revelry

I met some friends out one evening, and it was tiki night! What a blast! The bartenders where friendly, lively and gave great service. The best part was they had n/​s cocktails as well. I tried one of those which was amazing. I didn’t get a chance to sample the food, but it looked pretty amazing.
The interior is fun, there is an outside patio to dine on. What a neat place for drinks or dinner… or both!

Simply… UNBELIEVABLE! Came from the south to find this gem in the north! Great Job!

Revelry. Defined as «lively and noisy festivities, especially when these involve drinking a large amount of alcohol» according to Google. So true.
Stopped by last night for Tiki Tuesday. And this place fails to disappoint. The vibe is chill. The candles light the mood and the ambiance was on point. Honestly, I can’t really describe the feel. Just check it out for yourself. You’ll fall in love with the place!
As for their cocktails, absolutely delicious. I’ve had my fair share of the Mr. Mule, Czechs and Balances, and the East Ender — all phenomenal drinks. Tasty, savory, and too sweet. Most importantly, I think props need to go to the bartenders. They do an excellent job catering to all their customers, even a very busy night. Not only that, but all are fun, outgoing, and have a unique personality. It’s great. I feel a connection between us. Hallelujah.
Unfortunately, I can’t speak too much about the food, given that I only get the biscuits. But that’s on my to-​do list. Tata for now. Speak more soon about it!

If you like pretentious bartenders this is the place for you. I however won’t be back and it is too bad because the space is gorgeous and the food often very good.
We had intentions of drinks at the bar and dinner at a table and with a wide open dining room it was no problem getting a table for 2. We however were treated so poorly at the bar we decided to take our money and run.
The bar back could not answer any questions we had. After the first drink we tried for a very long time to get someone’s attention for a second. One bartender was chatting with a friend or regular or maybe one of the owners and the other bartender was chatting with a group of women. For a long time! 15 – 20 minutes later we finally asked the bar back if he could get their attention because we wanted another drink.
He begrudgingly came over, we ordered, I told him we waited too long and he did not respond. When he slammed our drinks down in front of us I asked for the check. We paid and left. I did stop by the hostess stand and once they finished their conversation they looked at me. I told them we were leaving and why… no response.
We went to the other (better) warehouse restaurant, you know, the one with the killer burger and had an amazing meal.
Fail. Do man buns and mustaches make for a good or bad bartender? You decide.

My friend recommended this place to me. It is one of my favorite restaurants too since then. We keep coming back the Revelry for birthdays and celebrations. I like its good food and service. Small things that they cared about would make me happy. For example, the bartender offered me a sample to try when I saw their pink smoothie and asked about it; or the waitress was happy to help us take photos for my friend’s birthday. I would definitely recommend more people coming here.

What a great restaurant. The food, atmosphere, drinks & service were amazing. Our server Ericka was great, she was full of suggestions and made us very comfortable. The glass floor looking into the wine cellar is a nice touch. The wine list is eclectic and has some hard to find gems. A really nice night out.

I don’t even know where to start with how fantastic this restaurant is, in every possible way.
From the moment you enter the historic brick building, you’re greeted by friendly staff, quickly seated, drinks order taken and the dining/​order experience is immediately explained. It’s a bit of a family style serving/​dining experience, but upscale! Every aspect of the dining experience has been seen to, from making sure you feel welcome and taken care of, to the atmosphere, superior service, beautifully prepared and presented foods, to great drinks and when you’re done eating, you can move to the bar area, where the bartenders are happy to create some pretty amazing drinks.
It’s rare when you can find that 1 restaurant that knocks it out of the park in so many wonderful ways, but this one does it. The night we discovered it, we’d been invited by peers of my husband, who work in the Rochester office, when they heard we were up in the area visiting our sons at RIT. It is the perfect restaurant for a business dinner, a romantic dinner, a special night out to celebrate just about anything and if you want to continue hanging out after dinner, simply move to their great bar.

The ambiance is probs the first thing you fall in love with at this restaurant. There is a good amount of tables with outdoor seating and the glass floor right as you walk in is what makes everyone in aw
It may look like a big place but seats fill quickly so make reservations.
The wait staff is super nice as well and helpful so don’t be afraid to ask any questions.
The food is what it all comes down to. The halibut entrée had mushrooms underneath and I loved that they made burnt a flavor in this dish. It wasn’t too overwhelming. The quail special of the day also had a apple like BBQ sauce which was sweet yet savory. You can definitely tell they use fresh ingredients.

Ive wound up here once for lunch on a weekday, once for sunday brunch and several times for evening drinks.
Definitely am ambivalent overall about it. It’s trendy, cool, the space is nice and it has some haute cuisine that fills a niche in the city and seems to be well run.
But I’m just not crazy about it… try to come here for drinks on a friday/​saturday night and wind up with a scratchy throat next day from having to scream to talk to people cuz of the noise. very crowded so finding a spot to stand let alone sit can be a sport. The lunch I had here was a while ago, and blah. They dont do the cornmeal crusted shrimp well, and the biscuits were stale, although they tasted better during brunch. not worth $ 7.
We went with the chicken and waffles and the hot turkey brown based on our servers recommendation. The turkey dish had some great flavor profile, but was visually unappetizing being smothered in white sauce .did not work well as an open faced sandwich. The chicken and waffles are decent, but not worth $ 14.
If you come here for sunday brunch, you should be safe and make a reservation, especially if it’s a nice day out. I doubt I will return though, too overpriced for what you get

I went here for dinner with a bunch of colleagues, didn’t know what to expect and sure enough we found a hidden gem in Rochester.
When you walk in, you will see a see-​through glass floor panel where you can see their wine cellar. I thought this was pretty cool.
Sat at the bar before our dinner, Zach the bartender was awesome. I didn’t see anything from the drink menu that I particularly like. Zach asked me a bunch of questions about preferences, then he started making drinks. Before we left the bar to go to our table-​he pour all of us a shot! What a service!
The food menu has southern influence which was fantastic! You will not go wrong ordering whatever it is they are offering on the menu since all of them are good! The only thing that wasn’t so good was the stewed okra, it was just meh!
I didn’t order any desserts since we were so full. What an awesome place, work visit to Rochester will never be the same!

Beyond Revelry’s excellent bar, they have a suprisingly good dinner selection as well, although it doesn’t seem to be nearly as popular.
The food is pricey but doesn’t feel overpriced — I enjoyed the Scallop ceviche a lot and they had local hotdog corndogs as an appetizer special, appreciated the guts to serve corndogs at a fancy restaurant.
Wine comes by the glass or bottle. Not an overwhelming selection but solid. I had a duck pastrami sandwich, which was kind of like a duck-​bacon reuben and was heavenly. The house burger was also very good.
The décor is very nice, tall windows and a relatively small room that gives it an intimate feel. Check out the pictures on their website if you’re curious — the bar in particular is nicely laid out — square with enough room around the edges.

Amazing the first time, even better the 2^nd time!
I remember the first time I’ve visited. Very rarely do I find a restaurant that nails atmosphere, décor, service, food, location and presentation. Every key element that in my books deserves to be in the top 3 restaurants of Rochester, NY.
Rarely do I remember a server but because it was top notch, we remembered Matt who fortunately was there for our return visit. His personally, professionalism, manners and knowledge of the restaurant was outstanding. Once again it was a real pleasure to have Matt as our server.
We started off with Pork Rinds which was explained to us how it was made fresh. The only time I eat pork rinds is in a bag from the store. These were explained brought in raw, rinsed, dried, fried etc… we gave them a try. Hands down, best pork rinds I’ve ever had. Something so simple as pork rinds, became an amazing appetizer. Sounds strange, but they were delicious.
Matt then told us they recently brought in an oyster bar which had 4 different varieties that night. I tried one of each and all were spectacular and I ordered a few more of my favourite kinds.
For mains, I had the Venison. It was cooked perfectly, generous portions, and the side/​sauce it came with just lifted and brought everything together. A brilliantly thought out dish that worked beautifully and presented amazingly.
For dessert, we ordered their homemade sorbet/​ice cream which were terrific.
I said this in my last review, and I still believe it till now. The Revelry has stayed and still is currently on my top 3 best restaurants in Rochester, NY. Huge thanks to Matt who is such a pleasure to have as a server. Till next time.

Deserves five stars for its amazing drinks, all the bartenders are mixologist, the kitchen servers amazing food.

The Revelry is a lovely restaurant I’m sure you can tell from everyone’s reviews here. It’s a restaurant that I’ve wanted to go to for some time, but given what I heard from friends and family who went right when they opened, I wanted to let the new-​restaurant syndrome pass by. Ultimately though after my Sunday Brunch experience I fear they have a consistency problem.
The reclaimed architecture is a magnificently artistic blend of old and new making for an excellent atmosphere. You are greeted by a cozy and apparently very well stocked bar, and then a bartender and hostess who are very friendly, engaging, and clearly passionate about their jobs. We had brunch upstairs which you get to by walking across a glass floor looking down into an impressive wine cellar. The upstairs dining area is spacious and comfortable.
Atmosphere: 5 stars.

Our server was as delightful as the rest of the staff we had met to this point. He was quick to engage in the jokes around the table, to fill us in on details about any of the cocktails, appetizers, and brunch entrees. He knew the menu inside and out. During our indecision he was quick to ask questions and make recommendations. Throughout our meal he checked in at what felt like perfect intervals too.
Service/​Staff: 5 stars.
The deviled eggs are delectable. You must try them. They’re beet-​dyed I think, regardless, the white has a lovely pale purple color that is eye catching and makes the yolk look so very appetizing. I could eat my weight in them if given the chance. We also opted to try the cast iron sticky buns. Disappointment here. Burned, awful taste, inedible texture. For entrees two of us had chicken and waffles. Somehow the sweet and savory here just failed to coaslece. Limited and luke-​warm syrup, near-​cold and hard butter. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t the transcendent experience that chicken and waffles is meant to be.
Food: 2 stars.
Unilocal defines 3-​stars as «A-​OK» and it wasn’t It was «…I’ve experienced better» and I have, right here in Rochester too. Revelry has a lot of great things going for it. I’d consider going back for dinner, or for drinks and apps. The cocktails and bartender were both excellent. I’ll give them another chance, though based on what I read and hear, I fear that consistency is not their strong suit. So, 2-​stars pending further experiences.

I have been meaning to go to the Revelry for a long time. It just never worked out because I never learned my lesson of needing to make a reservation when I want a table on a Friday, at prime time. It took a couple of tries and needless to say, I’m happy I finally made that reservation. My expectations were high and they weren’t fully met, but that doesn’t take away from how great our meal was.
We were seated in the smaller room upstairs. I don’t know if it was just that room, or if the entire restaurant is this noisy, but we were struggling to hear our server and each other the entire night. Not to mention, the music from downstairs is mumbled upstairs so all we heard was a thumping baseline that didn’t help matters. There also seemed to be much confusion over who our server would be, as we were visited by three servers all asking us what they could start us on.
Aside from all of that, the food turned the night around. We started with oysters from both coasts. All were extremely fresh and started our meal off nicely. We then turned to their appetizer special for the night — the fried green tomatoes. These didn’t have the crab on them, but rather what seemed to be a cheese spread, topped with prosciutto. They were crispy, firm, flavorful and everything fried green tomatoes should be.
I chose to go for their fried chicken dish, while my boyfriend opted for their hanger steak. While he didn’t really appreciate his steak all that much, we both loved the chicken and I didn’t mind sharing. It is a HUGE plate and definitely a portion for two. It comes with collard greens and mashed potatoes — both of which complemented the chicken well. I think the best part of the chicken was the ‘SriRancha’ sauce it was served with. SO GOOD.
So all in all, the Revelry does dinner well. My next meal here will probably be at a less busy time. Although, based off of all the brunch reviews I’ve seen, that’s also a must.

I really enjoyed The Revelry. I have been wanting to come here for a long time now as I heard great things and my expectations were high. I wasn’t disappointed.
Patrick was our bartender and he was great. Personable, interactive and helpful. He crafted four different off-​menu drinks for me based on my preferences and I loved three of them. One of the four was a sriracha infused spicy drink which was interesting and I kinda liked it but wasn’t entirely feeling it at the time. He replaced that drink with another wonderful concoction which left me thirsty for more.
We tried some appetizers as well. The Pimento cheese and crackers were mediocre and I probably wouldn’t order this again. Not my kind of cheese.
The chicken wings were delicious and tasteful. These were served with a side of an avocado based sauce however which didn’t really go with the wings. The pairing just wasn’t right.
We tried the trio of salsa which came with a generous helping of tortilla chips. The chips were warm, house made, salty, crunchy and delectable. The three vegetarian salsas served with them were all pretty good and I couldn’t stop eating though I think the fresh chips made all the difference.
I went on a Sunday when traffic was low and received fast and excellent service. I hope this is true of busier days as well.
The see-​through glass floor underground wine cellar is impressive and the décor and ambiance of the place is very inviting and cozy.
I will definitely be returning for a full meal and Sunday brunch.

Dinner for two on Friday early just a quarter past six which turned out to just beat the rush because the dining room filled shortly after our arrival, while the bar was full and loud when we arrived, and was packed and really loud by the time we left just before eight. The bar was always audible upstairs, but were seated directly above it. Reservations through Open Table.
The wait staff was excellent in service, attentiveness, and knowledge of menus both dinner and drinks (and specials). Five stars for that!
The highlight of meal may have been the squash soup was delicious with layers of flavors, evoking familiar autumnal taste memories. Also very enjoyable were the perfectly cooked and larger than usual scallops with pea shoots.
The half-​dozen chicken fried oysters, were o.k. as an app. While the Rabbit and Dumplings with root vegetables, served in its own mini crock was hotter than boiling lava and required vent the steam and waiting several minutes for each spoonful to cool to avoid being scalded. Once edible the dumplings were good but broth of mini cubes of veggies and shredded rabbit was just alright and not a flavorful as I had hoped for as a lover of rabbit meat.
The beet devil eggs, were a bit of a surprise let down as there was no flavor of the bacon, the mustard was mild without any edge and the beet flavor was nearly invisible, aside from the two beet chips used as a display accent. This was more of an appetizer that highlighted someone’s showing their presentation plating skills more then chef’s skills with flavors.
The bread pudding dessert with housemate ice cream was just o.k. but largely unmemorable.
So the food was mostly o.k. to good but inconsistent.
Had two servings of one cocktail beverage: The Vega. Their menu describes as «Vodka, St. Germain, Fresh Berry Purée, Fresh Lemon, Mint.» but which tastes like Fresh Berry Purée with maybe whisper of vodka. Drinkable, sweet, but I honestly thought I had been served a nonalcoholic version, twice. The mint was a leaf garnish as accent, as there was no mint flavor, also the St Germaine was either literally missing (along with the vodka) or overwhelmed by the fruit purée. What appeared on the menu to be a tempting selection of ingredients was a miss as a cocktail.

The Revelry is a good place with good food. The atmosphere is upscale and cool, with great views from the second floor. The food was very good, but the portions are quite small. I had the scallops, which were delicious. The food took so long to arrive, though, that we were served a complimentary order of the beet deviled eggs (which were fantastic!). We shared bourbon carrot cake for dessert, which was also outstanding.
While much of the food is great, this isn’t a place I’m in a huge hurry to get back to, largely because the service was so slow and it’s out of my normal price range.

Décor and vibe of this place is amazing. Top service, and amazing drinks. I ordered the Mr. Mule, and could be one of the best Moscow mules I’ve had.
The food however i felt lacked in quality in comparison to the vibe and prices. I wasn’t blown away.
I ordered the pacu fish ribs, and although cooked well, there just wasn’t anything special about it.
Would definitely come again just for drinks though.

The atmosphere here is unbeatable! Beautifully decorated and lots of outdoor seating. I also absolutely love the view down to the wine cellar when you first walk in – it’s a complete guest pleaser. I treated my parents to dinner here when they visited Rochester for the first time, and they couldn’t stop looking down at all the wines.
The Revelry has daily specials, depending on the day of the week. I went on Thursday, and the special was steak + a choice of scotch or wine for $ 25. My dad tried this and was really happy with his choice. I had a really difficult time deciding what to order (look at their menu and you’ll understand why.)… I finally settled on the Butcher’s Cut Veal Chop, and it was heavenly — so tender and flavorful. I also got to try the roasted squab, buffalo style frogs legs, and carrot cake. In terms of cocktails, I tried the pineapple express and the east ender (the latter, yes!). Everything was excellent. Lots of places are hit or miss depending on what you order, but even though I didn’t get to try everything (yet :P), I feel reasonably confident that this place is all around strong!
There was a huge dent in my wallet when I left this place, but mmm, I can’t wait to come back.