From Freshly-Made Food to Local Coffee: Here Are the Best Cafés in Rochester!
Rochester, New York houses a lot of unique cafés offering local coffee, fresh pastries, and carefully crafted meals. There are cafés catered to a specific culture—such as Italian and Jewish cafés—and ones that have a little bit of everything. If you’re looking for a nice cup of coffee, a tasty pastry, or a hot sandwich, here are some cafés you’ll definitely want to check out when you’re in Rochester!
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root 31
Root 31 is a café located in Pittsford Plaza. All the ingredients are fresh, and the café has a zero-waste policy, so trash is disposed of in an environmentally friendly way. The inside of the café is very chic and trendy. On the left side is the counter where you order your food, and on the right are various seating options. Cool-toned lamps light the space and colorful artwork lines the wall by the seating. The atmosphere is very casual.
The café offers breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a weekend brunch menu. Gluten-free options are available upon request. They even offer plant-based options, such as Beyond Meat products and falafel bowls. The menu mainly offers salads, sandwiches, wraps, pizza, and burritos. To drink, the café has smoothies, milkshakes, coffee, juice, and more. The brunch menu includes a wide variety of options, such as waffles, French toast, crepes, and sweet potato pancakes. This café has food that is both healthy and that tastes good!
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java’s
Java’s is a café that was established in Rochester in 1992 and serves locally roasted and ethically sourced coffee and tea. This café is in multiple locations across the city, such as one on Gibbs Street next to the Eastman School of Music, and one on the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) campus. The café also sells its own bagged coffee, hot chocolate, and chai on the website.
The interior of the café is very vintage, with rustic, wooden seating and walls covered in various artwork. A Java’s café is always bustling with people! It’s one of the liveliest places to grab a coffee in Rochester. The menu is extensive, with unusual concoctions such as the “Hot Cocaine” drink, a drink consisting of coffee and espresso.
Java’s also makes specialty drinks, including the “Shot in the Dark” drink which is a mix of espresso and hot chocolate with whipped cream and the “Chocolate Sitch” which is espresso, chocolate, and milk blended with ice. There are also many different tea drinks, such as the Twilight Lavender black tea, “Throat Tamer” tea, and Organic Jasmine green tea drinks. Java’s is the perfect café to go to if you’re looking for a wide variety of fun drinks to enjoy in an energetic atmosphere!
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new roots coffeehouse
New Roots Coffeehouse is an allergy-friendly café serving locally roasted coffee and fresh food. The café also houses the Aria School of Music & Art, which offers art classes, as well as music classes in piano, guitar, voice, drums, and more. The café was created with the vision of making a space where students could perform and relax. It was also designed to provide a safe space for people with food allergies to eat without worries.
The exterior of the café is a rustic house. Right when you walk in is the counter to order your food, and to the right is a set of wooden tables and chairs in a corner surrounded by windows. Across from the door is a short hallway leading to more seating at the back of the café.
The menu offers bakery items such as muffins, brownies, and cookies. There are also breakfast sandwiches, soups, salads, hot and cold paninis, ice cream, and snacks. Drinks include craft beers, local wine, tea, and coffee. The café offers a wide selection of flavor shots to customize your coffee, as well as dairy-free milk and add-ons such as whipped cream and marshmallows. All the food is served fresh and tastes delicious! If you’re looking for a cute café with a more toned-down atmosphere, New Roots is the perfect place for you!
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Founders café
Founders Café is a trendy café serving tea and coffee, located in downtown Rochester in The Academy Building. They use fresh ingredients and artisan-baked bread and offer a menu with organic, homemade food and fair-traded coffee and teas. They also have unique specials and an outdoor patio with seating to enjoy the weather on nice days.
The interior of the café is very upscale with unusual decor, such as a zebra-printed rug and a large painting of a historical figure on one wall. Multiple different seating options are offered, such as bar tables, benched seating, and seats along the wall. The outdoor seating has umbrellas for shade.
The menu has breakfast food such as breakfast sandwiches, avocado toast, and oatmeal. The lunch and dinner menu has salads, paninis, hot and cold sandwiches, wraps, and rice bowls. To drink, the café has a coffee menu with various drinks such as espresso, iced mocha, French press, and frozen lattes. Daily specials are also offered, such as new soup each day. This café has tasty, locally made food and drinks that everyone can enjoy!
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oriens café
Oriens Café is an Italian café serving fresh gelato, Italian pastries, coffee, and fresh food. The café offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner options, and caters to vegetarian needs. There are also some dairy-free gelato options, such as the dark chocolate, raspberry, and lemon flavors. In addition to this, the café makes specialty cakes such as Italian cheesecake, tiramisu, and gelato cakes.
The menu consists of salads, pasta, sandwiches, and a soup of the day. Most of the dishes are inspired by Italian culture. Notable items on the menu are the Italian caprese salad, the Chicken Italiano sandwich, and the lasagna. Pastries include flourless chocolate cake, Italian almond paste cookies, Italian rainbow cookies, and cannoli. All pastries are designed by an Italian pastry chef.
In addition to serving delicious Italian classics, the café also offers live entertainment on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, weather permitting. Most of the entertainment is a vocal performance by an Italian singer. If you want to experience a taste of Italy in a small city like Rochester, you should definitely go to Oriens Café!
conclusion
All these cafés offer locally made, hand-crafted food and drinks that you can enjoy but feel good about eating. These cafés have unique atmospheres ranging from incredibly busy to calm and peaceful. No matter what vibe you’re looking for and no matter what food or drink you’re craving, one of these cafés is guaranteed to have something for you!
