East / West Kitchen

I love egg rolls. I love the creativity these guys have with them as well. I’ve tried the cheeseburger roll and it was straight up delicious. I also had the cheesecake roll and it was amazingly creamy and full of flavor. The raspberry topping they had for it was so good I ate what was left in the small container it came in too. Definitely come here if you want to just try something different and new and I really hope the owner continues to come up with new and clever combinations. My only complaint was that it seemed to take quite awhile to make them but that wasn’t so much a big deal since I wasn’t in a rush.

Went in here for a quick bite before a show across the street. I must say, my buddy and I were pretty disappointed. The «staff» consisted of two goobers who were hiding in the kitchen, who told us tersely to «look at the menu». The man who served us looked like a bonafide back-​up drummer for Alice in Chains. The dude was definitely high. I asked for a house special egg roll, and was informed they were out of this particular dish. Instead, the lovely gentleman recommended the «cheeseburger» egg-​roll. Sometimes in life, we just do things. Maybe Freud know why. I don’t know why I did, but I obliged him his suggestion and ordered this dish. This turned out to be one of the bigger mistakes I’ve made in a long time. The «egg-​rolls» were hamburger helper– filled monstrosities, in no way enhanced by the side of industrial pickle slices and ketchup given me. A part of me died after what was to be my first, and last, bite of this disaster of a dish.
The bahn mi sandwich was average, as they were once again «out» of something, this time being the house special crispy pork which they generally used for this dish. I was pretty disappointed by the portion size, and the relatively boring flavors of this sandwich.
Eating here felt like being trapped in the song «Everyday is like Sunday» by Morrissey. Once in a blue moon, someone pulls off fusion. East West Café is doing no such thing. It is plotting no wiser a course than did Captain Smith of the RMS Titanic. This place just sucks.

I LOVE this place. Where else in Rochester can you get non greasy food on a menu where everything is less than $ 10? I love the Vietnamese-​Russian concept, the menu is very creative and everything is always fresh. The egg rolls are best, perfectly crispy and never greasy. The rare beef phở is also a favorite of mine. I will admit some items seem a bit plain but they have plenty of sauces for dipping, just ask. I personally put the sauce that comes with the dumplings, on my phở. The east/​west decorations are cute and staff is always polite. This is by far one of the best cheap eats place in ROC.

Food
Depending on what you get, it can vary from okay to good. Let’s start with what was good-​definitely the buffalo chicken eggroll and baba ghanoush were excellent starters. Next on the menu was my entrée. I ordered the phở and I was slightly disappointed. It was on the plain side.
Drinks
They offer wine, beer and cocktails. I had a sake mojito and it was enjoyable.
Service
Good, considering my table was the only there for a majority of the time.
Conclusion
This place has potential, but I would not recommend coming here just for the Vietnamese food.

My bf and I were wandering around Rochester after a concert at the armory looking for something to eat. We stopped at this place and ordered the chicken and rice. Very friendly service and the food was soooo good. The staff also recommended that we attend the lilac festival the next day, and we did and it was awesome.
I would come back here for sure!

I don’t usually do this, but I have to call into question the other reviews posted here: this place is simply not that good. On the basis of their food, I would give them two stars (will get to this), but because– as of this time– it appears that at least a few of the other reviews may be fake, I am lowering what would have been a two-​star review to a one-​star review. (The reason I think some of the votes may be fake: i) high % of people with 1 – 3 reviews; ii) high % of people from out of town with 1 – 3 reviews)
I’ll review the food, service, and ambiance separately.
Food:
–I ordered dumplings (not fried) — they were OK (nothing special). Doughy little dumplings filled with meat that came with a dipping sauce that tasted like soy sauce. I honestly can’t tell you if these are made fresh in-​house or if they are brought in bulk from a wholesaler/​retailer.
–Banh mi– I had high hopes for this, but sadly it was extremely bland, bordering on flavorless. I mostly tasted bread and cucumbers, not meat, cilantro, jalapeño, pickled carrots, daikon, etc.
–Side salad– was OK. Sliced cucumbers, tomatoes, etc., drowned in a slightly sweet, slightly spicy dressing.
Service:
–Our waitress was extremely friendly and attentive. She was great.
Ambiance
–Small storefront on East Ave. Signage is not clear. We walked past the restaurant two or three times without realizing it.
–When we arrived for dinner, the front door was locked (even though the restaurant was open).
–No one was inside for dinner service, except a few people at the bar (this was on a Friday evening)
–Décor is minimal… I usually don’t care about this, especially if the food, service and value are good.
Prices
–Prices would be reasonable if I had a more favorable impression of the food.
Verdict:
–Interesting concept– mixture of many different cuisines. But I think the execution falls flat… Vietnamese, Russian and Middle Eastern cuisines are all verrry different from each other and require very different skill sets with regard to cooking technique, preparation, ingredients, etc.

The food is amazing the staff is so friendly the phở is the best in rochester the eggrolls are all to die for and the coolest part is that they make drinks out of sake they also have 27 differnt types of beer the atmosphere is so relaxing and fun I cant wait to go back I love this place 5 stars all day also the manager is so helpful and so accommodating cant wait to go back

Had the most AMAZING food. Cheeseburgers eggs rolls are delicious and the Beef Rice Plate was awesome. A must for local Rochester diners!

SURPRISING, DELICIOUS EGG ROLLS!
Went to East/​West Kitchen for the first time. The Buffalo chicken wing egg rolls were very creative, fun and tasty!
The service was very attentive and friendly!
Very cool vibe and menu.

Enjoyed the phở! Nothing is better than phở on a cold day! Great atmosphere and staff! I plan on coming back for more Phở and to explore the rest of their menu!

We’ve eaten at East West Kitchen twice, and been pleased both times. Best phở in Rochester and possibly best baba ganoush too. VERY friendly to gluten-​free diets, even if the marinated meats and dumplings were only safe for some members of our group. Prices as good as the Asian beer selections. Go, so this place thrives as it should!

You can’t go wrong with any of the chicken based dishes here. I’ve had the chicken banh mi, chicken and rice dish, and the East West Salad with chicken. All are delicious and the Vietnamese coffee has become my favorite pick me up.

**Warning** Fusion. It’s a cornucopia of clusterf*

Everything we tried was excellent! We had the cheeseburger egg rolls, fried pork spring rolls and fried dumplings. They all had unique sauces and flavors. For dinner, we had a couple different Bahn Mi and the rice with veggies. There are choices of sides including slaw and potato salad which are both very refreshing. I just wish that we knew there were only 2 egg rolls and 2 spring rolls so we could have ordered more at the beginning. They were out of a few things and I’m hoping that they were so popular during the week that they ran out now! The server and all the people that worked there seemed very nice. I hope that they are successful!