Genesee Brewhouse

We were visiting relatives and they love this place. The history is fascinating and the views of the falls was terrific. The staff was another story. When we went to the hostess station, they asked if we wanted inside or outside seating. We told them inside and they told us it would be 30 to 40. We said 30 to 40 what? They replied wait for outside seating. We then repeated we wanted inside seating and we’re seated right away. The flights of beer are a fun way to sample 4 beers. Our server was attentive and pretty good. My husband ordered a Cuban and asked for the pickles on the side. She came back and told him that the chef wouldn’t do that and my husband could do it himself. She offered to change his order, but he still got the cuban. I ordered the Rachel and it was excellent. It was like a turkey rueben. The sandwich never got soggy and the flavor was nice. The cuban was disappointing for my husband. The pork was too thick and tough. Someone else in our party had the bratwurst and enjoyed it. My big complaint was when they served the food, they reached in front of people. One of the people at our table was blind and we told the server. However, someone else delivered the food and it could have been a disaster since an arm with a plate of food went in front of him. This same thing happened when they were bussing the table. As I was finishing my meal, there was an arm across my face reaching for a glass. I don’t care if they take things away or serve from the side, but it was quite annoying to have arms in front of me. The place is a neat place to visit with history and good beer. But if I lived there, it wouldn’t be my place to take guests.

Oh man, what a fun place! We stopped here last month on the way to Niagara Falls and I’m so glad we came here. There’s a tasting area on the first floor that sells $ 2 flights of 4 beers (limit one per person) and all the money goes to charity. There were 10 beers on the list and my fiancée and I got 1 flight each so we could try a bunch and the bartender gave us the other 2 for free, which was awesome. The beer was really good and they’re doing a lot more craft beer now, which is great. We also had lunch on the second floor and we loved our food (shepherd’s pie and a rueben). The brewery has lots of parking and it’s right near a nice waterfall, so it’s a great place to visit overall!

Seriously a hidden gem in Rochester. I would highly recommend taking a visitor or date. Great view! Great outdoors. Reasonably priced! One of our new favorite spots!

I’m a hair-​brain kind of gal and I need more options for me to figure out what’s on my taste buds mind when going out to eat! lol you guys need to add a few more things for me to really feel like I’m making a wise choice on which platter in picking from. The beer is O. K … 3 out of 5 for me at least. I really like the first floor museum like shop though and their neat merchandise you can peep at while waiting for you buzzer to go off. Heard someone recently got mugged in the parking lot though with is a slight turn off since it’s located in a not so happy dappy community. Just make sure you know how to kick someone in the balls if you want to go to dinner here

Great place with beautiful waterfall view. One of the best pretzels I’ve had in the states. Don’t order the ahi tuna salad. Friendly staff and especially my blonde server. I’m sad I forgot her name wanted to give her a shout out.

My girlfriend and myself went for lunch and we ordered nachos with BBQ pulled pork as a starter. They arrived 3 – 4 minutes after placing the order and it looked like someone puked on some tortilla chips. They arrived lukewarm and didn’t even match the menu description. No evidence of any shredded cheese, BBQ sauce on the pork, corn or beans. Just a plate of tortillas chips drowned in cheese sauce… disgusting and unappetising. If you can’t get nachos right, no point in trying anything else.
For beers, we had one of the pilot batch IPAs… was delicious!

Outstanding! Nice mini-​museum on first floor, along with gift shop and tasting room; a flight of four pours was $ 3! Restaurant and bar on the second floor. Outdoor seating was available on second and third floors. Don’t miss the views of the river! The setting is a lovely one, with a pedestrian bridge with many benches. The beers are crisp and delicious. I’m not as much of a beer fan as my husband and I thought every beer we tried was very well done. The food was much better than standard pub fare. A chicken curry cranberry chowder was excellent, and the buffalo chicken pierogies were fantastic! Beers were plentiful and staff was pleasant. Wish we lived closer-I’d be a regular. Highly recommend!

We did the beer flight tasting for $ 2 — the money goes to charity, which is awesome.
To be honest, we were disappointed in the flavor of every beer in the flight, we didn’t finish the samples. But like all things, it’s just a matter of taste. The people around us all seemed to like theirs.
But the people who work there were great — friendly and informative. And ambiance was great — beautiful building and view of High Falls. I will definitely return to check out the food and show off the view to out-​of-​town guests.

This was a neat place to visit. I’d give it 3 stars for the food and 5 stars for the beer, so 4 stars overall. In the past, I’d never been very impressed with Genny Light so I was unsure of what to expect here. We got a beer flight and I have to say I am pretty impressed now! We got a cream ale (solid), scotch ale (ok), honey brown lager (yum), and the double chocolate vanilla porter (triple yum!) The beer flight is a great value; I like being able to try a little bit of many different types of beer.
For lunch I had the pulled pork tacos. I liked the coleslaw and Baja sauce on them but the pulled pork itself could have had more flavor. My husband had the ahi tuna salad and while the ahi was well cooked there was too much peanut dressing on the salad so the flavor was a bit one-​note.
We sat inside since it was colder out, but on a warm day it must be so nice to sit outside and enjoy the view of High Falls.

Go here, first and foremost for the beer, then the view, and finally… For the food. There are several beers on tap, and they rotate. Many are experimental brews that are not bottled, and available only at the brewery. The blonde ale, the lager, and the rich porter were all surprisingly delicious. They have all their old standards too, plus some guest beers. There is ample parking, and lots of space inside. On a warm day the roof top offers spectacular views of the high Falls, and a pleasant place to drink your beer and enjoy the scenery. The food is typical tavern fair, and it is done pretty well. But the real attraction is the beer. There is also a nice little museum with a history of breweries in Rochester, and it is a great local spot to take out-​of-​town guests.

First stop on our self made Rochester brew tour.
Walked in to merchandise overload and a bit of beer history. Enjoyed the informational displays and the photo booth, however, we never did get our picture emailed to us!
Through the gift shop and displays, lies a cute little tasting room in the back. Enter through doors and to the left is a bar area and to the right, a few tables and chairs. Past that you can see the brewing area for small batch/​experimental beers. Loved the design and overall feel of the tasting room.
My fight included the cream ale, winter warmer, bock, and salted caramel chocolate porter. I enjoyed all of them and
tried the Scottish ale from my husband’s flight too. Quality beers and good atmosphere. Apparently a portion of your flight purchase goes towards a list of charities, which they have listed on the wall. So you can drink beer and do good for the community!
FYI — there’s a restaurant upstairs that we only walked through but would be worth checking out.

The pretzels will bring you back, and back again. The bartender John has one if the best personalities I’ve come across on the other side of a bar. I’ve really grown fond of Genesee beverages after frequenting the Brewhouse. I haven’t had any bad food yet, average bar food… except those pretzels! I hear they are revamping the menu spring 2016.

Was in town for work, and a friend and I decided to visit this historic place. After spending some time on the lower level learning about beer and the breeding process and the history of Genesee beer, we had a nice little tasting of four different beers.
Once we completed our tour of the downstairs, we headed upstairs for a pleasant dinner.
She had the seared tuna which she enjoyed and I was intrigued by the shepards pie. Really interesting. Chunks of beef as opposed to the ground beef I’m used to, and not as many veggies as I would have liked… But hey. Everyone’s allowed to have their own version!
The fried pickles won over my heart though. And if my travels ever find me back in Rochester, I would definitely return.

It was an ok place to hang out, not sure if I would go back again. We got the buffalo pierogies as an appetizer, those were VERY good! The menu in general covered the basics. We got the turkey sandwich — nothing to write home about. It came with chips (I’m pretty sure they were Cape Cod chips from a bag) and a pickle. The flight of beer was reasonably priced. We tried a few based on the suggestions of the waitress. Overall it was ok… not great not bad.

If you love food — history — atmosphere and most of all great beer then this place is a must! It truly has the Rochester spirit —- GOD loves you and AMERICA so go drink some beer here !!! Don’t forget the pretzels they are really the best — fluffy hot not to salty but salty just right and the cheeze sauce subtle spicy japeleno is perfect in cold weather — mmm

I have been to the Brewhouse several times since my last review and have been won over. $ 2 flights down stairs? That is a cheap pre-​game before heading upstairs to eat! Beer prices are good upstairs, too. While I am not totally won over on the food still, I have found the beef on weck is pretty good.
Just a word of warning, the last few times I have been here it has been swamped so you might have to anticipate a wait.

I’ll be agreeing with some of my favorite UnilocalERS here. The food is non deciding factor, I wouldn’t throw you out of bed for buying it, nor would I swoon.
Nachos decent, wings decent, pretzel sticks are really good with the mustard for dipping.
Beer selection good, service good, atmosphere good.

So this place to have a drink is good but the food is way too expensive! 1 ex is $ 13 for a meatball sub!!! The burgers were burnt on the outside. I ordered the Italian sausage for $ 7. It was a zwiegles brand and it was no longer or bigger than my middle finger totally disappointed and will never again step foot here again. so I never get asked if I want a refill. Also we can’t get separate checks are you serious! Well that was a complete waste of 1 and a half hours I will never get back.

Not sure how many good spots there are to go in Rochester if you’re just visiting like I was, but I loved it here! We didn’t stay for a super time, but we did get a $ 2 (!!!) tasting, buy a Genny Light shirt (because, college) and read a lot of cool placards about brewing and the history of Gennessee. The back tasting area is also cool because the brewing things are labeled for the tour. I came here before and really enjoyed it.
My boyfriend didn’t believe that Gennessee was anything more than Genny Light so we came here and he was pleasantly surprised. They had a salted caramel chocolate beer which was tasty if you’re into chocolate beers (also they sold the chocolates, which were even better.)
I mean, you can’t beat a $ 2 flight.

The food at the Brew House was delicious. We had chili nachos, burgers and sandwiches. The bacon burger has ½ inch thick bacon on it, a delectable surprise for us. The beer flight is the way to go, especially the salted caramel chocolate porter. It may be more economical to get a $ 2 flight downstairs before eating upstairs and picking your favorite beer.
The gift shop has a ton of historical facts and cute options for presents and memorabilia. We did a brewery tour, not the best one we’ve been on due to the lack of movement. After getting a synopsis of the ingredients of beer and a small amount of history, you’re taken in to a smaller scale brew room with smaller equipment. This location is not as intriguing as it would be visiting the actual facility used to create mass quantities of beer. If you’re interested in the history of Genny, you’ll be enlightened more by the exhibits near the gift shop and engaging in the trivia game. We played a few times in an attempt to get a 100 and picked up many fun facts!

The food was very good. I had a meatball sub with potato chips that they make on the premises. My only complaint was they don’t serve french fries.
My wife had meatloaf. She told me it was a 10.
We went for lunch and there were mostly business people there.
They have a gift shop as you walk in.
The restaurant is on the second floor.
We definitely will be back.

I came here for happy hour with my coworkers after work on a Friday night and had a great time! I loved the variety of beers that were on tap, especially their special salted caramel chocolate porter. I also love the view of the falls and the way the upstairs is decorated. We had some nachos and wings which were delicious. My only qualm was that there isn’t a lot of space for a big group at the bar, and they won’t seat anyone who isn’t eating. It would be nice to have more room for bigger groups who are just drinking.

Big big fan of this spot. Come for the tours, stay for the $ 2 flight at the tasting bar.
Irwin took care of us proper, answering all our questions and making pleasant conversation. He exemplified Genessee’s appeal, and his suggestions led us to grab some four-​packs at the gift store.
For the full Genessee experience, drive to Brown’s Race on the west shore and walk the pedestrian bridge to the brewery.

Hmmmmm I came here for a lunch with coworkers, I want to start by saying the beer was great! But the food was really just bar food and not that great. Also it was a very strange ordering system. We had to order at the bar and then find seats and constantly come back upstairs to check on your food? Made no sense and also it was so crowded! Just not a big fan of this place

This is a great place to bring out of town visitors! Rochester’s historic Genesee brewery and view of our unique High Falls! They have a great store with all kinds of products and history of brewing in the flour city, seasonal beers on tap, beer flights on the menu, brewery tours and tastings, (with proceeds going to local charities) plus the view of the falls and solid gastro-​pub style bar food — great all around.
I’ve been here twice now, both times with large groups. First time was for lunch with a group of 6 in Dec 2014 — had a beer flight and mac and cheese and was very pleased with the variety.
Second time was earlier this week, also for lunch with a group of 23 — this time I had the tasty salmon burger with house made chips and a glass of their new salted-​caramel-​chocolate porter. Uhhhh YUMMM!!! We also had their nachos, 3 kinds of wings and pretzel sticks as appetizers — all respectable as finger foods to eat with your beer.
Take note: you can get a great view of the falls from the balcony on the second floor and the rooftop deck — and since they don’t take reservations and have been full every time I’ve been there, those spots are also nice places to wait for your table… with a draft beer of course!

I really enjoy visiting Genesee Brewhouse. The food isn’t anything special, but here, it’s all about the location and the ambiance. It’s super fun and relaxing to spend time sitting on the rooftop patio, gazing at the falls, drinking a Genny and feeling like a true Rochesterian. If you do eat here, the pretzels are tasty.
Also nice that they have plenty of parking. Tons of cool stuff in the gift shop, too! My fave is a slap coozie, like those slap bracelets we used to wear as kids. Also, if you visit the gift shop, be sure to stop by the free photo booth! You must acknowledge that you’re visiting a tourist attraction here, not just a bar/​restaurant. If you can come to grips with that, then you can enjoy your experience with your expectations at just the right level.

Popped in here on a Monday night a little before 6pm with a couple of colleagues for dinner and faced a 45 minute wait. We signed in and promptly went back downstairs to the tasting room to try a $ 2 flight of four beers of our choosing.
The tasting room is in the back through the museum near some giant vats of yummy beer. The folks working the bar were very friendly and helpful in terms of selecting the beers to taste. I don’t know how often we would pick up a new glass to taste and ask them «now what was this one again»? Perhaps they should find a way to mark the glasses or the wooden holding trays with at least the initials of the beer to help in this regard.
Our wait time passed quickly and soon we were seated. Our server was not attentive and frequently missing for long periods of time. We joked with the server working the next table over that we wished she was taking care of us.
While service in the restaurant was iffy for us, the food was not. I picked their signature brew house burger with a side of baked beans. The burger was quite messy to eat but very tasty as were the beans. I loved it! A colleague ordered their sausage platter and was a little disappointed with them but he used to live in Germany and has high sausage standards. And of course we paired our favorite beer from downstairs with our meal.
I’d visit again if in the area but reserve a table in advance as it is a quite popular spot.

What a great experience! Unfortunately when we arrived for lunch all the outdoor seating had been filled but we still had a wonderful time. I didn’t think this place would be so busy on a weekday for lunch but it got pretty crowded.
On the 1^st floor there is a gift shop and entrance to the brewery. The restaurant is on the 2^nd floor. The outside seating offers beautiful views of High Falls. We both had Genesee on tap which is a nice refreshing beer. I never realized how much better beers from the tap are until coming here. We both ordered wings and shared the fried pickles appetizer. You get 1lb of wings for $ 9. The service was attentive and speedy. The only thing I didn’t like was I noticed that when the food was brought out it was piping hot. Like burn your mouth hot… I could even see the other patrons plates smoking for several minutes. I’m aware that this is a personal preference. My boyfriend said he hates it when places bring out cold food which I understand ;however, I also don’t want to burn my mouth on my food.
Nonetheless we had a great time and definitely plan on making a return trip for the beautiful view and to tour the brewery.

We came here a few months back…
1) The View is stunning
2) You can bring out of towners and sit outside and the roof and etc
3) You can buy stuff
4) the BEER TASTING/​FLIGHT IS $ 2.00 NO JOKE!!!
I’ve not eaten here but the place is cool. You can buy your beer here and get gift certificates and etc
If all you want is the generous beer flight go for it, I recommend it. I’ll bring outta town friends. Will I be back for the food… Not sure but the beer flight fee is frigging awesome. The view, the view!

The Good: The place is cool; lots of memorabilia you can purchase, glasses, shirts, etc.
The Bad: i ordered the Ahi Tuna (my mistake for ordering this from a beer place) and it was the worst I had. It was bland to fishy in taste. They said you get wasabi with it but it too was a bland crème sauce instead. Also ordered nachos and they came with canned peppers.
The Rest: Cool place with bad food and bad beed. I tried the black IPA and it was awful. Go for the nostalgia; skip the food (or at least the tuna); and gave a Genney or two.
Tip: If you go in the back room on the first floor you can get a slate of several beers for $ 2 to benefit charity.

Come, come children, gather around, and I will share my tips for the Genesee Brewhouse.
1) Come for the beer, and skip the food.
Seriously, the food here is mediocre at best. The burgers are bland, and the philly cheese steak looks like it’s covered with cheese whiz or similar. Definitely not worth it unless you’ve already downed ten cans of genny cream ale and would forget what you ate by the morning.
2) If you insist on coming for the food, at least come for the view too.
They have lovely rooftop seating that gives you a perfect view of High Falls. Yes, the falls can look a bit green depending on when you visit. But it’s still pretty.
3) If you sit on the roof, do NOT order a flight of beer there.
Fancy trying everything Genny? Well try it downstairs at the bar instead. The SAME flight costs $ 7 upstairs, but only $ 2 downstairs.
4) In the mood for a tour?
Do not wear sandals or any sort of open-​toe shoe. You will not be allowed on the tour!

I love the historical significance of the Genesee Brewery. How can you not appreciate Rochester’s beer?
There’s a ton of cool exhibits to look at and neat things to buy on the first level.
The great view of the falls upstairs is also a Rochester gem.
I didn’t get a chance to eat at the restaurant, but I enjoyed the tastings downstairs and I really appreciate that the profits go to charity.

Since writing my first review, nothing has changed. I’ve been to the Brewhouse probably ten more times since my last review and every time it was spot on. The bartenders are on point, the waitresses are prompt, the menu is still not overbearing and they have specials now, too. The atmosphere is awesome and it has ALWAYS been clean and inviting. The shop downstairs always has some awesome new inventory.
I absolutely love the Brewhouse and if somebody suggests going, I am always ready and more than willing to accompany them. I’ve never had a disappointing meal, beer, pretzel sticks, or experience, and I’ve been here a ton.
Love the Brewhouse! Don’t skip it!