The Loop

I love this place! I only gave it a 4 because it’s somewhat pricey and the brunch menu isn’t to die for. But my husband and I went there for dinner a few nights ago and it was AMAZING. I got the flank steak salad ($ 15) and he got some kind of chicken pesto pizza (which was actually only $ 5!!!). I ate my whole salad and some of his pizza and ate the rest of it for lunch the next day. The Pearfection cocktail was SO GOOD and I can’t wait to go back and try more of their specialty drinks! Great location, great service.

Very first time here, wonderful atmosphere, great Bartender, and the Steak & Cheese Sandwich and Garlic Fries were to die for, highly recommend this place.

Food was cold and was very disappointed. Cold steak is awful. We came over from The Half Barrel next door because there was a long wait, went to the Loop. Don’t do it. Wait for a table at The Half Barrel.

I have been here a few times in the last few months and I really enjoy the atmosphere, food, and service. The brunch menu is perfect, and the entrées are delicious. My one critique would be to work on the bloody mary mix. I had one on my last visit and it did not taste good at all. Everything else was spot on!

Amazing drinks. Had a dinner party here tonight and had a great time. Wildberry Cozmos and fish tacos. Another favorite is the chicken risotto. They have a live DJ on Fridays and Saturdays. Also a great happy hour with $ 1.00 off tap beer and $ 2.00 off appetizers.

One of my favorites in Rochester. Excellent food and service. The atmosphere is very clean and modern. A little dark. I love the grilled Caesar salad.

I have gone for brunch and lunch and both times were a great experience. The food is very food and fresh. The service is not bad. Definitely recommend going.

Great food, especially the ahi tuna salad, and cocktails. Good setting to meet up with friends.

Great ambience, great service, and great food. All around great experience.
Food — very good! We had beet salad, caesar salad, apple chicken walnut salad, and the Cosmo pizza. Everyone enjoyed their meal. My beat salad had a generous portion of beets covered in quinoua, lots of fresh greens, and tasty cinnamon pecans.
Service — excellent. we were waited on quickly, brought water and drinks right away, and had very attentive service throughout.
Environment was nice with flat screen TVs to catch the game and contemporary décor.

Mom and I stopped here for brunch/​lunch after a Mayo conference. We wanted brunch initially and there is a serious lack of spots who serve before noon!
This place is connected to City Café, and is trendy and cute. The bathrooms are located outside of the restaurant which is odd, but easy to get over. I’d have trouble bringing my boyfriend here as there is literally not a single seat in the place that doesn’t have a view of the televisions — great for football games! All the staff was dressing in Vikes gear which was cute too.
Mom and I both started with a bloody mary, and they were good! They were on special for $ 3, and that was good because they were very small. I find issue with a large glass filled completely with ice and then the drink is poured in; but make that a short glass filled with ice and the drink poured in? I get 4 sips. It was good, the homemade mix was very tomatoey with a nice kick from the horseradish.
For food, Mom got the Thai Chicken dish, and I got the Surly battered chicken strips with garlic fries (talk about opposite sides of the healthy spectrum!). Food came out quickly enough, and I really like the fact that their kitchen is completely open. Mom’s dish was beautiful. There was only a spoonful of quinoa though, and because it was dished up on the bottom, it was completely saturated by the peanut sauce. My chicken/​fries were served on a very long skinny plate, right on top of each other. I wish that they had been on a grown-​up plate so that I had room to move around, but nope. Also it seemed that the strips were not fried long enough, because the breading was gooey and thick around the meat. I ended up peeling the breading away (the part I was excited about!) and just eating some chicken.
Service was good, we had about 3 servers mulling around and touching everyone’s tables, the bar was a little slower than it should have been, but all in all we really enjoyed our experience here.

I’ve been here for several weekday lunches and one weekend dinner and it’s always pretty great. Everything is reasonably priced and the food is delicious. Service is attentive and especially great at getting food out quickly during a quick lunch!
The sandwich/​soup combo at lunch has never steered me wrong and the steak salad was great — love the potatoes.

I hit the Loop every time I am town because they pour the best gin and tonic! of coarse it doesn’t hurt that I get it made with Hendricks! I ought to try something different as far as my meal goes but I always seem to get the walleye sandwich with sweet potato fries. Its wonderful. My husband got the turkey avocado wrap and caesar salad. Both are of good size and we were definitely full. Its a great lunch place and has a cool vibe. The waitstaff are all great and seem happy to work there. Over all it seems to be a well run restaurant. We will definitely always make this a stop when we come through Rochester

For the week I’ve been in Rochester, we’ve been here 3 times. More to come later as I’m enjoying my Mark West Pinot Noir and Chicken Nachos right now ;) As an out of towner, one of the only places worth coming in my humble opinion. Just maybe not on a Saturday night…

This is a brunch review.
It seemed like this is the only place open in Rochester on a Saturday for brunch! (Do people not do brunch on Saturdays?! I do!)
Anyway, It was great. The atmosphere is trendy and comfortable. The menu was not too big but diverse enough. I had their crème brûlée French toast which was delicious. One thing I didn’t like was that they didn’t have turkey sausage or bacon. I don’t eat pork. I also tried the turkey egg croissant sandwich which I loved! So yummy. In fact everyone’s food looked delicious, and everyone was satisfied. Our server was attentive and super sweet. Coffee was good. I have no complaints other than please get turkey bacon :)
Oh and maybe add a smoked salmon option… Mmmmmm.
I’ll be back, thank you for a lovely experience.

The Loop is a nice addition to the downtown area. While it is a restaurant/​bar, it has a nice, comfortable feel without seeming shady or pub-​like. Later at night (when I’m soundly asleep), word is they clear some tables and a dance floor emerges!
The food is very consistent, for the most part. There have been a couple appetizers with an unnecessary «sauce». The best dishes are the variety of salads. Have tried many and each is refreshing and balanced. The other main entrees tried have been consistently tasty.
Have not tried any desserts here as usually quite full!

I’ve been here a few times and it’s always been great. One of the more happening and trendy places in Rochester. It gets pretty crowded at lunch with all of the Mayo Clinic employees, but I’ve never had to wait for a table.
Good and friendly service, reasonable prices.

I’ve been to the loop a few times now. Each time the food and service has been very good. I can personally recommend the smoked chicken nachos, buttermilk fried chicken sandwich, and their garlic fries! There are a ton of TVs if you want to watch the game. If you order a bloody mary it’s a little dull so you may want to add a little spice to it!

Stopped in for lunch. Had a cup of the soup of the day which was Tomato Basil. It was a creamy version of it and very tasty. Then the blackened chicken spinach quinoa feta salad. The mango dressing was excellent and all ingredients were fresh. I would order it again minus the blackened spices, it would be much better simply grilled with bit of salt and pepper. I couldn’t taste chicken, way too much blackened spices. 3 stars for that. If it was seasoned correctly would give them 4stars all day.
The décor in this place is great and it was packed for lunch but seats at the bar were open. Waited a bit until a bartender came over and then when she did she went first to a couple whom sat down after me and I know she saw them sit down and me already seated for several minutes. I was kinda pissed at that. Why are you helping them first? Clearly you saw them sit down AFTER me. Whatever.

Solid place for food and wine. (See my photo which shows most of their red selections).
I had the Jalapeño Hummus to start. Well, I actually had the Malbec to start which was great. On to the hummus… it was pretty good. It came with some cucumber, artichoke, and grape tomatoes cut up. I dipped all of those in the hummus rather than the pita that also came with this app. However, the pita looked so soft and it was warm so I tried a small piece with the hummus and ended up nearly eating every piece. If I wasn’t watching my bread intake that pita would have completely disappeared into my belly. Bottom line, if you like hummus with pita get this app.
For my entrée I ordered the Veggie Burger. There was a nice selection of other entrees in addition to about six varieties of burgers, but I really wanted a veggie burger. It was delicious and the bun was so soft. I got my burger with Pepper Jack cheese but they will put any cheese you like.
I was surprised by the menu when I first saw the choices because after reading several reviews on here, I was expecting a limited menu. However, I saw steak, pasta, burgers, a nice assortment of sides (I had the grilled asparagus) and several desserts. Did not seem limited to me at all unless comparing it to a diner menu (which just isn’t fair since this place is nowhere near similar to a diner).
All in all, I enjoyed this place. I am from Philly and spend a lot of time in NYC, so I can be a tough critic. The only slightly negative thing would be that they did not have cappuccino and I was dying for a cappuccino after dinner.
Oh, friendly servers/​bartenders (I sat at the bar by myself).

This restaurant would better be considered a lounge with full kitchen. Amazing cocktails and appetizers. The calamari was some of the best I’ve had, which is especially surprising to find in this area. The seating is mostly small, closely spaced cocktail tables and bar seating. There are a few booths set aside for larger parties. Lots and lots of TVs on every wall, if that’s what you’re looking for. A great place for a casual date or a night out with friends. Dinner and a drink for two, and a shared app ended up ~$ 70
Pros: Really reasonably priced super tasty entrees, good selection of tap beers, free parking right across the street, central downtown location, hip modern feel, very clean, quick turn over on our order even with most tables full. Staff was friendly and service was prompt. Ideal place to get a fun evening out started.
Cons: If what you are looking for is a quiet intimate dinner, this may not be the place. By lots and lots of TVs on every wall, I very much mean that. Every surface that can have a TV does, and there was music far above talking level while we were there (8:30pm). I would agree with the other reviews that the service is rather uninspired. For the treat that the restaurant provides for the area, the waiters probably need better compensation, because they do not seem excited about their jobs.
TL;DR: None of the cons are a deal breaker. If you are a local or passing through Rochester checking out this fun, hip nightspot is definitely worth your time. Drinks and snacks over dinner.