In this post we will be breaking down drinking at the best bars in Rochester. Whether you are looking for a tall glass of beer, a shot of vodka, to buy cheaper liquor during drink specials, or just to sing some karaoke hopefully we can assist.
Our first section will cover the best wine and cocktail bars in Rochester. Up next we will get into breweries and sports bars where you can watch the big game or maybe play some pool and throw some darts.
Contents
Then we will mention some of the best drink specials near you so you can hit up the right bars at the right times to do your drinking cheaper. After that we will discuss bars with trivia, quiz, and/or game nights in your area.
Lastly we will talk about bars for dancing, karaoke, and to listen to live music. Towards the end there will even be a local bar map that pins all of the spots from our various lists on it.
And if you want to compare the scene here to others around the region you can do so by clicking here.
Cocktail & Wine Bars
Some of the top cocktail and wine bars in Rochester are:
- The Daily Refresher at 293 Alexander St
- Roux at 688 Park Ave
- Marge’s Lakeside Inn at 4909 Culver Rd
- Ox And Stone at 282 Alexander St
- Skylark Lounge at 40 S Union St
- Solera Wine Bar at 647 South Ave
- Avvino Rochester at 2541 Monroe Ave
- Apogee Wine Bar at 151 Park Ave
The Daily Refresher provides one of the largest selections of spirits, 300 whiskeys, cocktails, wines, and beers in Rochester with daily drink specials from 4pm to 7pm.
Roux Casual specializes in French cuisine with a focus on natural wines, absinthes, and cocktails.
You can find a tiki bar, beautiful beach patio, jukebox, firepit, and much more at Marge’s Lakeside Inn where they also offer alcoholic drink specials and live music in your area along with other events.
Cocktails, spirits, wines, and a limited menu of food are available at Ox And Stone.
Skylark Lounge’s bar serves beer, drinks, and plenty of delicious food.
Solera was one of the cities first wine bars offering a constantly rotating selection of exciting wines by the glass as well as an extensive reserve bottle list in a warm and stylishly old world setting.
Since 2013 Avvino has been carefully curating a wine list with nearly 200 options as well as cocktails inspired by seasonal offerings.
You might want to try Apogee’s fine wines, sparkling wines, and great regional beers too.
Rochester Breweries & Sports Bars
Sample new suds and watch the big game with your friends at the best local breweries and sports bars:
- Rohrbach Brewing Co Beer Hall at 97 Railroad St
- Swiftwater Brewing Company at 378 Mt Hope Ave
- K2 Brothers Brewing at 1221 Empire Blvd
- Irondequoit Beer Company at 765 Titus Ave
- 809 Sports Bar & Lounge at 160 Lyell Ave
- Exchange Sports Bar at 251 Exchange Blvd
- Rookies at 716 E Ridge Rd
For more than 30 years Rohrbach Brewing has been producing classic, seasonal, and small batch beers near you.
Draft beers and beers to go are offered along with ciders, cocktails, and great food at Swiftwater Brewing which also features both indoor and outdoor seating and dining.
K2 Brothers Brewing opened in 2017 and has a bar with cocktails, ciders, wines, and great food.
There’s a private event space as well as a large party menu and beverage menus of beers, wines, cocktails, and more at Irondequoit Beer.
You can find 25 televisions showing all of your favorite NBA, NFL, NHL, and MLB games at the Exchange Sports Bar in your area.
Rookies Sports Bar and Grill in Rochester serves American dishes such as smoked wings, buffalo chicken pizza, Cajun chicken wraps, and cheeseburgers.
Local Drink Specials
Visit these bars with drink specials near you to buy cheaper alcohol and your wallet will thank you:
- Bitter Honey at 127 Railroad St #110
- Blu Wolf Bistroget at 657 Park Ave
- The Gate House at 274 N Goodman St
Bitter Honey offers good local drink specials from 4pm to 6pm including margaritas, palomas, and mixed drinks for only $6 as well as glasses of wines for only $8.
You can get a buy one get one free deal on 20 ounce drafts at Blu Wolf Bistro.
The Gate House provides $2 off beers, wines, and cocktail during their happy hours as well as half priced pizzas plus they host RBTL shows on Tuesday nights.
We have tried to mention any time a bar has liquor specials near you all throughout this post so don’t only focus on this section when searching for times to drink for cheaper.
Trivia, Quiz & Game Nights
Here is a good list of bars with trivia, quiz, and game nights in your area:
- Dragonfly Tavern at 725 Park Ave
- The Old Toad at 277 Alexander St
- Roc Brewing Co at 56 S Union St
Dragonfly Tavern hosts local bar trivia on Tuesday nights at 8pm and offers a wide selection of craft beers, wines, and spirits as well as a full menu of scratch made appetizers, chicken wings, pizza, salads, burgers, brunch, and more.
More bar trivia in your area goes down on Sunday and Monday nights at The Old Toad where they also offer a wide variety of real ales, imports, and British fare.
Freshly brewed beers, pints, flights, and 32oz growlers are available at Roc Brewing as well as made to order food and trivia nights.
Dance, Karaoke & Live Music
Anyone that wants to dance, listen to live music, and sing karaoke can head to:
- Vertex NightClub at 169 N Chestnut St
- One Nightclub at 1 Ryan Alley
- Roar at 621 Culver Rd
- Firehouse Saloon at 814 S Clinton Ave
Vertex is a fun bar and nightclub featuring great DJ’s, music, a large dance floor, spacious outdoor yards, and affordable alcoholic drinks.
Two spaces for live DJ’s and dancing as well as an open air heated deck, three top level bars, and other amenities are featured at One Nightclub.
Live bands, drag shows with kings and queens, country line dance and free lessons, liquor specials, after work socials, brunch and dinner shows, and huge party club nights are all featured at Roar.
You can relax and enjoy live music and karaoke at The Firehouse Saloon bar near you where they also have comedy nights, darts, pool, ping pong, sports on TV’s, and more entertainment.
You might also want to read our posts on:
Have Fun Drinking At The Best Bars In Rochester
After reading all of that you should have a much better understanding of what is available near you. There are plenty of local wine and cocktail bars, breweries to watch sports at, places with good drink specials to save money, trivia, quiz, and game nights, as well as bars to listen to live music, dance, and sing karaoke in your area.
If you think we got anything incorrect or notice us listing any venues that are no longer open please tell us in the comments so we can keep this info as up to date as possible. Now go have fun drinking at the best bars in Rochester.
