the owl house

fantastic cocktails, delicious food, and an amazing staff. i'll be coming up with reasons to visit rochester more often!


-----02 oct, 2010-----

fantastic cocktails, delicious food, and one of the most efficient staffs i've ever encounter

great for family. when i found out my sister's daughter's family (3 little ones) was joining us for lunch at my first time at the owl house, i was a bit concerned. not to worry, very child friendly and adult friendly at the same time. wonderful choices for every appetite and food preference ranged from beef sandwich to tofu tacos to chicken salad to grilled cheese to blt. plus pony's of beer. we had a great time in the spacious upstairs room. going back soon (9/4)

love this place!. i love, love, love the owl house!

my favorite sammy is the saigon. great flavors, wonderful bread, fresh ingredients... the best! vegan chocolate mousse is absolutely amazing! it is made with avocado, but don't let that scare you out of trying it.

great beer selection with a cute little bar in front. the smoke monster is my favorite beverage of choice (especially with the cooler fall-like weather). they use chipotle seasonings and liquid smoke... it is perfect!

my few complaints is that the service is on the slow side, (so don't go in if you are in a hurry) and even though the food is wonderful, it has been a little inconsistent at times.

i give the owl house an a- for the food, b+ for the atmosphere, and a b- for the service.

my new favorite.. it doesn't matter if you're vegan (like me) or omnivorous, this place will satisfy. have now gone through all the vegan starters, and have enjoyed all of them. i suggest the cigarillos--buffalo but not sweat-inducingly hot.

the lentil burger is great, and is better with avocado (for another $1). any sandwich with the house-smoked tofu comes highly recommended from me and my foodie wife. the buffalo tempeh sandwich has been inconsistent--once outstanding, once too tomato-y and not buffalo-y.

the desserts are good, with shareable small portions. beer selection is vast and rotating. cocktails have been hit-or-miss, but the smoke monster is the spiciest (and best) bloody mary you'll get around roc.

even my meat-and-potatoes mother-in-law liked this place. trust me, that's saying a lot.

head and shoulders this is now the best place for veg food in town. and i'm sure the non-veg is just as good and fresh!

so fresh!. to be honest, my super-nice waiter wasn't the best waiter in the world. he was very forgetful, although very apologetic, and very helpful with the menu.
also, the food took a long time to come out.
and the place filled up with hipsters who spent a lot of time looking at their reflections in windows. this was after 9pm. hipsters give me hives.
that being said: i had the best. sandwich. ever. truly, that i have ever experienced. the ingredients on my vegan blt were fresh and the bread was glorious. and my three friends were all equally thrilled with their meals.
we also were fans of their drink menu. i, in particular, loved that they served genny cream ale (old skool, ya'll!!) and... the vegan chocolate mousse. soo delicious.
so go to the owl house. make sure you are not in a rush, or with someone who looks at their watch.