the owl house

so happy !!. i went to the owl house for the first time this afternoon on a friend's recommendation .. i was so happy i did. this used to be "the city grill" back in the day for those of you who remember it. i loved the entire experience, from the moment i walked in i was greeted by a friendly staff member, was seated right away then was takengreatcare of during the meal .. staff = a+!! on to the food .. i ordered the chicken salad sandwich and a plate of fries as a starter .. the chicken salad was inspired .. one of the best i have had in a while and the fries .. omg .. thick hand cut .. real hand cut … not manufactured to appear hand cut .. these were awesome. my friend had the nachos and loved them; she took what was left home! they have a full bar .. so will definitely be back for dinner, make a resi though, the place is charming and i heard fills up fast! as we left some members of the staff said good-bye .. bottom line .. the place is comfortable and casual, portions are great, ingredients are fresh and the staff was wonderful! will be back soon with other friends!

owl house has come a long way. i definitely had a few less than awesome experiences when they first opened, but they've really turned things around and now it's one of my go to restaurants. b.v.e. burger is one of my favorite standard menu items, and the buffalo cauliflower is agreatstarter with plenty to share. the food is consistently good-greatflavor and good portions. lots of interesting specials and always veg/vegan friendly options. it's also agreatplace to go when you're dining with a mixed group who wouldn't be thrilled with only veg/vegan fare. they also have a wonderful selection of beers, wines, liquors, and specialty mixed drinks.greatbrunch as well. the bar area is small, but it's agreatplace to dine and the bartenders are usually very engaging. in general, the staff are very accommodating and friendly. definitely worth checking out. again, if you had a bad experience in past years (as i definitely did) it's worth giving the place another try.

the bar was nice this is the plus and the reason for my rating, located inside what feels like someone's house. the low rating has to do with the fact that the food was one of those "go to have fun and hang out, not necessarily to have agreattasting meal" the food was overly processed, fried and oily and under flavored with too much salt added. because of this, i won't be going back unless it is for drinks. parking was a nightmare since the street has limited spots in the city and you may have to park far and walk. there are better restaurants in the city if you are looking for quality if the food.

quick info: opened in 2010, the owl house is located in rochester. it’s right around the corner from the bug jar, making it agreatstop for anyone going to catch a show. a lot of the menu caters to various dietary choices/restrictions (vegan, vegetarian, gluten free). they serve local beer and also try to source local ingredients whenever possible. the restaurant is open for lunch and dinner, tuesday through sunday (a special brunch menu is available during the weekend). reservations can be made online.

on the down slide. been going here for a while. the food is good but i have noticed that lately, the food hasn't been as good. it is still agreatplace for veg/vegan food but the food has gone fromgreatto mediocre. flavors aren't as good anymore and like others have said, portions in the dishes have also been on the decline. hit and miss sadly so my wife (vegan) and i usually just opt for another of roc's vegan friendly eats.

great place. wonderful food, and wonderful people. definitely a favorite of ours. the menu is different and exciting, and the beer is stellar.greatoptions for vegetarians and meat lovers alike. one of our favorites.

we went there for dinner this evening and it was nothing special. my husband and i eat out a few times a week and love to try new places that have good reviews but unfortunately this place fell short. the hostess upon arrival was not friendly at all. the food was average, nothing stood out as something that i thought wasgreat& would make me want to return. they will charge you for any condiment you ask for even if you never got it. extra charges for a side of mayo & ketchup. yes, it's homemade, big deal. coffee was cold when we received it. my husband & i will not return nor recommend.

awesome bartender, terrible service. i went to the owl house for the first time at the beginning of this week after reading a bunch ofgreatreviews on urbanspoon and hearing some good things about it as well. i went with my boyfriend and we decided to sit at the bar first and get some cocktails and appetizers. i had the blood orange basil margarita and her had the winston. both were delicious. the bartender was very nice and personable and chatted with us the entire time. we ordered some edamame and cigarillos. we wanted to order the jerky, but they were out of it. the edamame and cigarillos were still delicious.

we didn't make reservations so we asked if they could squeeze us in anywhere when we were done. the bartender was again very nice about it and got us a table. there are only about 4 tables and the tables are situated along a wall that serves as a bench for one side of the tables. it was nice when we sat down because there weren't many people there. however, when it filled in there were people on either side of us and it felt like we couldn't have a private conversation.

after having such agreatexperience at the bar, i was hoping to have the same with dinner. we knew which bottle of wine we wanted to order when we sat down so i ordered it right away. she put the order in for it and came back to take our food order. i got the last order of fish tacos and he got a steak. while we were waiting some people had sat down and also ordered some food and drinks. those people got their food before we even got our bottle of wine. i was a little agitated but still looking forward to the food. about fifteen minutes after those people got their food, we finally got our food and wine. my fish tacos were completely cold and his steak was luke warm at best. it ruined the entire experience after everything at the bar.

i'm definitely willing to give this place a chance again just because the bartender was sogreatand they do have really good food. i'm just hoping the next time i go the service when you sit down isn't so bad.

food > service. never been disappointed with a meal at the owl house - especially if diners are lactose-intolerant or adhere to vegan/vegetarian diets - the menu does agreatjob providing tons of dietary variety. the service can be hit or miss though, depending on the day, time, and staff. overall one of my favorites in rochester.

their rosemary and goat cheese french fries are the best fries i've ever had, hads down. they do agreatjob catering to different diets and unique tastes

good little place with a very thoughtful menu and options.greatweird drinks too.

unreliable. owl house can sometimes be good but sometimes not so good. i used to love the olek's buffalo sandwich with tempeh but last time i ordered it there was very little sauce and flavor. i just tried their brunch and although my vegan nachos were good, my friend's orders were either overcooked, badly seasoned, or cold. it seems like they are getting a little lazy or just don't know how to cook breakfast food correctly. come on owl house! i know you have the potential to makegreatfood but just try a little harder.
this restaurant is definitely inconsistent and unreliable.

great all around!. this place was amazing! we were in town and the staff was so pleasant! the server kate was quick, explained vegan options and gave me a separate vegan menu to "make it easier for me"

*i ordered the mozarella sticks and my sister had a watermelon, tomato and cheese salad (i forget the name). the mozarella sticks were the most amazing thing, and even my non-vegan sister loved them.

*for the main course i had saigon with tofu and homemade chips and she had the pork pull. again, both were great! all of the staff was friendly and fun

*i also liked how you could see right into the kitchen and i saw a chef wipe down the board before and after preparing every piece of a meal.

*the best restaurant i have been to in a very long time. i can honestly say i will drive the 3 hours just for date nights with my boyfriend!

*they had such agreatmenu all of the desserts i saw were vegan. had i not been so stuffed i would have tried those as well.

ps the only downfall is they do not tipout the kitchen staff, so we tipped them as well =)

cigarillos and baked nachos. after reading a couple of not so good reviews, i was hesitant to try, but after reading and hearing all thegreatreviews since it opened, i had to try it....and i am glad i did. the place was clean, the service was great, and the food was one of the best i have had in rochester. so very inventive and so tasty. can't wait to go back...

the owl house has a corner market in rochester when it comes to organic, gluten free, and vegan options. i find myself to be an extremely picky eater and i never have a problem finding something to order when i go there. my favorites include the cheese sticks, which are vegan. the diya cheese is so delicious, it's hard to believe it's vegan. i always order the black pepper and rosemary fries as well, although their ketchep isn't my favorite. my only complaint with this resturant lies with their condements, not very consistantly good. delicious beers available and their mixed drinks andgreattoo. i recommend making a reservation for dinner service.