The Gatehouse

The Gate House is a restaurant that's always been on our "list." You know what list I'm talking about, the list of places that never fail...that are always good, so you go back time and again. It's located where near Salena's in the Village Gate, in the city, near the MAG (Memorial Art Gallery.) Keep reading to see if this experience lived up to it's history...

Atmosphere
The Gate House isn't a very large restaurant. You have about 10 tables and 10 booths. If you're planning on going on a Friday or Saturday after 6:30 or so and don't want to wait, I'd recommend a reservation. There's a bar when you walk in and there are TVs overhead, but it's not really a sports bar. Their shtick here is gourmet burgers & pizzas. I think the atmosphere fits it. I don't wear a tee shirt here, but a short sleeved shirt and jeans is fine. About one step up. It fits exactly where it means to be. There is an outdoor seating area during the warmer months.

Service
Our waitress this particular evening was really friendly. I think this is the only spotty aspect of the Gate House, but this time, she did well, so no complaints. We went kind of early for a weekend night (because we're old folks at heart) and didn't have a wait.

Food (and drink)

The Gate House does not have a full liquor license. They do have an assortment of beers, a decent selection on tap, as well as wine. One thing that I remember from previous visits is that soft drink refills are not free. Just be aware of that. (Unless of course they've changed their policy.) You can get Rohrbach's here. I think it's great to see them supporting local breweries.

All of their burgers and pizzas are named after something in Rochester, or to do with Rochester. So Geoff had the Golisano burger. Apple Smoked Bacon, Blue Cheese, & Pesto Mayo. He subbed the Blue Cheese for American...yawn... and on the side had their Rosemary Garlic fries. They do ask you how you like your burger cooked, something I always like at burger places, I hate it when they overcook everything! It came well cooked. As for the fries, he really liked them. Personally, I like the normal fries better. Good thing he got them!

I got the Liberty Pole pizza. It's got Smoked Mozzeralla, Prochuttio, Artichokes, & Olives. I asked for no olives. While I can tell you who Golisano is, I have no idea what the Liberty Pole is...I'm always impressed with myself when we come here and I can tell you what most of the references on the menu are! As for the pizza, this was delicious! I loved it. It's got a nice thin crust and the toppings just made it really light. Everything worked really well together.

We decided not to do dessert, we were stuffed!

Final Thoughts
The Gate House Cafe remains firmly planted as one of our top Rochester establishments. It's nothing fancy, but it's consistant good food. We've brought both sets of parents here, so it's a place you can feel comfortable bringing others. I highly recommend this restaurant!