Date Spots in Rochester, NY

Dating in Rochester

Dating in Rochester can start simple: meet for coffee at Melo Coffee & Kitchen, Hydra Coffeehouse, Founders Café, Mercury Coffee Company, Equal Grounds Community Cafe, Bicycle Brothers Coffee, New City Cafe & Roastery, Kong Fu Tea, or RoCoCo Café. If you want a bite, the city’s dinner list runs from Bitter Honey, Dogtown, Dorado, Pizza Stop, Squatcho's, Pano Vino on the River, Sagra Italia, Seasons' Noodle, Native Restaurant, and Orange Glory Cafe. Cuisines cover coffee shop, sandwich, Mexican, pizza, Italian, American, Australian, deli, bubble tea, hot dog, and Chinese, so a first date can be as easy as a coffee shop or bubble tea stop, then a casual sandwich or pizza. Keep it warm and low-key.

For a second date, drinks spots include The Shamrock Inn Pub, Flora, Katboocha, Bar Bad Ending, Jeremiah's Tavern, The Boot Room Pub, Salinger's, Flour City Station, Richmond's, and Marshall Street Bar and Grill. Outdoors, choose from Durand Eastman Park, Genesee Valley Greenway State Park, Seneca Park, Irondequoit Bay Park West, Pont de Rennes, Washington Square Park, or Anthony Square. Culture dates can lean on Memorial Art Gallery, Susan B. Anthony House, Rochester Contemporary Art Center, George Eastman Museum, National Museum of Play at The Strong, or High Falls Museum. Entertainment options include The Cinema Theater, Kodak Center, Village Idiots Improv Comedy, Harro East Ballroom, RBTL West Herr Auditorium Theatre, or The Focus Theater. Mix a walk, a museum, and a drink to fill a Rochester afternoon.

Neighborhoods in Rochester

These areas are called out in the local notes for this city. They can help you keep a date to one part of town.

• High Falls High Falls Museum gives a culture anchor, with Pont de Rennes and drinks at The Shamrock Inn Pub or Bar Bad Ending for a walk-and-talk date.
• Washington Square Washington Square Park is an outdoor stop, and you can pair it with Rochester Contemporary Art Center or The Focus Theater for a culture-and-entertainment date.
• Norton Village Norton Village Recreation Center is an outdoor option, with Grand Ave Park and a casual bite at Dogtown or Pizza Stop.
• Genesee Valley Genesee Valley Park and Genesee Valley Greenway State Park make for a green outdoor date, then coffee at New City Cafe & Roastery or dinner at Seasons' Noodle.
• Irondequoit Bay Irondequoit Bay Park West and Seneca Park are outdoors picks, with dinner at Pano Vino on the River or Dorado afterward.