Dogtown — Restaurant in City of Rochester

I'd long heard of the infamous Rochester delicacy, "the garbage plate", and always told myself Tahou's would be the first place I try it at whenever I finally made my way to the city, if for no reason other than they were the originators. But at the urging of several locals to hit up Dogtown instead, I obliged. The garbage plate is truly the perfect concoction for the drunkard, and I could see it being the ideal aid for the drunken stupor days of my early 20's. It's almost comical (I guess that was the intent of the name), and like a novelty dish- but it just hits the spot when you need it to. As for why I'm giving it "just" three stars amid this sea of 5-star reviews (which I'm left shaking my head at)... mine was served almost cold, and I bit into a piece of bone/cartilage in the burger (I opted for the split plate, so as to experience the best of both worlds). I also had the Golden Retriever, which was a fine dog, if forgettable. But the soup they served up (some kind of pumpkin and black bean chili type thing, iirc) was pretty atrocious if I'm honest. I totally appreciate this place and the food they serve up for what it is, but cannot allow myself to award it more than these three stars considering my experience (and the general nature of the dishes at hand). I will likely go again someday, but would also like to try Tahou's, just to have as a point of reference- it almost seems like a birthright for Garbage Plate fans, which I'm not entirely sure I...

The “Heid’s” of Rochester, sort of. Cute little building tucked in a cozy spot off of Monroe Avenue. Outdoor seating is ample parking is good. Zweigel’s hot dogs make up the foundation for some very unique creations. I was certainly impressed with the pairings of different food combinations that make up the cute names for their unique menu. They sounded absolutely delicious. The vegetarian options are fantastic, my girl is a vegetarian, so this makes a good place for omnivore and vegetarian couples. There are only two negatives I could say about Dogtown. One is if you’re a regular New Yorker don’t expect a “normal” hotdog. Rochester has a thing for being different and Zweigel hot dogs are giant, fat, not very tasty sausage size hot dogs. These aren’t Nathan’s or Hoffman’s. I probably would have grabbed a hotdog had they served a different brand more accustomed to the taste and size of the rest of New York. So Expect a different taste and texture of casing in your mouth to say the least. The next would be their meat sauce for their garbage plate. WAAAAAY too hot. If you’re trying a Rochester garbage plate for the first time SKIP this place. You’ll burn your face off and not taste the good food underneath. If you want a authentic plate save your visit for Steve T’s or...

Something Different & Delicious BUT... It was a beautiful day and Dogtown is always fun and they offer a nice outdoor eating area. Today the line extended out the door, mostly young adults in their 20s and a couple moms with small children. Most were wearing masks but virtually noone was social distancing. We placed our order and paid inside then found a table outside. We watched as each of the surrounding tables filled several times with new guests, but the tables were never once cleaned between users. When the waitress brought out our food, we asked if she could disinfect our table. She looked surprised! My friend quickly said "just too busy?" She replied "Way too busy! We pick up a table if it needs cleaning but most people clean up themselves before they leave." I looked around wondering why they didn't just leave a squirt bottle of disinfectant and toweling for customers to use but there was none to be found. Fortunately I had a small Lysol spray to disinfect our table and chairs. Did I mention that the food is incredible?? Perfectly cooked hot dogs with loads of sour kraut and mouth watering onion rings for me. My friend had a huge portabella mushroom sandwich with crispy fries. So yummy! We'll definitely be back but will remember to bring our own...