Tapas 177 — Restaurant in City of Rochester

Here's what happened. I was working in Rochester and it was dinnertime. So I did my usual Yelp thing and found Tapas 177. I came, I ate and I fell in love. I vowed to return to take more pictures, videos and really put on for this place! Here's why I loved it so much!

Atmosphere/Appearance: Right downtown Rochester is this gem. No private parking so good luck finding a place to park. Luckily, I was staying downtown so I could just walk. Lol. There are 2 levels and the upstairs is really... dark. It's intimate, but lively. It's not the kind of romantic setting you're thinking of. It's more of a.. let's keep the lights low to keep this place a secret, but turn up all at the same time. Yeah, that makes sense. Lol. Downstairs let in a bit more light and felt a little more tavern-y. Regardless, I enjoyed hanging out in both places.

Service: The bartender Mike took care of me both times and I appreciated him so much. He took excellent care of me and made some great recommendations.

Food/Drinks: Mojito, it was quite sweet and I would've ordered another shot to pour into it to dilute it a bit.

Caribbean Beef Empanaditas: These are described as having a ground beef peppadew filling, spicy chipotle cream then served with an onion chestnut chutney. These were fantastic. The chipotle cream was definitely the star of the show. I just couldn't get enough of it.

Prosciutto Wrapped Artichokes: These are described as being served with a gorgonzola sage cream on a toasted ciabatta slice. When I first read the menu I thought I saw "asparagus" instead of artichokes, but no matter... these were also delicious. The damn cream was OFF THE CHAIN. Super buttery, just a flavor BOMB. I'd take that sauce home and just put it on EVERYTHING.

Arancini: Mike said I had to have it... so here goes. It's described as being stuffed with arborio, spinach, mozzarella, then drizzled with marinara, basil, parmesan cheese, and battered with panko crumbs then there's some asiago in these somewhere. That's 3 cheeses and this thing was literally the size of a baseball. Cut it in half and you see all the magic. Also delicious, but crazy filling.

Portobello Cream Cheese Wontons: These are described as fried wonton purses filled with sautéed mushrooms & cream cheese. These were very good and very well balanced. Not too mushroom-y, not too cheesy, just the perfect blend.

Grilled Rack of Lamb Chops: These are served with organic quinoa tabbouleh, tzatziki sauce, Kalamata, roasted peppers and feta cheese. The tabbouleh was served cold and tasted fresh, grainy and felt healthy. The lamb chops were cooked perfectly. Super juicy and succulent. Easily my favorite thing I've had at Tapas 177. They hardly needed any seasoning at all. I could've stopped here... but did I? Of course not...

Spicy Jamaican Chicken Curry: This is braised chicken, onion, hot peppers, coconut, jasmine rice and fried plantains. The rice was warm, moderately sweet, a bit spicy due to the sauce, but it was delicious. The chicken was succulent, tender, hearty, a little salty and the curry shone brightly.

Value: It really varies. They call this place Tapas, but they aren't small portions at all. They can easily be meals all by themselves. So bring your wallet, but this place won't break your bank at all.

What other restaurant can execute such a wide range at such a high level? Tapas 177 was amazing and deserves the recognition and fame. I loved it here and I hope you can make it here to fall...

Sad to give 1 star.. But I'm an honest person.... So my body hates goat cheese.. Not one place does their menu say goat cheese is in any of the dishes.. Well ended up ordering 2 dishes that had cheeses which had goat cheeses in them. i ended up getting violently ill for over 48 hours. Had a crazy rash as well..

The way the business handled my concern was basically blaming me for everything. And basically the owner talked down to me in a condescending attitude trying to tell me that I should know that these cheese were made out of the goat milk instead of Cow Dairy. I didn't appreciate an abrasive attitude especially when I almost was going to the ER due to dehydration.

I ended up missing two days of work due to no mention of goat cheese on their menu I've spoken to other business owners who own restaurants and being an amateur food blogger I do know plenty of restaurant owners. And they agreed with me that that should have been on the menu as labeled as goat cheese due to the fact that people actually don't like goat cheese flavoring or if they are allergic to Cow Dairy that it would be easier for them to digest the dish with the goat cheese. The menu is actually inconsistent on allergy listings.

And from personal experience I've always seen menus labeled with goat cheese or if it was just a dairy cow cheese it was just listed as cheese..

My coworkers ordered a fresh spring roll and she was not impressed with the quality of the spring roll she got she did send me a photo which I have attached as well. My other coworker ordered fried brussel sprouts which she said were good.

I felt the dishes that I did order were very tasty a good flavor blend but the attitude of one of the owners who answered the phone and he didn't know off the top of his head if what they were serving had goat cheese in it it took him over 45 minutes to call me back to go over what cheeses they used in the dishes.. So 1...

One of the few restaurants in downtown Rochester that opens until late even on weeknights (10:45pm last kitchen order, dining room closes at midnight, bar closes at 2:00am), Tapas 177 is definitely a must for Spanish (not Mexican) tapas (small plates). Upon entering from street level is the main bar area. Walk down the stairway (stairs are steep so watch your step) to the spacious yet intimate dining area. There's also outdoor seating during warmer months. The Spanish style interior is a pleasant escape from the gray dullness of Rochester. The vibe is perfect for first dates, intimate & group dining and the dim lighting sets the perfect mood for a culinary delight. I reserved a table for 10 for an after recital get together. Only a 6 minute drive from Eastman School of Music. The tapas menu has something for everyone including non-Spanish dishes like Korean bulgogi, Indian naan shrimp pizza, etc., but I didn't expect literally everything to be good. The highlights were the empanadas, P.E.I. mussels & the oh so yummy arancini. The fried brussel sprouts were crisp but not oily & were accompanied by a delicious creamy sauce. Quality ingredients & well designed ensembles. The cocktail menu offers a diverse selection & the Spanish glass of red wine was extra dry & absolutely delectable. Kudos to the chef for preparing & presenting all of the plates with thoughtfulness & expertise. The entire staff was professional, friendly and went above & beyond to accommodate our party's late night feast. Street parking is limited. Highly recommended. Support your local small businesses &...