The Spirit Room — Restaurant in City of Rochester

We used to love The Spirit Room. We used to go 3-4 times a year and have celebrated birthdays, anniversaries, and other events there. Sadly, this place has really gone down hill and our last two visits have been terrible experiences. In November 2023, we went for cocktails and dinner. They messed up our drink orders twice and were pretty rude when we asked for the correct drinks (sorry, I'm not paying $14 for a drink I didn't order that contains ingredients that I don't like). The two people working were busy talking with each other and acted like it was such a hassle to serve us. We ended up leaving and had excellent cocktails and food at the Daily Refresher. We went again last night to support my friends band, who went on at 8pm. We decided to go early (arrived around 7pm) to grab dinner before the show. For drinks, I ordered the Planchette, which was always my go-to cocktail there, but this time, it was completely undrinkable (sour and flat). I let two of my friends taste it, they both said it tasted "watered-down". I sent it back and had a beer instead. My friends ordered a Lily Dale and a Kellman; neither of them were happy with their drinks and also switched to beer. I tasted my friends Lily Dale (which was always my 2nd favorite drink there), and it was not good. For food, my husband ordered the shrimp and grits. It took about 20 minutes to come out. The grits were cold, and so he only ate a little of it (he wanted to send it back, but there was a huge line at the bar). I ordered the chicken sandwich with fries. Mine came out about 20 minutes after my hubby was served (he was done eating by the time mine arrived). When they delivered it, they informed me that they are out of fries and asked if I wanted kettle chips instead. I said yes. He left and came back a few minutes later and said that they are also out of chips. They should have told me this sooner. Had I known that I was just going to get a chicken sandwich without a side, I would have ordered something else. The sandwich was mediocre-- very little coleslaw and sauce, and so it was dry. So, I paid $19 for just a sandwich, which is a total ripoff. They should not be charging full price for incomplete orders. Ultimately, we paid $53 (+ $10 tip, which they didn't deserve) for terrible service, cold shrimp and grits, one sandwich, and four cans of Genny, and we left hungry. Once the novelty of the kitschy decor and themed-cocktails wears off, this place has...

I have been to this establishment several times in the past and have always had a positive experience. The decor is unique, drinks are usually tasty and whimsical, food is tasty.Everything was perfectly fine tonight, until I went to close out my tab for the evening and my card had magically “disappeared” from the bar. I had several witnesses who had heard me telling the bartender to “leave the tab” open earlier in the evening, and saw her take the card and place it behind the bar. When I went to close out, she became argumentative and denied ever taking the card, even though I had purchased a food order and received the order. The manager was very kind, and cleared our tab, and gave us a small amount of cash, as I was visibly upset and attempting to call my bank, in order to cancel the lost/stolen card. I then, received a call, from the nice manager, after returning home, stating that the bartender had “accidentally placed the card back on the bar at one point” and someone had taken it. This person had called the bar, stating that a friend had taken the card off of the bar and given it to them, thinking that it “was a gift card”. This caller supposedly lives 40 minutes away, and would not be returning the card to the restaurant. The whole situation is extremely shady, and I’m really bummed…I used to love this place! I had to end the night, cancelling my debit card, ordering a new one (which takes over a week to come in), and cancel every account that is connected to the debit card. Total nightmare. With no apology from the bartender who made the mistake, in the...

I have a lot of feelings. The drinks were great. The food was good - very messy and completely fell apart but it tasted good. I was really disappointed about 3 things. 1.) the bartenders were not kind at all. For having a website that boasts their inclusivity and welcoming for anyone and everyone, they were incredibly cold even when there was only 3 people at the bar. I chocked it up to just a personality thing and wasn’t offended. 2.) at least 3 times just during my visit, there was a patron at the bar who must be a worker, who would walk behind the bar and make their own drinks using the same glass they had been drinking out of without any kind of hand washing. I distinctly heard them say to the bartender, “I’m on a date and if anything, I’m saving you time by not making my drinks.” I have food safety certification through NYS so I know the laws - absolutely disgusting. 3.)above everything else, I was so excited to get a reading done. I made sure we got there when they were doing the readings. I asked the bartenders how it works/who I pay/if the person was there. After getting a very short and cold response that the person was there doing readings and to just walk over there, no one was over there. I waited for a couple minutes and no one showed. For the last 30 minutes of our visit, no one made an attempt to ask the person doing the readings (I had no idea who or where they were) if they were still offering their services. I have heard so many good things about the Spirit Room, so my first visit, needless to say, was very...