Bitter & Pour — Restaurant in Rochester

Unfortunately, my fiancé and I did not have an overall pleasant experience here.

The concept to enter is fun! We have never been to a speakeasy, so our experience started off well.

The host seated us immediately - we were in between a few tables with parties at them already. Two were corner booths and the other was a table for 2 or 3. Our server came over not even a minute later and asked us if we were ready to order. I told her we just got here and if we could have a few minutes.

When we were sat, I noticed that the couple next to us must’ve gotten there just before us because a hostess offered to take the woman’s coat. Not that it was the end of the world, but it would’ve been nice to have my coat out of the way too.

We ordered our drinks a few minutes later, and a nice man from the bar brought them out to us in a timely manner. The drinks tasted well-balanced and they weren’t overpowering.

Our server didn’t check on us at all after we received our drinks, yet she checked on the corner booths and the couple on the other side of us. The party in one of the corner booths left first, then the couple. Even after they left, our server still didn’t check on us (at this point, our glasses were half full) but she checked on the remaining corner booth.

When the empty corner booth was seated, our server greeted them and asked if this was their first time and if they wanted any recommendations (she didn’t ask us that when we were sat). When she was done greeting them, she still hadn’t checked on us (now, our glasses were empty).

It wasn’t until the other table for 2 or 3 was sat when she asked if we wanted to order anything else or if we wanted the check. As much as I wanted to give more of my business and time to the bar, we ultimately asked for the check.

I found this behavior extremely rude and unwelcoming. Our server didn’t even make eye contact or glance at our table any of the times she checked on the tables around us. It’s frustrating that this was our first experience because it was...

A true speakeasy with a hidden door. We have been to several speakeasies, including in Sydney and other countries, and normally the speakeasy itself is hard to find, but once you’re in you can navigate it. In this case, it was well marked from the street, but finding a way inside was the challenge. What fun! We also live in a town where the craft cocktail game is very strong. Featuring Award-winning mixologists and places that make their own bitters and shrubs etc. And I will say that the cocktails here absolutely stood up to those in our best cocktail joints! I ordered off menu. I love a ‘naked and famous’, and I was certain they could make it, and they did not disappoint. Our server said that was one of his favorite drinks as well. Then I ordered something that was on menu, and it was well-balanced. My daughter had a couple of fun drinks and I believe my husband probably just had a bushMills or Jamison. Pretty vanilla, but that’s just him. ;) The menus are beautiful. That sounds like an odd thing to be bragging about, but I love the detail of the sheen and the paper on the menus. I used to be in printing and publishing, and so I appreciate a pretty paper. This was a beautiful paper. And with the lighting, the menus actually seemed to glow.

A big party settled in near us, and so we switched to another nook. That’s the other thing I love about this place. Lots of cozy nooks to have conversations. The lighting was gorgeous, sort of a purple blue hue. And, as you can see, we even took pictures of some of the light fixtures. I’ve uploaded some videos, but none of them are spoiling the entrance. You will have to discover how to get in for yourself. My daughter just got a job at the Mayo Clinic, and so we...

They have a great atmosphere and aesthetically pleasing drinks but there customer service is atrocious! We went there last night and the server was very rude and rushed us to order drinks that she insisted on us ordering without giving us time to even read the menu. We felt rushed and disrespected that we were forced to order what the waiter wanted and not our own choices… We did not like the drinks she picked out for us. We then waited a whole hour in hopes to get new drinks we would like. Our waiter never returned... We tried asking the individual behind the bar for service and weren’t even acknowledged. We were on a time crunch so after not receiving service and getting frustrated we decided to leave . As we were walking out they asked us to pay for the drinks we did not drink and did not like. We stated how this was unfair because we did not drink the drinks nor like them and tried countless times at getting new ones but never received any service. We asked if we could get our untouched drinks replaced with drinks of our choices and offered to pay for those and they told us to just leave and demanded payment and were extremely rude. As a business owner myself I was astounded at such poor customer service. We went next door to the tap house and got delicious drinks and very friendly service. We were sure to tip them twice as much for the good experience after receiving such a negative experience at Bitter and Pour. I highly advise management looks into replacing their staff with more qualified individuals and striving to create a positive experience for their customers. Go to the tap house for...