Nick's Sea Breeze Inn italian restaurant — Restaurant in Town of Irondequoit

This place does not deserve a star. I am new to New York and was looking for a place near the lake to dine for Easter. This was my first and last time visiting Nick's Sea Breeze Inn. In all my 55 yrs on this earth, this had to be to worst restaurant I've ever eaten at. It was so unorganized. It was like the first time they have ever been open for a holiday. Now I must say, I have work in the restaurant business in my past. I also have chef's in the family and have high standards. From the moment I walked in, there was no one taking names or checking in reservations. They were running around franticly, like the right hand had no idea what the left hand was doing. Hello it's a holiday. Families will be taking their elders out for dinner. I saw people with walkers, wheelchairs, and just not able to walk or stand. When you walked in the entrance, the people were packed in and blocking the rest rooms. There was no chairs or seating for the elderly. Then there was the wait for a table with your reservation. Ok, finally we get our table. The waitress was prompt greeting us and getting our drinks. I thought about the antipasto bar. Don't waist your money. It's not worth it. We gave our order and again the waitress was quick to bring our bread and salads. The bread was hard and dry. The salad was a mess. Our meal came. Well, I have never had scampi with cherry tomatoes or burnt onions. I did not taste any garlic in it. I didn't even get half way through my meal and found a foreign object. It was either a piece of hard plastic or metal with a sharp tip. At this point I was done. I looked around and looked around for our waitress. I did not see her. I waited and waited. Finally I asked the bus girl to have our waitress come to our table. I know it was not her fault. She apologized and ask if I wanted anything else. I was done with this place. It was also so loud. Not the way I would like to spend my Easter or any other meal. Dining out should be a nice relaxed time out. This was anything but that. I also heard the one waitress (not ours) complaining about another large table that had just left. Never ever ever complain about your customers. I don't care how awful they are or how long they spend there. They are who pay you and keep you in business. I will never...

Overall, I like Nick's. Whenever I visit Rochester, we stop there at least once. It's something of a tradition. The atmosphere is cozy and the service is friendly. That said, whenever I visit, I can tell that I'm definitely not part of its target customer demographic (which seems to be older or bigger folks). During my last visit in late August, the air conditioning was cranked up very high to the point that three of us in my party were cold. The portion sizes are really big, which means you can come prepared for a second meal worth of leftovers, or you can easily split a meal with another person and still be full (for a $4.95 sharing charge). The plate sharing charge is fine; I get that. What rubs me the wrong way is that the menu reads kind of like a "terms and conditions" contract. It's dense and sometimes overwhelming. The "lite portion" section (which I read as "normal human being portion") is only available up to a certain time, and there are some combo items only available on it. It's kind of a tease that says, "we COULD mix and match Italian delicacies for you, but you have to come eat at a time people under 65 don't actually come and eat." That, or "yep, we're pretty much price descriminating based on age." I dunno. It's a system that has worked for Nick's for many years, so far be it from me to complain. It just seems kind of... cheap and out of touch. Maybe put the lite portions on a separate menu, and offer everything that is on the lite menu on the regular menu too, even if it may cost more. It would give the reataurant less of a "penny pincher" vibe. I'll still come back once a year, because the food is good and I like Sinatra in the background. Antipasto bar...

The food is always wonderful! I come from an Italian family and this place reminds me of my great gtandmothers feasts at the hidays when I was very small. Too many delicious choices requiring multiple visits to get to try them all.

While i miss the antipasta bar which had to be shut due to Covid, when I lamented my boyfriend never having had a chance to enjoy it, our waitress brought us a small selection with our salad course.

The sicilian calsmari is excellent, anf the serving easily main course size despite being an appetizer. The pasta is always worth getting, despite the face i can cook a great pasta in my sleep...like I said, its kind of like going home and having family cook it for you, and there are very few other restaurants where I will order just regular linguini with red sauce as the side option. The crusty bread servedd warm with the whipped and the herbed butter is worth squabbling over the last slice with your date. The Clam chowder is home made and tastes like it. Actially, I dont think I have ever had an entree here I didnt enjoy, and after a dozen or so visits over the years have yet to eat the same main course twice. Plan for leftovers, this place serves portions luke your old world grandma, too.

Service is usually friendly and efficient, though Covid has made it more difficult for staff to have time to get to know patrons here. Just like everywhere these days. Still, despite the extra work required to sanitize, and the masks which make small talk in a noisier environment more challenging, the stsff does try to ensure your needs are met and your dining experience is...