Rochester, NY

I'll be filling this in more in the next couple days, so bear with the incompleteness.

Pizza[edit]

ACME Bar & Pizza - the best NY style pizza in the city, by far, and possibly the state minus NYC itself. Not only is it damn good, it's damn cheap; two bucks for a HUGE slice. This leaves you plenty of cash to drink yourself silly by way of their amazing beer selection. Upwards of 40+ choices every day. Oh, also, that beer is cheap too... 2 for 1 every day from noon till 7 at night, then mind boggling specials from 8 - 1. If you couldn't tell, I like this place a lot. You can also stare in awe of the GWS sticker I put on the beer cooler.
Piatsa's Pizza - HUGE 14 inch slices. A few scattered locations across the city with gourmet pizza options including a great bacon chicken pizza, a buffalo wing pizza and the have-to-try-it-once Thanksgiving Dinner Pizza (including turkey, mashed potatoes, corn, stuffing on a white pie)

Chester Cab Pizza - If you want deep dish in Rochester, this is the place to get it. Yum.

India House - several locations now, I like the original on S. Clinton the best.
Thali of India - in WinJeff Plaza on Winton Road, recently remodeled. Great Lunch buffet, perfect for taking someone who wants to try indian food. Modestly priced (~7.00 per person for lunch buffet) and usually crowded during the lunch hours.
Pakistan House - This is Pakistani/North Indian food, done really well. Located on Jefferson almost to the river, almost on RIT's campus. Great Tandoori Chicken and an amazing Chickpea dish that I don't know the name of. They come to RIT's SAU twice a week.

"Who has the best plate" is a topic that has as many right answers as there are people who answer it...

Mark's Texas Hots - My personal favorite. Conveniently located within stumbling distance of Monroe Ave and Alexander Street bars.
Nick Taou's - They invented them and it's part of Rochester history, so you have to go there at least once.

Aladdin's Natural Eatery - Great place for Greek food, pasta, falafel, and really good grilled chicken
Sinbad's Mediterranean Cuisine (719 Park Ave) - Also has really good grilled chicken, excellent platters. Tends more towards Lebanese cuisine. Their artichoke salad is excellent. A bit more expensive than Aladdin's, but lots of outdoor seating right on Park Ave. Great for summer evenings.

Flavors of Asia
Ming's Noodles
Aja Noodle Company (2602 Elmwood Ave, at Twelve Corners) - Great student discount. $5.99 for noodle and rice bowls, makes a huge & delicious meal. Expect waits on Friday/Saturday night, there's not a ton of seating and it gets packed.

ACME Bar & Pizza
Jeremiah's Tavern (1104 Monroe Ave) - This is sure to be a point of contention, but best wings in Rochester. Go on a Sunday during game time for half price wings. The sauces get better if you go above hot.
The Distillery (1142 Mt Hope Ave) - Decent bar food and wings, a tad overpriced. Go weeknights after 10pm for half price appetizers. During summers they ran half price beer specials on rainy days. Decent place to go if you want to watch a game, as they have an absolutely absurd number of TVs.

Paola's Burrito Place (1921 South Ave, at junction of South & E. Henrietta) - Best burrito in Rochester, and modestly priced. Excellent flan, lots of specials. Unlimited chips and homemade salsa!
Mex (295 Alexander St.) - A bit more expensive, a lot more bland. Huge portions, but expect a ridiculous amount of cheese if the dish comes with it. Great margaritas.
Taco John's (489 South Ave, near intersection with Alexander) - Dirt cheap, creative Tex-mex food. Their chipotle hot sauce is incredible. Huge burritos. The only drawback is extremely limited seating - a grand total of 14 seats last I went.

VM Giordano Imports European Cheese Shop - Located in the Rochester Public Market, open Thursday 10 - 1 and Saturday 5:30 - 2. Good, modestly priced panini. Try the breakfast special - cup of coffee and a bagel with herbed goat cheese, egg, and porchetta for only $3.50. They have an amazing array of imported artisan cheeses, with lots of samples weekly, and they'll let you try anything before you buy. Not fussy about selling you 1/4 or even 1/8 of a pound. They stock olive oil pressed from olives on their own estate in Italy, and a well stocked olive bar with varieties you can't get elsewhere in Rochester. Olives from Greece, Italy, Spain, France, and Portugal, as well as specialty European groceries.
Veneto Woodfired Pizza & Pasta (318 East Ave) - Haven't been since they changed locations, but every time I've been they had great pasta and brick oven pizza. Seating used to be an issue, but the new location is much larger.