East End / Alexander

Overview

There are really three reasons why people are drawn to the East End — the arts, the food and the bars.

“We got a mix of a safe location, a healthy mix of lots of cafes and pubs and the historical district,” Christine Giuliano of Flower City Management says of the East End.

Music, art and theater are pulsing through the streets while bars, pubs and restaurants line Alexander Street and East Avenue, creating the atmosphere of pure entertainment. On any given night people flock to this part of Rochester to hang out with friends, go on a date or just to plain people watch.

Living in the neighborhood means you can almost get away without ever driving anywhere (but the nearest Wegmans is a bit too far away to walk to, so don’t give away your car quite yet!).

During the summer, you can find a festival or two in (or very near to) the East End, pleasing just about every possible interest, from crafts to photography to film to music. Notably the Jazz Festival, Image Out Film Festival, East End Festivals (usually three per summer) and the huge St. Patrick’s Day Parade always draw massive crowds to the neighborhood.

Eat & Drink

The East End neighborhood thrives on its businesses. Its never-ending line up of bars, cafés and restaurants make this the ultimate nightlife scene for Rochester college students. There’s tons to choose from, but here’s just a peep at what you can find.

SPoT Coffee
Seven years ago Dino Kolios, owner of SPoT coffee, “saw the potential” of the up-and-coming bar and restaurant district. Now, the coffeehouse is a prime destination within the neighborhood. “We kind of are putting on a show behind the bar” says Kolios. Serving their own baked muffins and pastries, home-roasted coffee and high-end imported desserts, this unique, small chain café caters to “coffee hoppers” (similar to bar hoppers). With four different areas to sit (including “the parlor,” a sofa- and chair-filled section that is especially popular at night), SPoT is the perfect place for those who can’t (or just don’t want to) visit the East End bar scene. The café also features WiFi and the occasional live performer.
200 East Ave.
613-4600

Orange Glory Café
If it weren’t for the warm glow of the orange walls, the huge Little Theatre sign outside would completely overshadow this East Avenue gem. Homemade cookies, specialty sandwiches, quiche and daily soups — really, the only thing missing from the little café is the hours. It’s only open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. But don’t let the limited hours stop you from the extraordinary homemade cookies and welcoming décor.
240 East Ave.
232-7340

Java’s Cafe
Located just next door to Eastman School of Music, Java’s is a popular college-student destination (in fact, they’re so popular, they’ve opened additional locations at RIT and MCC). With coffee, desserts, sandwiches, soups and salads that are to die for, Java’s popularity is no surprise. Enjoy the comfy couches, mass amounts of locally produced art on the walls and even the free WiFi.
16 Gibbs St.
232-4820

The Chocolate Bar
Yep, there’s chocolate here and lots of it! Whether you’re looking to kick back with a few friends or go on a date, this bar is the perfect choice for good music, even better drinks and exceptional chocolate and cheese fondue. Try the Absolut Heaven martini with the chocolate caramel fondue, and don’t miss Ben Torres on the piano almost every Friday and Saturday night. And to top it all off — no cover charge!
355 East Ave.
262-2030

Monty’s Korner
Smack dab in the heart of the East End bar scene (on the “korner” of East and Alexander), this local bar offers a huge variety of beers, however, “No Pitchers, No Bud, Don’t Ask” is their motto. The crowd is casual, the conversation might revolve around the current game on the screens and the outdoor patio is great for watching the more rowdy crowd outside along East Ave. (because who doesn’t love people watching?). Seriously though, the variety of beers available is almost unbeatable.
355 East Ave.
263-7650

Veneto Pizza and Pasta
Pizza with a true Italian touch, huge plates of pasta and a long list of wine. While other pizza places (and most restaurants) prepare your food behind closed doors, the chefs at Veneto are the entertainment, tossing dough and pouring sauce right before your eyes. The focal point of the whole restaurant is the huge brick stove in the corner where pizzas are fired to perfection. Our recommendation — the Greek pizza with feta, caramelized onions and kalamata olives.
318 East Ave.
454-5444

Lawrence Street
The East End is full of bars, but the handful on and around Lawrence Street are always hopping. A-Pub Live, Daisy Dukes, SoHo East and Bayou Billy’s are all under the same ownership and make for some pretty easy bar hopping, especially since three of them are connected! (Note: Chocolate Bar is under the same management, along with fellow East End bars Coyote Joe’s, Syxx and Vinyl).

Shop & Spend

Home to the world-renowned Eastman School of Music, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the East End specializes in music stores.

Bernunzio Uptown Music
If you’re ever in the market for a vintage banjo, harp strings, or just an old-fashioned electric guitar, Bernunzio’s probably has what you need. Buying and selling vintage and stringed musical instruments for 20 years, John and Julie Bernunzio know their way around the music scene. With a newly renovated show area and practice room, the Bernunzios can now show off their vast inventory of instruments. This place is definitely a Mecca for music lovers and collectors everywhere. (Eastman School of Music students, take a second glance at this store!).
122 East Ave.
473-6140

String Instruments LTD
In the 26 years Sal Signorelli has been in business, he has seen the East End transformed and reformed into what it is today. So, how does a business that repairs and sells stringed instruments stay afloat? “That’s why I’m here,” says Signorelli. “I get all the string people.” Eastman students, musicians from the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and amateur players alike come here for everything their violins, guitars and cellos need.
10 Gibbs St.
262-2121

Do & See

Although people watching outside the East End bars can be pretty entertaining, that’s not all there is to do in the neighborhood.

Eastman Theatre
You can’t get more Rochester than a huge performance theater that hosts the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and Eastman School of Music student ensembles. To top it all off, it’s named after George Eastman, the father of Kodak who established the school in 1921. A truly elaborate and elegant theater, the stage is no stranger to big name artists. The décor and ambiance is pure glamour from the 1920s. Along with sophisticated, state-of-the-art lighting and acoustics, this is the perfect venue for enjoying the music, dance and special events we are accustomed to here in Rochester.
26 Gibbs St.
274-1000

Downstairs Cabaret Theatre
Downstairs Cabaret is a non-profit professional theater with an edge, often attracting first time theatergoers and drawing more of a non-traditional crowd. This East End theater is one of the reasons the neighborhood is known as the cultural district. Offering traditional and non-traditional theater performances, the casts, some recruited straight from area colleges and high schools, put on several performances a week. The theater is fortunate enough to have three separate, unique spaces for rehearsals and performances. Nuts and Bolts Improv comedy group also reaps the benefits of DCT’s numerous stages, performing most of their shows from any of the three.
20 Windsor St.
325-4370

Little Theatre
Hosting film festivals, screening more than 100 movies a year and presenting local artists to the community, the Little Theatre definitely makes a big impact in the Rochester community. Screening mostly independent and foreign films, you won’t catch Spiderman 4 (or any other big box film really) playing there any time soon. For the night crowd, the Little Café has a huge menu of dinner options, desserts, coffee and even wine. Plus, the café is often featuring live jazz, indie or acoustic music.
240 East Ave.
258-0400

Blackfriars Theatre
Since 1950 this independent theater has been a part of Rochester’s rich cultural history. “It make sense to be in this area,” David Spiro, director of public relations, says of the Lawn Street location. Starting off as the small Catholic Theatre of Rochester, Blackfriars was later renamed to reflect the history of Blackfriars in the Catholic church — they were the first theater group to allow women to perform as well as the first group to perform Shakespear’s work at the Globe Theatre in England. From Tony award-winning Broadway hits such as Take Me Out to small, exciting dramas like Misery, this theater isn’t afraid of taking on anything.
28 Lawn St.
454-1260

Live & Rent

Who doesn’t want to live in the East End? Demand for apartments is higher than ever in this hopping neighborhood. Young professionals, undergraduates and even grad students are flocking to this neighborhood because “everyone knows that the East End is hot,” says Christine Giuliano of Flower City Management. “Things are happening here … they don’t go any place else.

The East End’s specialty is huge apartment buildings — the Medical Arts Building, East Ave. Commons, Gibbs Place and the Sagamore on East to name just a few. If your dream is to ride the elevator to your 10th-story apartment, then East End is your neighborhood.

Prices are a bit on the heavy side, but the pay off from the sweet city life is worth it for many people. Studios and one-bedroom apartments range from $300 to $600; two-bedrooms range from $500 to $1,000. To lighten the load, roommates are a handy way to split the costs.

History

The East End is rich in culture and history — Eastman Theatre, the Eastman School of Music, Eastman Place … do we see a pattern emerging here? The 1920s brought the theater and the school. Eastman Place, which is now home to Max of Eastman Place (an upscale bar and restaurant) and Sibley Music Library, came later. The Little Theatre also opened its doors in the 1920s.

Construction of the Inner Loop in the late 1960s and early 1970s almost ended the elite neighborhood by tearing down some buildings and renting other spaces out to people and businesses. However, the East End rebounded and evolved into a commercial district lined with automobile dealers during the 1980s. The huge “Chevrolet” sign on what is now SPoT Coffee is proof of the once car dealer-heavy district.

The huge buildings peppered throughout the district are known for their architecture (notably Christ Church, Eastman Theatre and the Gibbs Street townhouses).