Recommendations
Rochester is a vibrant growing city, here are some of our favorite things to do, places to eat, and things to see.
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Restaurants
Breakfast
HollandBerry: The staple of Rochester’s breakfast. They have great muffins, coffee, and their trade mark pannekoeken(a fluffy pancake with fruit toppings). We think the best meal on their breakfast menu is the Mettwurst skillet. A mettwurst is basically a hotdog and a sausage combined, why wouldn’t you order this?!
Five West- Great atmosphere with a patio overlooking the lake. They’ve got a great all around menu with American fare and fusion options. The skillets are on point. For lunch try the blackened avocado chicken melt or thai chicken wrap.
Cheap Charlie’s- Longstanding Rochester classic diner. This is the place to go if you’re looking for greasy hashbrowns, crispy bacon, and gigantic pancakes.
Lunch
Nupa- Mediterranean and Greek food. Very close to your door. This place does a great chicken or steak salad that includes pita bread. They gyros are also top notch.
Newt’s- If you are looking for a burger joint look no further, beloved by fellow Rochesterians Newt’s has expanded to three locations in the north, center, and south side of town.
Dinner
Redwood Room- Our favorite restaurant in town. Endless bowls of carb loaded bread with garlic infused olive oil for dipping. Our favorite meals include the Salmon with Dill sauce and the Apple Cider pork. The pizza and pasta is great as well. Most nights there is live performing musicians ranging from folk to classic rock.
Prescott’s- Family owned joint in a strip mall on the South side of Rochester. Don’t let the looks deceive you, this is a great eatery. With a rotating menu of locally raised produce and farm to fork ideals things are on the pricery side. They have an extensive wine menu and if you can’t make up your mind the owner is a sommelier.
Chester’s- American Eatery also located in the Peace Plaza. They have a larger outdoor seating than Macs. With a large menu variety including some higher priced options this is a staple of Rochester’s food selection. I enjoy the meatloaf personally.
International Cuisine
Ichi Tokyo- Close to your dwelling. This place is amazing for the sushi lovers of the group. Freshly rolled sushi and a large lunch special. We enjoy the Scorpion rolls the most.
India Garden- Authentic Northern Indian food with an all you can eat lunch buffet. We enjoy the a wide variety of the flavorful cuisine offered here. The Indian Garden Special Chicken is great. Most of the recipes are on the milder side, but you can ask for more heat. Get the Garlic Naan, you’ll be thankful.
Pho Chau- Vietnamese restaurant with a gigantic menu. Everything is huge portion sizes and for a decent price. You can’t go wrong with any of the noodle dishes.
Desserts
Flapdoodles- “foolish talk, nonsense” is what the word actually means, but what it stands for in Rochester is great Ice cream. They have a bunch of crazy flavors and make everything in house. Their most recent invention is puppy chow ice cream. The owners are also Lawrence University alumni like ourselves, so we love to see them doing well!
Culvers- I sometimes forget not everyone knows about this place outside of the Midwest. Great Custard style ice cream. Also the best fast food burgers around. Cheese curds here give you some idea of what Wisconsin is like!
Nothing Bundt Cakes: They are a small franchise in the midwest that make some amazing bundt cakes!
Breweries - Craft Beers
Little Thistle- "Be Humble, Drink Local"-Rapidly moved up to our number one brewery in town upon opening. This is a great atmosphere and has indoor and outdoor seating. The beer is great with numerous unique items on their menu.
The Forager- A short drive from your stay. This place has great farmhouse décor. They brew many types of coffee, and their own beer. The restaurant goes out and actually forages berries to add into their brews. They have many special tappings and have a focus on IPAs and Sours. Great outdoor seating and an interesting local sourced menu.
Life’s Too Short Brewery- Emily’s favorite brewery in town. These guys produce more malty and Dunkel style of beers, with a few IPAs. They provide free popcorn, but do not have a dinner menu. Outdoor seating, board games, and yard games are popular here. You are also allowed to bring your own games, if that’s your thing.
The Taphouse- Located on Historic 3rd street this place has over 50 beers on tap from all across the United States. They host trivia nights on Sundays. They have great tacos, which are cheaper on Taco Tuesdays.
Coffee
Fiddleheads- Our current favorite coffee place in town. They have fresh roasted beans and some wonderful items such as their Thai latte and Maple Latte.
Old Abe Coffee- An interesting well rounded fellow Wisconsinite, who has traveled the world over owns this joint. His shop is new to town this year, but he has had a cafe on wheels located outside of the Mayo building on 2nd street during the warm months for a few years.
Steam-A locally sourced cafe, Steam, brings together live music and coffee beans. They have lots of artwork on display as well. One of the few Urban style cafe joints in Rochester.
Bravo Espresso- This is an on the go Java fix. They are located above Chester's restaurant in the downtown Skyway section of the Peace Plaza. An easy way to support local if you're roaming the downtown area. You can wander further down the mall for some gelato to savor with your brew.
People's Co-op- Not a traditional coffee bar, but they have one in the grocery store. They serve free trade organic coffee. The entire place is worth checking out for their unique local items, organic produce, and large bulk selection of spices, grains, or rice.
Places to Go
Quarry Hill- We love to hike, and this is a great place to get your exercise in while experiencing nature. The lower portion of the hill has a pond and a large paved walkway if you don't want to be too challenged. Heading up the hill can be easy or challenging depending on which route you take. We almost always find some new path when we explore here. It's also big into the Geocaching and Pokemon Go, if that's your thing.
Silver Lake- Take a leisurely stroll around the lake located near downtown Rochester. Here you are sure to see Canadian Geese all over the place. Rochester is part of their migration trail and has a ton of these birds in the park near the lake. You can choose to rent peddle boats or canoes.
Plummer House- The house of one of Mayo's first doctors. This is located behind St. Mary's hospital on what is nicknamed Pill Hill as all the original doctors settled in this area. They do tours of the house in the summer months on Wednesdays. Either way you should come see the house and the surrounding neighborhood.
Mayowood- The home of one of the original Mayo brothers, Charles. This estate is huge and impressive in its design and architecture. It is not always open to the public, so if you plan on going call ahead. The estate is located ~20 minutes outside of Rochester. You will also head past the Mayowood Stone Barn, which is another impressive architectural structure and wedding destination.
Mayo- Honestly, even if you aren't visiting the Med City because of the Clinic it is still worth seeing. They do tours of the historic buildings. They are filled with museums, paintings from all over the world, and interesting architecture.
Health and Wellness
Optimal Movement-Our good friend Phil Kish is a practicing acupuncturist, lifestyle coach, and overall wellness geek. More research is showing that acupuncture has a benefit to the human body, but you don't need any peer reviewed articles to appreciate how good you feel after a session with Phil!
Dan Abraham Healthy Living Center (DAHLC)- Mayo Clinic's fitness center has everything. You can lift weights, attend a yoga class. sit in the sauna, get a massage, drink a healthy smoothie after your workout, or have lunch.
Staying Current on Rochester's Activities
507 Magazine- These guys do an awesome job of presenting interesting things and activities going on in Rochester and the surrounding area. If you are interested in getting a great Rochester experience you should check out what is going on during your visit!
Post Bulletin- The parent company of 507 magazine, if you are interested in reading the traditional news about Rochester. They also have an event tab that might interest you.
Experience Rochester: This site is made specifically for those visiting Rochester, and may further help you plan your trip. They even have their own app, which is what the link will take you to.
Mayo Clinic Website: Mayo has their own recommendation guide on their website.
Child Activities
Oxbow Park/Zollman Zoo- Free to the public! This is a great nature center to see Minnesota wildlife. It is a bit of a drive out of town!
Bowlocity- A great place to take kids. They have laser tag as well. There is also a private bowling room.
Minnesota Child's Museum- A smaller version of the famous site in the cities. There are some activities to keep the young ones occupied.