Really nice atmosphere. Good food. Got the fish fry with fries and coleslaw. Liquid Sunshine drink. Husband got the pelican cheeseburger with fries. \nMusic is good, not too loud that you can't hea…

Wonderful seafood bisque. I also loved the lobster risotto. The black & bleu salad with steak was good. The lettuce could have been kept colder but the steak was awesome. The location is right by t…

Great place right on the Ontario beach. Drinks amazing and salmon really tasty. Staff friendly and always pending on your needs. Great music.

I had the Fish Fry and started with a daiquiri. I also ordered an appetizer (nachos). My friend ordered crab cakes as her appetizer. The meal was so good and of course the lake view amazing. The…

Rodger Schlegel

My wife and I took an out-of-town guest to PN for wine and snacks. I have only been there once before, long ago. We sat outside and enjoyed the nice weather and activity on and near the river. Large awnings protected us from the bright sun, and later a bit of rain that fell. Our server was very good and we enjoyed the wine and the food. We had the fried calamari, and the spinach artichoke dip. I have added PN to my go-to places list.

Terrance Ray Trybus

The atmosphere at the Pelican's Nest is always nice on the waterfront. Just enough of a breeze to take the edge off of the summertime heat. The food has improved since our last visit. Everything was very tasty.

+13

Cliff

Overall not a bad spot. As far as burgers go it was pretty good, but not for the price. Service is phenomenal and everyone there is very welcoming and polite. I overheard the waitress dealing with a few complaints on food and she handled it very well and accommodated people that were being a little bit ridiculous. My biggest gripe with the place is the extremely reflective bright white tables. I actually had to go back to my car to get my sunglasses just so I could see anything while I was sitting at them. If you're going to have outdoor seating, you really need to think better about furniture that will be comfortable. seems like something a cheap tablecloth could fix.

Thi Chi

I like the rice the veggies could’ve been cooked more and the salmon could’ve been cooked less more sauce would’ve been great. Burger and fries were burgers and fries. The view is nice it gave relaxation. Great location. The cake was good. The menu I had had food in it I would suggest laminated menus. I would come again but order something different next time.

+5

This is the first time that we've ever had a bad experience here. Our food took almost an hour to arrive and at first our waitress brought the wrong food. Our order arrived about 15 minutes after tha…

This is the first time that we've ever had a bad experience here. Our food took almost an hour to arrive and at first our waitress brought the wrong food. Our order arrived about 15 minutes after…

This is the first time that we've ever had a bad experience here. Our food took almost an hour to arrive and at first our waitress brought the wrong food. Our order arrived about 15 minutes after t…

Gotta be honest here. Used to be one of my favorite day spots on the water in Rochester, but tonight wasn't the best experience. \n\nThe world famous calamari was undercooked where the breading was…

Gotta be honest here. Used to be one of my favorite day spots on the water in Rochester, but tonight wasn't the best experience. \n\nThe world famous calamari was undercooked where the breading was…

waited over an hour for food to be delivered. It was room temp as waitress forgot it in kitchen. Then had to wait for them to redo it order was wrong. Now we're starving and Manager wouldn't budg…

Did not have a good experience… two orders were burgers- my husbands was supposed to have caramelized onions but didn’t…said it’s the worst lunch he’s had in a long time. My frozen drink was melted …

Did not have a good experience… two orders were burgers- my husbands was supposed to have caramelized onions but didn’t…said it’s the worst lunch he’s had in a long time. My frozen drink was melte…

We met here on a Monday night for dinner with friends from College. At first look the restaurant is very cute and you can sit outside by the water. There was plenty of open seating and staff. Af…

We met here on a Monday night for dinner with friends from College. At first look the restaurant is very cute and you can sit outside by the water. There was plenty of open seating and staff. Afte…

Made reservation for 6PM via phone at 5:30. Arrived at 5:50 and nobody had our reservation. Seated at 6:05 even though they didn’t appear to be very busy. Based on the rest of our experience, I’m…

Pelican's nest has a deck out near the water to eat dinner and nice vibe when the tables are filled with fun-loving people. However, our mixed drinks were not made well and our dinners arrived …

Nice atmosphere, adequate food, steep prices. You definitely pay for the lakeside view and atmosphere. $10 for a cocktail is steep. The food was alright: my bacon cheeseburger was good, but not at all cooked to order. I ordered medium and there was no pink. My fries were just slightly undercooked, too. If you go when there is live music, you'll have a good time at least.

Michael Ryan

I went twice this week. Had the Cobb salad first. It was good. But the chicken was really dry. I had the burger today and it was great. Hanna was our server and she did great. My friends had the beet salad with shrimp. That looked great and they said it tasted good.

Julie

I called and made a reservation to sit by the water. Arrived there and the hostess sat us in a corner and 3 other tables were open by the water. I asked what appeared to be the manager if we could move to one of the empty tables by the water and she gladly and quickly moved us. Poor seating and decision making by the hostess. Server very quick with us and never offered us water. My advice to her is to slow down with your tables! Don’t make us feel like you’re pushing us out so to speak. Anyways, that was my second time there. First time food was very salty and bad flavor. Pelican plate was a bit disappointing. And the bar didn’t put oj in my mimosa. Just got a glass of champagne. Server didn’t ask which flavor I wanted in my mimosa. Know your menu! Second time food was a bit better. But the fries were cold! Crab cake sandwich not that good. Flavor was a bit weird. One thing that never disappoints however is the view and atmosphere. Except when you’re put in a corner to have a view of the deck umbrellas. But the manager took care of that. Need new hostess. The pelican mama drink was good. I just can’t get behind this restaurant because of the food. I’d go there and sit by the water for a drink but that’s probably about it. Disappointing because it’s like a little paradise hidden gem. The feel is a Florida vibe with fake palms. Just need better cooks.

+13

Millie Kwan

This restaurant has a great spot at the Port of Rochester with views of the port and the marina. The dining room is spacious and can be opened to the outdoors. The service is indifferent and ther food is acceptable. The clam strips were fairly good as was my fried fish sandwich, but nothing to write home about. Beer selection was decent otherwise. Good shot mainly due to location with just average food.

Went down to the Pelicans Nest With my old homie and his son. We waited like 20 mins for seating. We wasn't in a rush. However we ended up with no refills and 40 mins of waiting for 2 chicken wra…

Fries were hot but limp, burger not cooked to requested wellness, cocktail was weak. Server was brisk and had to be coaxed to smile☹️ But…people and boat watching made the stop worthwhile. Views of L…

There are only a handful of places to dine on the water on/near Lake Ontario in the Rochester area. This is on the Genesee River at the Port of Rochester across from Schooner's and Silk O’Loughlin’…

The location is beautiful, no doubt about it. It was nice to have the open air and watch the boats going by on the river. But, the food was mediocre at best. The menu is almost too extensive for an…

Dawn Chmiel

We had been to the Pelican's nest a few years ago and were satisfied with the food and service. Tried it a few weeks ago and the service was great, food was cooked as requested. We went again last night, and complete opposite experience. Server seemed completely disinterested in taking care of our table, asked for limes twice for my drink and never received them so I went to the bar myself and had to return there to order a second round of drinks because the server never asked if we wanted any more. Appetizer took about 30 minutes to get to us. Burger was requested medium and came out charred. And the prices are crazy! $22 for a bowl of mac and cheese? The one bright spot at our most recent visit was the bartender who was very friendly and did her job well. We will NOT be back.

Rodd Riesenberger

It’s been a few years since we’ve been to Pelican’s and I have to say, it was kinda disappointing. It’s always been less than impressive, but today it was more obvious than I remembered. Maybe I didn’t have the right mindset and was expecting so much more. The atmosphere is about same as it’s always been and the men’s bathroom still smells like the old monkey house at the Seneca Park Zoo. Seriously, please clean it. That’s really gross. We were immediately greeted by the friendly barkeep and she was great. Very professional and attentive. I’m not too crazy about the plastic solo cups, but I get it being an outdoor establishment on the river. We were seated pretty quickly and the server did a pretty decent job. The food was a whole different story. Not great by any means. We should have known better than to order Chicken French at a restaurant that has plastic forks. That was just weird. My burger wasn’t great and not seasoned at all and the hot sauce was really BAD. It’s not difficult to make the classic Rochester meat sauce. Not sure what this was. Please just dump that batch and start over. Nick Tahoe himself would be rolling over in his grave with that rendition of his creation. Seriously guys, there aren’t many places to have dinner on the water in this water town. Up your game before the waterside dining isn’t worth the trip up to the beach for dinner. Not to sounds old, but the ridiculously loud live hard rock concert was overpowering of all dinner conversation. On a positive side, the wings and beer were pretty good.

Jameelah H

It's been years since I've been here. Went here for a birthday dinner and I will say the experience was very lackluster. While being on the water is a draw to dine here that was pretty much it. The whole place seems like it needs a deep clean. All of the menus our party received were sticky, dirty and some had items crossed off with a permanent marker. So they're not the same as the online menu. A lot of the tables had coasters under them to unsuccessfully stop them from rocking and the food was unimpressive. We had to send the calamari back because it didn't have any flavor at all. And overall, none of our large party was impressed with the items we received. We also had to keep reminding the waitresses about items we had already asked for, granted they did seem understaffed and they were kind so I'm sure they were trying their best it was frustrating. Also the food seems overpriced based on the quality you receive and the fact that they give you plastic silverware as well. Poor experience overall.

Tyler Pierce

I’ve been in Rochester my whole life, and we’ve been coming to pelicans nest every summer since I was a kid. Every year we return this place gets worse and worse. It pains me to write a bad review, but the quality of the food is awful, and extremely over priced. I should know better, it was a Friday night and this place should be packed, instead it was weirdly not busy at all. The band was playing with no one there. This year felt like it’s under new management that is cutting corners everywhere. We got the catch of the day, a po’ boy sandwich, shrimp app and a few cocktails that came out to be $120. The portions are small, the catch of the day was dry, had canned fruit on it, and overall was weird. I’d go here strictly for drinks and live music, but I’d choose several other restaurants in the area before I ate here again. Extremely disappointed. I will say our server was great and the service was fast. I hope Pelican’s Nest makes it, but based on the other recent reviews it seems like I’m not alone in my feedback and experience.

Tammra Schiller

Visited on a Saturday afternoon at about 3:30 for a late lunch/early dinner. Not impressed. It was quiet. However, staff wouldn’t even acknowledge the 6 of us who were waiting for a table. After 5 minutes passed, I asked the staff if we just sit somewhere or would they seat us. She said she’d be with us in a second. She appeared not to be doing anything. But it is what it is. Then she said- you can sit anywhere. Service was really slow. Unbelievably slow. It took beyond long to order drinks and food. When food did come at 5pm or shortly after, it wasn’t something I’m rushing back to have. Fish fry was outright untasty. My son said the wings were good but very small. My friend’s said their burgers were good. And the salad one friend had. The drinks were very strong. Views were amazing. I liked the calmness of the restaurant, but it was so slow. It was not at all busy. I’d not recommend this place.

+10

went to celebrate a birthday. wanted to order a CHEESEBURGER ( server told us it is an extra $1.50for cheese ) on a CHEESEburger????? Asked if we could get steak on nacho platter ,( yes for another $…

went to celebrate a birthday. wanted to order a cheeseburger ( server told us it is an extra $1.50for cheese ) on a cheeseburger????? Asked if we could get steak on nacho platter ,( yes for a…

went to celebrate a birthday. wanted to order a CHEESEBURGER ( server told us it is an extra $1.50for cheese ) on a CHEESEburger????? Asked if we could get steak on nacho platter ,( yes for another…

went to celebrate a birthday. wanted to order a cheeseburger ( server told us it is an extra $1.50for cheese ) on a cheeseburger????? Asked if we could get steak on nacho platter ,( yes for anoth…

If I could give a ZERO, I would. Where to begin... well, we sat for about 25 minutes before anyone came over to even drop a menu. There was plenty of wait staff, just doing, whatever, other than …

Chicken was so dry, I needed to drink water to get it down (this was a salad)! Further, the waitress didn't think it was important enough to come back to see if we all needed more water or drink…

So I went to pelicans nest Friday evening at around 8pm. My boyfriend ordered a burger and fries which he didn't really like and I ordered chicken wings which came out looking like this. I can't ev…

Service is a DISGRACE. 3rd time giving this place a shot. Every time it's 2/3 full and our server gives us water and then disappears for 20 min. Just abysmal. Food is average at best. Not sure what…

Dear Black People, Pelican's Nest Waterfront Restaurant has a great scenery and a perfect place for date night. BUTTTTTT they don't want us out there. I thought the wait on Sunday was a bit much, b…

We stopped by here tonight as part of the City Walk tour. They were supposed to be serving calamari, quesadilla and fish tacos from 7:30 - 8:30. At 8:32 a small plate of calamari came out that wa…

sat at bar ....waitress pretty but incompetent. had to get my own fork knife napkins ketchup and salt outside where hostess is. ordered med rare burger with the fries, was almost well done, fries wer…

sat at bar ....waitress pretty but incompetent. had to get my own fork knife napkins ketchup and salt outside where hostess is. ordered med rare burger with the fries, was almost well done, fries w…

sat at bar ....waitress pretty but incompetent. had to get my own fork knife napkins ketchup and salt outside where hostess is. ordered med rare burger with the fries, was almost well done, fries w…

Don't bother with a reservation...had one for 5...and and weren't seated until 6:10....wait staff was friendly but the food wasn't that good...we won't be going back...a definite one and done!

Don't bother with a reservation...had one for 5...and and weren't seated until 6:10....wait staff was friendly but the food wasn't that good...we won't be going back...a definite one and done!

salmon was $24 for a SLIVER of salmon - not even a full piece. Tasteless (not cooked in garlic or butter or any burbon or whiskey sauce). No salad, no rolls. Not sure what was with the rice.. loo…

Nick C

Went for dinner. I’m assuming manager or owner came and gave us menus and asked to be patient she only has 2 servers. No problem. Meanwhile the lady that sat us is standing out front doing nothing when she could be helping out. Then comes in and starting closing things and cleaning. A table of 4 got up and left after not getting waited on at all that was there before us. Finally get a server after 15 minutes and order. Nothing wrong with her service. Got our food. Chicken fingers literally snapped in half they were fried to a crisp. Shrimp was amazing as always. Wife didn’t care for the fish. It’s sad to see what’s happening to this place. It was dead on a Friday night and I understand why now. Won’t be back until I hear it’s under new management or after they close and have new owners.

Cole

Our first visit to this restaurant will undoubtedly be our last. I would strongly advise others to avoid it based on our experience. The only redeeming quality was the atmosphere. The beach-themed setting, upbeat music, and waterfront seating created a fun and inviting vibe. The cocktails were mediocre at best, but still drinkable. Unfortunately, that’s where the positives end. The food was downright awful—easily among the worst I’ve ever had. The fries were served at room temperature and tasted like they had been sitting out for hours—dry, stale, and completely unappetizing. It’s baffling how a restaurant could get something as basic as French fries so wrong. The buffalo chicken wrap was somehow worse. It was sparsely filled with soggy, flavorless chicken, completely lacking any buffalo sauce or seasoning. The tenders weren’t tossed in anything, leaving the wrap bland, dry, and visually unappealing. It was so bad that a few bites were more than enough—we couldn’t stomach the rest. To make matters worse, our server was extremely slow and inattentive. She rarely checked in, didn’t ask how our meal was, and refills were practically nonexistent. In short, while the location may draw people in, the food and service were shockingly bad. Don’t waste your time or money here—we deeply regretted ours.

meg kangai

I ordered the shrimp scallop linguini...big mistake. It had too much lemon and I couldn't eat it.$$33 wasted. The restaurant should leave non bar food to well trained cooks. My sister ordered fries and wings and enjoyed her dinner. 2 stars for service because the bar tender ignored me 🙄