What an amazing experience. Everything was delicious. We had the wings, crab cakes, fried calamari for appetizers. Then for entree we had the wagyu burger, NY strip and beef tips omggg soo food. Thank you to our server Chris.
DIANE
My partner and I tried this place on a whim. It was Friday night and we like to try different places each week. The ambiance was great, it's intimate and had tasteful holiday decorations that blended in with the decor. It's December. The special appetizer which was a puréed acorn squash with toasted banquette slices and fried prosciutto. It was so good and nothing like we've ever had. The lobster bisque was outstanding with lobster claw and meat in it. They too is rare. Most restaurants have bits in their bisque, not big chunks of real lobster meat. We shared a cesesr salad with anchovies, it was huge. The bread was crunchy on the outside, with cheddar butter. We've never had that either. We each had a crab cake which was full of crab and delicious. When it came time for entrees, he ordered the bolonese which was very tasty. I ordered the side dish of Mac and cheese. It was a huge portion and after the appetizers, we could only eat a little. We gave a nice lunch for today. My partner had a blackberry margarita which was also unique. This place is pricey, but totally worth the experience.
Amy
The dirty martinis were so good that I had two and the appetizers at the bar are delicious, filling and a great value!
Rob
Just really slow - in goal the dinner took about 2.5 hours with apps not coming until post 8 PM (reservation was at 7 PM); not a terrible experience, waiter was super nice but the overall speed of the food/drinks was delayed significantly
Kristin
Although we liked the ambiance, we were disappointed overall. We booked this reservation online and noted that we were celebrating 2 birthdays. Neither were acknowledged. We were handed our bill without asking and were never offered the dessert menu. The 22% automatic gratuity seems high. We always tip 20%. An automatic 18% might be more realistic.
Mike Steve
Loved my visit to Rare 3001! Great people, great service, and a top-notch selection. Definitely worth a visit.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Santino
I had a fantastic experience at Rare 3001. The team was friendly and professional, the atmosphere was welcoming, and the service exceeded my expectations. The selection was impressive and curated—exactly what I was hoping to find. I’ll definitely be coming back and recommending this spot to friends!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Doralie Sukhavong
Super disappointed by this restaurant. We had to wait over an hour for our food, waitress barely checked in on us, and an automatic gratuity is added. Would not recommend and will not be back.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 1
Casey S
Our recent experience at this establishment was defined by extremely poor service that completely failed to justify the meal's high cost. While we hoped for an upscale dining experience, what we received was neglect, confusion, and operational failure.
Unacceptable Waiting Times The service pace was glacial from the moment we were seated. We waited 30 minutes before our server finally approached to take the appetizer order, and alarmingly, neglected to ask for our main course selection at the same time. We had to specifically request that our dinner order be taken. Once placed, the main courses took an additional full hour to be served, an unacceptable delay for peak dining hours.
Staff Neglect and Mandatory Gratuity Beyond the wait times, the basic table service was negligent. Our water glasses went unfilled throughout the meal, and we were never offered fresh silverware between the courses. This poor performance is directly enabled by the restaurant’s policy of automatically including a mandatory gratuity on the bill. When staff is guaranteed a tip regardless of performance, the incentive for care and attention is completely eliminated—and this was evident in every interaction. The disparity between the high price point of the meal and the substandard service we received was the single biggest disappointment of the evening.
Operational Failure The most concerning red flag was the evident lack of management accountability. During the busiest period of service, the on-site manager had to make a phone call to the absent owner for basic operational approval. This lack of authority and presence clearly contributed to the overall chaotic and neglected atmosphere
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 1
Jane Parry
Nick and Kristyn are the best bartenders! Amazing service and so friendly!! it’s our first time here and they made us feel so comfortable. We had such a great time and we will be back!!!
Very disappointing experience. I was calling to place a to-go order at Rare 3001 in Rochester. After calling several times, someone finally answered — her name was Shelby. We asked about the “Chef’s Cut of the Day” listed on the online menu, and she didn’t seem to know what we were referring to. When we tried to clarify, she hung up on us. At first, I thought we were disconnected, but after calling back four more times, I realized we were being ignored. When she eventually answered again, I mentioned that we thought we got disconnected, and she just laughed. She said she was busy with other customers and put us on hold — while we could hear her being rude to people in person, telling them to “just book online if they want to eat.” She then picked the phone back up and laughed again, so we hung up. Very strange experience. When they first opened, I used to go weekly, but now I remember why I stopped going in the first place. Horrible customer service — truly disappointing for a place that used to be great.
Jose
Everything except our server was just disappointing. Sad, because I came here a year ago and it was amazing, even for the premium price. Now, I'm Never going back, ever.
Steven
Prices are much higher than other steakhouses in ROC. Gratuity automatically added to the bill @ 22%. If you're going to do that, just include it in the price and make additional tipping optional.
Dr Keith
We sat at the bar and never wanted to leave the cool vibe. We ate there and the great bartender Steve took care of us. Loved our meals and could have chosen anything on the menu. We had great conversation with Steve and he was attentive to all our requests. Highly recommend Rare and we will be back. Keith & Wendy
Lauren Elizabeth
We were greeted warmly and had our waters filled quickly, which started things off well. We ordered a bottle of wine, and while our server poured the first glass, that was it — the rest was left to us. Not a huge deal, but unexpected for a restaurant trying to provide a high-end dining experience.
The restaurant sits below another, and the constant dragging and banging of chairs from above took away from the ambiance. It gave off more of a “speakeasy” feel than the upscale steakhouse experience we expected.
The oysters were delicious the first round, but the crab cakes and later oysters were just average — nothing special. The $88 bone-in steak was also underwhelming. It definitely wasn’t the 24 ounces advertised — more like 12 — and we had to ask for steak knives. We didn’t receive them until we were more than halfway through, cutting with a butter knife in the meantime. The flavor was okay, but not memorable or worth the price tag.
Our server barely checked in after the food came out, and when we finished our meal, they brought the check without asking if we wanted dessert. To top it off, gratuity of $67 was automatically added to our bill without any mention, and we were still prompted to leave an additional tip.
Overall, the space has potential, but the service and food didn’t meet expectations or justify the price. Unfortunately, we probably won’t be back.
What an amazing experience. Everything was delicious. We had the wings, crab cakes, fried calamari for appetizers. Then for entree we had the wagyu burger, NY strip and beef tips omggg soo food. Thank you to our server Chris.
My partner and I tried this place on a whim. It was Friday night and we like to try different places each week. The ambiance was great, it's intimate and had tasteful holiday decorations that blended in with the decor. It's December. The special appetizer which was a puréed acorn squash with toasted banquette slices and fried prosciutto. It was so good and nothing like we've ever had. The lobster bisque was outstanding with lobster claw and meat in it. They too is rare. Most restaurants have bits in their bisque, not big chunks of real lobster meat. We shared a cesesr salad with anchovies, it was huge. The bread was crunchy on the outside, with cheddar butter. We've never had that either. We each had a crab cake which was full of crab and delicious. When it came time for entrees, he ordered the bolonese which was very tasty. I ordered the side dish of Mac and cheese. It was a huge portion and after the appetizers, we could only eat a little. We gave a nice lunch for today. My partner had a blackberry margarita which was also unique. This place is pricey, but totally worth the experience.
The dirty martinis were so good that I had two and the appetizers at the bar are delicious, filling and a great value!
Just really slow - in goal the dinner took about 2.5 hours with apps not coming until post 8 PM (reservation was at 7 PM); not a terrible experience, waiter was super nice but the overall speed of the food/drinks was delayed significantly
Although we liked the ambiance, we were disappointed overall. We booked this reservation online and noted that we were celebrating 2 birthdays. Neither were acknowledged. We were handed our bill without asking and were never offered the dessert menu. The 22% automatic gratuity seems high. We always tip 20%. An automatic 18% might be more realistic.
Loved my visit to Rare 3001! Great people, great service, and a top-notch selection. Definitely worth a visit.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I had a fantastic experience at Rare 3001. The team was friendly and professional, the atmosphere was welcoming, and the service exceeded my expectations. The selection was impressive and curated—exactly what I was hoping to find. I’ll definitely be coming back and recommending this spot to friends!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Super disappointed by this restaurant. We had to wait over an hour for our food, waitress barely checked in on us, and an automatic gratuity is added. Would not recommend and will not be back.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 1
Our recent experience at this establishment was defined by extremely poor service that completely failed to justify the meal's high cost. While we hoped for an upscale dining experience, what we received was neglect, confusion, and operational failure.
Unacceptable Waiting Times
The service pace was glacial from the moment we were seated. We waited 30 minutes before our server finally approached to take the appetizer order, and alarmingly, neglected to ask for our main course selection at the same time. We had to specifically request that our dinner order be taken. Once placed, the main courses took an additional full hour to be served, an unacceptable delay for peak dining hours.
Staff Neglect and Mandatory Gratuity
Beyond the wait times, the basic table service was negligent. Our water glasses went unfilled throughout the meal, and we were never offered fresh silverware between the courses. This poor performance is directly enabled by the restaurant’s policy of automatically including a mandatory gratuity on the bill. When staff is guaranteed a tip regardless of performance, the incentive for care and attention is completely eliminated—and this was evident in every interaction. The disparity between the high price point of the meal and the substandard service we received was the single biggest disappointment of the evening.
Operational Failure
The most concerning red flag was the evident lack of management accountability. During the busiest period of service, the on-site manager had to make a phone call to the absent owner for basic operational approval. This lack of authority and presence clearly contributed to the overall chaotic and neglected atmosphere
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 1
Nick and Kristyn are the best bartenders! Amazing service and so friendly!! it’s our first time here and they made us feel so comfortable. We had such a great time and we will be back!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Very disappointing experience.
I was calling to place a to-go order at Rare 3001 in Rochester. After calling several times, someone finally answered — her name was Shelby. We asked about the “Chef’s Cut of the Day” listed on the online menu, and she didn’t seem to know what we were referring to. When we tried to clarify, she hung up on us.
At first, I thought we were disconnected, but after calling back four more times, I realized we were being ignored. When she eventually answered again, I mentioned that we thought we got disconnected, and she just laughed. She said she was busy with other customers and put us on hold — while we could hear her being rude to people in person, telling them to “just book online if they want to eat.” She then picked the phone back up and laughed again, so we hung up.
Very strange experience. When they first opened, I used to go weekly, but now I remember why I stopped going in the first place. Horrible customer service — truly disappointing for a place that used to be great.
Everything except our server was just disappointing. Sad, because I came here a year ago and it was amazing, even for the premium price. Now, I'm Never going back, ever.
Prices are much higher than other steakhouses in ROC. Gratuity automatically added to the bill @ 22%. If you're going to do that, just include it in the price and make additional tipping optional.
We sat at the bar and never wanted to leave the cool vibe. We ate there and the great bartender Steve took care of us. Loved our meals and could have chosen anything on the menu. We had great conversation with Steve and he was attentive to all our requests. Highly recommend Rare and we will be back. Keith & Wendy
We were greeted warmly and had our waters filled quickly, which started things off well. We ordered a bottle of wine, and while our server poured the first glass, that was it — the rest was left to us. Not a huge deal, but unexpected for a restaurant trying to provide a high-end dining experience.
The restaurant sits below another, and the constant dragging and banging of chairs from above took away from the ambiance. It gave off more of a “speakeasy” feel than the upscale steakhouse experience we expected.
The oysters were delicious the first round, but the crab cakes and later oysters were just average — nothing special. The $88 bone-in steak was also underwhelming. It definitely wasn’t the 24 ounces advertised — more like 12 — and we had to ask for steak knives. We didn’t receive them until we were more than halfway through, cutting with a butter knife in the meantime. The flavor was okay, but not memorable or worth the price tag.
Our server barely checked in after the food came out, and when we finished our meal, they brought the check without asking if we wanted dessert. To top it off, gratuity of $67 was automatically added to our bill without any mention, and we were still prompted to leave an additional tip.
Overall, the space has potential, but the service and food didn’t meet expectations or justify the price. Unfortunately, we probably won’t be back.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 1
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