Where to Eat in Rochester

Rochester has a wide variety of restaurants, many of them in the downtown area near the Mayo Clinic. During the day, there is a convenient Mayo Clinic Patient Cafeteria located where the Gonda Building and Mayo Building meet in the subway. There are many small fast food spots in the Subway such as Subway Sandwiches or Daube's Down Under (soups, salads, bakery items, sandwiches), that are just a short walk from the Mayo and Gonda Building. (That's right, there's a Subway in the Subway.)

Up on the street level you can find the Grand Grill at the Kahler which has a full menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Michael's Restaurant is closed.Michael's was a fixture in the community, celebrating 60 years of delicious food and great service. Many people have come to Mayo Clinic over the years and many famous people had their photos posted on the wall at Michael's.

When they announced in late fall of 2014 that they would close on December 31, 2014, there was a lot of sadness in the community. And then people started flocking to Michael's to get in just one more lunch and one more special dinner. By December they stopped taking reservations. They were so full all the time. The place was just hopping.

The building is still there. Plans are to tear it down and build something else, but that does not seem to be moving along much. There are lots of other buildings going up and new restaurants continue to thrive.

Patient and Visitor Cafeteria near Gonda and Mayo Buildings in the Subway

Newer restaurants are also close by. Look over the Rah Rah Rochester website for  places to eat. You can browse by category for the type of food you enjoy, for example, BBQ, Asian, Italian, or Seafood. You can also look for restaurants that have outdoor seating, feature live entertainment or have call ahead seating. If you are able to drive a few miles, you can find restaurants near Apache Mall and Crossroads Shopping Center, or on the north or south end of town. If you are in the mood for pizza, one of our favorite spots is BB's Pizzaria. It's north on Broadway which is also Highway 63. The cross street is 37th St NE (also called East Circle Drive if you head east of Highway 63). We also like Mr. Pizza North which is near Costco. The atmosphere is relaxing, even if there are lots of people eating there. They have great pizza of course but also delicious soups and many taste-tempting desserts. Think cheesecake!