Mr. Dominic's at the Lake

Been going there since the 60s. Always enjoyed the food. Portions have always been generous. The atmosphere is what it is. No frills, old style Italian restaurant. This is the first time there in probably 30 years or more. I was shocked at the prices. I have eaten at many restaurants over the years, with nicer atmosphere, quality food and good portions along with a much more pleasing dining experience, where, even after Covid, prices were kept at a much more reasonable level. Prices at Mr. Domenic’s should easily be about 20% lower than they are. We were recently in Italy, and, we ate at really nice restaurants all over Italy, including Rome and Sorento, and prices were lower there. I’ll never go back there again. Owner should do a reality check.

We called in our order, it was our first time trying this place. We ordered 3 different dishes to try. The gnocchi with vodka sauce was TERRIBLE and we ended up throwing it away. The fettuccine alfredo with chicken tasted like a Stouffer's frozen meal and the chicken in it was disgusting (I posted a picture.) The chicken was stringy, gross and looked like it had been frozen. Which is comical at these prices. The ravioli was the only thing that was ok and edible. Disappointing, overly expensive and not worth it.

I'm told that Mr. Dominic's has gone through a lot of changes over the years, perhaps even owner changes. But on our trip this time, I thought the staff was wonderfully helpful and I thought the food was very good. I think it's still worth checking out. Especially their veal which I thought was very tender and delicious. The menu is pretty large with a lot of good choices. The fact that the place is always still packed must be a good sign.

Really cute spot by the lake. They have daily specials which are always delicious. They also have a cute basket of little gifts for young kiddos to pick out a toy.

We went there to celebrate a family member’s birthday. I had never been there but had heard great reviews from other people. We arrived at 6 but weren’t served until 7:30. I ordered the Chicken French and was very disappointed. Not much flavor. The sauce was super runny and I didn’t taste any sherry like the menu noted. It was bland.

First time, I went because a friend was with us and suggested it, and I said sure, we'd try. We sat outside. Service was excellent. I had some seafood dish that was a special that day, and it was excellent. Food hot, portions too much for me to eat, but they offered nice to-go boxes. Next time, I suggested going here! The server urged me to try the chicken Marsala and I thought -- eh, no big deal. BUT! It was some of the best chicken I've ever eaten anywhere, ever! I look forward to ordering it again. Everything else on my plate was excellent, too. Salad, side (I think asparagus) and maybe more. We did not do dessert. Service is outstanding. I've never had their Italian food, but I would have confidence that it would be the real deal. A word of caution: First time, we sat outside on the sidewalk, and it was perfect. However, I don't think I would have liked being on their porch, which seemed crowded. It does get noisy inside, but we just went early and avoided the noise. I look forward to going again.

Took my mom out for Mother’s Day this past Sunday and had a great experience. We haven’t been here in years and I’m upset about that because we had an amazing experience! Our food was great! I had the Josephine dish , my mother had the seafood plate , the Sicilian fried calamari was excellent and most of all our waitress was great to us and made our experience that much better! Highly recommend for family dinner, date night, or for cozy Italian eats. Will be back sooner this time!!

We had a great experience. The menu is robust with great options and everything we ordered was very good. Rigatoni and spicy marinara, spaghetti with meatballs, crab cakes, salads, lasagna. The service was friendly and it’s a charming venue in a great location. They even gave us toys for the kids and didn’t mind that I had kids with me. I’d certainly go again.

the food was top tier and i would love to go again. the service was amazing and they were so kind. the ambiance felt like i was in a fancy city and i loved it!!

Very expensive! The service was great, but my grandson ordered chicken parm he was told the side and he chose green beans and it never came out. The salads are extra so we just had our entrees and bread. I had a glass of wine and my grandson a beer and the bill came to $92.00. That is very high for what we got. We will not be returning.

Awesome Italian food here at Mr. Dominic's!! Great location across from the Port of Rochester near Lake Ontario! Love the ambience and the layout of the restaurant too! We were so thankful for the early seating! We came in a little early as suggested, for our 8pm reservation of 9 and sure enough they were able to seat us right away at around 7:30! From the moment we were seated to the end of our meal EVERYTHING was 100% excellent!! Shout out to Ann for taking such great care of us! She was on top of everything! Friendly and attentive...didn't miss a beat! Her recommendations were spot on! From the appetizers to the main course! All were amazing! Her #1 recommendations were the calamari Sicilian style and the greens & beans BOTH were so tasty! And the greens and beans were so amazing, my uncle ordered them for his main course! The meatballs with ricotta were delicious as well as the antipasto salad. Everyone loved their dinners!! My capellini with the white clam sauce was wonderful! My husband loved his manicotti! The others in our group absolutely loved their meals too! Veal Parmesan, veal piccata, chicken French... what a crazy awesome dinner! We even forced ourselves to order desserts to pass around! The tiramisu and cannolis were amazing! A very popular place that has been enjoyed by locals for over 35 years! So glad we came here while visiting family in Rochester! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

The food at mr dominics was truly a Rochesterfarian affair. Chicken and veal "french"? Never heard of that until i hit rochester. Luckily for us we had server Anne, she was amazingly efficient, but friendly, warm & patient.she took care of our group like a pro. Now, back to veal french, i wish i had ordered the chicken. The veal came with a light & eggy batter, swimming in a wine sauce, that seemed very thin for being called a sauce. It had the texture of a broth, and did not have much body to it. Like the skipped the mounting butter stage. I still loved it, we really enjoyed the lively ambiance. We'll be back someday

We went early with a reservation so we got right in. We parked on the street. I imagine it would be really tough to go during prime time, even with a reservation. I got the clams casino - ok. The presentation was great. I thought maybe it had a little more white wine or lemon in it than I was expecting. For the main, I got the pork braciole. It was extremely tasty - tender, moist, flavorful, and stuffed well. The tomato sauce was tasty on the side of penne. The bread and butter was tasty. I wish there was an herb grinder or shaker on the table so I could use the olive oil on the table to make a bread dip. The ambiance is nice, romantic, with a little bit of fanciness without being too stuffy. The decor is nice. The tables are very close together so if it is busy it may be a bit loud. The waitresses were attentive.

The restaurant is located near Ontario Lake with plenty of parking and is a fun and lively area. This is a classic Italian restaurant with a beautiful interior with an airy brick ceiling. The service was great and the staff checked on our table frequently to refill waters and they are very generous with giving us more bread. The wait time for the entrees was long but their service makes up for it. It's really busy on a Saturday night with many large groups. I got the chicken parmigiano with capellini and substituted the sauce with Mariana that has more flavor in my opinion. The pasta was fresh and cooked well. The chicken was huge and had a nice crisp with the melted cheese on top. Great spot for Italian in Rochester.

Went a little over a year ago super good food amazing ambience will be returning for a nice night out with my husband

We met family here for drinks and dinner at this lovely Italian restaurant by the lake. For appetizers, we shared fresh mussels in garlic butter and some fried Calamari. Hubby had the Eggplant Parmigiana, our daughter enjoyed the spaghetti with meatballs, and I had Fettuccini Alfredo with shrimp with veggies. We were very please with our dinner, nice atmosphere and friendly service.

The food was delicious. My server Shauna was sweet, kind and attentive. This was my first time in Rochester and I'm glad I stop in here to eat. Don't forget to have a glass of white sangria with dinner!!! Perfect place for a nice Italian dinner. The ambience was cozy and welcoming.

Fantastic food and service . Waitresses were top notch . Had 6:30 reservations and were led straight to our table. Had the pasta Josephine which was delicious. Good portions .

Food service and Lauren was awesome thanks again I had lasagna and my husband had meat ball with penne marinara sauce everything was delicious thanks we will be back to try different dishes!

The bread was super fresh and warm and they were very generous about bringing refills to us. The food took a little longer than expected once we ordered, but it was a busy Saturday night. Our server was nice and the food was pretty good. The pasta was a little overcooked in my opinion, but the sauce had great flavor. The ambiance felt like an authentic version of Olive Garden.

Came here with my brother's family for a dinner together after many months apart. I left the area in 2000 but love coming home to visit and eating at family favorites like Mr. Dominic's whenever we get an opportunity to do so. Our server tonight was Julia. So friendly, professional and kind. We were off to the races with our entree orders and were excited to eat. I had the Seafood Plate with a side of Fettuccine Alfredo. The plate came with clams casino, shrimp scampi, and scallops with calamari. One side of marinara and one of cocktail sauce (which is seriously crazy delicious). I left nothing on the plate. We had tiramisu and chocolate cake for dessert. Shared it with our group, and it was plenty for us to all get a few bites without overcommitting. The food was great as usual. Service from Julia was tremendous and should be applauded for navigating our courses and keeping us topped off and satisfied for the entire meal. Many thanks to the team here. Labor Day weekend is not an easy time to go out for dinner but it was really, really excellent and provides memories from decades ago that I fondly recall. Support small owned businesses! Thanks Julia! See you soon-

An absolutely fantastic restaurant with a long local history of geat food, attentive service in order to insure your return for additional memories. Definitely recommend

The place is awesome such a great place Karen and shawna are the best bartenders looking out for the customers great food Friendly Consistent Donald is the crown jewel tentative always happy and pleasant The drinks are bc awesome

Awesome. Great service and fantastic food. Our waitress was simply awesome we were seated promptly. The restaurant was very busy. Food came hot and delicious. Will come again.

We went to Mr. Dominic's at the Lake on Saturday night. It was quite crowded at Charlotte beach due to the Harbor Fest but it was nice. We went to Windjammers first but it was a 40 minute wait for a table so we landed at Mr. Dominic's good choice in my opinion. There was no wait list and we were seated at a table in the dining room. We were asked what we wanted to drink almost immediately after we sat down we got our waters and the bread which was still warm and the butter was soft too so that was nice to start the meal off on the right foot. The waitress came and took our order she was friendly and outgoing but they were also busy. My Fiancée ordered a salad and the portion was big enough for us to share it and it was good. Then shortly thereafter our food came out hot. My fiancée got the broiled swordfish which he says was very good and I ordered the Eggplant Parmesan but I got veal Parmesan instead. We called the waitress over and explained the situation she was very apologetic about the fact that she grabbed the wrong plate. She brought it back to the kitchen and a few minutes later my eggplant came out hot and very tasty. Whomever ordered the veal Parmesan got a new plate of it so I am guessing they were happy too. The waitress felt so bad that she insisted upon buying us our dessert the triple chocolate cake which was the perfect end to our meal. And the service the waitress provided was top notch. We will be dining there again.

Love coming here and love the food. It's not too loud and is perfect for dates or a dinner with the family. But to be honest the only reason why I come back is for one particular server, Isabelle. She's the only server that I've had an excellent experience with. I hope management knows how great she is!

Excellent food and service. Very nice Italian restaurant with wonderful ambiance, would highly recommend.

While the food was very good, we will not be returning. It took 20 minutes before the server took our orders and another 40 minutes for the food to come out. The dining room is physically attractive but it is incredibly and uncomfortably loud in there. Even yelling, we could not even hear the person sitting directly next to us. It made for an unpleasant experience. The management needs to seriously invest in sound proofing.

Let's face it, the bar is pretty damn low in Rochester when it comes to restaurants. Mr Dominic's is on the better side of things. However it, it has its downside. Watch the tomato sauces. They taste mostly canned, but the non tomato based dishes are much better in fact some of them are wonderful. The chicken French or chicken piccata with the more mild sauces are excellent. The eggplant parm is not bad even though there's some tomato sauce. The atmosphere is a bit tight and a little noisy, but tolerable.

As usual, food was fantastic as was the service. Favorite restaurant for Italian cuisine and would highly recommend. Reservations are good to have, even for lunch.

I had not been here in a very long time and I won't make that same mistake twice. We had a very large party and were seated in the back dining area. Our server was phenomenal

So this didn't start out well. Showed up for our reservation a few minutes early, the hostess station is in a weird spot, half way into the restaurant and there was literally no place to go while we waited for our table. The bar area was full but we eventually squeezed into a spot to wait. Got drinks that were too expensive and the Negroni was weak. Got seated about 25 min later which wasn't a big deal, busy Friday night. Inside is beautifully decorated, nice ambiance. Cold bread and butter so no spreading the butter on the bread. Artichoke French app was underwhelming. The artichoke hearts were big and tender, but you expect a punch of lemon in the sauce which it lacked, so was a bit bland. The mains absolutely made up for it though. I got chicken cacciatore that was excellent. Tender chicken, onions and peppers were great, sauce was perfect for dipping some bread. Nice. Wifey got the Grandma's Sauce, pork ragu style sauce with a meatball. It was delicious! The sauce was flavorful, with big chunks of tender pork and the meatball was big and tasty. I'd go back again, skip drinks and apps and just get the entree.

The hostess was the most rude person in the world. Vindictive when the lack of service was brought to her attention and then the sneering when we were walking out of the place. Her attitude was the height of arrogance and quite disgusting. If you like being treated badly while paying top prices, then this is your place. Just a disgusting person. By the way, I have been going there for some years now - fortunately I have not had to deal with this "hostess". The food is usually very good but tonight it was average at best. The chicken parm was overcooked and dried out and the sauce couldn't cover that. And the reason for the "overworked servicing staff" and "short one cook" was a special group in the back that was getting all the service. People aren't dumb and we notice things. Working in the business isn't a big secret we cant figure out. So if you like to be mistreated while you are spending a big amount for a meal, then go to this place.

The best Italian restaurant in Charlotte. The service was good. A little pricy for the area.

Had a wonderful family dinner at our favorite restaurant tonight. As always, the food is the very best, quick and friendly service, in a family friendly restaurant. The prices are great and the portions are generous.

Went there last night with 3 other friends. I wanted to compare this place to Fratelli's in Avon. This comparison was food only as both places have a nice atmosphere as well as great service. I myself prefer the thicker pasta sauce at Fratelli's than the sauce at Mr. Dominic's which is a bit thinner. I do recall one of my friends liking Mr. Dominic's better than Fratelli's though. I guess it comes down to personal preference. :)

The home of old-school, Rochester style, Italian cuisine. A fixture for generations, with new improved and re-decorated space, and double the seating capacity. Still putting out all of Rochester's favorite, with beautiful sauces, a great wine list, and a great selection of Italian favorites, in our own typical Rochester style. As an added bonus, after dinner, you can walk the pier into Lake Ontario, and enjoy unique Rochester vistas.

Our dinners were delicious. I got Chicken Dominic with green beans and a salad. My sweetheart got veal something over linguini. And the shrimp appetizer oh my!!!! Great service but very loud and lots of activity. Definitely going to come back here!!

The service at the bar was at best sub par , if i rated the place for cleanliness it failed miserably, I mean I was embarrassed bringing my girlfriend to the place , I understand it's an old building, but I can't say what we saw running around in there . I'm sure it could not pass any type of inspection. However after waiting for an hour for our dinner, we realized that the bartender forgot to order our food. Not a good experience At least Abbott's helped It's time is in the past

Good food, good value, great menu. can't hear yourself think. Noisiest restaurant I've ever been in.

The food was outstanding, services was excellent and the ambiance was what you would except for an Italian Restaurant. A Great place to go for Italian food.

Excellent food and service. Nice outdoor seating area. Have never had a bad meal here!

The food was great. Friendly waitress staff. Disappointed with the following: 1. Salad not included with a dinner. I get it, inflation, and trying to keep base prices optically lower. 2. Skinny pc of chocolate cake for desert. Half the size that I'm used to. 3. $2:00 service charge for using a credit card. Sorry to say I pulled one dollar of the tip to help make up for this "surcharge."

Well, I have heard a lot of good things about this place for years and just never made it until this week. We went on a double date of sorts, husbands and wives. The atmosphere was pleasant, and the server was great! However the food did not live up to the "hype" whatsoever. I had the stuffed manicotti and a side of meatballs. Neither were very good really. The meatballs were low on flavor and the pasta was overcooked and mushy. My wife had a scallop dish and she said that it was also a fail. The calamari was decent, but not above average. The bottle of wine that we chose was excellent. After dinner we declined dessert, only one is "house made" in case you care. We opted for some drinks, namely port. One option, a shorter aged version. I was thankful for our company of friends, but we will definitely not return. There are better Italian food options in this little city.

Went with a large group for lunch. The waitress handled all the special requests, bar and food orders very well. Food came out quickly and portions were very generous and delicious. Wish I had noted the waitresses name so I could mention her. Looking forward to returning soon.

Service was substandard owner rude and not responsive to our complaint will not return!

We were visiting from out of town and this restaurant was recommended to us for Italian, so we called to see if they could accommodate our party of 8 and they were able to do so. Walking in, it felt so old school Rochester, which was just what we were in the mood for! Note: Portions are very plentiful! Sis & I shared the Escarole with Beans and Sausage and the Puttanesca and couldn't come close to finishing either. They were both absolutely terrific! All of us enjoyed our meals and we were well taken care of despite them being super busy. Only small damper was Mom had something splashed on her coat by a wait staff and they didn't even acknowledge it.

Since this is my fathers absolute favorite restaurant I have been coming here since a little kid and have never liked it (needless to say my father has no taste buds lol). However it was my fathers birthday last week and I hadn't been there in over 15 years so decided why not give this place another chance .... nothing's changed. Let's start with the good - The atmosphere is nice located right near the lake and has somewhat of a romantic setting on the inside. The menu choices are vast and anyone can find something they like on the menu. They even have gluten free pasta and other dishes available upon request. The prices are fair and the portion sizes are Huge. The negatives - the quality of the food to start nothing seems to have a taste to it let alone an authentic itailian taste. For an Italian restaurant to use a can of red sauce says something right there. The dishes also aren't made properly - for example odd pairings and the risotto was just terrible thing that looked like soup. Nothing on the menu you'd recommend. The service though is where it gets really bad. I was with a party of four and it took us 2.5 hours from start to finish and we didn't even have to wait for a table and were fast eaters and didn't get desert or apps or drinks. The waitress also seemed to be a bit out of it. However as soon as they saw we were finished they were quick to kick us out and give us the bill after we said we didn't want desert. I hope to never have to eat here again but unfortunately due to my dad I probably will - however I don't recommend it.

Had my husbands birthday dinner there for a large party of 17. Never felt rushed, food came out at the same time, service was great and everyone had a delicious meal. Our head server Janine was great. Such a timeless fantastic place to dine!

We had high hopes for the restaurant as we were told it was "the best Italian around." It was okay. The food was good. The wine was good. The food portions were nicely sized... as we ate leftover for dinner tonight and they were just as good. It was very busy, which is typical of restaurants on a Friday. Waitstaff run by every one-- Literally running to the front and back of the house. I did see the wait staff or Hostesses? complain a lot about the missing bus people which is unfortunate. We were in and out in about an hour and a half, if you're in a hurry, I would suggest this place. If you have time to kill, go for it. I'd give it. 3.5 but 4 is okay.

Excellent sauce and great environment! Many gluten free options are available and staff is very knowledgeable about which menu items can be altered to be made gluten free. The chicken saltimbocca made gluten free was delicious and I would definitely return to try other items on the menu. Despite how busy it was, staff was extremely quick and efficient and continued to check in on us. Great place to bring the family or to hang out with friends for dinner and drinks.

The chicken french is fantastic! Without a doubt, my favorite chicken french is from Mr. Dominic's at the Lake! This place has been around forever, and each and every time I go in here the food is always excellent. The only thing I wished they improved was their salads as the lettuce is always wilted, as well as the bread as it quite underwhelming. The entrees are always top notch, as well as the dessert! Definitely visit this spot if you're looking for a filling and excellent meal. If you're in the mood for pasta you've got to try out their gnocchi. Be sure to get it with a sausage or meatball.

Came here for dinner tonight, had a 7:30pm reservation. Luckily we did, this place is so packed. It was cramped inside considering how small the place is. RESERVATION IS A MUST! or you will end up waiting for an hour or more. I had moscato wine tonight which was delish if you like sweet wine while we're waiting for a table. The hostess was so stressed tonight she seems unfriendly to some patrons. That was kinda disappointing. Anyway we still waited at the bar for a good 20 mins. Not a bad wait at all. We were seated right next to bathroom lol how romantic. Started with calamari, my gosh it was hot!!! Like fresh out of pan and hot spicy from the jalapeño. I will get that again next time it was really good. I ordered my chicken French over escarole. My bf got a fish fry with 2 stuff shells on the side. Weird I know but hey that was him lol. Salad came out after the calamari and it was meh. I asked for a balsamic sauce on side and it was just oil with seasoning at the button so I literally had salad with oil lol. Chicken French was banging! I was surprised, I've been here before a long time ago and I didn't like it. I feel like they have a new chef presentation was appreciated. It looked very good. Fish fry was fresh the fish was glistening white! We waited for at least 45 mins for our entree's though but was given a complimentary dessert. I thought that was a great recovery from their part.

Let me start by saying that I have grown up going here!! But in the past couple of years it has gotten worse and worse, and tonight will be our last visit. This review will be just on tonights bad experience.. 1st- The menu has changed and I was told that if I didn't want sauce that has meat cooked in it that I would have to get the tomato basil which has an upcharge of $5. I have never had to pay extra to have a plain marinara sauce. *also soup or salad no longer come with your meal. 2nd- I ordered the Fettuccine Alfredo and I couldn't even eat it because of the horrible flavor! I have never had a bad alfredo dish before. And the waitress didnt seem to notice that I ate none of it and had to steal some of my husbands dish. 3rd- When we asked for more bread we were told there would be an additional charge, again something I have never been told at an Italian restaurant! 4th- Rock music was playing,, really doesn't go well with the look of the beautiful restaurant.

Not sure I would recommend anymore due to smaller portions, increased prices, and diminished quality in the food served. They even have the verve to charge extra for a side salad that always came with a meal. Shameful in my opinion...always lived Mr Dominic's when the man himself was alive.

Mr. Dominic's is the reason I can't go to Olive Garden! I mean, seriously, with local Italian food this good how can I ever go to a chain? I've been a Mr. D's customer for almost 40 years and it never gets old (I wish I could say the same for me). Had Sunday dinner there tonight and it was excellent as always. Started with Greens & Beans (delicious) and I had capellini (huge dish!) while my GF ordered gnocchi (also delicious and huge). We left stuffed and carried 2 containers of leftovers to enjoy in a day or two. Don was our waiter and added to our enjoyment of our evening. One complaint, though. I live in Victor which is 26 miles from Mr. Dominic's. PLEASE bring back your Fairport location so I can come more often. And, if it's not too much trouble, bring Lauren back too. She was a great server.

Service was okay, but who is making the prices? The quality of your food has gone downhill, while almost 35 dollars for the Asiago gnocchi's with chicken cutlet?? And you don't even get a salad anymore? Food took a hour, pasta was cold but the protein on top was hot. A little ridiculous for almost 100 dollars in food. So disappointed, used to be one of our favorite places, won't be back.