Nick Tahou Hots

It's the perfect dive. If they served alcohol, it would be a dive bar. Using that criteria, it's a 5! Everything i expected and more. Got the garbage white hot plate. Yummy.

Everyone working was really friendly. The food is ready quickly and tastes absolutely amazing. Prices are reasonable too. It's nothing super fancy looking inside but they have tons of seating available and you can sit at the counter too and watch the chef at work. Highly recommend stopping by and grabbing a garbage plate if you are nearby.

Nick Tahou Hots, a Rochester institution known for their Garbage Plates, has an exterior that may give you second thoughts, but don't let that deter you from experiencing the delicious food within. I recently tried their cheeseburger plate and was thoroughly impressed. The generous serving of juicy burger patty, topped with melted cheese and accompanied by a mound of perfectly cooked home fries and macaroni salad, was a satisfying and flavorful meal. Once inside, the ambiance shifts from the initial impression of a condemned building to a cozy dining room and bustling kitchen. The staff was friendly and accommodating, enhancing the overall dining experience. The service was prompt despite the busy lunch hour, and my order was served hot and fresh. Overall, Nick Tahou Hots exceeded my expectations with their tasty cheeseburger plate and efficient service. While the exterior may need a bit of sprucing up, the food and atmosphere inside more than make up for it. I would recommend giving Nick Tahou Hots a try for a true taste of Rochester comfort food at its finest.

Every time my fiance and I go to Rochester which is pretty far from us we try to stop at Nick Tahou's. They are always so friendly there. One of the workers was talking to my toddler and making him laugh. Love everything about this place. And the food is always a 10/10

My dad,my son and I are having lunch together and it teast really good and it's nice and hot. The French fries are nice and crispy.

After hearing so much about it, I have to say I'm a little disappointed. How is this place the most well-known restaurant in all of Rochester? That being said, it was indeed food. It tasted fine and it did fill me up! It does, however, win the award for worst-looking restaurant I've ever seen. I assume they are aware of this but wear it with a badge of pride. Surely a two-star review like this one means nothing to a place that creates this kind of vibe haha.

This is the best food option I've experienced in months. The owner Alex is so kind and so are the employees. The Garbage plate is delicious!! And you can get a vegetarian version. I would recommend this to anyone coming to Rochester. Really good value, you get a ton of food for the price. I'll be eating the rest for breakfast. I was kind of having a difficult week having a meal here turned it around. I will be coming back.

This is a must whenever we're in Rochester. I always bring people here to try the garbage plate because it is an essential experience. Love the staff, and the food is great. The owner is very witty and fun.

What an experience! I am from the other side of the country originally but for some reason the garbage plate came out somewhere a million years ago. I was told it was a thing of upstate New York. Now that I live on the other side of the country, I was able to narrow it down to Rochester. Someone said if Rochester had a food, it would be this. So lo and behold when my friend and I are taking a hiking trip up to upstate New York, I mentioned to this to him. He said let's go try it out! So we did and so glad I got to experience it. They have parking in the back and you can walk into the back door. This place is completely no frills. Pretty bare bones and I can tell they are hurting for labor as there were signs indicating that orders would take a bit longer because of lack of staff. There were plenty of people in there from all walks of life and it felt like a good place to try something new. I just ordered a standard garbage plate with hamburger meat and got it about 8 minutes later. It was pretty good! Very interesting that's for sure. Hard to explain except it's just regional and a thing of Rochester and glad I got to try it. Definitely a mixture of flavors. It's just really hard to explain. But would definitely try it again! Good prices as well.

So, an iconic Place to Rochester, New York. I can see the draw to this casual diner dive. They're known for their garbage plates, which is kind of a plate with a bunch of stuff on it. This is not a negative review. I went against the grain and just ordered a burger and some onion rings and the food was good. Had I tried the iconic plate. I might've been more impressed. My observation is; faded glory, a building that was falling apart and desperately needs help since it is a historic building. They were out of to go containers, and it really seemed like the place was running on fumes. I hope that you do stop and try the garbage plate and try to keep this business going. If I go back to Rochester, I promise I'll eat a garbage plate.

OMG. continuing our quest for vocal each this one is the top on our list so far we heard the garbage plate is famous in Rochester New York and we went out of our way to find this place. It's the bomb.com. I don't know what kind of spices they use for this mountain of delight, but I enjoyed everybody

This is seriously one of the worst piles of dog food I have ever consumed in my life. Didn't even come close to finishing it. Nothing had any taste whatsoever. It was pretty terrible all around. Plus, the other customers in the store, leave quite a bit to be desired. One of them got in an argument with the person at the counter and proceeded to throw a cup of soda on them. The narcan dispenser by the front door is also a nice touch. Avoid at all costs.

What used to be a Rochester relic has truly become one of the weaker restaurants around. From quality to prices, nick Tahou has made sure to screw over its patrons. The employees are probably the only good quality this place has. It's sad to see a staple of our city become so lackluster.

When you want a garbage plate in Rochester Nick Tahou is the OG! Don't be afraid of the building that looks like it's ready to fall down. The inside is not anything fancy just a very basic old school diner. They close early at 7 on Saturday so we got there right before closing. Very quick service. The plate was very good. I ordered the cheeseburger plate. The meat sauce wasn't super spicy like other places which was a good thing. My only complaint was it was somewhat cold. The home fries were cold which was kind of a bummer. Other than that very enjoyable plate!

Very disappointing. When did everything start getting watered down? Mac salad and beans tasteless. And what happened to meat sauce ? Weak and watery. I can name 5 places in Rochester for a better plate. All for $15 dollars. Last time here. Things never stay the same, but I thought this was to easy to screw up . Plus I ordered fries and got beans. Can't trade on the name only forever

The home of the garbage plate. Not sure why this place popularized a region-wide dish because it was absolutely disgusting. My friend and I shared one and it was so inedible that we couldn't finish it between the two of us. The meat was like dirt. The potatoes were flavorless and soggy. There were absolutely no redeeming qualities. My only guess is this place was actually good 100 years ago and is only in business thanks to people like me who didn't know better.

Our last stop in our drive through to Buffalo! What a place! Just shows you don't need fancy signs, neon, gimmicky things to get people in the door! Like a step back in time, a slow down of the moments! Real conversation with the owner and staff of the place. Jo and I split an Italian sausage garbage plate which comes with macaroni salad, home fries (next time I'd sub for French fries), 2 Italian sausage links and mustard, onions and sauce along with a side white hot dog. My dad got a cheeseburger with grilled onions. Drinks are $1.25 and free refills! Everything is priced as if it's not 2023 and i respect that a lot. For all our food and 3 sodas it was $25 plus we tipped to the kids Xmas fund. That's a steal if i say so myself. The owner who may or may not be named Alex provided great conversation about the establishment and the staff behind the counter was quick to get out food out and ask if we wanted refills on our drinks. The hospitality of this place is immeasurable! If i lived here this would be my go to lunch or dinner spot. The building is old and the inside is a through back to simpler times. No frills just tummy filling food and i really appreciate a place that stands the test of time.

People come down hard on this place because of the owner but thus far it has the most flavorful meatsauce I've tried yet without being too much of one spice like other places that taste like all curry or something. Really it depends on the time of day and the day on how well the plate will be piled but the meat sauce is always good and the meat is not rancid and old like some places it's fresh ALWAYS. I don't even know why I try other places I am always let down. Hands down my favorite and I don't see that changing anytime soon.

Used to be good 20 years ago. hot sauce has no flavor, it's just oil. If you get any meat in it, it's tasteless. The beans are from a can. The mac is from a box that sits on the counter open all day. It's just crap now.

Nick Tahou serves up the best and most legendary plates in Rochester. Do not come to the city without popping in for one!

Don't go your entire life without eating a garbage plate at this cozy little place. Staff and locals were a lot of fun.

Food was freshly made and good. It had been 40 years since I had a garbage plate. The macaroni salad was the best part of the plate with a strong good flavor. The service people were friendly. I would recommend this as a Rochester staple.

Rochester's contribution to the culinary canon. You're not going here because it's best thing somebody can do with the idea, you're going because they did it first. I got a plate with burgers, cold beans, homefries, and the meat hot sauce/onion/mustard combo.I wouldn't say the meat hot sauce was hot, but it added enough to the dish. Overall, I was satisfied with the meal. In terms of service though, I went with a colleague and the staff was friendly. They served us even though it was 15 minutes to close. The place is old, and definitely feels that way. I like that because it adds a sense of gravity to the establishment, but if you want modern restrooms, you may be disappointed. Having grown up in upstate NY, it resonated with me on a spiritual level though. Overall, it's a novel configuration of staple food ideas. On that level, seek it out for the novelty. It's a singular dining experience, and definitely worth taking the plunge on.

I was tempted to get a garbage plate but I figured I have to crawl before I could walk. A real tasty quality hotdog. The casing was a little tough, some of it was hard to chew.

Back in my SUNY Oswego days, we had a University Hots right by the bars. I was made out of sterner stuff in those days, and enjoyed a lot more "college plates" after 2:00 AM than I'll ever remember. I've only ever lived in Oswego and Onondaga counties, so other than my college days, traditional Garbage Plates and the many other brands of food heaps famous in the 585 were out of range for me. Feeling nostalgic from Oswego, we were passing through Rochester and decided it was time to try the real thing. We Googled "Garbage Plate" and were referred here for the original. We already knew what we were going for: diner quality ingredients slapped into the finest piles $12.00 can buy. Still, we stumbled through the ordering process. The website menu lists the ingredients, but doesn't provide much in terms of guidelines. The guy on the phone seemed annoyed and we labored through what could have been a simple order. At first, we ended the call wishing we had gone in to place the order. That feeling lasted right up to the moment I entered the building. I spent just enough time inside to pick up the food and check out the bathroom from the Saw movies. I have full trust in Rochester's code enforcement, but I think the buildings in Chernobyl are in better condition. Pictured here are the two garbage plates we ordered. Mac Salad, fries, red hot and cheeseburger, seemed like a safe classic. Second order was beans, fries, red hot and fried haddock. (Fried haddock does not combine with other ingredients it's listed with on the menu, and was sold separately at a full upcharge. They told us at the time of our order but we still went for it.) The beans and mac salad were completely void of flavor. The meat sauce was pretty weak as well. We had ordered them with ketchup and mustard and diced onions, but our food came without it. We had to add them ourselves when we got home, which restored some of the garbage plate feeling they'd been lacking. I happen to be on an Indian food kick, but adding a bunch of Garam Masala to mine was a home run. We'll be back in the area a few more times over the coming weeks, and we're looking forward to trying the various heaps Rochester has to offer. You guys can have this place though.

Service was quick even though they lacked many employees. The cheeseburger garbage plate was great, the meat sauce pulled it all together. The shop felt very old-timey and the atmosphere was calm. Cheeseburger Plate

I highly recommend this place. The garbage plate is really really good. I hope that you guys will try and leave very satisfied at afterwards. I travel all the way from Oregon in order to get the garbage plate. You are not going to be disappointed. You will be very satisfied. Thank you for your time.

Excellent historical! If you're from rochester then you already know! The cheeseburger red hot Mac salad and home fries thank you very much smothered in the world famous meat sauce!

It's hard to believe but I've lived here for over 30 years and this is only my second trip to Nick Tahou's for a Garbage plate! But it is quite the experience. A bunch of us from work decided to go over today and there was a short line to get your order placed. I ordered - what else - the garbage plate with a cheeseburger, a white hot and the home fries, beans, Mac salad and hot sauce. What a delight! And of course they give you a few slices of white bread with butter to complete the healthy meal. You can order the Garbage Plate with your choice of 2 of either a hamburger, cheeseburger, red or white hot dog- with any or all of mac salad, beans and home fries- which are really like crispy tatie tot cubes. Top with meat "hot" sauce and mustard and onions and you are in grease hog heaven! I'll be back!

A great dive bar environment. Philly has the cheesesteaks. Chicago has deep dish pizza. Rochester has the garbage plate. Definitely not the health food we should be eating but your taste buds will be happy. Lots of options so you will find something you will love.

Went and tried the famous "garbage plate", which consist of a mix of meat (I had the cheeseburger option), potatoes, onions (raw), and a couple other things. It's served with a couple pieces of bread and that's it! Simple and delicious. I was a bit underwhelmed with the restaurant itself. The atmosphere did not feel very fun and exciting, but since this is more about the food itself, I can't knock that too much.

While I was a student at Rochester Institute of Technology, I remember going to "The Commons" and hearing people order a 'CBGB', i.e., a cheeseburger garbage bowl. After I saw one, I instantly ordered one for myself and fell in love. This was my first garbage plate and it certainly wasn't the last, but surprisingly, I never went off-campus to try this Rochester delicacy. I remember hearing that Nick Tahou's was the home of the original garbage plate and was a place I always wanted to go. So nearly ten years later I FINALLY got to have an original cheeseburger garbage plate and I was not disappointed! A friend and I arrived around 1:30pm on a Saturday and easily found a parking spot in the rear parking lot. At first, we walked to the front and were greeted with a sign saying to enter and exit from their rear entrance, so we walked back and eventually found it. Upon walking in, we saw a pretty good-sized line of people. At first, we were a bit confused as they split the line into an "Order Here" line and a "Pick Up Here" line, but people were spilling into both lines. Of course we figured it out after seeing everyone holding an order receipt, so we were next in line. The kitchen seemed a little backed up though and there were a total of four people working, so waited a little over 10 minutes before the owner of Nick Tahou's took our order. He was a pretty friendly guy, although he seemed a little flustered and tired. We decided to eat-in so he told us to grab any table and to come back up to the counter when the number on our receipt was called. The inside definitely has old-school bar/diner vibes and I just made me wish I could've come here back when I was at RIT to see everyone sitting at the tables and along their bar. The inside definitely could use a "spruce up" but it was clean, overall, and all the staff were masked and safety protocols were in place. After about 15 minutes or so, our number was finally called and as soon as we brought the tray back, we dove right in! Oh man, was this delicious! It's been nearly ten years since I had a garbage plate prior to this and both of us agreed, it lived up to the hype. The cheeseburger was cooked perfectly. The meat sauce was dense with a little "heat" and the mac salad perfectly complements this by cooling it down just enough to really accentuate the meat sauce. The home fries were awesome though - they were fried perfectly and I really liked how the laid them on the flat-top to crisp them up without drying them out. Of course, I had mustard and onions on top and those flavors blended in so nicely. The portion of the regular cheeseburger garbage plate was perfect, albeit I skipped breakfast so I had a healthy appetite going in. I appreciated they served fresh, thick-sliced bread on the side which was effectively used to collect any of the remnants of my garbage plate. All-in-all, a good first time experience with Nick Tahou's! As of 04/11/2021, I know the owner is looking to sell Nick Tahou's, and so far, it hasn't been reported if someone is going to buy it. I hope someone does end up buying it and continuing this Rochester tradition. I know there are other spots in Rochester that serve up garbage plates but it'd be so sad to see this place disappear. If someone does buy it though, this place does need a little sprucing up but needs to somehow keep the local "charm" it has. I hope I can come back and try a chicken finger garbage plate but I'd be just as happy getting another cheeseburger garbage plate! :)

Spotless! Of course the building is 70 years old so the inside is not the newest, but is clean as any restaurant I've ever seen. Hotdogs and fries delicious. Hot sauce perfect. My husband got the garbage plate and loved it. Always a treat. Hope it will be around for another 70 years!.

We all got cheeseburger garbage plates loaded minus ketchup they were delicious!! Alex was very personable and harassed us in a funny way. The place is not fancy and everything is served with paper plates and plastic utensils which adds to the old school ambiance.

The original garbage plate of Rochester. Need I say more? If you are visiting the area, you need to at least try it once. If you live in the area, you probably have a couple other favorite spots for a plate, but nothing replaces the original

Iconic home of the garbage plate. This is the best it gets. Don't expect a fancy dining room. This place is about as classy as a food truck, and probably hasn't been updated since it was fist opened. Came here for lunch the owner greeted us quickly. We placed our order garbage plates and onion rings. The place was extremely busy, but they had one person taking orders and 2 people on the grills so food was prepared fresh and fast. The size of the garbage plate is enormous. The onion rings were a usual portion. The onion rings were fried the way I like, crispy on the outside and tasty on the inside. The rings were real onions and a nice size. The cheeseburger garbage plate was so freaking delicious. Everything was cooked to perfection. The mac salad is some of the best tasting mac salad I've ever had ( not as good as my grandma's, but close). The ingredients on my plate all complemented each other so well. I always try each ingredient first before I mix it all together. I'm still wondering what exactly is in the special sauce he tops it with. This special topping is what makes it the best of the best. If you want the best garbage plate in Rochester try this place. There are others, but this is hands down some good eating. Side note. While waiting for my order one of the customers over paid and sat down to wait for their order. The owner came out and gave them the money. Honestly is always the best policy!!

The whole is greater than the sum of the parts. The meat sauce is the most unique individual element, but this wouldn't be as successful without the perfect handling of more commonplace ingredients like the potatoes. A combo cheeseburger-hot dog option is available, which makes you wonder why anyone would opt for a single-meat version. The service was great; magically, the woman at the counter knew I misspoke when I said "hamburger." I meant cheeseburger.

Amazing food! For sure a hole in the wall kind of place. It's a must when you're in Rochester!

Made a special trip driving East-bound to stop by here and try a garbage plate. On the good side, the portion size was large and the food was prepared quickly. Parking was alright, but in the back of the building, decor is minimal, and the price isn't super high, but not exactly a cheap eat either. I tried the most popular item, which was the cheeseburger garbage plate. Pretty much every component of this dish was already prepared and just scooped into a single plate. Flavor and texture-wise, it was a bit underwhelming. No single flavor really stood out from everything else (the closest would be the onion), the texture was pretty much soft-throughout. As for individual components - the potatoes were soft and didn't stand out (not crispy, seared, or really even seasoned), the cheese did little to add any flavor or body to the dish, the macaroni salad was creamy but also didn't add much to the dish, the burgers lacked flavor, juiciness, searing, and seasoning. I guess the appeal is probably getting a big plate, which kind of resembles comfort food, with a bunch of filling components (cheese, meat, potatoes) -- but it was not worth a special trip to try this dish.

Welp... I came eager to try their garbage plate. Later that night... I felt like garbage . This is a hole in the wall, the bathrooms are disgusting and not much to see. The service was friendly and quick! I ordered the garbage plate that consist of: *Macaroni salad *Fried hash browns *Burger patty *Spicy meat sauce The flavor wasn't bad but it wasn't anything I would come back for. Xoxo - Stay hungry & safe And if you come here... buy Pepto. Carolina G

It's easy to find and they have plenty of parking spaces in the back. I walked in and waited in line, noticed the first batch of lunch crowd was leaving... being my first time, was overwhelmed, didn't know what do get, but I knew I wanted to get the plate... after a while, I decided on cheeseburger garbage plate... as I waited I listened how others were placing their order... the father and son in front of me ordered the same thing I was getting, so I just copied what they said - cheeseburger plate with everything. This is how they build the plate, half of the plate is filled with their home fries and the other half is filled with macaroni salad, topped with chopped onions, mustard, two patties with cheese and they pour meat sauce on top, you are served with two slices of bread, some butter and drink (I went with bottled water, as they only had Pepsi products). To sum it up, it's basically bun-less hamburger on a plate and as the name says, it looks like garbage (food piled on top of each other). First of all, I knocked a star because there was a piece of hair on the bread they gave me, they ended up in the trash bin. Second, when it came to the taste, it needed some major seasoning. The home fries were good, the macaroni salad was bland, the patties were not seasoned, same with the meat sauce - bland. I was hoping the mixture of foods would compliment each other when it came to seasoning, but it did not and was disappointed. I know this was my first experience and was hoping to walk away as a fan, but just didn't happen. Not sure if I'll revisit when back in Rochester in a year or so, maybe I'll give it another try from other restaurants, only time will tell!

Never disappoints. We make the drive from Syracuse just to get a garbage plate. We always have to bring 4 or 5 home with us fur the kids!!

Do I really need to review Nick Tahous? I have eaten here since I was 15. As a teenager growing up in Rochester going to Tahous was a right of passage. The day you ate your first plate you became a man. There is simply nothing like it. I remember my first. I remember who I was with. The place was packed. People were waiting in the parking lot. Inebriation and loud conversation filled the air. The pile of home fries was nearly one foot off the flat top grill. The employees were gruff and looked like prison escapees. I can still see the scary dude at the Lyle Ave. location sitting in the corner waiting to clear our mess at the end of our meal. Western New Yorkers are blue collar, lunch pail kinds of folks. A backyard BBQ with Cheesburgers, Red and White Hots, Macaroni Salad and Baked Beans was commonplace. Simple food for simple folks. The hot sauce is actually a Greek invention. Tahou was Greek and his hot sauce is now Rochester's mandatory condiment. Others have tried to replicate it. I say the original is still the best. So how do I eat my plate? The one that 90 percent of the population orders. Two cheeseburgers, Mac Salad, Home Fries and Everything (Raw Onions, Brown Mustard, Chopped Raw Onions and Sauce) Cover the burgers and fries with ketchup and douse the whole plate with Frank's Red Hot. What results is culinary bliss. Sweet, salty, fatty, vinegary, spicy deliciousness. A wonderful hangover cure appropriate for all three meals of the day (yes I have eaten this for breakfast). I can't fathom how anyone can give this food mecca two stars or less. If you are a Yelp Elite looking for a gourmet experience at Tahous you have seriously missed the point. I have read some of these reviews and rolled my eyes repeatedly. Truthfully I am conflicted about writing a review of a place that is just perfection for me. An incredible (and unhealthy) piece of nostalgia I have shared with friends and family for years. I knew I married the right woman when I saw her eat a garbage plate and say "this is delicious!" Rochester was built around Kodak and Xerox. Genny Beer and George Eastman. Floating somewhere in the middle is a garbage plate beckoning to you. It is saying "I shouldn't be this good and you just can't stop thinking about me no matter how embarrassing that is." I go to Rochester to visit my family and old friends. Tahous and my next garbage is not far behind.

Nick Tahou's reminds me of Di Fara, the two are very similar in a lot of ways. If you're unfamiliar with Di Fara, it is an iconic pizzeria in Brooklyn. It's beloved, and its pizza is considered among the best in NY. Di Fara sells some of the best pizza you'll ever eat, but the place is a run-down dump. The front door was broken when I was there, ceiling tiles were missing, the place is dirty, and it appears they haven't invested a single dime into the (small) building in decades. Nick Tahou's is a dump. The men's bathroom is scary, avoid using it if you can. I'm told Nick opened the joint in 1918, and I believe it because the place looks like it hasn't been upgraded or improved since 1918. But like Di Fara, Nick Tahou's is selling an iconic dish, a dish so good you don't care that you're sitting in a trash heap to eat it. A dish that's put Rochester on the culinary map. Nick Tahou's garbage plate is freaking delicious. The individual components aren't that special. My cheeseburger was chewy, put that thing on a bun and I'd throw it back at you. The 'home fries' are plain fried cubed potatoes. The macaroni salad is good but hardly noteworthy. But, take those average ingredients together with onions, mustard, and meat sauce, then put the whole mess into a big pile on a paper plate, and you have a culinary masterpiece. I drove three hours from Albany to eat the thing, and I'd do it again in heartbeat. It was worth the trip. Oh, one last thing, be sure to douse your garbage plate with Frank's RedHot. It adds needed heat and acid to help balance out all the fat.

A long overdue review... Tahou remains in my memory nearly 15 years later as the paragon of garbage plates. They're huge, cheap, fresh, and satisfying. I have not been back to Rochester in far too long but I hear them calling my name and I must abuse my stomach again soon.

While i am unable to visit Rochester often....the original location is a mandatory stop whenever I arrive. I plan my flight times around its business hours so I can grab a plate after I land and before I depart whatever the day may be. I have managed to synthesize a near 100% accurate copy at home after many many years. I even purchase the exact same styrofoam to go containers they used to serve them in when I was in college in my aspirations for authenticity. Suffice to say Nick Tahou's is the original....and no other rochester plate can hold the same title. I have tried them all and most just fancy it up with better quality ingredients or a different type of sauce but the quality of the ingredients is not what makes it what it is. There is only one GARBAGE PLATE. The original location is an experience in itself but long gone are the days of it being open 24hours.

Let's be clear - there is only ONE Garbage(tm) plate and that's Nick Tahou's. Anything else had better be using a different name for their similar offering because, yes, it IS trademarked. Having said that, my favorite is two White Hots (because that makes it even MORE Rochester unique, Beans and (Mac) Salad, hot sauce and onions generously slathered and heaped over everything. I have been known to go for nicely browned from sitting on the grill homefries and beans now and again. I don't get down to West Main often so I usually have to make do with a pretender, and there are some fairly decent ones around town, but I will pay my respects to the king.

The bad reviews kind of make me laugh. You're going to order something called a garbage plate. What would that have to look like to get a five star review? It's literally called a GARBAGE PLATE. I was in Rochester (7 plus hours away from home) for work, and grabbed this for lunch on the way back on the last day of my conference. It was pretty much what I expected, which was a pile of different random food on a plate. I actually thought there would be more variety on the plate, but it was like macaroni salad, beef, hot dogs, potatoes. No crazy complex flavors, but that's not what you're getting it for. The dudes working behind the counter were actually surprisingly friendly and helpful too. I pretty much had the place to myself, was a weekday and not too crowded. It's worth a spin if you're in Rochester and want to try something local - just don't elevate this to some vaunted status of "local cuisine". It's called a garbage plate - plan accordingly and manage your expectations a little, will ya??

When I come to Rochester, I always get a garbage plate. This was just a place that I will not recommend Orr go to. The customer service was awful. I asked for onions on the side and the worker sighed as In annoyed. I felt extremely rushed. The cashier was just really miserable and definetly made the customers make sure we knew that. The food was really not impressive. The Mac salad was watery, the burger lacked flavor, and he didn't season my French fries :( the meat hot sauce was decent. Chili Hots, Jimmy Z's, Wimpys... all have way better plates and customer service.

If you are looking for fine dining while enjoying a Rochester staple of the garbage plate - move on. This place is all deliciousness and nothing else fancy. You have options for fountain drinks to go with your garbage plate (or other menu items but all basically grill items). This is for sure a no frills place, you go up, order, wait for your food and either grab a table or get out and enjoy at home (or in your car if you can't wait ). The meat hot sauce is amazing, can smell hints of cinnamon but spicy which I love. In you are a Rochesterian, this is the legit garbage plate and you must experience at least once in your life!

We were on our way up to Niagara Falls and were looking for some lunch. We heard about the famous Garbage Plate and Rochester wasn't far out of our way so it was a no-brainer. When you look up garbage plate and see the cult following, all the reviews, videos, etc. you expect something insane, something bursting with flavor, something you can't find anywhere else. That last part is true, I don't know anywhere else that sells something like this. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't bad it just didn't live up to the hype in my opinion. You put a hamburger on top of macaroni salad and home fries, smothered in a meat hot sauce, onions and mustard....sounds pretty awesome. The food itself wasn't bad. The meat hot sauce had good flavor, the potatoes were crispy on the outside yet soft and tasty, the macaroni salad was..macaroni salad; not much you can do differently I'd imagine. The burger was a typical burger. Overall it was worth the experience but I wouldn't go out of my way for it in the future. They do make other foods there but I'd imagine everyone just goes for the Garbage Plate. Worth checking out if you're in the area just to say you had it. PROS: -Food was good. -Staff was nice and prepared our order quick. -Price. CONS: -Place was dingy. -Bathrooms weren't clean, had a smell. -Food wasn't worth the hype in my opinion.

Loved this place as a college student back in the 90s. It's still great. Possibly even better.

I'd heard about the world famous garbage plate before but never thought I'd have the chance to try it. Thankfully a business trip brought me to Rochester. I had to get one. I had the cheeseburger garbage plate. It was better than I expected. I'm kinda sad this tradition is just in Rochester. It needs to spread like Buffalo wings did.

This is the first time having a garbage plate. The food was satisfying and filling at a reasonable price. Just to be clear this is high calorie, high fat food with lots of flavor. The food comes out very quickly. Try to beat the lunch crowd because it picks up quick! I would have given them a better rating except there was a weird odor lurking in the building, I think they need to figure that out. Smelled like old dishwater.

Oh Nick Tahou how I love thee. Loved you back in the 90's when I was at UR. Came back for my 20th reunion and you are just as good as I remember. I had my usual: cheeseburger plate, no onions. The place has been cleaned up a bit. Seems less greasy and sketchy than it was back then and I was concerned it would affect the quality of the product but I'm glad to see that wasn't the case. There will always be a special place in my heart for Nick's.

I ate a garbage plate! The whole idea of it was never really appealing to me but being in Rochester it seemed like the appropriate option for lunch. More like lunch/dinner it was so filling. Ordering was pretty quick but the wait for food was a bit long. I really didnt mind though bc I ended watching the guys seamlessly make sooo many garbage plates to-go that I feel like I got the whole experience. I ordered the cheeseburger garbage plate. It came with home fries, the most delicious mac salad, fresh onions, 2 cheeseburgers and meat sauce. I opted for no mustard. Every bite I was in awe how much I really enjoyed a plate piled up with a meat sauce atop.The meat sauce was a tad spicey but when mixed with all of the other elements it was a perfect mild taste. I definitely did not expect to enjoy a garbage plate as much as I did. A pleasant surprise.

Today I had my third ever garbage plate. I do look forward to my fourth in another 3 years or so. I wonder as I write this if "had" is really the right word to describe the experience because the plate kind of "had" me....so let's review, shall we? I first experienced Nick Tahou's as a trip down my my husband's 'memory lane' of growing up in the land of Kodak. He describes Nick's haunt as a consistent and bustling five deep at the counter, clientele as eclectic as it gets with drunk teenagers, hookers and cops all minding their own and shoveling down a "plate" after midnight and coexisting in solidarity over this twice ground special meaty sauce. I hear stories from the old timers that the place rocked quite the lunch crowd back in the day too. I guess some shit went down at some point and the hours were cut and the building was condemned....wait...no it wasn't....just looks like it was condemned from the outside... ...Annnd yes it does. But go in! It's pretty damn clean inside really, and there are new tables in the last few years. I can't recommend eating there ALL the time but man o man if you want some historical magic and are not scared of ordering from a hard working old man who might grunt and yell at you but it's balanced with a super nice crew of awesome line cooks. Go! We bring our own Tabasco. What else? Oh, sure, other reviews say it's 'not the best but it's the original'. To that I say....imitation is the highest form of flattery :)