Jay’s Diner

Jay’s is celebrating their 50’s anniversary in business this year. The place is really the stand-​by when everything else is closed.
I have gone here for that purpose since I moved to Rochester. The service is really good and the food is OK. Most of it standard diner fare and is truly ok.
They have an attempt at some Greek/​Mediterranean fusion dishes. Unfortunately most of them are very starchy but better than other diner type places.
In closing, Jay’s will serve you better than a national franchise but it’s not gourmet food.

Yasss. The hangover cure! What else more is there to say? I’m certainly not over 60 and coming to this salt induced brunch spot is such a nice thing. If you are a fan of diners, you’ll love this place.

Quintessential diner experience!
Jay’s is 50 years old but only shows it in its décor. The food was delicious and served fast and hot. I ordered the hot turkey dinner and had a cup of vegetable soup as a side. The soup was homemade and super rich & flavorful. The turkey, mashed potatoes and stuffing all tasted like they were made @ home as well. My daughter had the roast turkey club sandwich and fries: plenty of food and super tasty also. My husband had one of the dinner specials: buffalo mac & cheese. He said the chicken was seasoned well and all of the flavors melded well together. He also had the soup and a side salad, which was plentiful. Our wonderful and charismatic server, Debbie, also fixed us up with some warm rolls and came by just enough to make sure we had everything we needed. Debbie really was the hit of the night for us. She treats you like family and makes sure you want to come back to see her — maybe even the next day!
We will definitely be back to Jay’s the next time we’re in town.

They have really good food here. I’ve been coming here for a few years. Plates are good. I enjoy the wraps and melts too. They have good bugers and dinners. Their prices are very reasonable. They are open 24 hours which is awesome.

This is my new favorite place. Everything I have gotten from here (usually take-​out) whether its eggs, a cheeseburger, or the steak sandwich, has been cooked correctly and was delicious. My steak on the french bread with onions was scrumptious. A healthy portion for the price, not over seasoned or greasy, and cooked medium rare just like I ordered. My only complaint is there weren’t enough napkins to wipe my hands.
Their staff was friendly, though it seems new people are always being trained.

One of my favorite diners in the city for breakfast. The 50’s diner atmosphere is a great touch too.
During my last visit I ordered a western omelet and my brother ordered French Toast. Both weren’t the best we’ve ever had but it was still good, solid diner fare. Our waitress was very friendly as well.
If you’re aren’t super picky and just like solid, simple American diner grub, Jays is a good spot.

Went here for lunch on a Tuesday, and they were super busy. Everyone working there acted really pressured and anxious, which I don’t blame them, but it doesn’t make a pleasant eating experience. When I paid, the person who checked me out got upset at me because I had a discount code and was paying with a card. It was just a lot of anxiety for ‘meh’ food that cost way more than I expected from a diner. I ended up paying $ 10 a head. I’d give it another try, just at a different, hopefully less busy time.

How do I say this kindly,
the food and place is SOO amazing.
I can’t say the same for the service. Every single time we come, we try to say it’s one a time thing, but the waitresses are very rude. I don’t know what it is, but either they don’t greet us, don’t give us menus or they simply don’t even repeat our order back to us.
It is very sad because I love this place but the service makes it very hard to come back.

I love Jay’s Diner — if it was closer to the area where I live I would definitely go there more often. They have literally anything you could possibly want to eat, and the service is always great and fast. Before I lived downtown I would go here at least once a week — now it is much less often but I have never had a bad experience at Jay’s.

Stopped in for lunch with two friends around 1230pm on a Thursday and found the place busy but with plenty of open tables. Two of us ordered a turkey burger with feta cheese off of their daily specials menu. I subbed a pasta salad for the fries to lower the caloric impact further.
My burger arrived quickly and was well prepared with lettuce and tomato among the fixings. The feta cheese gave it a different texture and taste that I enjoyed. Their pasta salad was fresh and gone in no time.
Service throughout lunch was good but not great. There’s lot to choose from their menu and I would return again to try something new.

My family comes here for an annual ladies breakfast date before Christmas time. The staff here is really incredible as they always manage to stay out large group so quickly (with an extremely long table in the back might I add) and are on top of getting every last lady their breakfast while we are there. The food is typical diner food — I usually get eggs, toast, sausage. It’s not amazing but it gets the job done for the cost. Some people in the family have opted to get lunch foods (ie burger) and were less happy with the outcome… I personally would stick to the basics but that’s just me.
Looking forward to next year’s breakfast!

Went here late to get a garbage plate (Jay’s Plate) and they were surprisingly busy. Fast and prompt service. I wasn’t expecting much, but the Jay’s Plate was fantastic! Especially with their homefries instead of regular fries. The macaroni salad was delicious which really brought the whole plate together. Most places with plates make a terrible macaroni salad — not at Jay’s. It was 2 burgers, not just 1 like some places, and cheese didn’t cost extra.

I grew up in Rochester but left twenty years ago to find excitement and adventure. I’m not sure about the overseas excitement but I can say that whenever I return to Rochester, I find myself at this all-​night institution.
When it comes to late-​night/​all-​night food in Rochester, Jay’s is second to none. They have good breakfasts, satisfying sandwiches and burgers and despite what I’ve seen written in some reviews here, some of the nicest waiters and waitresses you’re going to find at 2 in the morning.
My personal favorites would have to be the gyro, breakfast sandwich, and meatball sandwich. Their milkshakes and pie have also proven to be saviors for the late night food cravings.
At the end of the day, it’s still a diner and no diner in my mind is going to be a full five stars but I would still encourage people from out of town to visit this Rochester landmark for a bit of local flavor while you’re in town.

A through I, move over. K through Z, forget it. It’s all about J’s Diner. Because here at J’s, you can get Juice, you can get Jerk Chicken, you can get Jambalaya, and you can get Java Coffee. And the customers are all Jerks and the waitresses have really big J…
So anyway. Jay’s is actually nothing like I just said it was. It has very fond memories for me, because a million years ago, I came here with three girls: Amanda, Annette and Julie. It was a lovely time, and we shared a Chicken Souvlaki and some other random stuff. I remember the Chicken Souvlaki being absolutely delicious, even though I was completely exhausted from an amazing concert at Starry Nites Café which over 100 people had shown up to (outside on the sidewalk). Great times.
I came back here with Julie years later and it just wasn’t as good. The souvlaki is served on a skewer and it seemed a little dry, burned, and tasteless. The salad wasn’t as good either. So from a definite 5 it went down to more like a 2, unfortunately. But because of the fond memories and the fact that it’s a locally owned place, it averages out to a 4. I’ll give it another try one of these days and see if it’s any better than it was the second time I came. So to speak.

My friend insisted i try this diner before I flew back home.
The atmosphere was fun and very consistent with it’s theme. The food was good nothing amazing, and the staff was nice.
I had the chicken fried steak and the gravy reminded me of well, gravy mixed with pinesole, it tasted weird.

As much as I’ve eaten here while drunk, one night of sober eating and I swore off that place.
I give the staff a big thumbs up for putting up with the drunk customers and the late nighters, but never would I suggest anyone to eat here.
Service was actually good compared to the food, which is why I’m giving it 2 stars.
Got a veggie melt which looked like it was taken straight out of the fridge and on to the pan to heat. Fries as soggy as socks on a rainy day. Disgusting.
I have the utmost respect for service employees and I never ask for a change of food more than once but here I had to ask them twice and then give up and ingest that joke of a meal.
Please, stock up your house with late night snacks instead or go wait in a fast food line.

I came here a few nights ago after a ridiculously long day of mathematics. I wanted a quick bite to eat with a friend. I ordered the ham club that had Swiss cheese and onions on it. I also got the mac salad as the side. The mac salad did lack a little flavor. I enjoyed the ham club but it did have a strong onion flavor. (next time I’d say go light on the onions). Friend got the beef on French bread sandwich. I had a bite and it tasted amazing. The next time I’ll go for the beef sandwich. As far as vibe goes, it’s very casual and has the at home feeling.

Nope. Nope nope nope nope, nope nope, nope.
I mean it’s not like, one star nope. It’s two star nope. If you’re hungover on a Sunday and just want a super greasy plate of eggs and bacon sorta nope.
Have a palate? Don’t come here. I am a snob, this is what people expect, so if you aren’t a snob and you can handle cheap food cooked cheaply served cheaply and finished cheaply, then be my guest and don’t listen to my «what’s stuck up her» ass.

The fact that Jay’s is open 24 hours makes it amazing. Getting a tuna melt at 2am after going to the bar is sometimes just what you need, as is a giant breakfast plate on a Saturday morning.
The food is standard diner fare. Everything is good. I love their tuna melts and clam chowder. Cheap, greasy (in the best way possible), and generous portions.
The waitresses are always nice! One time I asked for chips instead of fries, and the waitress informed me that, while that was possible, it wasn’t a good deal for me to get chips. She offered me a whole list of other options. When my food came, she had given me the other side AND chips.

If you need to fill your garbage plate quota* for the year, you can do a lot worse than Jay’s.
Here they call it the «Heartburn Special,» or «Jay’s Plate.» They offer the usual options of two hamburgers, cheeseburgers or hots, and then mac salad, beans, homefries or french fries (pick two), and top it all with meat hot sauce and diced raw onion.
Personally I prefer the hot dogs, but my girlfriend will insist that I get one hot and one cheeseburger and then proceed to eat the entire hot because it is clearly superior to a diner cheeseburger. She will then refuse to admit she is wrong about absolutely everything from food to her taste in men.
If you don’t want a plate, Jay’s is your average diner. Club sandwiches or chicken fingers can be good decisions, but just note that if you ask for a side of BBQ sauce (because the honey mustard is wack), you’re going to pay $ 1.75 for it.
Aside from not letting us know about the surcharge on sauce, the service is solid. The waitress will do separate checks without asking, and will make funny noises at the baby you have with you at lunch because you are now old people.
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*It varies person to person. Mine is a minimum of two.