O’Callaghan’s Pub

So disappointed in O’Cals. I have been a loyal customer for 3 years and I must say I will never be returning unless they have a total turnaround. I have always appreciated the atmosphere, quality of people, service and food and beverage specials. The last 6 months or so have really been a downward spiral for the business.
The «50cent» wing special is now a «65cent» special without any reason as to the change or explanation to those who have been coming for years. This is the exact definition of nickel & diming their customers (an extra nickel & dime for a chicken wing).
The bartender will not approach you or offer any recommendations. It’s like you have to go to them and interrupt the conversation they are having with a buddy of theirs just to place your order or cash out. When they do listen, it’s like you are the most inconvenient person they have encountered. The bar has 11 people in it. Do you work for tips or not? Well the beer on special is always flat so my assumption would be, No.
I get that O’Cals finally refinished a couple of sore spots that have been neglected for years, like the hallway to the kitchen and bathrooms without doors. But really, jack up the prices on a night you’re trying to pick up business?
I have worked in restaurants and bars for 15 years and if I had any party in O’Cals management I would actually be at the bar to notice the serious neglect the staff provides the customers. If the bartender is the manager… Well I guess this will all fall on deaf ears. Very disappointed in what was once my favorite bar in Rochester.

I heard about O’Callaghan’s after searching online for the best buffalo wings in Rochester. O’Callaghan’s wasn’t at the top of any lists but it kept coming up and then I found out about their .50 special on Sundays and Mondays and decided to give it a try. I went on a Monday night during the first half of a football game. It was pretty quiet overall but when I went to order there happened to be a bunch of people who ordered wings right before me. I saw a bit of confusion behind the bar when the orders came up (the wrong order was delivered to me) so my nervousness increased. However, when my order came up they were brought to be quickly and they were basically perfect. Cooked and sauced perfectly with great flavor. (I tried Chipotle BBQ and Buffalo Hot. [I’ve since had Ghost Pepper and Honey BBQ]) What sets the wings apart is that they are smoked first then fried so the meat is cooked perfectly and has a subtle extra smoke flavor. I like their Hot sauce the best, the Ghost Pepper sauce is pretty hot but not «challenge» hot aka won’t make you cry. The poutine, although super sloppy, is also delicious and complements the hotter wings well.
A note: In general they seem to focus more on being a bar than a restaurant despite the amazing wings so just keep that it mind and don’t expect all the service «details» of a restaurant. There aren’t servers (at least on Mondays) so order from the bar. They will bring your wings to a table but you would need to return to the bar to order more drinks, blue cheese etc.
So far these are some of the best wings I’ve tried in Rochester. I would certainly recommend a trip if you consider yourself a wing connoisseur.

Amazing place. Always a good time with a great environment! Staff is incredibly personable.

O’Cals has a lot of space to move around in, a few separate areas, pool tables, dart boards (in a different space from the bars) and tall tables in the front windows. There is also a back deck that you can enjoy in the summer (or on any warm day). The prices are in line with a normal type bar in Rochester. The crowd can be a little college bro type but I feel that has actually improved as the bros have moved to places like Dragonfly, MacGreggors, etc lately.
All in all — a pretty standard Rochester bar.

This is from a purely bar experience. The Long Island Iced Tea was described as disgusting by both friends who tried them. They were $ 8.50 a piece (I am not sure if that is the average price around here.). It looked run down and just overall shabby. But I did enjoy the music and the 80 year old lady with oversized «celebration» sunglasses on so 2 stars it is.

The bartenders do they best they can to get drinks on busy nights. I like how when you open a tab they do not require you to leave your card with them, as I always forget it. Dartboards are always packed and though to get but thats comes with any bar. The couple pool tables usually will have people playing and the crowd fun

I had been meaning to come back to sample the smoked wings since popping in and discovering BOGO Wednesday night a few weeks ago. Another random Wednesday after a band concert at the High School seemed the perfect opportunity. The menu contains quite a few smoked items, including pulled pork and brisket. While a little hesitant to try barbeque at an otherwise run of the mill college bar masquerading as an Irish Pub, my curiosity got the best of me. Ordered a Smithwick’s for my wife and Southern Tier IPA for me… of course she immediately decides she likes mine better, so I am stuck with Smithwick’s, and it’s not good… never really been a fan, and it just tasted stale and flat to me.
Anyway on to the wings. They are smoked for several hours and then finished in the fryer. There are about a dozen flavor combinations. Since my wife had eaten dinner earlier and said she would probably only have one, I went with the ghost hot. Now I foolishly assumed the «ghost» referred to the ghost chile, an extremely hot pepper that can really inflict some carnage, depending on the mode of delivery. After placing the order, I was a bit apprehensive that the heat might overpower the smoke flavor, but as it turns out, there was nothing to fear. First the bad news, the wings came out glistening with sauce… the dreaded «shaken in a bowl right before serving» method… and they appeared to have been rushed out of the fryer probably five minutes early, before achieving that nirvana crisp cloak, which is a hallmark of the all the better wing joints in town. Also, they had no real heat… I’d peg them around a mild to medium… this was a bit disappointing. While relieved there was no ghost chile baseball bat to smash me in the mouth, I had hoped to at least experience hints of that power. Ok, now for the good news… the smoker really kicked these wings back up to the repeat category… not only did the meat have a great smoky flavor, but the smoking process had rendered them quite tender, making for a really delicious, unusual wing experience. And while not a big fan of lots of sauce, this sauce was really tasty… just could have been a tad spicier. Next time I will ask for extra crispy, but these babies are definitely worth a return trip. Normally the law of diminishing returns begins to kick in by about the 8^th wing, but I managed to scarf down 14 of these tender, smoky little wonders with little hesitation.
The beer selection, still not so great, Southern Tier IPA, Magic Hat Rye IPA, and Guinness being the only standouts among a stable of forgettable standard domestics and that substandard Smithwick’s. We were most definitely the «parents» among children in this place, but its all good, enjoy the beer pong (played with cups of water… how offensive), grab some ghost wings, and an IPA 2fer, and enjoy the experience.

I would have given O’Callahans 100 stars in the day when it was a little darker and a little more of well; what it used to be. They have or had a delicious ATL, avocado, tomato and lettuce sandwich my lil veggie friend also adores. Have good beer.

Typical busy bar scene. Great place to play pool on weekdays and really great drink specials.

This is a great place to hit up on the weekend if you’re looking for the busy bar scene. They have a decent size bar as well as a smaller, limited bar for the overflow. It gets packed so it can be tough to play pool (they have 2 tables).
I always have a good time here. They have a big deck in the back which is rare in this part of the city. I think sometimes they open a bar on the deck too.
Free popcorn too, if you’re into free bar popcorn. I’m not here to judge…