Swan Market

Aside from the wait for two of only 50 seats this place was fantastic! Live accordion player, German beers on tap and the best food ever! Great taste of a local jewel !! Sampler platter was excellent and the schnitzel was perfect.

Living less than 5 min away I’ve been told by several people that I need to check this place out. I’m almost completely unfamiliar with German food so when I stopped in for lunch, I decided to get the sampler which includes 4 meats and 4 sides. I got the jäger schnitzel, rouladen, and a couple other meats not sure of their names. If you’ve never really had German food, this is a great way to try many things at once.
Mostly when I go, its not actually for the prepared food but for the bacon. If you’re used to buying bacon from the grocery store, i urge you to stop here once and try the bacon at Swan’s. This bacon is actually pretty similarly price to what you’ll find at the grocery store but far superior in quality. It always cooks up so crisp!
Oh and try the meat sticks, they’re such a great snack!

It’s a meat lovers paradise! We have tried German white sausage, Cajun sausages and Hungarian sausage. Everything’s so tasty! People there are very helpful. We had a lot of questions and they explained everything. Their operating hours are very short so check before you plan to go. I’ll visit again. Swan Market is the only place in Rochester for some authentic German food as of now.

Everything other Unilocalers have already said. Loved the sampler plate! My husband ordered the wurst platter with the curry tomato sauce which was amazing! Definitely a gem!

As stated by numerous other Unilocalers, get the sampler platter if you’re dining in. It’s a plethora of German delicacies. If it seems like too much to handle, opt for a schnitzel plate. Besides lunch service, they have a great case of meats and sides and a small non perishable area which has a great selection of mustards and the great German egg noodles known as spaetzle (perfect w/​brown gravy). Their sausages would make a Chicagoan clap while doing a handstand. The staff is extremely nice and can describe anything to you from ingredients to flavors. Their steaks are so good and cut beautifully. Sides are to die for. The red cabbage and potato salad are my personal favorites. And the Leberwurst (liverwurst) is crazy good. But, THE BACON. Holy Swine, I’ve never had better in my life. You’ll notice every other customer in there is at least picking up a pound of it and they’ll be the first to tell you how damn good it is. Another plus is that they’ll tell you how to prepare your selection. Never cooked Rouladen before but I left confidently knowing I could pull it off. Great full service market. A true staple.
–The only downside is they don’t actually sell swans.

My number one choice for sausages of any kind, and the best German food in town! Great specialty products and excellent bacon cut to order!

Absolutely the best restaurant for lunch and do not forget to take some great German sausage home with you. A Dunkel goes well with it all. PROST!

The food at swan market is absolutely delicious. Their sausages, rouladen, schnitzels, and goulash are all superb. I also really like the fact that they have a rotating menu and some good German beer selections in big mugs.
For sides, I will say I do not care for the rye bread that they provide at the table (but it is free in the end) or their bread dumplings which I think are made out of the same bread that is on the table. But the German potato salad is very good and the noodles are buttery and delicious. Never had the spaetzle but I want to try it so bad.
Be aware that it is a very small place and the parking is atrocious.

What a great experience to eat traditional German cuisine right here in Rochester! Great food and an excellent staff! I’ll be back soon for some more schnitzel!

Lunch here is outstanding. Schnitzel is a safe bet, nice and crispy. I’m not usually in the area for lunch, so I generally stop her after going to the public market. The stick meat or thin cured sausages are unbelievable. They have many different varieties, some are nice and spicy too. I generally ask them for two or three of each variety.

Whether your dining in for lunch or taking some sausages to go, the food is unbelievably good.

I spent my undergrad years in Rochester (Meliora!) and recently visited for alumni weekend. Swan Market was one of the first places I scheduled to visit because it really is the best German place in town.
I always get the sausage platter with the same sides– noodles with gravy and potato salad. It’s absolutely worth the price and you also get two sausages with it. I normally alternate between the smoked bratwurst, andouille, and Cajun. The last two are on the spicy side, but the andouille is more flavorful while the Cajun is more mild. The smoked bratwurst is blander but has a great smokey flavor.
My friends and I normally try to come right when it opens at 11am on a Saturday to beat the crowd. This place fills up fast but you may ask for a beer while you wait. The staff is very friendly and started recognizing us after the first few times. They also sing you a German birthday song if you tell them it’s your birthday! Swan Market serves a friendly crowd so don’t be afraid to strike a conversation with your neighbors. Nothing also beats the small nap you take after finishing off your sausage platter to start off your weekend.

I like you and your meats, Swan Market. Get the bacon. Let’s start with that at the deli counter and cook that up with some eggs for breakfast at home or top a burger with it… or wrap some scallops. Yum. It’s better than anything you’ll try ever. Sausages to go, of course. Lots of options to pick from.
Also, go for the Saturday lunch. I’ve sampled a few things a time or two. The lunch combo comes with 2 sides and is affordable. I think my bill is always under $ 10. They’ll seat you and serve you at the community table setup. Eat sausages, make new friends.
— German potato salad is a must, noodles are also delicious + red cabbage
— I typically go for the sausages — the weisswurst (veal & pork combo) reminds me of the sausages my mom used to make us as kids. Andouille sausage and smoked bratwurst are also delicious. Plus, mustard. Happiness.
— Jäger schnitzel is tender and tasty — everything is better with gravy. Flavorful and well seasoned.
— Beers are ENORMOUS. Start your day right (or wrong) with one of those giant steins… I couldn’t handle that first thing after waking up. So instead I had coffee, which was surprisingly good. If you still want a beer, you can get a regular pint that comes in a plastic 16oz cup instead of going for the enormo-​stein.
Can’t wait to go back.

Oh, Swan Market, how I wanted to love you. I was thrilled to hear about at German restaurant in Beechwood, and wanted to try it out. I really like German food and hoped to find a local favorite. Unfortunately, Swan Market did not leave me with a good impression on my first visit.
My choice of the day was the sampler plate, which came with the daily meats, red cabbage, sauerkraut, potato salad, and ragout. Meats of the day included the Jagerschnitzel, currywurst, rouladen, and meatloaf. Meats were nothing special and relatively unmemorable, except that the currywurst had a very tomato flavored sauce without any appearance or taste of spice, including curry powder. The currywurst reminded me a bit of something that I might find at an Italian restaurant. Rouladen was chewy and rubbery. Jagerschnitzel and meatloaf were edible but unmemorable. Sides were solid, especially the red cabbage and noodles/​ragout. In fact, I found myself wishing that I had a plate of only the noodles/​ragout, since it was the most flavorful item on the plate. I understand the restaurant has kasespatzle on certain days of the month, so I hope to return to try this out on another visit.
Several beer choices were available, including a dunkel, which I ordered. Prost!
Sausages and other meats in the case looked interesting. In fact, there were several people who seemed to be ordering sausages to go, to grill.
Hoping to find some redemption for the visit, I asked the server about available deserts. I hoped to find something interesting, perhaps an apple streudel, kaiserschmarrn, or a sweet nodel. Server told me that the deserts of the day included a mousse, and a black forest cake (which may not be totally de-​frosted yet). Neither of these were selling points, especially not the frozen cake. Obviously, I passed on the desert.
Overall, food during my visit left much to be desired. It was edible but only tempting if it’s the only German spot in town.
Speaking of service, service was prompt albeit a bit surly. Server seemed a bit irritated that we needed split checks, though I was a bit surprised that the server didn’t assume that split checks in the first place. Do groups of 10 of seemingly unrelated people normally have a benefactor?
Atmosphere is about what I would expect at German restaurants – large tables, meant to be shared, with a fair amount of noise. The restaurant was packed, and other random people looking for lunch quickly filled empty seats. This is not a place for a quiet romantic lunch.
In all, I would rate my experience as about ** for food, *** for atmosphere, and ** for service. I’m likely to give Swan Market a try again because I am hopeful that there are other better choices on the menu.

I feel like if I wore leder hosen they would have just got tighter, or I’d have to loosen the ties on my dirndl. Wow how delicious this little spot is. The sampler platter is the way to go for your first time, there are many items that will make you want to come back for more. For me the kraut, red cabbage, curry wurst and schnitzel did it but what really sealed the deal was the German potato salad, its nearly like my grandmothers (but not quite as good). Also I wish I could have managed a stein but the small dunkel did the trick.

There is only one way to describe this my amazing meal, and that is by calling it German Soul Food! Definitely a place to return back to over and over. And why wouldn’t I when there’s much to enjoy? Like their Schnitzel served with brown mushroom gravy with egg noodles (w/​extra gravy obvi!) and fresh sauerkraut. Let’s not forget about the delishiz ales that can wash down all that gourmet goodness!
My Jäger Schnitzel was very thick but really tender. I am used to the thin cutlets that have been pound flatter than a pancake –but Swan Market’s thicker and juicy cutlet is by far something to commend. It’s going to be very hard not to order this again on my next trip there.
They are very small and I do not want to say I wish they move to a bigger facility if it will lose its unique atmosphere… and taste! The place seemed to have its Saturday morning regulars waiting in line for some quality meats, and others that simply come to enjoy a tall glass of life’s elixir.
I am looking forward to my next visit so that I can try all the other promising goodies on the menu!

I love Swan Market
In the rare occasions that Rochester’s weather turns cold and blustery (sure)
I crave some some heartwarming food, and Swan market always deliver!
Delicious German Stews and sides, great sausages and beer keep me going back!
The space for sitting down and eating is usually at a premium so I order my food to go. They also have some great meats and sausages on their meat counter, so you can make them at home. Their brats are awesome!
My only issue with the place is the space, it’s very tight seating, but it’s really a small complaint when you can have the best of the wurst!

A popular place for folks to enjoy a good selection of tasty traditional German sausages, meats, and sides. And of course draft beers. Communal tables welcome lunch diners who prefer to dine in, but they also have take out and a operate as a deli-​butcher.
Friendly and efficient servers get your orders and deliver you selection quickly and hot. They are not open a huge amount of hours and that can make for some crowding when everyone gets the same idea at once.
For folks who are indecisive or want a wide selection, the sampler platter is a solid choice.

Swan market was delicious I tried a lot of things but my favorite had to be the sausages and the goulash! I mean it was delicious the goulash was very flavorful without being salty! Amazing! I highly recommend Swan market, they are definitely on the affordable end, great for lunches! This was my first time trying German food (I’m from NYC) I definitely think this is one of Rochester’s hidden gems!

A hidden gem of Rochester.
Excellent food served in a congegial atmosphere… beer on tap.
Best butcher shop in the city too.

Growing up, one of my favorite things was watching my mom make one of my favorite meals: cubed pork baked with sauerkraut and white potatoes, served over egg noodles and gravy. Imagine my nostalgic surprise and delight when I tasted Swan Market’s smoked pork chop with German potato salad and homemade sauerkraut… it was like I was ten years old again!
I’m completely ashamed to say that it took me so long to discover Swan, especially since I work not five miles away! A coworker had told me about it, and today we ventured out to check it out. It’s unassuming from the outside when you pull up, but lively and welcoming when you walk through the door. There are communal tables in the small restaurant/​market, with the deli counter in the back. We were directed to sit anywhere, and a waitress appeared to tell us the specials and offer us a drink. They carry cans of soda, but I opted for water. The menu board is full of lunch specials (main plus two sides), mostly high end German sausages, plus the classics like goulash, rouladen, schnitzel, etc. My coworker ordered the sampler plate, which offers smaller portions of their menu: sausages, cabbage, potato salad, sauerkraut, goulash, schnitzel. I went simpler with their smoked pork chop, potato salad and kraut. OMGOSHYUM. I’m really picky about my kraut, and this was divine. Perfectly sour, hot, and tangy. The German potato salad was amazing as well — if you’ve never experienced it hot, than you truly haven’t lived. It’s hot, soft, and oh so good. Make sure to have some of the hot mustard to dip your pork in. Next time, I’ll definitely be ordering a side of the cabbage — it was so good, I probably could have just eaten a plate of that by itself. Incredibly sweet and tangy, but I’m a cabbage fan in general.
The staff here are super friendly and warm, and I just love the «feel» of the place. Awesome! Make sure to check them out: Wednesday — Saturday for lunch, and Monday-​Saturday all day (8 – 5) for the deli counter. Can’t wait to become a regular!

The atmosphere is really great after walking in, and the waitress will ask if you would like to purchase a beer while waiting, to which they will hand to you and allow you to drink while in line! The beer selection is exceptional, the food is very good with very large portions and incredibly inexpensive, and the wonderful European (mostly top end German) sausage and specialty meats selection is exactly what I was looking for. Get there early because this place is busy unlike any deli that I’ve ever been to locally. There really is nothing like German food.
This is just an incredible place to be, eat, and shop. I can’t speak highly enough about Swan Market!

There used to be several German sausage shops in Rochester but now, as far as I know, this is the only one left. The meat is very authentic and tasty. I really enjoy the cold cuts and link sausage. They also have a few extra imported items like specialty mustard and candy. They serve lunch and have several tables available. The lunches they serve and the meat at the deli counter are delicious. It’s a lot of fun and worth the trip. Make sure to check the hours before you go, as they are limited.

We’ve been here many times but have never actually eaten the food we buy on location. Every year we have a big Octoberfest and stock up on a variety of smoked and regular sausages and they are all excellent (see pictures for selection). We also love the red cabbage as others have attested to… Sometime we will actually have to eat here for lunch on a Saturday since it is great atmosphere. Glad there is a place like this in Rochester.

Well, well, well… my new favorite place! If your yodelin’ down through Merchants or Culver around lunch time, you should definitely check out this place. You know its good when half the people in here are speaking German; this stuff is not only authentic, it is frickin’ delicious. They are only open for lunch and they made it very clear you do not have to wear lederhosen to come through the door and sit at the communal tables. The red cabbage will make you wonder «how the hell could cabbage taste so good!!!» If you are vegetarian, do not fret, because Deutschland is even friendly to our non-​meet eating friends.
Cured meats: CHECK
Pork: CHECK
German stuff: CHECK
Beer: CHECK
Pork: CHYAAA