Rochester Must Try Food -- Garbage Plate

If you are in Rochester NY, one of their great food delicacies is the Garbage Plate. This dish started in

Nick Tahou created the first Garbage Plate. You will also find other versions of this dish (and variations on it) on menus all over the Rochester area – from small hamburger joints, to fine dining restaurants and everything in-between. Each restaurant puts their own spin on it - there are some who have created healthy versions, upscale versions and yes, there is even a sushi version.

A traditional Garbage Plate is your choice of cheeseburger, hamburger, white or red hots* (aka hot dogs), Italian sausage, chicken, or grilled cheese, served on top of any combination of home fries, french fries, baked beans, and/or macaroni salad. The plate is usually topped with a Rochester-style meat “hot sauce.”  Optional mustard, onions and ketchup may be added on top.  A Garbage Plate is traditionally served with a side of buttered bread (in case you were still hungry!). 

The real question is who serves the best. According to This is Rochester….

1. Dogtown – If plates were judged by votes alone, then ?? the best tasting plate by far is Dogtown. Also, they offer sweet potato fries. As one fervent fan put it, “If you don’t get it from Dogtown, your life has been a lie!”

2. Nick Tahou’s – What the actual?! Nick’s is the original and thereby defines what the best Garbage Plate should taste like! If OG means best above all else, then Tahou’s should be your first stop.

3. Charlie’s (aka Charlie Riedel’s) – Another fan favorite, but almost all of the comments came with a not-so-secret pro tip. Pro Tip: Ask for it “off the char” to elevate your meat to grilled and smoky perfection.

4. Jimmy Z’s Plates & Shakes – Brockport?! Clearly this must be a mistake! How could a college town 25 minutes away pull down these kinds of numbers? And yet it’s this same nagging question that begs for a roadtrip to find out.

5. Steve T’s Hots and Potatoes – Formerly known as Nick Tahou’s II, Steve T’s is next in line to the throne…or number 5 on our list. You decide.

My take is that you go with the original for the history and it will never steer you wrong. Enjoy but check your cholesterol beforehand