Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
Note: An earlier version of this story included an incorrect price for the cheeseburger Garbage Plate at Nick Tahou Hots; it costs $10.50.
Since the beginning, what is now called Nick Tahou Hots at 320 W. Main St. has been a sort of crossroads in downtown Rochester. This place has always been a melting pot, said longtime restaurant owner Alex Tahou. People from every level of life come here, and everyone can feel comfortable.
He expects that tradition to continue, even though he has put up the building for sale and is looking for someone to take over the business, home of the city s iconic Garbage Plate.
Iconic restaurants in Upstate New York: 13 quintessential places to dine
Updated Dec 22, 2020;
Creating a list of iconic Upstate New York restaurants can be a difficult task, even in normal times. One person’s icon may not be another’s, especially if their favorite candidate didn’t make the list. And, in the current pandemic era, it remains difficult because so many iconic establishments have temporarily we hope suspended or markedly reduced services.
Consider the Franklin Lunch & Grill in Syracuse that recently closed after 58 years; the upscale, classic French restaurant LaSerre in downtown Albany that just folded after 43 years; the racing-season stalwart Siro’s that gave up the ghost after 75 years in Saratoga Springs, the 77-year-old Cornell’s in Schenectady’s Little Italy, and so on.