Chili Inn

Chili Inn is a neighborhood bar and Mexican restaurant at 964 Chili Avenue on Rochester's west side. Incorporated in New York State on July 13, 1970, the business has operated under The Chili Inn, Inc. for over five decades in Monroe County. The establishment blends a casual bar atmosphere with a Mexican-inspired kitchen, serving the surrounding 19th Ward community with affordable meals and drinks.

Chili Inn serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner with a menu that spans both Mexican fare and Rochester bar staples. On the Mexican side, the kitchen prepares vegetarian and meat dishes alongside fresh margaritas. The bar side of the menu features local favorites:

• Beef on weck
• Steamed clams
• Zweigles hots
• Genesee beer on tap and in cans

Most meals come in under $15. The restaurant also provides catering services and accepts takeout orders. A pool table, jukebox, and darts round out the bar area, and New York State lottery games are available on-site.

Chili Inn occupies a distinct niche along Chili Avenue as a longstanding neighborhood spot that combines Mexican food with the casual character of a west-side bar. Its dual identity — serving margaritas and burritos alongside beef on weck and Genesee — reflects the working-class, no-frills spirit of the surrounding community. With roots going back to 1970, it is one of the longer-running independently owned establishments on this stretch of Chili Avenue.

Chili Inn sits at 964 Chili Avenue in Rochester, NY 14611, on the city's west side near the border of the 19th Ward. The block is part of a mixed commercial and residential corridor along Chili Avenue, within walking distance of the Chili–West Historic District — a section of roughly 500 buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Street parking is available along the avenue. The Chili Diner, a separate establishment, operates just across the street at 945 Chili Avenue, making this small stretch a neighborhood dining cluster.