CRISP Rochester

CRISP Rochester is a modern comfort food restaurant on the corner of South Clinton Avenue and Meigs Street in Rochester's South Wedge neighborhood. Opened in 2022 by Wendi and Valerie Loyet, the restaurant draws on Wendi's 35 years of food industry experience and the couple's roots in Dallas, Texas, where they developed their approach to southern-influenced cooking. Executive Chef Jimmy Ton, who previously worked in West Coast kitchens, leads the culinary team. The dining room features large front windows looking out onto the street, and the restaurant also offers patio seating and a 45-seat private event space.

CRISP serves lunch and dinner Thursday through Monday, with a brunch menu available on Sundays and Mondays from 11:00 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. The food blends Texas-inspired southern comfort cooking with Tex-Mex elements and seasonal ingredients. Notable menu items include:

• Billionaire Bacon — thick-cut, slow-cooked, and candied with a sweet-and-spicy finish
• Honey Truffle Popcorn Chicken — buttermilk fried with a truffle honey drizzle
• S. Clinton Ave. Tacos, including lamb birria with braised lamb shank and consommé
• CRISP Burger — double Angus Reserve patties with house-made sauce
• Brunch dishes such as chilaquiles, breakfast nachos with chorizo, and a gravy-topped eggs benedict variation

The bar program features craft cocktails alongside local, regional, and national selections of beer, wine, and spirits. Catering and private event hosting are also available.

CRISP is known for its Texas-rooted take on southern comfort food, built around Wendi Loyet's family recipes and refined by Chef Jimmy Ton's West Coast and Tex-Mex influences. The restaurant has also become recognized as an inclusive gathering place, hosting Pride celebrations and community events like karaoke nights. House-made components — sauces, pickles, salsa — run through much of the menu, and the kitchen accommodates vegan and gluten-free dietary needs.

The restaurant sits at 819 South Clinton Avenue at the Meigs Street corner in the South Wedge, one of Rochester's walkable neighborhoods south of downtown along the Genesee River. The South Wedge is home to a mix of independent shops, cafés, and restaurants clustered along South Clinton Avenue. Street parking is available in the immediate area. Reservations are recommended, especially for larger parties, and can be made through the restaurant's website.