Papa Joe's Italian Eatery

Papa Joe's Italian Eatery is a sit-down Italian restaurant at 485 Spencerport Road in the Gates section of Rochester, NY. The restaurant serves traditional Italian dishes alongside house-original creations, and has earned the Democrat and Chronicle's Rochester's Choice Silver Award for Italian dining in two separate years. Papa Joe's operates Tuesday through Saturday, offering dine-in, take-out, drive-thru, and catering services in a business-casual setting.

The menu spans a full range of Italian courses, from antipasti through entrées and homemade pasta. Appetizer options include clams casino, steamed clams, fried calamari, and arancini — breaded rice balls stuffed with risotto, ground beef, peas, and cheese. Pasta dishes feature house-made sauces over linguine and capellini, with preparations like clam sauce in red or white and a fra diavolo pescatore with shrimp, scallops, calamari, and whole clams in spicy marinara. Chicken and veal entrées come in marsala, parmigiano, and saltimbocca preparations, while the beef section includes rib eye steak, prime rib, and filet Oscar. A children's menu serves guests ten and under. Vegetarian and gluten-free options are available.

Papa Joe's also operates a catering program with a dedicated party menu for events and group orders. The restaurant's signature pasta sauces are sold separately for home use.

Papa Joe's Italian Eatery is known for its combination of classic Italian comfort food and house-original dishes that are exclusive to the restaurant. The two-time Rochester's Choice Silver Award recognition from the Democrat and Chronicle places it among the area's established Italian dining options. The restaurant also stands out for offering a drive-thru window — an uncommon feature for a full-service Italian restaurant — making it a practical stop for take-out along the Spencerport Road corridor.

The restaurant sits on Spencerport Road in Gates, a suburban community west of downtown Rochester. It is part of a commercial stretch near the Long Pond Road intersection, close to Gates Shopping Plaza and within a few minutes' drive of both Interstate 390 and Interstate 490. On-site parking is available, and the restaurant provides outdoor bike racks. The surrounding Gates–Spencerport Road neighborhood is a residential area with a mix of local shops, chain retailers, and restaurants, with Gates Memorial Park located farther east along the same road.