Rizzi's Restaurant

Rizzi's Restaurant is a family-owned Italian restaurant, wine bar, and cocktail lounge located at 411 Merchants Road in Rochester's North Winton Village neighborhood. Operated by the Ziogas family for over twenty-seven years, Rizzi's serves dinner with a focus on scratch-made sauces and meals prepared fresh daily. Owner Steve Ziogas is frequently hands-on in the kitchen and known for visiting with diners during service.

The menu spans traditional Italian fare alongside American steakhouse selections. Highlights include several house specialties that blend Italian techniques with creative combinations:

• Tenderloin Asiago — filet mignon served over fried eggplant with spinach and asiago cheese
• Shrimp Rizzi — jumbo shrimp stuffed with feta and spinach, wrapped in bacon
• Fettuccine Christopher — chicken and broccoli in a housemade alfredo sauce
• Seafood Fra Diavolo — shrimp, clams, and haddock in a spicy red sauce

Beyond pasta and house specialties, the kitchen turns out veal dishes (parmigiana, marsala, piccata), steaks including filet mignon and NY strip, and a rotating seafood bisque and fish fry offered on Fridays. Desserts are made in-house daily by pastry cook Cheryl. The restaurant also operates as a wine bar and cocktail lounge, with a dedicated wine list complementing the dinner menu.

Rizzi's has built a long-standing presence in North Winton Village, earning neighborhood favorite recognition from the surrounding community consistently from 2017 through 2023. The restaurant's identity centers on its family-run character — the Ziogas family handles both the cooking and front-of-house — and its commitment to daily scratch preparation of sauces and entrees. Seasonal patio seating is available during warmer months.

Rizzi's sits on Merchants Road in North Winton Village, a residential neighborhood on Rochester's east side near the intersection of Merchants Road and Winton Road. The area is largely residential with pockets of local businesses along Winton Road South. Dinner service runs Monday through Saturday starting at 4:00 PM. Reservations are available through the restaurant's website.