Windjammers Bar and Grill

Windjammers Bar and Grill is a family-owned sports bar at 4695 Lake Avenue in Rochester, NY, operated by Lee and Marcia Selover for more than 35 years. Situated in the Charlotte neighborhood at the northern end of Lake Avenue — where the Genesee River meets Lake Ontario — the restaurant occupies a spot closely tied to Rochester's waterfront identity. The Selovers have described their approach as bringing a fine-dining sensibility to a pub-style menu, a philosophy reflected in homemade dishes prepared on-site.

The menu at Windjammers centers on chicken wings, burgers, and scratch-made comfort food. Wings are available in a wide range of house-made flavors, including Cherry, Chipotle, Garlic Pepper Parmesan, Smokey Mountain, Peach, Sweet Autumn, and Mexican, all served with celery and blue cheese. The burger lineup features more than a dozen options — among them a Harbor burger seasoned with a house rub, a Bacon Feta Cheeseburger, a Black Bean burger, and a Western with BBQ sauce and bacon.

Beyond wings and burgers, the kitchen turns out appetizers like crab cakes, fried pickles, and panko-breaded shrimp, along with sandwiches such as a Cajun Shrimp Po'Boy and a Tenderloin Steak sandwich. Soups include New England clam chowder and chili. The bar carries a rotating beer selection with daily specials. Hours run Monday through Friday from noon to 11 p.m. and Saturday through Sunday from 1 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Windjammers has built its reputation on chicken wings with creative, house-developed sauce flavors that go well beyond the standard hot-and-mild options found at most sports bars. The restaurant's longevity — over three and a half decades in the same location under the same family ownership — has made it a fixture in the Charlotte community, drawing both neighborhood regulars and visitors to the nearby Port of Rochester Marina.

The restaurant sits at the far northern end of Lake Avenue in Charlotte, roughly six miles north of downtown Rochester. The surrounding area is defined by its waterfront character: the Port of Rochester Marina is steps away, Ontario Beach Park and the Charlotte Pier are nearby, and the Genesee River's final stretch to Lake Ontario is visible from the neighborhood. Lake Avenue itself serves as Charlotte's main commercial corridor, lined with local shops and restaurants. Street parking is available along Lake Avenue near the restaurant.