The
Rochester Public Market makes the "Must Do" list for
anyone moving to, living in, or visiting Rochester.
The Public Market opened in 1905 at its
current location
280 North Union St, Rochester,
which houses area for over 300 vendors both outside and inside. The Public
Market is open
Tuesdays and Thursdays
6am-1pm and Saturdays 5am-3pm year round (although it is significantly
smaller during the winter).
For the true
market experience, you should go on Saturday, which is the busiest day.
Tuesdays are the smallest, but weekdays can
work well into a college student's schedule, and weekday shoppers are able to
avoid the crowds.

The vendors at market sell primarily fresh fruits and
vegetables for the cheapest prices you'll find anywhere, but they offer so much
more-bakeries, coffee, breakfast/lunch, meat and fish, eggs, honey, flowers,
and shopping (clothing, hats, purses, kitchen utensils, trinkets galore!).
The whole experience is impossible to
describe, but I'll tell you a few places you won't want to miss.
VM Giordano Import,
Inc. European Cheese Shop (
http://cheeseandolives.com/ )
A cheese lover's heaven.
The Cheese Shop is open
Thursday: 10:00AM to 1:00PM and Saturday:
5:30AM to 2:00PM. They are located
in the row of buildings that runs along one side of the Market area, near the
coffee shops.
Lots of cheeses to choose from-and samples of different
cheeses.
They also have olives and other
European imports, including their olive oil (they will tell you all about how
it's made and probably let you sample that too).
One other great thing about the Cheese Shop is the breakfast
sandwich special.
It has the most
delicious goat cheese spread on it-and I didn't even think I liked goat
cheese.
This bagel sandwich makes me
never want to eat normal cream cheese again.
Rohrbach Brewery
(
http://www.rohrbachs.com/)
Rohrbach is a local brewery in Rochester. They run a restaurant on Buffalo Road in Rochester,
where their beers are on tap, but you can also find selections from Rohrbach at
many Rochester
bars and Wegman's grocery stores.
Their location at the market is
actually outside the market area. You
have to walk 2 minutes down the street to 97 Railroad Street. This location is the primary manufacturing
site for the brewery, and they offer tours, free sampling of a couple beers
that are on tap, and growlers for sale.
Freshwise (
http://www.freshwise.org/)
This place is awesome!
It's located in one of the shed stalls.
They sell vegetables that are grown locally in Penfield, NY,
where they have a hydroponic greenhouse that can grow year round and also
outdoor gardens.
They do not use any
chemical sprays or pesticides.
Additionally, all profits go to fighting hunger through the Foodlink Foundation.
Everything about this place is awesome.
The best part is that the produce will stay
fresh for so long.
I really recommend
their salad mixes which always contain a mix of lots of different greens, and
it will stay fresh for a long time.
Juan and Maria's
Empanada Stop (
http://www.empanadastop.com/)
This place is a very popular location to grab a quick, cheap
bite to eat at the market.
They are open
Tuesday: 08:00 - 14:00; Thursday: 08:00 - 14:00; Saturday: 07:00 - 15:00.
It's delicious Spanish food made by Spanish
people, and for this reason, this small business endeavor has succeeded.
They also are always working to support our
troops and their families.
The Honey Man
The Honey Man is just what me and my friends call this
vendor, who obviously sells honey.
He is
always located in the shed space, and we love him because he's friendly and I
can spend my spare change on a honey stick!
Comments (2)
Sheila Sarratore
Ashley Hennigan