Granite Steak & Grill

I’ve been here several times (maybe 5) over the years, with the wife, work gatherings and what not. I’ve only ONCE, had an actual «good» meal from the Granite and that was a long time ago.
We had reserved the downstairs for a retirement party, around 50 people showed up, we were not allowed to order what we wanted, they had cooked 50 of the same exact meal and made us all eat the same thing. If I remember correctly it was chicken, potatoes and corn. Which was bland and boring.
The steaks are fatty, tough and under seasoned. The ribs are ok, but they could definitely be better. The selection of side veggies is very slim.
I honestly don’t know why this place is SO busy every time I drive by, there are far better restaurants in downtown Rochester (Revolution, Magrilla’s, Windjammers,…).

This place is very good and very consistent. It’s a little pricey, but every once in a while, it is totally worth it. I only really get the prime rib here (because if I’m going to drive 30 – 40 min and spend a bit, I might as well get the prime rib). I also get the largest cut because you get the best value.
I do enjoy their appetizers and my family has had various other entrees including the ribeye, lobster pie, and a seafood pasta dish and I’ve only heard good things. What really sticks out is the cut of prime rib. It is incredibly tender and has always been cooked precisely. (I’ve been in groups of 10 – 12 people with different preferences on how the steak is cooked and they’ve cooked them all correctly)
My one criticism (other than price really, but that’s the nature of ordering out and eating in restaurants) is that the prime rib did not appear to be seasoned. I think that they rely on how good of a cut of meat it is that they don’t do anything else with it. It could really use a dry rub around the edges in my nonexpert opinion. Anyway, I’m really sitting at a 4.5, but I know that my entire family loves this place and it can use the extra star, so I’ll round up to 5.

Great atmosphere, great food, great serving size. Probably the only place I would suggest going out to eat in Rochester

My wife and I have been patronizing this restaurant since it opened and have probably dropped well over ten thousand dollars here. We use to like to drop in for their classic potato skins and have a margarita followed with a meal. We also liked to bring our guest here. Much to our suprise after many years on the menu they replaced the classic potato skins with what can only be described as horrible. We contacted the restaurant and was told by the manager no problem just call ahead and we will be happy to make the classic skins for you. Fast forward first time we did this the very same manager told us they where to busy to do this for us now. Her name was Adrian and she acted like she could care less what she said and told us we could go to their other restaurant Windjammers in Rochester NH for their potato skins. My wife and I felt slapped in the face by this restaurant that we had been loyal to for so Maney years. When I pointed out to Adrian that she promissed us in her E-​mail that we could have these if we simply called ahead it would be no problem she was indignant. Nice treatment of someone who visited your restaurant for almost a decade. Way to go granite Steak.

Two of us came in and were satisfied with everything from the food to the service and atmosphere.
We ordered fried pickles which were average and also the seafood mushrooms which were outstanding (I’d recommend getting them well done).
For the entrée the primerib was done perfect to order (medium rare) and was extreamly tender. Price was good for the quality.
The other entrée was the surf and turf with tips and tuna steak both were cooked correctly and great flavor.
Portion sizes were more than adequate
I wouldn’t recommend one of the peach cocktails however the house punch was good. And would really recommend their own beer. Not to mention a great price. $ 3 for 16oz
Our server Jenn was attentive and personable and made us feel comfortable dinning.

Went with my hubby and his son for dinner. Everyone else enjoyed their dinner but I was complaining about the shrimp having an off taste, like it tasted old, but the other stuff on my plate was fine. We were given a few dollars off the bill after I told the manager. The Tavern downstairs foods were great though, this we got to experienced at a retirement event at a later time.

Very good food Very good service and Very Clean!
Nice atmosphere with live music.
The cool people go downstairs (cute bartenders)!

Stopped by on way from Maine to Massachusetts after reading the favorable reviews on both Trip Advisor and Unilocal.
Must say the those reviews were spot-​on and we recommend this to anyone looking for casual dining, fairly priced, served by super waitstaff.
Meaghan, our server, was pleasant, welcoming and very helpful with the many menu choices. She was a key part of this very satisfying experience.
Will return during our next trip through town!

Employees are super nice. Food is pretty good. Loved the BBQ! Live music on the weekend. Great drink prices, what more could you ask for?

We visit Smokeys Grill in the basement which is a nice relaxed area. The menu items are great. We don’t come here as often as we used too because we found that the meals were very inconsistent with being hot and fresh. Receiving cold nachos twice wasn’t good. No discounts or anything for the issues.

Great staff, always friendly and take care of us right away. Menu has a good variety and gives us a lot of choices. Love the patio in the summer! Always hot popcorn waiting too!

The food is decent, hit or miss really, but usually it’s very bland. It almost seems that they cater to an older clientele with the plain, unseasoned, soft food. However, I think it is probably the best in the area. I will go back when I don’t feel like going to Dover/​Portsmouth/​Newmarket.

Always a great bet in Rochester! Great steaks upstairs, pub grub downstairs. I have dined here often, in both pub & main dining room. They also host parties (rehearsal dinners, etc) & the food is VerY good; no rubber chickens here.
Patrick, the owner, goes out of his way to make you feel welcome and they are very big supporters of the community.

Took our sister here for her birthday. She ordered a filet mignon they brought steak tips. We told our waitress who apologized and promptly sent it to be corrected. We waited for her order to come out and it was a steak but clearly NOT the filet mignon. Everyone’s foods is getting cold by now so she settled for the steak which was cooked perfectly but again clearly NOT what she ordered. Then in the end charged us for a filet mignon.

It is a really nice place for what it is — a casual steakhouse. Some of their non-​steak dishes are pretty good like the craisin chicken. the bourbon teres major steak is delicious. I have never been disappointed with the food.
Service can be superb. If there’s a wait, head downstairs to the tavern as they serve the full menu and you can always grab a table.
The beer selection is ok. Drafts could be better. some IPA, and the usual Bud, Coors etc but not craft beers. I stick to Sam Adams.
The bread is always good as is the salad. Meals look pricey but there’s a great value — two sides (salad and fries), etc are included so the price isn’t bad considering.
Coming to Granite is like visiting an old friend. You know what to expect and you won’t be disappointed.

I like this place with a couple of exceptions.
Their prices are a bit high. Food is usually pretty good, its more hit or miss now.
Some of the things they have on the menu are quite delicious. Get more sit down dinner things, nice fair. Things are served like they are counted, I wouldn’t say that normally but two of us thought the same thing. We counted, sure enough. Exactly the same.
Last time we went in there we though it was a senior bus tour. I find their dining room quite chilly/​drafty so I dont go in cold weather and we noticed the last couple times the food seems to have gone downhill a bit. We thought it tasted like generic butter and oil like diners use now. That is a guess. I agree, their fries are sad soggy mess. Order them well done or dont bother. I sent them back and got mashed potatoes, by the time they came back everyone’s dinner was done. Just as well, they tasted bland at best and they were sticky.
(I dont order burgers here because Wild Willys kicks their butt IMO)
Rochester is over run with marginal pizza places that could be bothered trying, or delivering so its better than the Lousy pizza places. I keep hoping Sals will come to Rochester. Its a shame Rochester cannot support more nice places to eat, because competition would make this place try harder like when it first opened. When the new plaza opens up near Wally world, hopefully some of these places will perk up and show their A-​Game. Right now they are a tepid C.
Places try, but give up and move to Dover. Shame. There are only two places I go in Rochester, but prefer to drive if I have time.

Being the second time we have visited this establishment and although the service was excellent the food was not. My husband had no complaints, having had the kielbasa sub. I had the smothered chicken with a double order of fries and had strawberry cheesecake for dessert. The chicken was cooked but still rubbery and the fries were underdone. The cheesecake was gritty; cheesecake should NEVER be gritty. The strawberries that they put on top were in strawberry sauce that was runny, not what you would expect on cheesecake.
Guess we’ll stick to burgers and peanut butter pie.

Ate in the tavern on a Friday night and listened to some music. The music was good, as was the service, but the atmosphere was lacking and the food was nothing special.
The sheer size of the menu here tells you that a lot of the food they serve is reheated from frozen. There’s simply no way to store and prepare that diverse of a menu without a lot of it being frozen or premade in large batches.
I had the baked scallops, which were actually quite good and fresh, but a very simple sort of dish. For the sides, the mashed potatoes were actually very delicious and fresh as well, but the coleslaw was too heavy on the dressing and pretty flavorless.
I ordered their drink special for the night, «Smokey’s Punch». The flavor was reminiscent of the «trashcan punch» that college kids make at parties, not particularly good. It was supposed to be infused with fresh pineapple, but from the taste and the look of their container on the bar, someone doesn’t understand what the ratio of fruit to liquor is supposed to be when you’re making an infusion.
Overall, it was an okay experience, but it won’t be going on a list of «must-​sees» for my friends who visit.

Came here a few times while I was in the area. It’s not the best… but it’s the best in town.
I had scallops on the first night and they were very good. The club sandwich was also very delicious.
My complaints are more about the prices. I feel like the quality of the food, although good, does not match the pricing. That’s what you get when you’re the big fish in the little pond.
The wait staff were all very kind and prompt for the most part. Bottom line, I’d keep coming back to this place when I visit and would definitely recommend it to a friend.

Food was very good.
Service was slow. Drink Refills were slow. Kitchen was Slow.
We ordered the beverages with no lemons and they all came lemons. Refills as well.
I have the garlic burger with fried onions. It had a special sauce the was very bland.