Whistle Binkies Old World Pub

Love the atmosphere and the service is great. They have amazing food and their beer selection is fantastic. Expect a crowd on Sundays for the football game. If u don’t want to wait… i would recommend not going on Sundays when the vikings are playing.

Fun place, can get really busy for happy hours. We love their nachos and they have large selection of drinks and beers. Service can be slow but usually just because they’re busy.

Here passing through town and happened upon this place. Enjoyed my meal and thought it was of good quality. Friendly people. My aunt and uncle got beers for $ 2…wow whatta deal.

Since the John and Chad era service has declined badly. Not sure why.

While this place is known for its extensive selection of beers, the food here is a pleasure within itself. First time visiting after living in Rochester for nearly two years and upon the recommendation of co workers decided to give this joint a try.
Our meal began with a half order nacho appetizer that was more than enough for my wife and I share. Shout out to our server for the suggestion. After eating a portion of our appetizer, we each placed our orders but not without seeking the recommendation of our server.
Our server suggested that I try their Reuben sandwich which is marinated in Guinness and that my wife try their fish and chips another one of their specialities.
Our order arrived a short time later and upon the first bite of my Reuben I could taste the tenderness of the corned beef and the favor that accompanied it. My wife enjoyed her fish and chips and also raved about her cole slaw. Let me also mention that our portions were very sizable and that each had to take carry out boxes.
Overall we enjoyed our experience and look forward venturing here again

Decent food, nothing that would make me crave the place. Had philly sandwich, indicated it was prime rib, but I’m not convinced and Reuben … Nice shredded corned beef, but just seemed a little blah. Friendly, large quantities of food, good liquor specials. Highlight was their pub chips.

Free popcorn, excellent beer selection, and Cuban sandwiches. Perfection!
First, the Boom Island Belgian Tripel, VERY smooth! Love it!
Second, move the popcorn out front.
Third, the Cuban;
Very well stacked, excellent bread (not too hard but not flimsy), good balance of meat, cheese, and pickles. I think the pickles should be sliced, rather than wedged, but great sandwich!
The cole slaw was delicious. Not overly vinegary, not overly creamy, good flavor, crisp cabbage.
Would definitely recommend!

Been here before. Whistle on the Lake had better service and food.

Not a fan. We went there on St Patricks Day. Ok, I understand this is a crazy day for pub visits, but this place had absolutely no idea how to handle the crowd. Odd, because they seem very popular with the locals.
We got there and were met with a line. This was expected. What wasn’t expected was the hostess told us they were not even taken names, it was basically a free for all on the rare occasion a table opened up.
I went to the bar for a few $ 3 Guinness (in a real pint glass, which is why they get 1 star) and I waited about 25 minutes before I was served. The kicker is there were FIVE people behind the bar and not a single one was paying attention to the customers waiting in line. Not a single person was pulling pints. Three of the people behind the bar seemed obsessed with the money drawer for my entire time there. The other two just kind of walked back and forth until finally taking my order. Fail!
The kicker is when my buddy found a free table after waiting almost two hours. Remember when I told you they weren’t taking names at the door? Well for some reason, the hostess ran over and told us the table was for someone else! We pointed out SHE told us they were not taking names, so how could this table be saved? No answer, she just walked away.
About 10 minutes later another table was free, so we went over to that one. you guessed it, here comes Debbie Downer to again tell us the table was saved for someone else.
Fuck it, We went to Dooley’s downtown, which was packed, but treated us with respect, we had several pints, a delicious meal, and gave our very nice waiter a big fat tip. Dooley’s, now there is a place that has it right.
As for Whistle Binkies, I shall not return.

We stopped with our kids in the way thru town. There is something for everyone. The food was really good and the beer selection was fantastic. We especially like the Reuben with housemade chips and the fish & chips.

Was in Rochester yesterday and asked the folks at the airport for a good «local place to eat.»
They suggested this restaurant. The atmosphere was wonderful but then we like popcorn smell! Was waited upon in a reasonable time and she was nice, recommending several options.
My partner chose the bratwurst and I got the hamburger. His was very good and my hamburger was blah, being a processed meat patty that I could have gotten at McDonalds, not the «good home-​made» sort of hamburger they advertise. My fries were ok, his home-​made potato chips were excellent!
Would have loved to have had a beer, their selection was great but people frown on flight crew drinking on duty so had to pass! :) If we want a great selection of beer in this area its the place. Food… well on this day not so much.

Dr. Ed and I were looking for a neighborhood bar and we found it!
Our highlights:
1. Free Popcorn, how can you hate on that?
2. Sunday Brunch buffet for $ 12.95; the «On the Lake» location of this bar includes ice cream on their buffet line and has a great view of the lake (obviously) on the patio. This is especially great on those days when:
a. you want to watch football but not make game food
b. you wake up and want to eat everything but want to cook nothing, but you’re willing to put some pants on
3. Mystery Beer Monday: the waitresses carry a bag filled with the names of every beer available in the bar (which is A LOT of different beers). Pull a name from the bag and you can have it for $ 2.50. Sometimes you can get lucky and pull an expensive beer or an extra large bottle, and it’s a fun way to try a beer you would otherwise never order in the first place.

Super cheap drinks.
The burgers are just ok. I loved their Italian beef with au jus.

The thought after being here three different times in a month is «there is nothing special about this place». Walking into Whistle Binkies opens you to a very generic bar. Their heritage is Scottish, but they only Scottish thing in there was the drinking and that’s supposed to be Irish! Every time I’ve went, the place has also been dead. For a bar with 20 TVs on the wall, you’d think they’d pack it for the World Cup…
The bar menu was substantial for Rochester. A large tap selection, an enormous bottle selection, and a friendly bartender. Sat up there for a few minutes to take the place in and decided on a seat for dinner.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned from going to a lot of different restaurants, it’s that a large menu is the sign of a restaurant that has no identity or direction. I found myself lost in the menu looking for what might be considered a characteristic dish of this restaurant. I asked the waitress for a signature dish and got a «well, what are you in the mood for?» response, so I settled on the smoked half chicken without a recommendation. I was surprised she didn’t recommend one of the Olde world dishes (bangers and mash, fish and chips, etc) That food was good! It was greasy and cooked well and came with some delicious veg on the side.
I think my main problem with the place is that it’s boring. If it were a sports bar, you’d be able to hear a game (went for the World Cup and all the TVs were on silent). If it were a Scottish bar, you’d expect a Scottish theme. But it’s just… there. Plus, I swear I’ll never take a group of friends out to a restaurant with such a stupid name. Guys, it’s time for a rebranding, especially if the only «ethnic» food you’re going to push is Irish when you’re a Scottish bar…

We stopped in for some English pub atmosphere… found hardly any. Did find 4 rooms of dirty tables and a buttered popcorn smell overwhelms all other tastes of food and drinks! We never had anyone help us with taking our order so after a while we just left! And I smelled buttered popcorn (even though we never ate or touched any) on my clothes and in my hair even after leaving the place!

What can I say? A unique experience. Something for everyone. Son is a beer lover. They kept him busy. Wife had walleye basket. I had the Guinness Rueben. Son had a melt. Daughter had a French dip. Grand daughter had pizza. Sister in law the kids fish and chips.
Free popcorn while you wait. Pub chips were very good. Son thought they would rock sprinkled with O’Bays.
Pete our waiter was fun and attentive.
We are in the area for only five days, but this place may get a return visit!

The service here is good, but the bar itself is nothing special. I’ve only ever gotten drinks here when I’m back in town catching up with friends. The beer selection is good, yet average. The daily drink specials are pretty great. Can usually get a beer/​mixed drink for $ 2-​$ 3, which is pretty darn good.
Oh, and free popcorn!

Had the beef rouladen– delicious. Perfectly paired with red cabbage and mashed potatoes; all covered in gravy. I heart Oktober!

I just love this place! My husband and I visit regularly! The new patio outback is nice with a retractable awning. We love to munch on popcorn and try many different tap beers from their selection. The wait staff is always consistent. And I LOVE the two weeks each year that they do OCTOBERFEST specials with German food– I wish some of it would make the regular menu!
This location does get a little crowded at times and you have to wait for seating quite often. And I wish they would upgrade all of the TV’s to allow for more quality FB watching.

I came here with a friend that I haven’t seen in 10 years from Rochester. I grew up in Rochester and things has changed. I am glad that Rochester is improving. Anyways, I came here late at night to chat up with my friend. We had a great time there, sitting at he bar. The bartender was very friendly, he made me a ‘PERFECT MARGARITA.’ I guess he is known for making the best margarita in town according to a lady sitting at the bar… well, i it was ‘ok’…i mean there were too much booze. haha… anyways, i would say this place is great to hang out with friends and for happy hour.
free popcorn! ;)