Diners' Choice: Best Value restaurants in Rochester

OpenTable

Updated April 05, 2025

Looking for the best value restaurants in Rochester? You’re in the right place. Each month, OpenTable analyzes nearly 2 million global diner reviews from the past four months. We sort the results by location and category to help you discover new favorite restaurants. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Thai Pop

4.9

4.9 (696)

$31 to $50

Thai

Rochester

About the restaurant

Bringing the past to the present, Thailand to Minnesota, and the passion for good food and drinks to you.

Top review

MaryVIP

Dined 1 day ago

We live in DC area with access to very high quality Asian food. As good as anything we had there and that is saying something. Wonderful food and wonderful service

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Experience

Authentic Thai cuisine in Rochester!

Our Paladar

4.8

4.8 (279)

$31 to $50

American

Rochester

About the restaurant

Chefs Nick Diaz and Kiefer Manning have been hard at work renovating the historic Chicago & Great Western Railroad Depot into a cozy and inviting restaurant for you to enjoy. Our Paladar offers a locally sourced, seasonal dinner menu most evenings. You can look forward to handmade breads and pastas along with small and main plates. Patio seating is available when the season allows. The team at Our Paladar cannot wait to welcome you!

Top review

EricVIP

Dined 3 days ago

I like the creativity of the chef. The oysters were succulent. The choices of the main course were interesting. I need to go back there and try other dishes

Twigs Tavern & Grille

4.7

4.7 (896)

$30 and under

American

Rochester

About the restaurant

Fresh American Fare at Twigs
In July 2008, Twigs Tavern and Grille opened to bring fresh flavors in a relaxing atmosphere to Rochester, Minnesota. Featuring Rochester's only restaurant with a dedicated gluten-free kitchen and a diverse menu of small plates, entrées, and the Hot Rock, our dishes feature an innovative mix of cultural flavors from around the world and fresh ingredients. Share small plates with your friends or fill up with one amazing entrée. Find a personalized and memorable dining experience waiting for you at Twigs Tavern and Grille.

Gluten-Free Dining
In addition to our lunch and dinner menu of soups, salads, sandwiches, and entrées, our restaurant offers one of the most extensive gluten-free menus in Rochester. All gluten-free meals are prepared by our specially trained staff in a separate kitchen area with dedicated equipment to help prevent cross contamination.

Top review

Angela

Dined 5 days ago

Great service! Great food! Wonderful company that I shared it all with! We shall return!

Smoak BBQ - Rochester

4.7

4.7 (159)

$30 and under

Barbecue

Rochester

About the restaurant

SMOAK mixes a modern and casual ambiance with traditional Texas-style BBQ. We want our BBQ to be the ultimate comfort food – flavorful and memorable. Our open dining room features spacious farm tables for large parties, a beautiful bar with smoked handcrafted cocktails, and vast windows and garage doors. SMOAK also features a beautiful patio with a large pergola, string lights, and outdoor bar seating – the perfect spot to relax during those warm summer months.

Top review

Robert

Dined on Apr 19, 2025

Outstanding food and service during our annual pre easter family diner. Always outstanding bbq and service. Looking forward to our next visit!

Bleu Duck Kitchen

4.8

4.8 (1334)

$31 to $50

American

Rochester

About the restaurant

Our Chef’s take inspiration from Billy Madison who drew a blue duck because he had never seen one before, and he wanted to see a blue duck! Well, since our chefs love classic Adam Sandler humor and innovative cooking, we thought that Bleu Duck was the perfect name to showcase our fun environment and staff as well as our unique and creative menu. Just like Billy, we like to try things that you’ve never seen before!

Bleu Duck Kitchen and Oyster Bar is a full service restaurant that provides a fun and welcoming atmosphere where white linens meet a casual feel to create the new concept of “fun-dining”. Co-Owners Erik Kleven and Jennifer Lester regard each customer as a welcomed friend, and aim to provide them with an experience that is both personal and unique every time they visit.

Top review

Lynn

Dined 4 days ago

Outstanding as always and Benjamin was on his game even though they were also serving a party in the back room! His recommendation of the steak was spot on! Can’t wait to be back.

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4.2

4.2 (36)

$30 and under

American

Rochester

About the restaurant

Pappy's Place a Pappas Family Restaurant, Midwest fare with a Flare, Steaks, Seafood, Chops, Burgers, and Rochester's premier salad bar, runner up for Best Steaks, great craft beer, full bar, T.V.S, Weekly and Daily food specials, We are a scratch kitchen and make all our salads, soups and dressings in house, Let Chef Chris and his wife Sheila and there staff take care of all your dinning needs, Locally owned, we live here, hire here, bank here and love it here.

Top review

Dennis

Dined on Apr 18, 2025

Good food and great service. Nice little local restaurant. We will be back.

Five West Kitchen + Bar

4.7

4.7 (1011)

$30 and under

American

Rochester

About the restaurant

Contemporary American comfort food in an exciting atmosphere.

Top review

PatrickVIP

Dined 1 day ago

Excellent food and service. Reservation required we saw many people come in between 5:30-6:30 with no seating available. Only concern is noise. Happy crowd noise is very evident even in booth.

Terza Ristorante

4.8

4.8 (2006)

$30 and under

Italian

Rochester

About the restaurant

Welcome to Terza.
Terza was created in the spirit of Dell’ Anima which means “soul of the pasta” and celebrating the bountiful flavors of Italy with friends & family. We are committed to Organic Glen plum tomatoes, sustainable Norwegian salmon, fresh fish and wild caught calamari. All of our recipes, fresh pastas and desserts are hand-crafted in house with amoré!

Top review

Dean

Dined 1 day ago

Great dining experience again! Wait staff was great! Best NY strip steak I ever eaten!

Chester's Kitchen & Bar

4.7

4.7 (1525)

$30 and under

American

Rochester

About the restaurant

Welcome to Chester's .
WE ARE OPEN!
***Please know we are experiencing technical difficulties.
Please call the restaurant for any and all reservations or come in!
We are working directly with Open Table to get back online as soon as possible.
Call us at 507-424-1211 for your reservation needs today.
Casual Upscale Dining in the Heart of Downtown Rochester, Minnesota. Made-from-scratch food with layers of flavor.

Large Patio Seating (In season), Garden Atrium and Private Dining.
Named Rochester's Best Restaurant 2018!
Rochester's Favorite Dessert 2020 - Banana Cream Pie!
Serving Rotisserie Chicken, Lavash Pizza, Steaks, Seafood, Burgers, Salads and Much More... Made Fresh Daily!!
Specific tables are never guaranteed. Due to popularity and weather conditions, we do not accept reservations for the Patio or Bar Booths (first come first serve basis).

Top review

Lawrence

Dined 7 days ago

Nice place to have a casual meal. Waiting staff attentive and food very good 👍

Ruth's Chris Steak House - Rochester

4.8

4.8 (132)

$50 and over

Steakhouse

Rochester

About the restaurant

Ruth's Chris Steak House specializes in serving USDA Prime steaks, each seared to perfection, finished with butter and freshly chopped parsley, and served sizzling on a 500-degree plate. We invite you to join us in Rochester, MN!

Top review

Dawn

Dined on Apr 5, 2025

This was our first visit to a Ruth’s Chris Steak House. The ambiance-perfect, with slightly dim lighting, knowledgeable wait staff and friendly atmosphere was so worth our visit. They allow you to enjoy your dining experience and time each course accordingly. From the warm bread and butter, to the salad or soup and main course to the dessert…A+ The steaks were cooked to perfection! And the lobster tail and grilled shrimp…mouthwatering! My husband and I will be back! Thank you to Savannah for her fantastic time spent with us as she explained and answered all our questions!

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