The Red Fern

Address:	283 Oxford St, Rochester, NY 14607, USA
Phone:	+1 585-563-7633
Site:	redfernrochester.com
Rating:	4.6
Working:	Closed 11AM–9:30PM 11AM–9:30PM 11AM–9:30PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–9:30PM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 5

Jae Chatfield

On the corner of Oxford and Park, behind some eclectic red swinging doors and down some steps into a lower floor lies The Red Fern vegan restaurant. Theres a small outdoor seating area, but, considering the weather, we opted to sit inside. There are six or seven two-top tables and two or three for larger parties. A wall mounted air conditioner kept the dining area comfortably cool. The first thing youll immediately notice as you reach the bottom of the entrance stairs is a shiny dessert case full of delectable desserts. Youd never know they were vegan from the looks: truffles, cheesecakes, brownies, multiple varieties of large cookies, and two triple layer frosted cakes - Chocolate Oreo Mint and Garden Cake. When our server arrived with a carafe of water (no ice, but a floating lemon slice) I asked him to tell us about the house specialties and he explained the whole menu to us. We were both impressed with his menu knowledge, and appreciated his suggestions. I decided on the "plate" which included: Sweet potato salad - closer to a sweet potato puree, with chunks of red pepper and spices. Served in a firm scoop. This was a favorite for both of us. Macaroni salad - spiral macaroni with traditional Mac salad veggies, held together with a vegan lemon mayonnaise. Tasty enough. Balsamic greens - basic field greens/spring mix tossed with balsamic vinaigrette. Not over sauced, light and fresh. Choice of protein: I had the maple lemon tofu - other choices included buffalo tempeh, Italian "sausage", and seitan "steak." The plate was topped with "spicy meat sauce." This was a delicious sauce resembling the meat hot sauce that you might get at a burger place - chunky with "meat" crumbles and spices in a red, ketchup chili base. Spicy and delicious. My lunch date opted for the "Special of the Day" - a Summer Dawg Plate. Hers arrived with a large vegan hot dog on a fresh ciabatta-like bun, topped with garlic ketchup, field greens, and a corn salsa. It was also to be served with an agave mustard, but she opted to leave that off. The hot dog was served with Dill Pickle Potato Salad - Im pretty sure we agreed this was our favorite part of the meal. The Dill Pickle Potato Salad was a combination of smashed skin-on red potatoes with vegan mayo, dill pickles and a healthy dose of dill weed. Im not the biggest fan of the pickle itself, but I do love dill and this salad was a big winner. Highly recommended. For dessert we decided on the Garden Cake - a triple-layer offering of what appeared to be a carrot and zucchini mix cake with a delicious lemony "buttercream" frosting. Absolutely delicious. We had it packed to go, but our waiter was kind enough to provide us with a plastic fork so we could enjoy a few nibbles right away. As we were leaving with our leftovers and cake in hand, another employee brought out some chunks of chocolate chunk brownie - for $1 I had him add one of those to our to-go box as well. The décor is pretty much what youd expect from a vegan restaurant in this area of town - woven twigs created a chandelier over our table, artistically arranged tree slices of various sizes adorned one wall, and lacy doilies were used as masks for spray painted old windows. A smattering of stenciled Red Fern sprigs helped to tie the eclectic décor together into a cohesive design. The food isnt cheap, but I suspect its competitively priced for the neighborhood - and you also need to take into consideration that its a small operation so the food is fresh, the recipes are carefully thought out for maximum flavor - and vegan food isnt inexpensive no matter where you get it. (Check out the freezer section in Natures Market sometime; youll see what I mean.) For a casual specially restaurant, The Red Fern really hits the mark.

Ja-Quan Greene

When I say 5 star, you say rating! 5 STAR..rating!! Phenomenal experience for my first All Vegan menu. Outside seating was money. The service was exceptional. As authentic as youre gonna get (Im a rookie but I know authenticity when I see it). First off, the place is dope. Located right on the corner, reppin a huge rainbow flag. This place embraces who they are and Im here for it..at least for my 1st Rochester visit. Food was delicious. I had my first Vegan Quesadilla and Im was more than impressed. Cheddar, Vegan sausage, kale, fermented garlic and pickled red pepper all worked so dam perfectly together. The cheddar was oozing with deliciousness and had me wondering, "should I start eating Vegan More?" The answer is yes. Yes you should J. And dont even get me started on the lemon aioli for the dip game!! My side salad was green and leafy and great with just the right amount of balsamic? dressing on it. My fiancee enjoyed a delicious cold zoodlei pesto salad (the PZL)..i know it was delicious cuz I ate some like a boss. Our friends enjoyed the steak bomb sandwich (didnt try but the bread looked out of this world and he said it was great) and the lentil burger (another fine report). I have entered the realm of Vegan and I aint goin back! Ill be exploring my options when I go out to eat in NYC. Oh and the drinks were amazing, light and refreshing. More blessings on blessings.

Meghan Nolan

Im continually impressed with The Red Fern. I feel like each time I go back I have a more delicious and wonderful experience. This time we ordered the cheese and fruit plate and absolutely devoured it. We also go "pickled things", which I honestly would pass on next time. For me, there was not enough pickley flavor and the texture of the veggies wasnt what I was looking for. We ordered the entree special - artichoke "crab" cakes with white beans and a garlic aioli with apple slaw. Holy. Deliciousness. It was incredible. I want to take a bath in that slaw. It was so great and I have a whole other serving to warm up today. I am so grateful for healthy options that also take into consideration how to make vegans happy and full. Though its not a hard thing to do its exceptionally rare, and The Red Fern does it so so so well. I also love eating somewhere that I know I am safe from cross-contamination from meat and meat products. Every meal option on the menu is actually a fulfilling and is a real-life balanced meal that leaves just enough to take home + space for a yummy dessert.

Dig K

(4/29 at 5:00 reservation) It was my first time in Rochester with my friends. We with the other friends went there today and I am the only vegan in the group who received SMALL portions of sweet potato and mac/cheese. A few of us ordered "compost plates". I called the waitress and showed it to her compared to my friends which are BIG differences and she blatantly lied about how size of protein affected them, etc. my friends fully agreed with me about it. What is sad is that the food was absolutely delicious yet mine was smallest. Will I go there again? Im unsure since the waitress lied and have no respect which I have no tolerate. I should have called for a manager. Fortunately my friends shared their foods with me, can you imagine that?? I wondered if its due to discrimination since Im the only deaf in the group, what else to explain why my order was so small?!

Timothy Czapranski

Had dinner there April 30th. I am not vegan, I like beef, pork and seafood etc. But we were celebrating my daughters college grades so she choose the restaurant. I was very impressed as was my wife. My daughter has eaten there so she knew it was good. I had the soup and the mac n cheese my wife had the daily special flatbread. It was all very tasty and filling. Food temperature when served were just right. We made reservations for 8:00 and the table was waiting when we arrived at 7:55 which was a delightful surprise on a busy Saturday night. When we make reservations elsewhere and arrive a bit early we always are waiting 10 to 30 minutes to be seated. Staff was great and everything was neat and clean. If you have not been there give it a try!