We were staying next door at the Holiday Inn in Henrietta and made it over to this place the three nights that we were there. Food was delicious, the servers were great and we were greeted when we entered and left. No complaints on our part. This place is huge but you don't get lost in the crowd. The menu is quite extensive with some great items in it. Unfortunately were not able to try everything but I am sure we will be back.
Review Source:It's hard to find good BBQ where I live, so I'm always happy to visit Sticky Lips when I'm in the Rochester/Henrietta area. Â Â The hard part is trying to figure out what to order. There is a really wide variety of things to choose from with all sorts of types and cuts of meat, and even some vegetarian BBQ dishes, which is pretty neat.
Price wise, I'm always tempted by a sandwich, but that means I only get one type of meat. Â This visit, we were celebrating various things, so I splurged (well, splurged for me) and got the Jane Russel, which has two of my BBQ favorites: pulled pork and brisket. Â The brisket was the better of the two I thought, being super tender and moist, without -too- much fat. Â Mind you, though, I'm not knocking the pork. Â It's dryer, but also quite good. Â Especially with some of that sweet BBQ sauce... Â
This platter comes with deliciously sweet cornbread and two sides. Â I chose the ratatouille and mac & cheese. Â The former was full of veggies, spices, and flavor, with the consistency of a thick vegetable stew. Â I admit, I am still amazed that ratatouille is on the menu, but I recommend it. Â The mac and cheese, on the other hand, is very creamy with a great chewy texture, but it is also rather bland. Â I don't think I would pick it again.
Whatever you order, you won't leave hungry. Â I'm no dainty flower who gets full on a lettuce leaf, but honestly a sandwich here is more than enough food, especially with some sides. Â I loved the variety on the platter, but since I was in a situation where I couldn't easily take along leftovers and hate leaving good food...well, I left feeling a bit bilious. Â Definitely sticking with a sandwich next time. Â Better on the waistline, and on the budget.
To be fair, prices aren't bad for a BBQ joint, especially for the sandwiches which are typically around $10 with sides. Â Combo platters, though, start at $12 and go up, and some meals that focus on beef ribs are $20+. Â It isn't hard to get a flavorful and filling meal for just around $10, though.
Service was decent, and didn't rush us at all even though we came in late and stayed to chat long after they had closed and were starting to mop up the bar. Â Speaking of, they have a really long list of drinks available. Â I didn't imbibe this time around, but there are definitely some interesting sounding local ales to keep in mind on future visits.
This is good. If this was in San Francisco, it would be the best BBQ joint in the city.
Pork ribs were really good. Â Collared greens were wonderful. Â Great spices. Kids liked the mac and cheese as a side dish.
They have a ton of beers. Â Enjoy. Â Whatever your taste, they should have something close to what you like.
I love it when BBQ place service good old fashion ribs, brisket and pulled pork.
Had the Memphis Belle. It was goooooood. The meat came off the bone without hesitation. That speaks a lot. The bbq beans and the mash potato complemented the meal. Well worth it.
Also the service was very good due to only being two servers and the place being busy. Lots of credit to the staff and management.
Will be back.
I've eaten twice here - both times seated at the bar. Â The bar tenders were attentive and friendly both times. Â They have a good selection of beers on tap, the Newcastle was good as well as some local beers on tap, Rhorbachs - which was excellent. Â The menu has a good mix of combo platters available to give you a sampling of the different types of BBQ; chicken, pork and beef. Â Uncle Franks State Fair chicken was good, flavorful and not dry - which is tough to do in these types of places (I did get the dark meat though, which tends to hold it's moisture better - can't vouch for the white meat). Â Pork was good as well, pretty standard fair for this type of joint. Â The stand out for me was the Beef Brisket though- it was excellent. Â I was sitting next to a guy from Dallas and even he had to admit that it was good brisket- which is pretty high praise in western NY. Â The brisket was, in fact, what made me go back for the second visit - I got a combo platter the first time around, but stuck with the all brisket plate the second time around. The rub they use on this is great - I'd ask them to sprinkle a little extra on when they put it on the plate.
Review Source:really great place! everyone who works there has a shit attitude.. there's no place to stand and not be in someones way(and they will let you know) when its really busy. all the waitresses act as though you are in their way. OHH then some door or some shit was open for like a half an hour for a band to set up, letting the frigid outside air to come right on our table Pissing off everyone in my party...pork was dry PEACE!
Review Source:There are aspects of our most recent visit, first at this location, that brought my inner child to tears of confusion, and things that were clearly 5 star material. We've been to the downtown location a few times and they both share similar qualities. It would be safe to assume if you enjoyed a visit to one restaurant, you would be pleased with the other.
Getting a table was easy enough on a Sunday afternoon around 1:30. They weren't empty, but there are a good plenty number of tables. A larger party was waiting for their table to be assembled, most of the tables are 2 seaters that have been combined. We were taken to a 4 top (2 tables put together) and a high hair was quickly brought over. The hostess left us with crayons and a paper coloring mat. This place is perfect for a sit down meal with children. Really, the decor and overall feel is very similar to (the dreaded) Applebee's or Ruby Tuesdays. A large family friendly chain restaurant.
The menu is huge. Way way way way way to extensive. It's confusing. Drinks in the middle on a small flap, sides on second page, sandwiches on back, vegetarian options (yes, multiple) on the other back page. Apps, main plates, wax services and other nonesense throughout. I hate it. Hate hate hate. I don't really have much to offer in advice to sift through it all, except to say when you sit down take the time to figure out what you are in the mood for and just stick to that section.
Once you make up your mind and order, the food was rather promptly delivered to our table. My sweet potato fries were piping hot and appeared fresh, but the mac & cheese on my husband's plate was most likely sitting in large pot of mac & cheese. No harm, it is still a solid representation of traditional mac & cheese. Not super amazing awesome, but solid. My fries were quite good, on the other hand. My 2 year old devoured them, once I could cool a few down. He's usually fairly picky when it comes to fries, and these were perfectly crispy (very "fried") and well seasoned but not overly so. The sandwiches are listed as $6.50/7.50 for sandwich only or $9.50/10.50 with 2 sides (pork/brisket) HOWEVER the sides are $1.50 each anyway, so don't feel the need to order 2 sides if you don't want them, there isn't a discount making it a meal deal.
Our sandwiches (he had pulled pork, I had bbq beef brisket) were messy. The meat on both was moist and tender, though I would say the pork was a tad fatty but I guess that's what you get with pork, right? I preferred my brisket, which flaked apart easily. The bun was a soggy disaster once I added an extra dose of original bbq sauce, but it handled the job it had been assigned well enough to hold everything together. Soggy isn't the proper description, it did soak up the juices and sauce however it maintained it's shape. A different type of bread or maybe a thicker bun... I dunno, I don't have a better solution for this, but I don't make sandwiches for a living, now do I.
Our server was prompt and polite, but also did seem like she might not actually care if we came back. I don't mean that to sound like I want to be made felt important, but she seemed similar to a server working in a tourist town chain restaurant. Polite enough to not get fired, but overall she didn't really care to get us that to-go box. Which we weren't offered in the first place. And never got even after we asked for one.
I've been to the new Sticky Lips a few times now... so let me add my perspective. I've stopped by to see local bands (like the Hi-Risers, Fred Vine, the Chinchillas) & swung by to get take out for my hungry hombres (& kin). On our latest outing, I took a party of six to Sticky Lips at 6:45 on a Sunday night. Which, it iself, was a great idea.. there was NO problem getting us seated, the restaurant looked to be about 3/4 empty.
Our party was seated at two oddly conjoined tables. One of the three tables tables was at a different height than the others... odd, but we took it in stride. Our server came over & took our drink orders. The wait for our drinks wasn't that bad, but took a little longer than we thought appropriate, given the density of patrons.
We moved on to the food ordering part of the night, and one half of the table opted for the Betty Grable (1/4 slab of ribs & 1/4 Uncle Frank's chicken). I ordered the Mae West (chicken breast & pulled pork), my wife ordered the salmon salad (blackened) and my son ordered the BLT. We topped off our order with a side of deep fried pickles as an entree.
Food delivery was spot on. No long wait here, with the deep fried pickles showing up piping hot with a side of sauce for dipping. There was just enough for everyone to enjoy at least one... though my son had two (his sister is NOT a fan of pickles)! Â
Our meals came shortly after we finished up our appetizer, and we all dug into our meals. The Betty Grable side made short work of their plates. If you haven't ordered the Betty Grable, it is a LOT of food. My daughter & her friend tackled the ribs (with relish) first, then pecked at their chicken. Her boyfriend started with his chicken and made it halfway through his ribs before calling it quits. My wife enjoyed her blackened salmon salad, then attacked my side dish of macaroni & cheese. I enjoyed my Mae West combo of pulled pork & chicken breast (with Cherry Bomb sauce, a family favorite). My one complaint was that the chicken breast was a little dry & rubbery.
The only *real* disappointment was my son's BLT... not quite what he had expected. Â He's usually a fan of the Sticky Icky Plate (both the meat & the meatless) & almost ordered the Pittsburgh Sandwich. Â
When it came to settle our check I took note of the total... $122. I then noted that the obligatory 15% had been added to our bill. When I proffered a means of payment to our server, she returned WITHOUT the original bill, only the charge slip with the bill laid out like this:
Amount: 104.88
Gratuity: 17.48
Tip: _____
Which, as you might guess, MIGHT confuse folks who don't know what a "gratuity" is. I figured in my usual tip and added that to the gratuity charge, since I usually tip 20%. BUT!!! I did NOT appreciate getting the itemized bill back with my charge card receipt.
Final verdict? Not a bad place to visit on a Sunday night. For the real Sticky Lips experience I'll still venture out to Culver Rd. I think it's FANTASTIC that there's a live music venue on Jefferson Road & I wish these guys the best but... there is room for improvement here.
Ok so i just left here & my stomach hurts- Â not bc i got food poisoning, but bc i was unable or unwilling to stop eating! Â very crowded parking lot, usually a good sign! Â chose this place instead of the dinosaur bc i didnt feel like driving into rochester- Â which isnt one of my fav cities. Â got the b-52 bomber- Â was beef brisket, chicken, and pulled pork. Â im not in my eating season, so i wanted to eat only half the enormous plate, but the shit was so good that i ate the entire thing! Â all three meats were very good- bordering excellent! Â fries and cornbread were good too! Â i got a local ipa at the bar which was good too. Â prices were very reasonable, you get a lot for your money. Â bartender girl was nice but didnt have much personality. Â bartender guy was much more into his job. Â place is very loud. Â for what this place is- Â i think its very good. Â do ya eat here every week?-i hope not- Â bc its extremely unhealthy, but for a once in a while treat- Â i think its a good choice!
Addl note- Â 04/25/13- Â this place should be 3.5 stars, as the food quality isn't as good as Dinosaur. Â Sticky Lips has greasier food than Dinosaur, and the barbecue flavor isn't quite as good, but it wouldn't be fair to give the place 3 stars; it's better than that.
Ok so BBQ in WNY is nothing compared to the real deal southern stuff. There's just always something missing. BUT the food at Sticky Lips is good. I've been several times and even gotten take out. It's relatively consistent but pricey. The pulled pork is always good, the brisket leaves something to be desired...I think its the texture I don't like....I love the mac and cheese and BBQ baked beans. And the FRIED PICKLES are my absolute favorite!
The bar is well stocked and the cherry cider is soooo good with the BBQ. The drafts always taste fresh and clean.
On the down side...its busy. Incredibly, insanely busy. Unless you go during the week for lunch.
If I had to choose between here and Dinosaur BBQ...I'd pick here purely based on location. Both places have pros and cons. If you go for dinner be prepared to wait...and the tables in the middle of the bar area are uncomfortable and tight and I feel like I always end up there........oh well...it's by the bar.
Sticky Lips is one of those places where I know it is good but it is not good enough for me to suggest it. Their BBQ style seems to be sweeter than Dinosaur's and when it comes to BBQ, I like a more complex, spicy flavour.
I do like this location better than the Culver Rd one. There is a lot more space and the servers are actually responsive. I ordered the BBQ chicken with black beans/rice + vegetable of the day (which the server said was cauliflower). Â The chicken was juicy and as much as it hurts to say it... texture-wise superior(by a TINY bit) to Dinosaur. I didn't like the sauce as much as my old standby (Wango Tango). It was still delicious and had decent smoky flavour. When the server started the vegetable of the day was cauliflower, I guess I thought it was cauliflower prepared in a way other than just boiled (or maybe sauteed? it wasn't greasy though). That was kind of sad. They could have roasted it and put some cheddar on it or tossed it in some dry rub before sauteing it. It was so bland. The black beans and rice were okay - not memorable but not bad. The cornbread was sadly dry.
The server was kind of  more interested in the musical act that was performing and wanted us to get appetizers. Nothing really leaped out at us so we passed. She seemed disappointed in a "oh....you guys are *just *getting a soda and an entree?" way. The food came out lightning fast despite being decently crowded and I was ever so thankful for that as I was starving.
I will go back if someone else wants me to but otherwise, you can find me chomping down on the smoked wings at Dinosaur (along with some fried green tomatoes).
I eat here often, and I have not been disappointed with anything. Brisket, Chicken Drummers, Jumbalaya, Ultimate Mac n Cheese w Zweigles... sides are outstanding.
I'd vote this the best bbq in ROC by far.
(However, if you go late-ish, be prepared it will be loud as they have lively bands playing most nights)
Mostly reviewing this location as a music venue-- if you want to see my food review check it out based on the Culver Location.
This place is monstrous-- I am not really sure why it was designed this way. Â If the location had been previously used and this is how they made it work, that is one thing, but they actually *chose* to design it this way. Where do I start with my issues with concerts here? How about my experience going to get tickets? You get sent downstairs to this room that has the desert cases and ask for the tickets for the show. To their credit, the ladies in this area were very friendly and I don't think the 10 minute wait to actually get my advance tickets was their fault. I think they were waiting on a manager. Now, this was during the lunch rush, so I understand it was pretty busy, but you don't have a better system for selling tickets for events at your own venue?
Showtime: the stage is in a dining room. This CAN work, I have seen it work in other locations but the way they have it set up is ridiculous. If you are going to a show, you will go downstairs and find all the seating filled with diners (most of them not staying for the show). There is no where to go. If you are lucky, you can find a chair around the perimeter of the room-- there are probably 10 chairs to sit in, max. So you are sitting behind people who are eating dinner and probably disinterested in who ever the opening band is, even though you paid for a ticket. After the opening act, a hostess (poor thing) will go around to the diners and try to push them out of their seats by telling them they have to pay for a wristband to stay and watch the show. Naturally, diners get upset by this. If they move, now you have a bunch of tables in the way. At one show I went to, people wanted to dance and eventually they just started moving the tables. If you want a beer, you have to go upstairs to the bar... hope you don't loose your seat while you go and wait 20 minutes at the bar.
This set up strikes me as greedy and not well thought out. No one is getting the best experience, not the diner, not the concert goer, not the performers.
Why two stars and not one? They get good performers to come into this place. As much as I can't stand the set up, I will still go because it is hard to catch some of these performers elsewhere. Also, the beer selection is great. Not my favorite food, but at least there is the option to order some.
Went to the Sticky Lips based on a recommendation from a co-worker as I'm from out of town. It wasn't busy when I went in, which was good. The waitress called me honey, which seems to be the way in Roch-Cha-Cha. I ordered a diet coke, which was on the menu, but I got a diet RC. Not a huge deal, just something I noticed. I got a Carolina Sandwich (pork and coleslaw) with chorizo cheddar grits and collard greens.
The side dishes were delicious. Chorizo Cheddar grits? I mean really! The pork was ok, but the sauce selections were odd. They had an apple one that tasted like apple butter--completely not good for me. Same with the cherry. Just seemed weird.
Overall, it was just ok. I wish I had made the drive to Dino to compare.
Mental note: Â Never take barbecue advise from vegetarians!
People (including two vegetarians with whom I work) have been telling me that Lips is a worthy challenger to Dino's Rochester dominance for awhile now. Â Not wanting to deal with Dino's parking hassles and long waits on a recent Friday night, I decided to finally give this plucky upstart a try. Â
Hey! Â Anything's possible. Â Maybe Sticky Lips would be the Geno's to Dino's Pat's King of Steaks, the Duff's to Dino's Anchor, the Pepe's to Dino's Sally's....
Umm...NO!
Went with the B-17, which is basically their version of Dino's sampler - ribs, chicken, brisket, cornbread, and sides of grits and fries. Â
Very weak. Â
Ribs had decent flavor but were not tender/fall off the bone. Â Brisket was chewy/rubbery and largely flavorless - by far the worst component of this bland trifecta. Â Chicken was beyond dry, and the seasoning was nothing special. Â Even their own lineup of sauces (including a "burning lips" offering that was only marginally spicy) couldn't salvage this "barbecue bust." Â
I did enjoy the cheddar chorizo grits, the delightful waitress (Damn! What was her name? She was good people.), and the first rate draft selection (Dan at the bar was a gem). Â The chicken cheddar jalapeno soup was solid as well. Â But "Barbecue Juke Joints" are primarily about MEAT, and the fleshy substance here (take that, leaf lovers!) was very "meh." Â
I'm aware that Lips has its fans/defenders. Â But I attribute this to a contrarian-style, "Oh, Dino is just too popular and mainstream" effect that sadly afflicts so many hipsters. Â My co-worker told me that her husband (a carnivore) prefers Lips to Dino. Â I told her that his barbecue credentials are hereby suspended, and that there's a reason why Dino has an almost five star Yelp rating (based on over 225 reviews) while this place struggles to hit three. Â Sometimes the majority is right.
Maybe their tofu meatloaf, lentil veggie burgers, and other meat hater's entrees of choice (BLECH!!!) hold some appeal for people who prefer to eat what FOOD eats, but - trust me - Dino has nothing to fear from this suburban outpost.
Perhaps the original is better? Â Please advise.
I had only been to the original, this set up is nice, on a live music night you can hear it through the restaurant so why pay more to go downstairs? Bad decision making to go for BBQ after 3 hours of yoga. Worse decision to enjoy vodka and Guiness and tofu afterwards. I guess I sweated out my brain when I agreed "sure I'll split tofu with you" when I should have said "give me a plate of meat"! I recall liking their choice of table side sauces, although I didn't take advantage of them due to the tofu scenario. The fried green tomatoes and pickles were lightly battered and good. The pork, delicious, moist. Sweet potato fries were sweet. Coleslaw was delicious, fresh, hint of mustard. Mac n cheese artificially creamy, light cheesy taste.
Review Source:I was on my last legs, stomach-wise, of my trip to Rochacha; feeling like if I ate any more food, I'd explode. However, my local friends told me this place (or at least the original location) is better than *gasp* Dinosaur BBQ. I decided to test them out myself.
The waitress was friendly and made some good suggestions for me. She made up for the inhospitable hostess. Anyway, I had a 1/4 rack of ribs and they were superior to the one at Dinosaur. Yeah, it had more sauce, which isn't necessarily good for me, but the size of the rib, along with the tenderness, made it  a winner. The only problem was that I got a dud rib at the end and it was more like 1/2 a rib instead of a whole.
The sides suggested were spot on. The mac n' cheese, while not as unique as Dinosaur's, was creamier. The cheddar chorizo grits were excellent. It wasn't lumpy, had a good combination of cheese and spicy chorizo. The cornbread was a little better than Dinosaur's.
Overall, this spot can definitely match with Dinosaur. Next time I come to Rochacha, Sticky Lips may have to be one of the first places I go.
I always like to read others reviews before I take the time to write mine so I can comment about things that others have either liked or disliked. Â So here are my comments in view of other reviewer's thoughts.
I first ate at Sticky Lips when they opened the old Culver Road location. Â Wasn't a big fan. Â The food was good but it didn't overwhelm me. Â I'm very particular about my BBQ and the meat was a bit too dry after the smoking and their sauces, well, they were okay but nothing to write about. Â I've always preferred Beale Street (their South Wedge location) for both their smoke and their cornbread. Â The Dinosaur is okay, but it's more fun to go and count the # of tattoos on your waitress there than it is to actually eat (besides, the service at the Dinosaur is painfully, painfully slow). Â But I digress.
So now that Sticky Lips has been open for some time on Jefferson Road we thought we'd give it a try. Â We've tried it now for both lunch and dinner and I have to say they've made a significant improvement. Â I saw no issues about service as Nick P. did. Â On both occasions, they were fast, like lightning. Â After all, this is food that is pre-cooked so why can't places like the Dinosaur get it right? Â Maybe it's because the waitresses are flirting with the bikers. Â Needless to say, they're clicking on all cylinders here. Â
And if you like beer, there aren't too many other places in town that offer such a good selection on tap. Â Who drinks wine with BBQ anyway?
The meat is still a bit on the dry side. Â I agree with NIck P. there that they need to retain a bit more of the fat in the pork to keep it more moist. Â But it does have a good smoked taste. Â I do need to say that I always order my sandwiches dry and add my sauce later. Â The spicy sauce is okay. Â But they need to learn how to make things hot for those who like a bit of kick in their sauce.
The sides are always excellent. Â I never thought I'd rave about baked beans but hey, they are that good. Â
The chicken legs as an appetizer. Â You've got to try those. Â My wife ordered four of them (they gave her 5) as a meal. Â She wasn't that hungry and expected the type of small legs you get everywhere else. Â What arrived were full sized, actually rather large, chicken legs with a great grilled taste. Â Crunch and succulent at the same time. Â I just had two leftovers, cold, for a snack and they were probably better the next day and that's saying a lot.
One other thing you need to try is the fried pickles. Â I suspect the pickles are homemade becausse of how crisp they are. Â These are the best darned thing. Â Share a half dozen over a Pyramid Apricot Ale and you'll want nothing else. Â The sweetness in the ale makes the pickles pop.
Only negative on the night we were there was the band. Â A bit too loud for my taste but hey, I'm getting old. Â A true garage band playing the stuff I haven't heard since my cousin played in his basement back in high school in the 70's. Â It did take me back. Â I just wish it had taken me back a few decibles less.
It's okay, for BBQ in the north. I'm probably biased, after having just moved from one of the BBQ capitols of the world, but the north can't do barbecue; y'all just can't. It doesn't matter who's smoking it, where they came from, it just doesn't taste right north of the Mason-Dixon. The grits were runny, the brisket was dry, the sauces are barely mediocre... Was it delicious? Yeah, but it could be so much better. I was just passing through Rochester, but I'm sure it's the best BBQ in 200 miles, but still meh. Our waitress was great, seating and service were quick, and I'm leaving drunk, full, and happy. A side note, if this place has a "who's who" of Rochester creative types as one tip suggests, that makes me sad for your city.
Review Source:Our lunch here was a mixed bag. The chicken has a terrific spice rub, and tasted faintly of the charcoal over which it was grilled/smoked, which is a taste and aroma so connected to summertime for me that I am instantly transported to picnics past. It was, however, overcooked. Not egregiously so, but enough that I went searching for the juiciness within that is the hallmark of all great chicken, only to find that it had been cooked away. The sweet potato fries were good, but the collard greens were inedible. I like collards that are faintly spicy and salty with a nice vinegar kick. These were just sweet and otherwise tasteless. The ribs, however, are very good, even great. Meaty and juicy with enough smoke to remind you of how they were prepared, and a delicious dry rub that completely satisfied the requirement for toppings...no sauce needed, thank you. I would return for these ribs alone, and may even order the chicken again, as I really liked it, and would hope for just a few minutes less cooking time. The barbecue sauces are made in house, and I found both the All American Sauce and Betty's Burning Lips Sauce to taste overpoweringly of cumin. I liked the mustard sauce.
The menu here is immense and a fun read. I also enjoyed the decor, which is early 20th century Americana, with lots of wonderful old photos, both of Rochester and places farther afield. I ordered my meal to go, and appreciate the space and staff dedicated to that. Service was friendly and efficient.
AMAZING food!
Chicken - super moist, perfect!
Ribs - lovely smokey flavor
Cherry Bomb BBQ sauce - yummy
Sweet potato fries - best I've ever had
Collard Greens - better than any I've had in the south! Â
Minus 1 star for the long wait for our food. Â
Can't wait to return to Rochester to try this place again!
Note: This review is for the new Henrietta location, not the downtown location. They're like separate worlds.
I was so, so hoping to love this place. I was really excited for the owners, to get this new location in Henrietta which is always super busy. But I was so, so disappointed.
The location itself is very Henrietta - it looks just like the rest of the big box stores, and is in stark contrast to the unique location in the city. It sort of looks like a BBQ warehouse. The interior decor was decent, and the layout was weird but interesting.
The service was actually pretty okay for how incredibly busy it was. (Which, I expected it to be busy. It was, with an hour wait.) The waitress was really nice. My group of four ordered, and I got the tofu steak, which I've always loved at the original location. Normally it's super firm, flavorful, and tastes like it's been smoking in sauce for hours. Wonderful.
Unfortunately, I got my meal a good 10 minutes after everyone else. When I finally got it, it was a lukewarm, flavorless block of soy, sort of like they just heated up a plain block of tofu in the microwave for a few seconds and poured cold BBQ sauce on top. Even the veggies on top had no flavor. (For you carnivores, sure tofu might sound gross to you, but there ARE ways to make it taste amazing. The original location makes it taste that great, for example.) By the time the waitress came back, everyone was already finished eating, and so when she asked if I wanted a different meal, what was I supposed to say? I had already waited an hour to get a table, an hour for my meal, I wasn't going to make my friends wait for me to finish what was probably going to be yet another bland meal.
I don't know if it's Henrietta seeping into this business, but it's like they're blindly shooting out mass-produced food to keep up with the demand  of the new location. The original location is much better, try that for the best barbecue in Rochester!
The food is great. The best BBQ in upstate NY.
The beer selection is top notch and served right! real pint glasses!
The only downside is the HUGE, i mean HUUUUUUUUGE projection screen in dining room. Its a tasteless distraction in such an exciting place.
Waitresses, bartenders and hostesses are the cutest in Henrietta. Â Who ever is doing the hiring there has a good eye.
Our family decided to dine at Sticky Lips this evening for Sunday dinner. The hostesses and staff were pretty friendly. Â I ordered the grilled portobello sandwich with mac n cheese and cajun corn. The sandwich was good and I would order it again. The mac n cheese was gross and I will never order that again. Family ordered ribs and my mom went with "the plate" (see photos). Everyone loved their food and my grandpa actually said that the collard greens were better than Unkl Moe's (see my review on Unkl Moe's).
My mom asked if we could try a sample of the meatless loaf (which is a vegetarian spin on meatloaf) and unfortunately we were unable to, but the waitress informed us  that one of the two head chefs at this location is actually vegan. * shocker*
I prefer DINOSOUR BBQ to Sticky Lips any day.
QUESTION: Sticky Lips has their BBQ sauces sitting on the tables for guests. It occurred to me that once BBQ sauce is opened it should be refrigerated. Do they refrigerate these sauces at night?
Now that I've been to Sticky Lips twice, I feel like I can give it a good review. Â However, I ordered exactly the same thing both times and both times it was great. Â I ordered the dinner called the "Jane Russell", which has both pulled pork and beef brisket. Â I always order BBQ meat with NO bbq sauce on it already so I can taste the meat first and see how good they actual BBQ it, and then I can try the sauces I like which they have 5-6 of their own sauces on the table. Â
I'm a HUGE BBQ afficionado, originally from Oklahoma and I've eaten at some of the most famous and not-so-famous BBQ joints from Kansas City to Memphis and Texas and all over the country. Â And, Sticky Lips is as good as any of them. Â I haven't been here when they play music but the atmosphere is fun, even if a bit loud, great beer selection, a bit of a wait on busy nights because the place is popular but worth with wait. Â The two side dishes I've ordered are excellent. Â THeir baked beans with plenty of meat in it, and their Collard Greens. Â The recipe they use for their collard greens is awesome! Â Actually the best Collard greens I've ever had at any restaurant so this must be a southern family recipe from someone.
Unfortunately, I only like two of their sauces and I'd rate them average compared to other sauces around the country. Â Their hot one and then their standard one. Â The others are too funky tasting to me (cherry and one like apple butter, eh, okay but not great by any means) and since I'm not a mustard fan it's not fair for me to comment on their mustard BBQ sauce which might be good. Â So, from what I've had so far, the only thing I would recommend they do is work on better BBQ sauces, otherwise, everything else has been really awesome so far!
I've always heard good things about Sticky Lips and I've wanted to try their food for a long time, but never got around to it. I visited on a Wednesday night and it was packed. Its a large place so even while its packed there is only a 10 to 20 minute wait.
The area by the bar is extremely noisy (pretty standard), but its not the best place to eat a nice dinner. I ordered the Chicken Breast Steak which turned out to be pretty dry and bland.
They have five signature sauces and only the Hickory and Mustard sauce were worth trying. I did however mix the Mustard and the Apple sauce together and it was quite tasty.
Service and price were mediocre, but they have a huge beer list which itself could entice me to come back.
I was really hoping this Sticky Lips location would be able to maintain some of the charm of its Culver Ave location, but alas, it does not. This place is so Henrietta it makes me nauseous.
A giant movie screen playing nonstop sports in the middle of the dining room? Check.
Excessive wait times (I'm talking 2+ hours on weekends)? Check.
Underwhelming food? Check.
I met my parents here around 5pm on a Sunday night. Parking was absolute shit and we had wait about 30 minutes for a table. At five on a Sunday. We were seated downstairs, on the stage (where the bands perform), which happens to be adjacent to a 20 foot movie screen.
Have you ever gotten to the movie theater so late that you had to sit in the very first row and you spent the entire time straining your neck to see the other side of the screen? Yeah, it was just like that. Sure, Tom Brady is a great looking man, but I don't want to stare at his 6-foot bulge for an hour.
I desperately missed the bluegrass music and bitchy, tattooed waitresses.
The food was noticeably worse, though, the appetizer sampler we ordered, the Smackers Combo ($12.95), was good. It came with grilled chicken legs (well cooked, smoky), fried catfish strips (well breaded, crisp), sweet potato fries (almost as good as Dogtown's), and fried pickles (good, if you like fried things and dill pickles).
It was plenty of food for 3-4 people.
My main was disappointing, to say the least. I've always considered SL's brisket superior to Dino's, but that night it was horrible. Dry, chewy, and fibrous, it tasted like reheated pot roast in the worst possible way. I doused it in barbecue sauce and the meat was still barely palatable. My ribs, on the other hand, seemed undercooked and a lot of the fat that should have been rendered off in the slow cooking process was still present.
For sides, I chose the chorizo cheddar grits and the ratatouille. Since I first sampled them this past summer, I've been telling people that SL's grits are quite possibly my favorite side dish of all time. They're creamy, cheesy, salty, spicy, and contain pork. What's not to love?
Lumps, that's what.
In my opinion, lumps in grits are just as reprehensible as lumps in risotto.
These aren't mashed potatoes, jerks.
Stir your grits frequently.
It's not that hard.
The ratatouille was acceptable, but it all tasted like tomatoes. I admit, I don't know shit about what makes for an "authentic" ratatouille, but I like being able to tell what vegetables I'm consuming when I eat it. I found it hard to differentiate the various vegetables contained in the dish, but maybe that's what happens when you stew vegetables in tomato sauce.
Anyway, I think I'll stick with one of my old standbys (beans, chili, collards) next time.
If you must dine in Henrietta and you're with people who are vehemently opposed to anything too "ethnic" (your parents / grandparents / cracka friends), Sticky Lips is an acceptable alternative to, say, Cracker Barrel, Olive Garden, or Bugaboo. However, if you don't mind driving a little farther or being a little more adventurous, there are tons of better options out there, and you probably won't have to look at giant man asses the entire time.
Decided to come here around 8pm New Year's Eve for an impromptu dinner, and the wait was only 25-30 minutes. Score! (The wait only ended up being 15-20 minutes or so). This place is huge, with a long and winding bar...even if you do end up having to wait, there is ample space to do so.
The beer list is fantastic, and it's great seeing so many local and New York state brews available on draft. The price is reasonable as well.
I saw that deep-fried pickles were available as an appetizer and couldn't resist getting an order. One order is 6 delightfully crunchy fried spears with a spiced ranch dipping sauce. The breading seemed to be a flour/cornmeal mix, similar to what you'd see on chicken fingers. The pickles were fried to perfection, hot and tender-crisp on the inside and crunchy outside. The breading wasn't sopping in grease, and it was obvious the fryer oil was relatively fresh.
For dinner, I wanted something "smaller" and choose the Genny Girl slider sampler plate from the NYE tapas menu. What I got were three decent-sized sliders: one brisket, one pulled pork, one jerk chicken. Â I ended up liking the chicken best (nice and saucy). I like the brisket as well, but wished the sauce had a bit more flavor. The pork was okay, just not my favorite. I chalk it up to personal taste, though - the pulled pork was drier was very little/no sauce and a sweet cinnamon-y flavor. Good, but not what I expected.
I ended up eating only half of each of the sliders, and I can confirm that everything still tasted great the next day (cold out of the fridge, even).
I haven't been to the original Sticky Lips, but I can honestly say I'm a fan of this location and look forward to coming back when I'm in the area again. Service was pretty quick, despite it being a busy night.
This place is pretty good. I ordered a rack of dry rub ribs, and a beef rib.
I liked the beef ribs a LOT. They were so juicy, fatty, and tender, and soooo delicious!
However, the dry rub was really dry and salty, and maybe it would have been better if I had gotten a saucy variety, but I found the pork ribs to be overall underwhelming.
I would definitely go back for the beef ribs though, just for that dish, this place gets 4 stars.
I am a huge fan of the original Sticky Lips, so I was eager to try the new location. Â When we arrived, the lot was full, but I was surprised when we were seated immediately. Â The new location is enormous! Â They did a great job of renovating this space and making it their own. Â The mile long bar and impressive beer list really completes the Juke Joint feel. Â The large performance area is great and even better with live music. Â I have to admit, myself and my party were a bit disappointed with our meal, it was a little "off" but nothing terrible. Â (we ate everything, and what we couldn't finish, we brought home and finished later that night) Â A little more sauce, a little less char and everything would have been on point. Â
As to the other reviews with less than positive remarks, this location just opened, there are a lot of new people working here and it will take some time for it to get up to speed. Â I think once they lock everything down, the Juke Joint will be another Rochester destination.
We took out, since the wait was too long. I ordered my chicken and twice asked for the sauce on the side. After a wait that was way past the "not too long" professed by the woman who took our order my chicken came with the sauce on it. I also asked for a lot if napkins, since we were taking our food back to our hotel room. Â I don't consider 6 of the flimsy things they call napkins even close to enough for one person, let alone the three people we were. Also, who runs a bbq place and gives out that garbage as napkins?
 Now time to eat. The pulled pork was pretty good and the chicken was pretty good, despite the previously mentioned sauce incident. The ribs were way too salty and were not up to snuff.  With Dinosaur BBQ sharing Rochester, why go here?
Checked back on 10-13, and now the Jefferson Rd location is on Yelp! NIce!
10-10-11. The New location on Jefferson Rd is open! Although you won't find it on Yelp's map!
It is on the North side of Jefferson right next to (in front of) Lori's Natural Foods and on the same driveway as Palmer's. The waiter said it opened last week. Word is out because it was packed. Same great food as the original location with better parking.  They're calling it their Juke Joint with live music. Not tonight though, but it is  a Monday.
The brick building dampens the strength of cell phone service. I prefer Sticky Lips to Dinosaur always, because the meat is meatier and more flavorful. The new apple harvest sauce is tasty if you like sweet sauces. But the test is if the meat is good without sauce, and Sticky's has always (for me) been much better than DIno's which I no longer go to.
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