The 9 Best Sodus Point Restaurants

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Sodus Point, New York’s history is rich—with the first pioneers arriving in the area during the late 1700s. During the war of 1812, it was attacked and burned by the British, rebuilt, and incorporated as a village in 1858. 

In the mid-1800s, Captain George Garlock utilized his schooner Free Trader to help move enslaved people fleeing bondage along the Underground Railroad from Sodus Point to Brighton, Canada. Under the night skies, the Captain would move his ship along the shoreline, where rowboats waited to hand off precious cargo for their voyage across Lake Ontario.

While wandering along the main drag of Sodus Point, folks find retail shops, eateries, boating, and bike rentals, among other things. During the summer, people enjoy live concerts on the expansive lawns of Sodus Lighthouse Museum. Others spend time fishing the lake and bay for bass, pike, trout, and salmon. A short ride brings visitors to Chimney Bluffs State Park. The rocky shoreline and dramatic rock spires make one think they’re on another planet.

In Sodus Point, there is no shortage of places to grab a great meal. You can find plenty of breakfast, lunch, and dinner options—no matter where you look or what you’re craving. Here are nine of my favorite go-to places. 

The 9 Best Sodus Point Restaurants

Franklin House

8184 Sentell Street //+3155532309

I grew up in a little town called Franklin, so when I saw the name of this place, I knew it could be one of the best Sodus Point restaurants. The pub-like atmosphere was perfect, and the long wood tables and bar were charming. We sat near the windows, where natural light streamed in.

The menu offers plenty of appetizers, soups, salads, specialty pizzas, pasta, and more. It was hard to choose. Because it was a scorching day, I opted for a grilled shrimp skewer salad. The shrimp were large, fresh and flavorful. The friends I met ordered a buffalo chicken wrap and a cheeseburger—let’s just say our plates were clean by the time we were finished.

We groaned when our waitress came over at the end of our meal with a dessert delivered by a vendor. It was a still-warm peach cobbler. We sighed, wishing we’d left room for a serving. Maybe next time.

The Bay Street

8427 Bay Street //+3154832233

If you love martinis as much as I do, The Bay Street is one of the best Sodus Point restaurants, for that matter. They offer 250 to choose from, and even though I still decided on a really dirty martini, the menu was fun to flip through. 

The bar is intimate, with big comfy chairs to sit in while you wait for a table. We went early in the evening, thinking we’d beat the crowd, but it still was quite busy. Everyone seemed friendly, and it was apparent that many locals hang out there.

I love warm and welcoming restaurants that invite you to sit down, settle in and relax for a while. The dining room was strung with lights, and tables were set apart for privacy, so it fit the bill nicely. 

We took our time going over the menu. It was so hard to decide! It offered soup, salads and entrees ranging from sea bass, chicken and seafood jambalaya, southwestern pork tenderloin, pistachio encrusted veal chop, roast rack of lamb, and more. 

The French onion soup was piping hot, and the cheese melted and oozed over the crock it came in. I’m a snob when it comes to onion soup—always on the hunt for the best recipe. I was happy with theirs. 

Believe it or not—our meals arrived on Mackenzie Childs plates—talk about making patrons feel special! My petite filet was delicious, smothered with a creamy mushroom sauce—and I didn’t need the knife they offered to cut it. The mashed potatoes were piping hot, and I enjoyed the side of corn with roasted red pepper mixed in. 

Dugan’s Cafe

5716 NY-14 //+3155532170

There was a time when breakfast was my least favorite meal—I often skipped the early morning sit-down. Over the past few years, though, I’ve enjoyed the ritual of greeting the day with coffee, juice and some sort of egg dish. 

Dugan’s Café is an old-fashioned rustic eatery with plenty of tables inside and friendly waitstaff. The menu offered many different items, from french toast, to pancakes, omelets and oatmeal, to name a few. Looking around the interior, I saw plates filled with food in front of people who’d gathered for a little while before their busy days started. Servers were attentive, topping off coffee and making sure everyone was happy.

I chose what I love most—eggs over medium, bacon, grilled English muffin, and tater tots. My friend ordered a mushroom and cheese omelet with sausage and tater tots. Everything was hot, and we chatted about life while we ate. And even though there was a line of hungry folks forming at the door, we didn’t feel rushed to leave. I’ve always felt that’s a sign of a good restaurant I’d return to again. 

Hots Point

8482 Greig Street //+3154839301

I decided to visit Hots Point ice cream shop on a sweltering hot day a month or so ago. I thought it would be a great place to grab a cone from their open window service and sit at the picnic tables arranged under shade trees to try and cool off. 

I stood in line, ready to order a small mint chocolate chip, and spotted their daily special of red or white Zweigle’s hot dogs. Look, I love a grilled hot dog with all the fixings as much as the next guy, any time of year, but I had never heard of these before. I decided to try one. 

I learned that Zweigle’s has been making quality meats since 1800. It’s a fifth-generation business, and Hots Point is proud to serve their red or white, natural casing, Pop Open Hot Dogs. I didn’t order anything else; the ice cream cone will have to wait til next time—but the nostalgia-themed restaurant offered onion rings, french fries, fried dill pickles, mozzarella cheese sticks, and much more. Sometimes, you just need a great dog, and this is the best Sodus Point restaurants for that.

Burnaps Farm Market & Garden Cafe

7277 Maple Ave ext //+3154834050

Burnaps Farm Market is a second-generation, family-owned business in operation since 1970. While I wandered around the market, the thought of buying fresh fruits, vegetables, food sundries, and flowers was tempting. Because I was traveling in the area for several days without a cooler, that wasn’t possible. But, it didn’t mean I couldn’t enjoy lunch there instead. This is one of the reasons why it made the list with the best Sodus Point restaurants.

The cafe offers nachos, buffalo tenders, salads, wraps, quesadillas, soups, pizza, and several sides. I can tell you, it was hard to decide! I didn’t mind the line at their outside order window; it gave me a little time to narrow my choice from their extensive menu.

The turkey club was served on a warm French roll, and the sandwich maker had stuffed it with thinly sliced turkey, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and a tangy mustard mayo dressing. It was so thick I could hardly get my mouth around it! Both the potato chips and applesauce were homemade. I savored my meal while watching families enjoy lunch at tables around me, their children playing in an area off to the side. 

I bet it’s a perfect time for shoppers to meet up during autumn. They could pick apples from trees nearby, choose potted aster and hardy mum plants to help decorate for the holidays, and even make their way through the market’s corn maze before sitting down to share a meal.

Abe’s Mai Tai Tiki Bar

8527 Greig Street //+3155532554

Sometimes diners are more interested in the ambiance or view than the restaurant itself when choosing a place to eat. That might be the case with Abe’s Mai Tai Tiki Bar. It’s located right on the water, with gorgeous scenes over Sodus Bay, and the seating on two outside decks offer stunning views of boats enjoying the area.   

The menu features steak, Italian dishes, seafood, a few different burgers, wraps, and quesadillas. There are various wing flavors to choose from, nachos topped with beef or chicken, fried pickles, fresh salads, deep-fried shrimp, chicken tenders, and a colossal shrimp cocktail.  

The drinks are typical offerings you’d find at a Tiki bar—Mai Tai, painkiller, zombie, rum runner, blue Hawaiian, and more. If you like dark rum and fruity concoctions, you’ve come to the right place.

There’s also live music at Abe’s from Thursday to Sunday and games such as pool, corn-hole and darts. The waitstaff strives to be friendly and attentive, even when the place is packed—always a winning combination for me, and a topper of the best Sodus Point restaurants list.

Back Alley Grill

Sodus Point, NY 14555 //+5854894605

Food trucks have always intrigued me; I recently read that there are more than 23,000 here in America! I love the fantastic variety of foods offered. I also admire the entrepreneurial spirit of the food truck operators who serve a broad range of cuisine choices to gastro foodies like myself.    

Back Alley Grill is set on the side lawn of The Bay Street Restaurant; the owner and chef, Kimberly Roth, dreams up fresh and delicious sushi dishes to go. She describes it as “a funky take on Sushi/Asian-influenced street food.” She’s super friendly, fast, and serves a variety of sushi rolls, specialty dishes, and what she calls “extras.” People can eat at outside tables or at the bar with a drink—maybe one of those 250 martinis I mentioned earlier in this piece. One of the best food truck Sodus Point restaurants.

Her robust menu is posted every Thursday morning and changes weekly due to supply issues, so check it frequently before you visit. Kimberly encourages guests to order ahead of time via texts or by calling the phone number on the menu. If you’re in the area and walk up to the food truck on a whim, you’ll find that her menu is smaller.

I suggest you try “The Plate.” It’s a rice bowl with bacon, fried shrimp, bell pepper, scallions, jalapeno, tomatoes, cucumber in a ponzu, ginger-mayo, sriracha, bourbon-soy reduction, fried garlic, onion crunchies, and sesame. Talk about flavor power—your taste buds will love you for it! 

Captain Jack’s Goodtime Tavern

8505 Greig Street //+3154839570

Captain Jack’s is another excellent choice amongst the Sodus Point restaurants on the water, with both indoor seating and outdoor deck views of the bay. The evening we ate there was super hot, so we sat inside with the air-conditioning blasting. The interior was inviting, will all sorts of memorabilia hanging from the walls and ceilings. The décor is a fun conversation starter for sure. 

The menu is pretty big—with the standard pub fare of soups, salads, wings, nachos, mozzarella sticks, onion rings, pizza, sandwiches, fish hoagies, paninis, burgers, and more.  

We started with the coconut shrimp. Our waitperson brought the bakers-dozen of perfectly fried shrimp to our table with a tasty Thai chile sauce. 

One of their specials was prime rib tacos the night we were there, and it’s what I chose for dinner. The three tacos were more than enough, filled with tender meat, shredded lettuce, & pico de gallo, with chips and sauce for dipping on the side.

Six50

8489 Greig Street //+3154831650

This eatery is also on the water, with an open-air concept I loved, as we could feel the cool breeze move from the waterfront deck to the inside tables.

Man, let me tell you—it helps when the weather is warm. We thought about sitting outside, but the space was already packed. A line of people stood ahead of us, waiting for a deck table, so we were content eating inside by the bar. 

This is one of those Sodus Point restaurants that specializes in black-oven cooking, where wood and coals burn in the same chamber as the food. 

We were in the mood for a wood-fire pizza, and the waitress suggested the BLT when we couldn’t make up our minds from the many choices on the menu.

The pizza crust was a perfect golden brown, topped with plenty of bacon, lettuce, and tomato, then slathered with a creamy mayo dressing. It was fantastic! And it went great with my beer.

Six50 has an extensive menu with all sorts of items to please any diner.

Spinach and artichoke dip, chicken lettuce wraps, stuffed clams, beet & goat cheese salad, lobster mac & cheese, slow-fire roasted baby back ribs, pan-seared salmon, and haddock filet are only a few.

We were dying to try a few spoonfuls of their chocolate peanut butter mouse cake, but we were too full. Maybe next time. 

It’s a Wrap: Best Sodus Point Restaurants

Sodus Point is a beautiful section of New York, offering water sports, boating, biking, fishing, live music, friendly people, beaches, natural wonders, and historical attractions that help educate visitors about the area.

It’s 30-ish miles from Syracuse, 40-ish miles from Rochester, and less than two hours from Buffalo—easy drives if you want to wander around for the day. But I’m betting you sink your toes in the sand, breathe in the lake air, stay put and eat great food at any of the Sodus Point restaurants. 

Visiting other destinations in the region? Check out our other delicious guides:

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• 10 Must-Try Jersey City Restaurants 
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