Harrison's Restaurant and Wine Bar opened this fall at 401 S. Main Street, on the corner of Fourth and Main, in the space that used to be D'Marco's. Its owner, Glenn Wilhelm, also runs The Roxy, the live entertainment venue one block over on Walnut. He explained to WXYZ why he opened the restaurant: "We opened The Roxy three years ago, and we were drawing a lot of people into town that were having meals and dinner before shows at other places. It's natural for us to try and get into the restaurant side as well."
The business that brings show crowds downtown now owns the dinner table those crowds walk to. If you're going to a show this fall, that changes how you plan the whole night, from the 4 p.m. bar seat to the walk over to Walnut.
The corner, the owner, and the block between them
The Roxy sits at 401 Walnut Blvd. When the Oakland Press covered it before its 2023 opening, it described a 900-capacity main room with a balcony, plus a basement space called the Roxy Lounge. The bookings ran across rock, country, blues, tribute acts, jazz and comedy. On a busy night, that many people are looking for somewhere to eat within a few blocks.
The Roxy's own FAQ still sends those people to the restaurant at 401 S. Main and describes it as "located one block away." That recommendation was written about the previous tenant. The distance hasn't changed, but the restaurant at that address now belongs to the same owner as the venue.
Wilhelm wants Harrison's to work for more than show nights. "We really want Harrison's to be a real hometown locals place," he told WXYZ. He described it as a spot for "a nice steak dinner and a great bottle of wine" that also works for a family pizza night. He also mentioned that he lives in Rochester. In the same report, Rochester Rotary Club president Tami Salisbury said, "We're happy to have no vacancies in downtown Rochester." Rochester Hills Public Library director Juliane Morian singled out the window seats that look out on foot traffic along Main.
What the kitchen is built to do
The menu fits a crowd that has to be somewhere by a set time. WXYZ reported steaks, pasta and wood-fired pizza, and said the pizza oven is the center of the kitchen. One featured entrée is lemon pepper fettuccine with broiled salmon in a house-made lemon basil cream sauce with spinach. The bar's signature cocktails include the Honey and Thyme, the Blackberry Heat and the Harrison Spritz. The Detroit Free Press adds Italian specialties, burgers and a deep list of wines by the glass or bottle.
The happy hour is the most useful detail for show nights. The Free Press lists it as 4 to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Friday, at the bar only. Select items include French onion soup for $6 and a smash burger with fries for $12, along with drink specials. Most evening shows on The Roxy's fall calendar start at 7 or 8 p.m., so a weeknight happy hour ends with an hour or two to spare before the show.
The posted hours need a caveat. The OpenTable listing for Harrison's shows 4 to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday, and 4 p.m. to midnight on Friday and Saturday, with no Monday hours. That listing also still carries reviews from before Harrison's opened, and it tells diners to contact the restaurant directly instead of booking through the platform. Before a show night, call or check harrisonsrochester.com for current hours.
Three ways to eat before a Roxy show
Harrison's isn't the only pre-show option the Roxy group offers. Its arrival changes how the other options compare.
| Option | Where | What you get | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harrison's Restaurant and Wine Bar | 401 S. Main, one block from The Roxy | Full dinner menu, wood-fired pizza, wine list, weekday bar happy hour | A sit-down meal before a 7 or 8 p.m. show |
| Roxy Pre-Show Pass | The Roxy Parlor House, next door to the venue | Buffet-style gourmet appetizers and full bar, starting one hour before doors | A lighter bite with no extra walk |
| The Roxy Trolley to The Oakland Kitchen + Bar | 4972 Adams Rd, Oakland Township, about a 10-minute ride | The group's modern steakhouse, reached by trolley | Planned group outings and private events |
The Pre-Show Pass is an add-on you buy with your tickets. Pass holders get into the Parlor House, which The Roxy calls its vintage-inspired space, one hour before the venue doors open. The pass covers buffet-style appetizers and full bar service. The Roxy describes the food as "a light meal," which leaves room for a real dinner beforehand.
The trolley option takes you out of downtown. The Roxy's FAQ describes a trolley ride to dinner at The Oakland Kitchen + Bar, its modern steakhouse "just a 10-minute ride away" in Oakland Township. Until Harrison's opened, the group's full-dinner option meant leaving downtown Rochester. Now it's a short walk.
For groups, Harrison's says it will handle the coordination. Its private events page offers a "Harrison's + The Roxy" pairing that combines dinner with a show or private event at the venue "located just down the street," and says its team can coordinate both venues. The contact form includes a "Harrison's + The Roxy Packages" option. No package prices or timing are published, so groups will need to ask.
Matching dinner to the fall calendar
The Roxy's posted schedule runs through mid-November. These are the dates that line up with an evening at Harrison's, with start times as the venue lists them:
- Saturday, Oct. 17, 8 p.m.: Rolling Stones tribute
- Friday, Oct. 23: Ryan Brown comedy at 7 p.m., Zoso at 8 p.m.
- Saturday, Oct. 24, 8 p.m.: Halloween Bash, listed as sold out
- Friday, Oct. 30: Brad Wenzel comedy at 7 p.m., the Dan Rafferty Band Halloween party at 8 p.m.
- Friday, Nov. 6: Elektrik Dream at 8 p.m. and Sal Demilio comedy, whose listing gives both 7 and 8 p.m., so confirm before booking dinner
- Saturday, Nov. 7, 8 p.m.: Captured Detroit
- Thursday, Nov. 12, 8 p.m.: RARA's comedy fundraiser
- Friday, Nov. 13, 7 p.m.: Matt Conn comedy
The Friday shows fit the weekday happy hour best. A 4 p.m. bar seat on Oct. 23 or Oct. 30 leaves time for the soup and burger before a 7 p.m. comedy set. The Saturday 8 p.m. shows fall outside happy hour, but they leave room for a full dinner.
The Sunday shows don't work the same way. The Motown brunch on Oct. 18 and the drag brunch on Oct. 25 both start at noon. The OpenTable listing shows Harrison's opening at 4 p.m. on Sundays, so on those afternoons the meal happens inside The Roxy. Harrison's does advertise private brunch events for showers, birthdays and family gatherings, but those are booked events, not regular service.
As of this writing, The Roxy's feed shows nothing past Nov. 13. That leaves the holiday season open. Downtown's busiest stretch of the year starts in November, and our piece on Rochester's new social district covers how the city has been planning around those crowds.
A Roxy night, walked block by block
Here's how a Friday comedy night on Oct. 30 could go, using only the published hours and start times:
- Arrive at Harrison's bar at Fourth and Main around 4:30 p.m. for happy hour, which ends at 6.
- Order from the happy-hour menu, or move to a table for the full menu if the group wants pizza or pasta.
- Walk the one block to The Roxy at 401 Walnut in time for Brad Wenzel at 7 p.m., or stay at dinner longer for the Dan Rafferty Band at 8.
For more ideas for a downtown evening, our late-summer weekend playbook for downtown Rochester covers more of downtown on foot, and the Rochester neighborhood page puts the blocks around Main and Walnut in the context of the rest of the city.
Harrison's is open at 401 S. Main Street in Rochester.
If you'd like to talk about which downtown Rochester blocks you can walk to dinner and a show from, Jane Evans knows those streets well and is happy to help. Let's Connect.