"I really don't want to say it's just going to be another coffeehouse," Nikki Larsen, general manager of Steven James Coffee Co., told WROC last July, when the East Rochester café announced its second location at 1900 Empire Boulevard. "We're trying to make it a moody ambience and put in that coffee twist to everything we can."
That address is BayTowne Plaza, the big center on Empire Boulevard at the Penfield end near the Webster line. Most people know it for Walmart, Burlington, Pet Supplies Plus and the bank branches. Those stores are still there. The businesses that came in over the last two years are a different kind, though. They're places to eat dinner, play, train, or sit with a drink, and several stay open well after the errand crowd heads home. BayTowne is turning into a place you go to spend an evening, and this November is a good time to see how far that has come.
Five tenants announced at once, and none of them for errands
On October 9, 2024, the DiMarco Group said five new businesses were coming to BayTowne:
- GameTopia, a game store with in-store events
- Old Pueblo Cantina, a new concept from the Old Pueblo Grill team
- Spitale Laser Spa Salon
- Jackson's Golf
- Empire Sportsplex
All five are open now. Empire Sportsplex was operating by January 2025. Spectrum News described it as a 6,000-square-foot training facility with turf, batting cages and weight-training space. Jackson's Golf is a 24/7 members-only facility in Suite 170. GameTopia is in Suite 817 and hosts store events. Old Pueblo runs its BayTowne location as "The Cantina," according to the restaurant's contact page. Spitale's site lists its BayTowne spot as "Now Open."
Food filled in alongside them. A February 2026 Democrat and Chronicle roundup listed Get Thai'd Up Cuisine among the restaurants that opened in 2025 and noted that two Asian restaurants had opened at BayTowne.
Some service storefronts went the other way. The UPS Store at BayTowne had closed by November 2025, the Democrat and Chronicle reported. If you used to drop off packages there, plan on another spot.
What's still open after the shopping rush
Those tenants matter most once you look at the clock. Posted hours for the newer arrivals show a plaza that stays busy into the evening:
| Business | Weeknight hours | Weekend hours |
|---|---|---|
| Steven James Coffee Co. | Dinner 4–9 p.m., Tue–Thu | Dinner 4–10 p.m., Fri–Sat; closed Sun–Mon |
| Old Pueblo's The Cantina | 4–9 p.m., Mon–Thu | 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Fri–Sat |
| GameTopia | 1–10 p.m. Mon–Thu; 2–11 p.m. Fri | 10 a.m.–10 p.m., Sat–Sun |
| Jackson's Golf | Open 24 hours, members only | Open 24 hours, members only |
On a Friday you could finish a game night at GameTopia at 11 p.m., an hour after dinner service ends at the Cantina and Steven James. Before 2024, none of those options existed at this plaza.
Two coffee stops, built for opposite habits
Coffee shows the split clearly, because BayTowne now has two very different versions of it.
Steven James Coffee Co. is the place to sit down. It started in spring 2024 at the historic Piano Works plaza in East Rochester. The BayTowne location puts the coffee bar on one side of the room and dinner and cocktails on the other, with breakfast served too, according to WROC. The plaza directory describes it as "made for staying awhile," with breakfast from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, a short break, and dinner from 4 p.m. It's closed Sundays and Mondays, so leave it off a Monday morning plan.
7 Brew is the place to stay in your car. The drive-thru stand started a free-drink soft opening in late June 2026, and WROC and the Democrat and Chronicle reported a grand opening on July 13. The Town of Penfield approved it as a 510-square-foot drive-through coffee shop with a separate 338-square-foot cooler and storage building. That's a small footprint built for speed.
Starbucks is still in the plaza too. The next food arrival follows the drive-up model. Gotham Halal is listed as coming soon. The plaza describes it as a family-run spot serving made-to-order smash burgers and fries, brought out to customers who pull up.
Next up for kids: Adventure World
The newest addition is aimed at kids. Chuck E. Cheese is finishing an Adventure World at BayTowne, and 13WHAM reported that the public opening is tentatively set for Wednesday, November 11. The official Adventure World Webster page lists Suite 720.
It's built around active play. Rickie Moore, the company's director of field training, told 13WHAM that kids "can run through, there's interactive things to do inside of the structures, there's ball pits, there's Legos, there's climbing structures, swinging climbing bags." He also said the climbing structures have no size, height, weight or age limits outside the separate toddler area. Grown-ups can climb in too, according to the Adventure World page. The traditional Chuck E. Cheese on Ridge Road in Greece isn't changing. Adventure World is a separate brand, with 20 locations planned nationwide by the end of 2027.
Add Empire Sportsplex's batting cages and GameTopia's events, and a family can now keep a gray November afternoon full without leaving the plaza.
November 28 shows how the plaza works now
The plaza has been working this way for a few years. BayTowne has run a summer car cruise series since at least 2024, and it came back again in 2026. Its holiday market is now an annual event too. The 2026 Holiday Market at BayTowne is on Saturday, November 28, the Saturday after Thanksgiving. It's free, indoors, and features local businesses from the Rochester area. The posted schedule:
- 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.: local vendors open
- 10 a.m. to noon: free carriage rides from Winter Festival of Lights, sponsored by Community Bank
- 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.: photos with Santa
For a full morning, start with carriage rides at 10, stop for Santa photos before 1, and walk over to Steven James, which is open Saturdays for breakfast until 2:30. GameTopia opens at 10 on weekends for anyone who still has energy after the market.
If you'd rather be outdoors that month, the Penfield Trails Committee is hosting a free guided hike at Durand Eastman Park on Saturday, November 14, from 10 a.m. to noon. Meet at Lot C on Lakeshore Boulevard near Horseshoe Road. The town asks hikers to register ahead.
At the Bonnie Pagano Team, we work in Penfield and Webster every week, and we keep up with changes like the ones at BayTowne because they shape what living near Empire Boulevard is like. If you have questions about this side of town, whether you're settled here or thinking about your next move, contact us. We're glad to share what we know.
