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BEST DELI SANDWICH OR SUB

DiBella’s Old Fashioned Submarines

Various locations dibellas.com

A “Best of Rochester” guideline says we avoid tipping our hat to chain businesses. But there are exceptions to every rule, especially when the chain was born in our backyard. DiBella’s has expanded rapidly in the last 20 years to more than 40 locations in five states. But it began in Rochester in 1918 as a family-owned Italian import store and deli, and its sandwiches have been a local favorite ever since. Subs are the focus, and the rolls are one reason DiBella’s remains so beloved. The company says its dough is aged at least 16 hours before baking, and that sub rolls are baked at least twice a day. That means every roll is no more than a few hours out of the oven by the time you top it with your choice of meats, cheeses, and veggies. There are two dozen subs on the menu, but the one that made DiBella’s famous is the classic Italian cold cut “The Godfather.” Finalists: Calabresella’s | Rubino’s | Wegmans

Not so fast . . .

Lacagnina’s Subs

1332 Lyell Ave. | 585-254-4620

Lacagnina’s Subs is not much to look at on the outside or the inside. Situated between a nail salon and a discount clothing store in the strip mall at the corner of Lyell Avenue and Mt. Read Boulevard, Lacagnina’s is a literal hole in the wall without the ambience of a traditional Italian deli. There are no blocks of cheese or cured meats hanging from the ceiling. But what it lacks in atmosphere it makes up for in the quality of its cold and hot deli sandwiches. The fare is standard: Italian cold cuts, roast beef, veggies, chicken or egg salad, Cubans, fried bologna, grilled pastrami, you get the picture. But topped with a signature Italian dressing that is out of this world and hand-crafted with love by the staff, these sandwiches transport taste buds to the Old Country. Also worth checking out is the restaurant’s rotating menu of homemade soups. They are a hot item in the cold months and they tend to sell out daily, so arrive early. Waiting for you will be friendly and patient servers and reasonable prices. DAVID ANDREATTA

BEST DOUGHNUTS Ridge Donuts

1600 Portland Ave. | 585-342-5263 ridgedonuts.com

Visitors to this Portland Avenue fixture are greeted with the phrase, “Ahhh the good donuts,” painted on the wall by local artist Shawn Dunwoody. That pretty much sums up why Ridge Donuts is a reader favorite. Family-run for nearly four decades, Ridge Donut is in a class of its own when it comes to the fried pastries with the hole in the middle. Whether you want your doughnuts glazed, iced, topped, or filled, it is hard to go wrong with the selection here. The only hard part is choosing which to eat there and which to take home. Leaving with one of Ridge’s famous apple fritters is a must, and while most of the doughnuts offered are traditional, innovations such as the Italian-cookie doughnut, a collaboration with Rubino’s, have drawn large lines of eager patrons. Ridge Donut shows no signs of slowing down and maintains its title of Rochester’s sweetest tradition for another year. Finalists: Donuts Delite | Duke’s Donuts | Schutt’s Apple Mill

BEST FARMERS MARKET

Rochester Public Market

280 North Union St. | 585-428-6907 cityofrochester.gov/public market

Is it any shock that the Rochester Public Market took the win for “Best Farmers Market”? There’s nothing in the area that even touches its sheer scope. You’d be hard-pressed to not find exactly what you’re looking for, no matter how esoteric, in the market’s wide array of fresh local produce, meats, dairy, eggs, and high-quality fresh seafood and imported goods. Add to that an impressive selection of wine tastings added in recent years and you have a vibrant, expansive farmers market that rivals any to be found in cities four times the size of Rochester. Finalists: Brighton Farmers Market | Fairport Farmers Market Westside Farmers Market