There is a short list of Finger Lakes restaurants where the setting alone justifies the price, and Nolan's is at the top of it. Sitting directly on Canandaigua Lake at 726 South Main Street, about three miles south of downtown, the restaurant has a sprawling deck over the water where boats pull up to the dock for dinner in summer. The west-facing orientation means sunset is not a happy accident — it is the main event, and the kitchen knows it. This is the region's definitive special-occasion restaurant, holding Gold or Silver in Best Steakhouse, Best Seafood, and Best Fine Dining every single year since the FLX Finest awards began in 2022.

The menu centers on steaks and seafood in the $16 to $34 range for mains, with a wine list that leans into Finger Lakes producers alongside broader selections. The steaks are the headliner — this is not a place that gets Best Steakhouse four years running by accident — but the seafood program holds its own, and the lobster mac and cheese has a loyal following among regulars who refuse to order anything else. Reservations are essential for Friday and Saturday evenings from June through September; the deck fills by 6:30 p.m. and walk-ins face a long wait.

Nolan's works best as what it is: a destination dinner. Drive down from Canandaigua's Main Street after a day at Sonnenberg Gardens or a morning at the beach, arrive with time for a drink before sunset, and let the lake do the work. It is not the most innovative kitchen in the Finger Lakes, and it does not need to be. The combination of consistently excellent steak, waterfront setting, and professional service puts it in a category that no other restaurant in the region seriously challenges.