Old school vibe in Old Ward. The wings and drinks are awesome. I will go back for some other foods but place was packed on a mid afternoon week day. Now that is awesome! read more

We stopped by Adolf's to check out the wings, which have come highly recommended by several friends as well as online. I've been on somewhat of my own personal wing tour lately and I'm glad we tried Adolf's. We came on a Monday, which is their wing special night, 75 cent wings. We arrived a little before the 5:00 PM rush so we sat right at the bar, ordered and behold, the wings were in front of us in about 5 minutes! Service was very fast and friendly. We ordered hot, and the level of heat was exactly what hot is supposed to be. Saucy, but not swimming in excessive sauce. The wings were crispy outside and juicy inside, that elusive perfectly fried wing. We opted for the homemade blue cheese, and while I liked it, I found it didn't have a strong blue cheese flavor. But they do have two choices of blue cheese type. Carrots and celery were included, not always the case with wing night specials. I would call these elite level, top 10 in Buffalo wings, maybe even top 5. The only reason that I did not score 5 stars was that there we 7 drums and 3 flats - and I am a flat guy. This usually works out well because my wife likes the drums, but this time they definitely skewed in my wife's favor. If it were not the wing special night, I might have said something, but the wings were so good I did not want to register a complaint about the lack of flats. We also ordered the hand cut fries which were hot and excellent. We definitely plan to return. read more

Adolphs food was amazing.... chicken fingers, onion rings, and roast beef.. The server. Emily was over the top with friendliness and accomodating. I highly recommend Adolphs, and not just after a Sabres game read more

Visitor to the Buffalo area here, and I gotta say, going to Adolf's Old First Ward Tavern is a cultural experience like no other. We went for a Sunday dinner (NFL preseason and da Bills had already played), and it's like walking into exactly what you'd imagine a bar/tavern that could call itself a community pillar in an old city like Buffalo would be. You feel like an outsider, not unwelcome by any means, but it's just clear that so many people in there have existing knowledge of each other. That's between patrons, between staff and patrons, all of it, that you're best just grabbing a corner table and soaking it in for a real taste of life. So we did just that. Table in the dining room against the wall, ordered 20 wings to split (garlic parm and hot buffalo), and a beef on weck, as one does when visiting Buffalo. A couple rounds of beers, and just kind of took it all in. Our server was a bit overworked, but was handling it all with grace. First off, the beef on weck here was the best of our trip. The weck roll itself shined with that clutch combo of caraway seeds, a touch of sweet and salt, golden top. Meat was piled high, lots of horseradish to add if desired (and I do). The fries it came with were utterly inedible, cold and flavorless, but really, we didn't need or care about them. Didn't mention it to the waitress, nor am I really factoring it in here. The wings were solid. They didn't beat out the offering at Bar Bills, but we enjoyed them no less. I liked the bleu cheese here better. Had a runt or two in this batch, but most were plump and tasty, a trait that I like in many things. Overall, as said earlier, just feels like a place to visit if you want some immersion in the local culture. We enjoyed it, would visit again. Lovely city and people... not shiny, but neither am i! read more

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Phenomenal gem in Buffalo for the best Beef on weck, Fish n Chips and of course their babies wings plus so much more!! The staff is super friendly and welcoming both in the restaurant as well as the bar area below. Ambiance is cozy with a bit of country built into the decor. We were passing through to get to Niagara Falls and it was so worth the detour! Will definitely be back for more! read more

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Love this bar. The food is incredible every single time (homemade soups change weekly- wings best in buffalo- homemade blue cheese). The drinks are delicious. The service is always top notch. A great local pub. I go at least once a week after the climbing gym. Haven't had a meal I didn't love! read more

Adolf's Old First Ward Tavern - Cajun and hot/bbq wings - Irish Pub Near Me - Buffalo, New York

2025 Wing Crawl Stop - visited 13 Buffalo-area wing spots Score - 10/10 tied for 1st! This place is a must stop! There is street parking but also a lot directly across the street. We ordered a single hot. They were EXCEPTIONAL!! We opted for the housemade blue cheese instead of the traditional. It was a "mild" blue cheese. We did get a cup of the traditional and tasted it later that night at the hotel and it was very good. Service was excellent. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!! read more

Adolf's Old First Ward Tavern - Single Hot - Irish Pub Near Me - Buffalo, New York

Headed into the First Ward to see what this St Patty's Day stuff is all about. Been wanting to try Adolf's for years so we finally jumped in on their most exciting day of the year. Place was packed and loud which I totally expected and didn't mind at all. Very fun and exciting atmosphere. Kelly green everywhere, again, like I totally expected. Wife got the corn beef dinner and she loved it. I went for the chicken waaangs which i had super high expectations for based on other's reviews and they exceeded my expectations. They were fantastic. Crispiest wings I've had since wing nutz and I just ordered hot and Saucy. Blue cheese is house made and a little thick but I appreciate when they mix up the chunks so you dont get a cup half full with a giant chunck of blue cheese. We want to go back for the full menu as it was a special limited holiday menu this week. Only dissappointment was that it took us this long to check em out. It was all I could do not to get the liverwurst on rye with Weber's mustard... till next time! read more

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First time at Adolf's and it was great. We were seated immediately beginning with drinks and a potato appetizer. We shared hot, medium, salt n vinegar and Cajun garlic parm wings. The hot is definitely hot! I loved combining garlic parm with Cajun, tons of flavor! I don't love their homemade blue cheese, it feels like a sour cream base which leads to a thick consistency. But overall would be back for wings and to try other things on the menu! A table nearby had delicious looking wedge salads read more

Adolf's Old First Ward Tavern - Medium and salt n vinegar - Irish Pub Near Me - Buffalo, New York

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It was the 1st Friday of lent and I've been trying to stop for the 1st time and this was the day. For being 2 o'clock the place was busy and had to wait for a seat. After waiting for about almost 15 minutes someone moved from the bar and everyone waiting was more than 2 so we took the spot we preferred that anyways. Service wasn't bad for being so full we got our drinks and not long after we ordered food. My daughter got fried pickles, pulled pork with green beans and a pickle I got a fish sandwich with potato salad and coleslaw. Fried pickles were good nice and crispy my fish was on the smaller size being a fish day i thought it would be different with lettuce tomato and cheese. It had no mayo or tarter sauce it was dry had to ask for some tarter sauce. I thought the cheese was not needed and the tomato was sliced too big the roll was nice and toasted only thing I enjoyed about it. The sides I got coleslaw was crispy but looked and tasted like very little dressing on it couldn't tell if it was mayo or oil based and the potato salad was the best thing I ate that day nice chunks of potatos nice tasting dressing on it I could have a big bowl of that and been satisfied! My daughter like the pickles enough and the pork it self with the coleslaw but her roll was so burnt on the top roll and so black like charcoal she took it off since it was so busy she didn't want to say anything. She didn't like the green beans had no taste and she didn't like the way they were cooked. Our server was friendly and we enjoyed being served by her.I heard so much about this place I loved the atmosphere I'm coming back for something different on the menu I'm about second chances on something that I see good reviews on. I did enjoy the place until the next time Adolf's Cheers read more

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I ordered hot wings from Adolf's and WOW... I'm still thinking about them. These were hands-down the best wings I've ever had. They came out perfectly crispy on the outside while still being super juicy, and they were absolutely loaded with sauce. And the best part was the hot wing sauce was actually hot. Pure perfection. read more

Adolf's Old First Ward Tavern - Twenty hot wings - Irish Pub Near Me - Buffalo, New York

The wings were great. I had medium buffalo style. They were on the hot side of medium, but cooked perfectly. Delicious. I started with the Colcannon which was tasty as well. Waitress was attentive and friendly. Absolutely will be back! read more

When you walk in, the first thing you see is the bar. Then, you walk a little more and you'll see the please wait to be seated sign. Oh boy was it busy, but they did a phenomenal job with all of the business. We sat at the bar while waiting to be sat. It is just another Irish feel bar. We had the mozzarella mels, 20 chicken wings with homemade blue cheese and fresh cut french fries with Guinness gravy to dip. Everything was hot and fresh. The hot sauce on the wings had such a good flavor, and the hot was HOT, which is what I like. This is my number 1 favorite wing place now so will 100% be back. read more

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Great food was really busy but they sat us in a jiffy super traditional buffalo place read more

Adolf's Old First Ward Tavern - Chicken fingers - Irish Pub Near Me - Buffalo, New York

Order medium and hot Cajun chicken wings. I preferred the medium but both were very good. Cheap beer too read more

Adolf's Old First Ward Tavern - Medium chicken wings and hot Cajun chicken wings - Irish Pub Near Me - Buffalo, New York

After one plate of a single order, hot, with house made blue cheese, I'm now a die hard fan of the Old First Ward Tavern. That said, I want to take just a moment to address the elephant in the room. I get the place has history. I understand Adolf was a very common and popular name back in the day. But man, it's hard for me to get my mouth to form the shape of those vowels and consonants. Especially in the company of members of my tribe. Me: Holy cow, I just had some of the best wings in my life! Them: Oh, you were in Buffalo. Did you hit one of the famous places? Me: No. Those joints are way overrated and trade on their names. Them: So where did you go? Me: A classic little bar in the old first ward called Adolf's. Them: [crickets] Pulling up for the first time, I couldn't help but noticing the sign has Old First Ward Tavern in the largest lettering, with Adolf's in a much much smaller font above. The most prominent branding is the street address with the numbers 555 posted in two places on the facade. And of course there's all the Irish cultural elements of the flag, clover, and beer brands. All of which create some welcome distance from the uncomfortable associations from the unintentional namesake. Even with all of that, I'm now counted among the growing mass of folks proclaiming the excellence of the Old First Ward Tavern from the hilltops. Their wings are simply amazing. When I was sitting at the bar, the cook came out and I was able to complement her directly. The bar staff was friendly and efficient. I was even told that they want the bar to be a friendly place for everyone, including the forever feuding fans of Michigan and Ohio State. For those tired of typical hot or medium wing sauces OFWT has some other options that looked, smelled, and sounded delicious. But I got to tell you, it would take a long long time for me to tire of the hot. It's classic without being boring. The cook on the chicken was perfect. That's a word I do not use lightly. While I have yet to do any kind of wing tour around Buffalo to try several places in one day, OFWT would certainly make the short list, and I'd expect them to be at the top. Hopefully soon I can return with some more folks so I can try other flavors and some of the other menu offerings too. And maybe it's for the best their name might keep some folks away. It's popular enough as it is. read more

I recently watched a YouTuber who went to 16 different places in Buffalo to find the best wings. He picked Adolf's. Having never been there myself I decided to check them out. I ordered a variety of things since their menu was pretty eclectic. When I saw Pierogi I was intrigued. Irish themed bar with Polish pierogi. Makes sense in Buffalo. I ordered 2 of both varieties they had, potato, sauerkraut, and farmers cheese. Starting with the potato - burnt on top creating char bitterness. The filling bland was bland and lacking seasoning. A dud. The sauerkraut and mushroom was cooked better but also could have been cooked a little less. The filling was okay but again not the flavor pop I was hoping for. Finally the farmers cheese - cooked perfectly but again, under seasoned. So disappointing. I discarded more than half of this order. Moving on to the wings - they were a little on the warm side so not straight from the fryer to the table. Cooked really well though. The sauce is good but not hot and the amount of sauce was okay but I prefer a bit more. Got them with the house made blue cheese. It was thick and super chunky. The blue cheese itself was present but mild and the dip as a whole had a bit of a sweetness to it that I wasn't a big fan of. I would definitely call these solid wings but not the best in Buffalo. Finally I got the soup of the day, Seafood chowder. Best dish I had there. Good flavor with clams, scallops, crab and shrimp in a thick chowder broth that was balanced and flavorsome. Overall this place has a great vibe. Feels very local and comfortable. The staff is amazing and I enjoyed myself even if the food didn't overwhelm. Wouldn't get the pierogi again but the wings were okay and the chowder was great. Definitely a place I would visit again. read more

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Adolf's old first Ward tavern has been around for a very long time. It may have closed temporarily for a few years, but it is reopened and running on all cylinders. It is an old Irish dive with a big wood bar and lots of woodwork and an upstairs for dining. The food at Adolph's is excellent. This place is well known for its wings. It ranks consistently in the top four in the entire Western New York area for the quality and flavor of its buffalo chicken wings. I was able to try them for the first time, and they were damn Damn good. They may have been in the top 3 chicken wings places that I've ever had in WNY!! I ordered 10 hot, and 10 garlic Parm with blue cheese of course. They were cooked to perfection!! The hot were perfect hot tub with an incredible sauce thinking about it is making my mouth water! The garlic Parm were excellent as well with a nice butter sauce and lots of Parmesan cheese. I washed it down with three blue lights, that were cheap as hell during happy hour at $2.75 each. My father had a steak Philly that looked incredible with fresh shaved steak, provolone and onions and mushrooms, on a soft delicious bun probably a Constanzo's roll, and washed it down with the Yuengling draft. This place is easily one of the greatest chicken wing spots, in all of Western New York, and consistently ranks in the top five of chicken wing places in Western New York. I hope these guys keep this business crank in because they're pumping out great food and some of the best chicken wings in the area. I'm looking forward to coming back my next trip to Western New York!! Well done Brian the owner! read more

Haven't been here in a while because at prime time there is always a wait & often you can't even find a parking space. Went Friday around 3pm, it was the perfect time because we got a table immediately . The bar was full but only a few tables were full in the back. Our waitress was attentive & service was quick at that time. My friend & I both had the Cajun broiled fish, it comes with rye bread & butter, cole slaw, mac salad & choice of potato. I chose the tots & my friend had potato salad. Everything was delish! Huge amount of beer choices too. I had Ellicottville blueberry & my friend chose Smithwicks. On my next visit there I will definitely try the wings, have heard they are the best. Only gave 4 stars because of all the times we weren't able to get in...sorry! read more

Absolutely delicious wings! The medium sauce is so good! They have a lot of options but it you're looking for traditional, this is the spot to be. They feature homemade blue cheese as well as a distributer one. Both a good - difference is the "chunkiness". Their wings are the right about of crispy and saucey. read more

This place has some of the best wings in the city and the service is a lot better than "must go" wing spots. The fish fry on Friday was really good as well and they have a ton of beers on draft as well as in the fridge. Its a bar with a hometown feel and dining room in the Old First Ward. read more

Adolf's Old First Ward Tavern - Fish fry - Irish Pub Near Me - Buffalo, New York

This place just knocks it out of the park when it comes to wings. You don't need to order them crispy, they know exactly what they're doing. Nice variety of sauces tuned into your taste buds, the medium has just enough heat for most. The garlic parm are nice and light and the sesame Korean special of the week had a nice Asian twist. The blue cheese is a no brainer, you want the homemade whipped, it's real and spectacular. Wash these with a few frosty beverages and you'll surely be back! Classic dive bar decor with friendly wait staff read more

Adolf's Old First Ward Tavern - Korean sesame special wingies - Irish Pub Near Me - Buffalo, New York

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Great bar to watch the hockey game. Great food. Fish fry was delicious and the wings are some of the best in Buffalo. Where else would you rather be? Right here right now! read more

Adolf's Old First Ward Tavern - Cajun and hot. - Irish Pub Near Me - Buffalo, New York

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Great irish bar in the middle of the 1st ward ,with a wonderful vibe to it The food is top notch along with the service Make sure you get the wings and the House Bleu cheese ! Come here and you wont be disappointed , but you will most likely have to wait for a table read more

Excellent wings and the homemade blue cheese dip were fantastic. The service was friendly and helpful. The Guinness was fresh tasting and poured to a perfect pint. Looking forward to our next visit to this Buffalo hidden gem. read more

Awesome spot! Glad we got there when we did and were able to get a table. The place filled in nicely, and after having the wings and food, I could see why. The dining area was comfortable and the bar area was hopping. Look forward to going back. Oh yeah, in service was great. I can't remember our waitresses name, but she was awesome. It seems like a family business. read more

This place is a hidden treasure. Located in South Buffalo, this dive bar is an absolute must on your next visit. Their Buffalo wings with homemade Blue Cheese were the best I have had in the area. Their Beef on Weck was the best I've had as well. Wings were meaty and very flavorful. The roast beef was tender and juicy. Not stringy. The Kimmewick was light on caraway seeds but it did not take away from the quality of the Sammy. Their Pierogis were absolutely off the hook. Next time in Buffalo you Must stop by this place. Your won't be disappointed. The service wasn't great but that was no reason not to stop by. read more

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Truly fantastic neighborhood old Buffalo bar with terrific wings, homemade blue cheese sauce and pierogis!!! Terrific atmosphere. Nice to even Ravens fans..but they did not know. I'd go back! Nice service. read more

We hadn't been here in a while but heard they had $.75 wings on Mondays. We ordered Barbecue wings and Salt and Vinegar wings. We didn't like the Salt and Vinegar wings , they were very small,too crispy and little flavor. The barbecue wings were also very small with way too much barbecue sauce. The Beef on Weck was very dry tough and under seasoned. Service was good. Very nice bar with a lot of character. read more

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The food was very good. We had the beef on weck. Piled high with beef, a fresh weck roll, perfect horseradish. Everything was good including the service. We will def be back. read more

Great Ruben's. Great bar and they also have a great fish fry. During the week they do have specials. You can call and order to go too

The service was lacking to say the least it was pretty much non-existent. We were seated and then forgotten. Had many people walk by and no one said anything. Took a long time to even get drinks. Then another waitress took over and go our order. Apps came out 1 by 1 with long waits in between. Had to get up and get our own silverware. Spend a lot of time waiting and being ignored. Other patrons sat after us and got their food before us. As staff walked by our table they didn't ask if we wanted refills or to apologize that things were taking so long. The cook came over after 2.5 hours from us sitting down to go over an item we ordered. We asked if it was even cooked yet he said yes it will be right out. After 30 more minutes if finally came out. Some dinners were warmed not hot and after all the waiting we just wanted to get out of there. We asked for boxes and the check so we could just leave when we were done. Service sucked and the food was meh at best. We will not be back or recommending. read more

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Overall I'm still giving this spot 5 stars after our first visit. We had a bit of a wait which I'll explain below, but overall still an awesome spot. The reason this is still five stars is because of the cheapest drinks I've ever seen, delicious food, and the nice staff that completely made up for the wait! They even gave us tokens for free drinks next time we come back since it was a long wait. So we can't wait to come back and try their wings on a less busy night. Fun spot! Just a huge heads up, on any night with a game or event downtown on a Friday during lent you may want to find somewhere else so you're not waiting an extremely long time (or late to your event). We made this mistake this Friday before a bandits game, our reservation was at 5:30 and we didn't get our food until 7. To be fair, they did have big takeout orders and large parties, but this was still a long time to wait for food. read more

Adolf's Old First Ward Tavern - Half fish fry - Irish Pub Near Me - Buffalo, New York

I came here as a tourist to confirm if Adolf's was really a top wing spot in Buffalo. So far, I agree with the word around this place. Their choice of flavors are great and the energy the place has perfect the small town feel. Our server was friendly and was able to answer all our questions. And while the wings are definitely a big selling point (my favorite being the Jamaican Jerk), the seafood chowder and their homemade Bleu Cheese were absolutely incredible! read more

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Went here for some wings and beer. It was PACKED but i had a great experience with the bartenders and ordering food from the bar because we couldn't get a table. Wings were great, beer was cheap. Can't complain!!! They had an awesome playlist going that had the whole place singing and vibing. would come back! read more

My husband and I visited Adolf's to try their wings. The first time we tried to visit, we arrived around 7:40pm, stood near the wait here to be seated sign and after being ignored for a couple minutes, a server barked "kitchen closes at 8" at us so we left. But everyone has bad days and we wanted those wings! The second time we visited, we called and asked what time the kitchen closes and were happy to learn we had plenty of time. Same awkward waiting to be acknowledged or offered a seat happened. We gave up and took a seat at the bar when two became available. The bartender was clearly over it to put it nicely. He complained about people calling to ask when the kitchen closes. (LOL - Adolf's doesn't have a website or Instagram page that I can find. Yelp and Google list the hours as open until 2pm, nothing about serving food. There is a Facebook page that doesn't include hours but does include a website link that is, wait for it, broken. I realize this is not said bartender's fault, but a simple Google update could really make his job/life? better here - but I digress). The bartender was nice... enough. He is a human in the service industry so kudos to him for putting up with all that that entails, but all the service staff we encountered seemed just annoyed to be there, like it's their shared trauma. Back to the main event - WINGS We scored the wings as follows: Flavor - 8/10 Crisp - 5/10 Sauciness - 6/10 Blue Cheese - 9/10 (my husband was impressed hence the 9, I found it too salty, still cool that it's homemade) Serving Temp - 8/10 Size - 6/10 Total - 7/10 (putting it in the top 1/3) Overall, we gave Adolph's a 5/10 for suggestibility/returnability. The wings were decent but with so many better options in town, we won't be coming back. The price ($12/single order) was ridiculously cheap, service was ridiculously disgruntled. read more

Best wings in Buffalo. Hands-down. Extra extra crispy every time. Normal sized wing to small wing. No large wings here. Perfection on a plate. Hole in the wall bar vibes. Delicious mozzarella sticks as well. And if they have the French onion soup it is the best French onion soup I've ever had. read more

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Great comfort food in a classic Buffalo establishment. The beef on weck is excellent, a generous serving, too. read more

Adolf's Old First Ward Tavern - Excellent beef on weck - Irish Pub Near Me - Buffalo, New York

Best wings I've ever had, friendliest people, & a dog-friendly patio. Highly recommend!

I had a Great lunch date today with my daughter at Adolph's First Ward Tavern in Buffalo. Perogees, wings (Buffalo medium and Salt & Vinegar) along with a beef-on-weck with home made fries! All was fantastic! Great place, great service and great atmosphere! I highly recommend you check this place out! read more