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Anchor Bar

3.5 (2.4k reviews)
Closed • 11:00 am - 8:30 pm
Updated a few days ago

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Anchor Bar Photos

Business Info

ANCHOR BAR ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Casual
Outdoor seating
Good for kids

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Recommended Reviews - Anchor Bar

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Reviews With Photos

Side of restaurant
Jason D.

Very historic. But definitely not the best wings in buffalo. Free parking for customers. The originators

Buffalo Wings
Toby M.

Loved the history behind this original place! Got 10 of their original wings and it's definitely worth trying. Compared to other chicken places, the chicken itself was very tender, not overcooked, and the sauce was plentiful. This location also has lots of apparel and souvenirs for sale at very reasonable prices!

Sally S.

Went to the famous anchor bar during a visit to my hometown and boy, it did not disappoint. Some people want a restaurant updated or remodeled... but it ruins everything if you do that. The anchor bar looks the same as it always had and that's comforting to me. The wings and pizza were of course, perfect and the service was A++++

Anchor Bar!
Marissa R.

I went here on a drive through the area a few days ago, and it was pretty good. I was expecting there to be a long wait, but in fact, the place was nearly empty. It looks like it's been a very cute tourist destination over the decades but a little bit rundown now. While the place was opened in the 1930s, it wasn't until the 1960s that the buffalo wing was invented here. And they are pretty good. We got them as a side item alongside additional entrées. The service was good. Even the bar was pretty quiet, but a nice bartender offered to take our photograph with the Statue of Liberty since we were being tourists. This place is all right. They have a wide variety of other food in addition to wings. If you want a sandwich, burger, pasta, you can find it here for sure. There is construction going on outside and it seems like a windy way that you need to drive in order to get there, but the directions are correct and you will get there.

Wings
Ade B.

No visit to Buffalo would be compete without a visit to Anchor Bar, the inventors of the beloved buffalo wings. I went there for lunch, sat that bar, and my girlfriend and I shared the wings, with mild sauce, and a sausage pizza (it was national sausage pizza day). The wings came with a blue cheese dressing on the side. They were delicious. Just the right amount of sauce covering juicy wings. The only downside was that on an occasional bite the skin on the wings was overcooked and a bit hard. But most bites were buffalo wing perfection, just as I expected! The pizza was good as well. Not the most flavorful sausages, but there were plenty of them and the crust was good. I ended up eating more pizza than I expected. The bartender was friendly and served me a well made American mule. Not the biggest fan of the decor, which had way too much going on. You will have to check out the pictures to see what I mean. But the bottom line is that you get the original buffalo wings here and they have withstood the test of time and remain top tier wings. I can't say that about the creator of the cheesesteak here in Philly. Their cheesesteaks are far from top tier.

Box
Azzaam K.

Okay this was one I was REALLY looking forward to since it was my first time in Buffalo. I heard this place was "iconic" and one of the first originals to create the "Buffalo" flavored wings...but let me tell you, these guys did NOT change their recipe or try to make it better at all over the years - in a bad way. Place was crowded, you can tell all visitors were there to check it out and have a true "Buffalo Wing". But probably honestly some of the worst wings I've had. Wish I knew a local so I could ask about where the best wings are. Environment seemed great watching the playoff games, but just not where you wanna go for wings in Buffalo.

Chicken wing keychain on a buffalo
Grandpa

These buffalo wings were simply incredible. Each wing was crispy to perfection without over-fried parts. Believe it or not, this establishment was the original inventor of the buffalo wing. Overall, the service was quick, the gift shop was nice, and the food was great.

History
Rob S.

I am so happy I finally made the pilgrimage to the birthplace of wings. I am, also, at a loss on how to position this review. I was CERTAIN I would feel one of two ways: 1) I loved it. It changed my life. I'm moving to Buffalo -or- 2) One should never meet their hero's as it will only disappoint. I have to say, I'm somewhere in between and I don't know what to do. Positives: *If you love wings, it's a must go. The atmosphere at the original location, the old-timers at the bar, the decor, the history. You have to go. *The wings were good. Meaty, fresh, hot. I got the "original" with hot buffalo sauce, extra blue cheese and extra celery. They were good. I loved the sauce level. *Service was fantastic. Loved the old-school order at the bar from your high top. Bartender was fantastic. *The look, the feel, the smells, the excitement from all who arrive (there was a line waiting for the door to be unlocked at 11am and the Bills weren't even playing). *I even managed to keep my emotions in check and not hit the merch section The "ehh:" *I wish I ordered my wings extra crispy and with extra EXTRA blue cheese. Extra blue cheese equals 2, 2oz soufflé cups *The blue cheese itself was ok. Not to the standard or the wing. *I ordered a beef on weck as well. Bun was amazing. Horseradish was perfectly hot. Price and portion good. Even the coleslaw was better than expected. But...the roast beef was mid-level Foodservice deli-wog. Not even board head quality - and DEFINITELY not house roasted. Odd for a "famous" Buffalo item. Bottom Line: Go! Go to the original location. The combination of the history and the fun and the food and the bar offerings make it fantastic. Are there better wings out there? Maybe. But when considering the whole package. It's a must go. I can tell you the food does not stand up by itself enough for me to run to a satellite or franchise location. But if I can get out to the original location - I will be back. And want to bring my kids. We live in CT. Oldest plays football in Rochester. Is it worth the 1:30 to get there from his campus? Yes. Worth the drive from CT? Nope. There are better wings in Rochester and perhaps even closer. So happy I went. Star rating will be on whole experience. Not just the food. Overall 4 stars. Food only 3 stars (sandwich killed the score).

Hungarian Stuffed Hot Peppers
Novella N.

On our way back from Niagara Falls, we decided to stop at Anchor Bar (my brother's request) because it is a must while in Buffalo. We arrived right before they opened for the day- don't judge, we had a long drive home! We weren't the first party that arrived but we did get seated almost immediately. While we had waited outside there is a big sign near the entrance with the history of the restaurant and how the Buffalo wing came about. Of course we started off with chicken wings, and tried the original and another flavor (couldn't remember the name but it wasn't my favorite). We also ordered the Hungarian stuffed pepper which I think burned the tastebuds off my tongue! I do love spicy but that was a bit much. I didn't order an entree but my sister in law ordered eggplant parm and it was very good! The portions were huge. If you want to try the home of the original chicken wing and Italian cuisine, consider stopping at Anchor Bar!

Chicken wing mural
Mike V.

Heading home from our Canadian vacation, we flew in and out of Buffalo, NY, and figured iit was a good time to stop in and try the true home of a Buffalo Chicken wings at the anchor bar. When I'm Rome... We were quickly greeted and seated upon arrival, begging told we were welcome to explore the space. The walls of this place are covered with autographed pictures of celebrities from all around the world and years gone by that visited. The walls will certainly keep your eyes busy! Ordering was easy, it was a no brainer we came for Buffalo wings, only opted for boneless to reduce the mess before heading for the airport. We arrived early in the day, so food came out quickly and looked, smelled, and tasted great! The wings were great, but even the ones got messy. Wish we'd hd more time to try some of the other flavors, but enjoyed our visit Ranch fans be warned, the

Outside
Tari O.

Made it to the original Anchor Bar! Known as the home of Buffalo wings we had to stop in and see what it was all about. I'll say that I've had better wings, and it all felt a bit rushed, getting tourists in and out. The wings were fine and customizable, but id call it standard, good buffalo sauce. The standout was actually the wonton pizza rolls. Delicious. Would order again and buy in a frozen aisle if I could find them! Also saw many families enjoying the pizza. The parking lot gets full quickly, but we drove around a bit and found a spot. Tables turn quickly. It's also conveniently located to other attractions. There is a gift shop inside for swag.

Buffalo wing torch
Kristen S.

After leaving Niagara Falls, we decided to drive through Buffalo on our way home just so we could make a stop at the Original home of the buffalo chicken wing. We were pleasantly surprised that they had a large (free) parking lot on site, as on street parking was scarce in this part of the city. We walked in and were seated almost immediately. In addition to the bar area, they have 3 rooms for seating, plus a small gift shop, and restrooms directly across from the main bar area. We ordered a few local favorites from the menu; the Buffalo chicken sandwich, some wings, and a weck roast beef sandwich (a Buffalo specialty) which features thin-cut roast beef on a salt-and-caraway-seed-coated kaiser roll called a kummelweck. The food was typical bar food, tasty, salty, and saucy. The decor was a hodge podge of collectible items; police patches from across the country, motorcycles, product signs from the past serveral decades. Plus awards and trophies from over the years. The service was friendly and the whole vibe of the place was casual and fun. We enjoyed our time there and even bought a t-shirt to bring home.

Nostalgic phone booth inside the original restaurant
Julz B.

The wings were crispy on the outside and most and juicy inside. The 10 wings were enough for me to have for lunch as well because they were large wings. The food was all hot and fresh not sitting under a heat lamp like other places! The decor was cool too! They had an old phone booth and pay phone that was nostalgic!

A bronze bison sculpture is placed on a concrete pedestal outside a building with a vibrant, graffiti-style mural featuring peppers and abstract shapes.

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Anchor Bar Reviews in Other Languages

Ask the Community - Anchor Bar

Do we need a reservation?

No, we did not make one. We were walk-ins.

Is there ranch available as a dipping sauce?

Yes

Does this location have the meatless wings?

I did not see them on the menu (6/2023).

Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

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The Salty Chef’s - Breakfast burrito with turkey sausage.

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(61 reviews)

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I was initially so happy to find this place. This is the second time we've ordered from Salty…read moreChefs. The first time was amazing...I ordered the BLT and Matt got the breakfast burrito. We were both super happy with our selections and were eager to have the opportunity to try more. They seem to be known for scratch cooking and locally sourced produce...so, I was pretty disappointed this time when I ordered a side of turkey sausage with my pancakes. It's very obviously a mass produced frozen product. It's exactly like Banquet or Hormel brown n' serve frozen turkey sausage links that you can get from Walmart. It was super spongy inside and the outside was browned but wrinkly and soggy. The taste wasn't awful or anything...I just expected much better. Another recent reviewer mentioned that their chicken cutlet was a strange texture and, by the waiter's admission, the restaurant orders it precooked. This doesn't seem to align with their philosophy of scratch made and local. The pancakes were ok. The flavor was nice but they were pretty dense. I wouldn't order them or the turkey sausage again. I'm not giving up on Salty Chefs yet though!! I know they have some great food, I'll just try different items on the menu to find it...but I'm not super patient when it comes to spending our hard earned money. I still recommend you give them a try! BLT and breakfast burritos are top notch!

We stopped by for lunch while we were waiting for passports. It was a good decision. We had eggs…read moreand bacon, grilled cheese with a salad, and a cheeseburger with fries. The food in general deserves pretty good grades, with the burger and salad on top and the eggs bringing up the rear. The counter service was very helpful and tolerant of our ignorance. Prices were a little high, but the portions were quite large. We'll return in 10 years when the passport expires.

Gabriel's Gate - Buffalo Chicken Wings

Gabriel's Gate

(1.1k reviews)

$$

Allentown

I was craving French onion soup and my friend wanted pasta, so this place checked both boxes. The…read moreplace has an interesting cozy feel with dark, low lighting and church pews as booth seats. Fun. The menu is pretty big for a bar, a mix of regular bar food and a bunch of other options. Our waitress was really friendly and told me the French onion soup is one of their popular items, so that got me excited. It came out fast and it was pretty good. The croutons were honestly my favorite part, super seasoned and actually had flavor. This was only my second time having French onion soup though and I'm still on the fence... it felt like it was missing something, or maybe I just don't get the hype yet lol My friend got the chicken broccoli alfredo and I got the cajun chicken linguine. The portions are HUGE, like you're definitely not leaving hungry. She said hers didn't have much flavor even after adding salt and pepper and was already planning how she was going to fix it at home. My chicken was a little burnt so it was dry and kind of messed with the flavor, but the pasta itself was good. I loved that they added a little bread to soak up the sauce. The huge portions made up for the bland flavors. Not even gonna lie, a few bites in my stomach said "absolutely not" which is no fault of theirs, 100% on me for going all in on dairy, so my friend ended up taking both meals home. Overall I'd recommend it if you like a bar vibe, big portions, and solid food. 8.3/10

We came to try one thing... The wings. They did not disappoint…read more Judging Buffalo wings is really a personal journey because everyone is so different on their likes and dislikes. For me, I like my wings crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, well cooked. The wings I had here were excellent. But all the flavor was in the sauce, whereas some people like dry rubs or smoked wings. The restaurant is old and and is not modern in any way. The lighting is a little on the dark side. The service was OK, not fantastic. Would go again, and they deserve 4 stars.

Anchor Bar - chicken_wings - Updated May 2026

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