This is a cool venue. They hold concerts, sports games, banquets and more here! It's right on the water, you can literally dock your boat, hop up on the deck and grab some drinks by the water. There's a restaurant in the venue called The Ward. So this review is specifically for the restaurant. The food is amazing, the staff is super cool and friendly, and there's arcade games all around! (it's just a little awkward because the games are scattered and pretty much ON TOP of the dining area... they should have separated the eating and gaming areas) but anywayyy.... THE FOOD!!!! Everything we had was absolutely delicious. We started off with wings. We got the grilled jim beam maple and the bbq. The wings were crispy and smothered with sauce! They were both OUTSTANDING but I liked the bbq more. Get the wings you will not regret it! The menu is amazing (I posted it for y'all). There are SO many great options. A few items that stood out to me include: tater tot poutine, seafood Mac & cheese, spaghetti squash primavera, and the Fish Reuben. It was hard to choose, but I ended up going with the fish Reuben because that's what our waiter recommended. It was delish! It's breaded white fish with jalapeño-pineapple coleslaw, swiss cheese and remoulade on grilled rye bread. I could only finish half of it. It was huge. My friends split a pizza and they said it was some of the best pizza they ever had. It was wicked cheesy and looked really good. I have to come back here and try more of their food, beer, and play more air hockey and pin ball! read more

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Wow was this place a true disappointment! The outside looks amazing, can't really offer a review of that cause it was closed due to the season. The inside isn't as impressive but it has a small arcade so that was pretty cool. The claw machines are pretty easy to win and they have a decent collection of classics like pinball and air hockey. This made it so kids would run around and play hide and seek which the staff seemed to do nothing about dispute the disturbance they caused. The food is just not good. For a famous buffalo location the wings are really lacking. The sauce is very buttery and doesn't pack much heat. I got a gourmet Mac and Cheese. It came out looking very good but the sauce was overly smoky and was very grainy. I also found it funny that it came with a Texas toast breadstick. It should also be noted someone with me was presented a raw fish fry! Oh and none of this was comped despite the fact I hardly ate any Mac and cheese. The outside is probably interesting to visit in the nicer weather but for now this place just isn't worth the time read more

Food was blah! Over priced. Little kids running around. Will not be back. Service wasn't great either.

Very interesting and pleasant space, noise level great for conversation Their Easter Buffet was truely lackluster Slice prime rib cooked beyond Recognition. Bacon under cooked and overcooked at the same time Something was off with their scrambled eggs, cheese was added just not sure what cheese Breakfast sausage helped save the day. Servers were Pleasant but clearly from The Gig economy, to be tipped at a buffet they should at least bring coffee Still I might give them another try read more

Great spot on the water squeezed between the history of Buffalo industry and the future of the Buffalo waterfront. While you sip your beer from a plastic cup, you may be romanced by screams of party boat participants as they rediscover their inner spring breaker booze cruising on the lake. The potential for people watching here is huge. You have the bar, the restaurant, all the activities on and off the water. Even the birds that live in the beautiful baskets of flowers on the patio provide entertainment! My son broke chips up for them so he could watch them swoop in for snacks. Anything to pass the time! We kept it simple on this visit, ordering the queso appetizer and a large meat lover's pizza. The queso dip took awhile to get to us and when it arrived looked as if it had been picked over by some staff, I understand the temptation but it left us with only 12 chips for a large amount of cheesey dip. The veggies were fresh and crunchy, pizza tasted pretty good for a place that offers more pub food. Our waitress was kind and attentive. All of the staff were friendly and working hard. I appreciated their efforts as it was a hot, muggy night, and they seem to have a jeans only policy. This is normally fine but there were one or two of the staff who wore their jeans so short and tight, I could see their inner labia. This may work for some of the more grisly in the crowd but for me it was a touch too much. All in all, I have been here before, I will be back again. It's a fun place to check out and refresh yourself. They have arcade games, a zipline, a rock climbing wall, and an escape house among more activities and events. The owners have invested a lot in the Buffalo waterfront so do yourself a favor and grab a seat at Buffalo Riverworks! read more

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Place is a complete unorganized mess. If you are visiting I would avoid it! It's impossible to find anywhere to check in and no one is there to help you! read more

Great summertime staple to visit. Central location, good variety on menu, decent service. Casual but great for a group or couple

Its safe to say Riverworks is a Buffalo staple. The outdoor patio during the summer right along the river is second to none. I love seeing the various watercraft dock and stop in for a beer. Even in the winter there's a ton to see and do - hockey, curling, roller derby, festivals, concerts and the list goes on and on. The restaurant ALWAYS seems to be busy. They do take reservations. The food is utterly terrible though. The pizza reminds me of Chuckie Cheese. The worst beef on weck I've ever had. I went with a party of six last time I was there and one of the meals was forgotten about. One of us didn't eat until everyone else was finished. The draft beer list was very underwhelming. There were only 5-6 options. Its after Xmas and they're still serving an Octoberfest. I highly recommend stopping at Riverworks for a Blue Light tall boy and enjoy everything there is to see and do there. Just make sure you don't do it on an empty stomach. read more

Took my annual vacation to Buffalo in the middle of December (wish I was spelling Miami wrong, but I'm not) for the third year now. Me and a couple buddies go up there to see one of our fav bands play a holiday show in their hometown. It's been held at Buffalo River Works each of the past three years. I find the venue to be great. Besides a large stage with a wide open floor, it has many other amenities. There is a large bar area and a concession stand with a variety of foods (although I recommend getting food in the city before any event here, as Buffalo had a ton of great eats). Best of all... they have a FRICKIN ICE RINK right outside of the venue! TWO RINKS just to be transparent!! Now I can't say for sure whether or not these rinks are available for every event, they certainly were for this one. There is an upstairs section as well with bar and balcony if you want the bird's eye view of the show (lame). Parking was $10 for the day, which isn't too bad considering I'm from the DC area and parking can be outrageous there. Check out more on their Insta @buffalo_riverworks Website: buffaloriverworks.com read more

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I've gone here a few times. A couple times for events during the summer very close by, but more recently it was for the Goo Goo Dolls & Rob Thomas concert (Star 102.5's Deck the Balls). I ended up sitting in traffic for about 45 minutes just 3 blocks away so I actually missed the opening act. It was just super crazy how slow that was going. The place was jam packed, but I was able to actually get a good spot after walking in and going all the way around to where the bathrooms were. I stood right next to the stage which was actually pretty cool! However, the sound for Rob Thomas was totally off. Either I was just way too close, or it was his equipment. Kind of a bummer as I've been dying to see him for awhile now! read more

Buffalo River Works - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Buffalo, New York

This is a cool spot. I have watched it evolve through the years and it keeps getting better. First off, the venue itself is huge with 2 floors. And thankfully there's free parking available to help accommodate it. But for some events there is a $5 fee. There is always something going on so I definitely suggest following them on Facebook to keep up. Or text PEARLVIP to 22452 to stay up to day and get discounts. Some of their events include roller derby, hockey, open (ice) skating, and even curling. They also host many other events such as holiday parties, soup fest, watch parties, and more. There's a full bar and bathrooms on each floor which is very convenient. They have pinball machines and other games available to help pass the time. They offer food as well. I love their soups. In the summer they have a lot of outdoor events such as rock climbing, zip lining, rope courses, and more. If you happen to be someone with a boat, the coolest thing is being out on the water and having the ability to dock your boat right outside and stop in from the balcony entrance. Did I mention they have an escape room? There's way more available at this one stop shop so take advantage of everything they have to offer. Unless they are having a special event that requires you to be 21 and older, for the most part this is a family friendly venue. I promise you won't be disappointed! read more

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Riverworks is the place to go in Buffalo there's so much happening at this place it's near constant!! They've got so much to do from festivals to a tiki bar, to rock climbing a ropes course and so much more! This is a destination place of buffalo and I'm glad we have it you could easily spend a day or two here. They've got a huge patio on the water with tons of indoor and outdoor seating lots of food and drink options and even live music on the water as well! They've got an extensive parking lot on site as well. Food and drink is very good and the service is quick and efficient as well. We always have a great time here and it's always fun. If I have one thing to gripe about its their festival hosting. They've got more festivals here than anywhere else and it's awesome to attend them but to charge parking for these festivals is deeply deeply unfair and discourages people from coming. If you want people to come to your place welcome them to your place and don't put it behind a pay wall. They make more than enough money to let people park and people are buying food and drink while they're there anyways. read more

I went here for a concert event and the employees here were the rudest people I've had to deal with in a long time. First of all all parking is cash only so they charge you five dollars and has to be in cash and their response is to go to an ATM or park across the street and walk late at night. I misunderstood the woman at the booth, and she yelled at me and was incredibly rude. Second of all. When we were getting IDed to enter the concert, a security guard was very transphobic to my friend. He said " this isn't you." Talking to my friend about the photo on her ID then made her say her dead name, and then read out all of her personal information. I mean, why would a girl use a man's ID if she's trying to have a fake ID , like use your brain. read more

This is a great venue for large and small events. They have many activities available such as ice skating, an escape room and ziplining. Ample parking is available. There is also a bar and a food area. read more

Very disappointed after my most recent experience. This meal was not good at all. For a whole bunch of reasons. First reason is I ordered poutine they get served on crispy fries and they were steak cut which is not good they were definitely freezer fries. That didn't even get served with any meat it was just gravy on french fries what a terrible gross meal for $14 which is easily $6-8 too much for that. I remember a couple years ago I went here for the poutine and it was served on tater tots with roast beef and it was actually very delicious. What a shame how disgusting this place has become for what a terribly expensive price. My total bill was almost $40 with a tip. I was not full at the end of the meal. I was sick from how gross it was. I wish there was an option to give less than one star. There was one redeeming quality of SLC. Waitress had a good attitude and was very timely with her service. She was polite and not overbearing but also checked on me enough to make sure that I always had a drink and I wasn't in need of anything else. If I could give her a rating for herself it would be 5/5. Gross food. Too expensive. Would not recommend. Maybe I'll try it again in a couple years. If it makes it... read more

The place is really cool, the first thing i noticed about the place is it had a very darien lake feel to it. The darien lake feel is accompanied by a very darien lake quality experience. I paid $15.50 for a wing dip appetizer that came with approximately 6oz of dip and a tray full of chips that could have been a quarter of the size. I got about 15 chips worth of dip, 1 dollar per chip. It wasnt even that great of dip, it had a very strange texture and didnt feel like it had any chicken in it at all. To add insult to injury, i dropped about a dollars worth of dip on my foot. The atmosphere and amenities of this place are unique and honestly its a pretty cool place, the food that ive had aside from the dip was delicious even though we waited over an hour for our food. My entrée was the sticky bird cajun honey sriracha chicken sandwich. For $20 i definitely wasnt expecting the pickles to be thicker than the chicken. The taste was great but for $35 between the buffalo wing dip and the thinner than pickles chicken, i left feeling hungry. Over all my bill was $100 and some change for 3 beers, 2 hard ciders and 3 mediocre dishes. I feel like the prices are high to maintain the otherwise barely used facilities and i probably wont be returning. I usually give a place 3 chances, this one doesnt warrant a third. read more

Buffalo River Works - Sticky Bird chicken sandwich. - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Buffalo, New York

Went here this past Saturday night to grab a drink. We were a party of four and asked for a table so we could all chat and catch up as we had all-met in Buffalo for the weekend. Plenty of tables but once the server found out we were only interested in drinking and not going to order food was told we had to move to the bar. She said her manager would get upset. Couldn't even sit at the empty high-tops in the bar area either if we were not ordering food. We only stayed for an hour and when we left the table we had been sitting at, as well as other tables remained empty as well as the high-top tables in the bar area. Would not recommend and we might have stayed longer and ordered more drinks but hard to catch-up with friends sitting at a long bar. read more

When my daughter told me she was having a birthday party for my 1 year old grandson I was a bit skeptical due to Covid restrictions and concerns. Upon arriving at River Works and seeing the set up for our party my concerns were alleviated. We were on the 2nd floor in a very spacious area with its own bar. Everything appeared very clean and hand sanitizer was readily available in multiple locations. The tables were adequately spread out to allow small groups of small immediate family members to stay together. When up from the tables everyone wore masks. The food was served to each individual table instead of buffet style. The food served was quite good. One item that stood out were the pot roast sliders. At first it did not sound appealing to me until my son exclaimed how good they were. Wow was he right. They were very tender and had a Gorgonzola crust on them. The other items such as pulled pork, chicken wings and pizza were very good too. I'm not a beer drinker but almost wished I was looking at the vast flavors of craft beers that were available. Along with the party area ice time was provided. Many at the party took advantage of this. It was nice to see the young children enjoying themselves as well as a few adults. The staff were very friendly and accommodating. Their efforts and the large clean area provided made the party an overwhelming success. read more

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Great time here, I definitely enjoyed some draft beers and good food with amazing family we ate a calamari tray for an appetizer it was sooooooooo delicious that I forgot to take a picture of it... I ate a spaghetti squash primavera it was also delicious the vegetables where scrumptious and just right with every bite, there was also chicken but not a lot. I'll definitely come back to eat here, there is also soooo many other activities too do here, such as zip lining, kayaking, and some other activities. read more

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Every time I come here I discover a new area. It's unreal how massive this place is! This time I found an open patio area right along the water. I was looking for a good spot on the river with cozy outdoor seating for a small gathering and this was the perfect place. It felt like a quintessential summer experience to sit there sipping a cocktail overlooking the jet skis flying by. I don't know why I keep forgetting how great this place is in the summer! Enjoy it while you can folx. read more

My first time here with my family and it was pretty cool. I was worried it wouldn't be family friendly but it was prefect. My sons enjoyed the activities and even said it was a good time which is rare for the teenage boy to express lol. The food was okay, nothing to rave about but the atmosphere was the highlight. It was open, you could enjoy activities without feeling cramped by others, and just chill and watch the river if you wanted a break. I would definitely recommend. I want to come back when the rinks are up and running in the winter! read more

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Where to begin? We arrived a little after 5 pm on a Saturday night. We had reservations (7 adults, 3 kids) and were quickly seated. This was the best part of the night. It took almost thirty minutes for the server to take our meal order. At the 75 minute mark, we still had yet to receive our appetizers (salads and soups). Every single adult had downed their drink and was looking to purchase more (beer and wine). When the appetizers did arrive, the soups (seafood bisque) weren't hot. The cups of soups were at least warm, but the bowl of soup was cold. It was so cold, he was actually having other people at the table try it to show how cold it actually was. It took 1 hour and 40 minutes for our entrees to finally arrive. The tots were cold, but otherwise, the meal was quite enjoyable (personally I had the Mahi tacos). We were looking for a relatively quick dinner and we were at the restaurant for 2 hours and 50 minutes. To top off the night, when we went to leave an entire row of vehicles were completely blocked in in their parking lot. We notified the management and they said they were on top of it. They didn't take down any plates or make any meaningful attempt to get anyone to move. We and at least four other vehicles were stuck in the parking lot for 30 minutes until some random people got fed up and physically moved the car by picking it up. I couldn't have been any more disappointed with a night out. It's such a shame too because I really did enjoy the food, but between the terribly slow service, the cold food, and the inexcusable non-response to having customers blocked in their own parking lot means I will avoid coming here again. read more

We reserved a table at the Riverworks for the Bills first season game and we were not disappointed! Our reservation was for noon with the game starting at 1 pm. We started with bloody Mary's and spent our entire time eating a drinking while enjoying the game. Our waitress did a wonderful job. We all sat at different times and she was attentive. The food was great and atmosphere amazing. read more

Buffalo River Works - Outside - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Buffalo, New York

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Came in with my gf and her aunt. They seated us fairly quickly even though they had there dragon boat races going on. We ordered 3 salads around 1:50pm and our salads did not come out until about 2:40pm. When we asked the waitress what was taking so long she replied that the kitchen was backed up. Although, 4 other tables that came after we sat down all got their food within 20 minutes of sitting down, and all had cooked foods unlike the plain salads we ordered. On top of that non of our drinks were refilled and not once did waitress apologize for food coming out late. read more

They refused to seat our party of 15, despite us saying it was okay to put us at separate tables or put us on a waiting list. The hostess and the manager were RUDE. Never coming here again!!! Not the least bit accommodating!!! read more

Buffalo Riverworks has so much to see and do.Theres Zipline or you can go on the rides like the ferris wheel or slide.On select nights you can catch a concert or even the queen city roller girls derby.For dining or a drink you can go to the ward, lots of tasty food there.Fun way to spend quality time with family or friends. read more

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Not sure what happened to the food at this place but last summer the menu and food in general was WAY better...food is cold and unappealing now. Last summer friends and I were there weekly. Went twice this summer...No thanks. Service and management is horrible as well. Stay away. read more

Buffalo River Works - Shrimp pasta special - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Buffalo, New York

Pulled up on our boat, to see several empty tables however, I was advised it would be a 30 minute wait... which turned out to be more than 1hr & 15 mins! Expected to order fish, and was told they ran out of all seafood. Seemed as if the kitchen was overwhelmed with the restaurant running at less than a third of the capacity. Sad because this is a nice facility and could be a stand out for the area, if management can utilize the facilities potential. read more

Really cool place if you're looking for somewhere to sit and chill by the water. They have kayaking, zip lining, rock climbing, an escape room, and usually some kind of sport is happening somewhere... Cool asthetic, food at The Ward was a little mediocre. read more

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Nice fun place especially to watch game Food was good to average nothing special Service was average to slow except hostess Other places are more intriguing for me to spend my money read more

Saw this place last summer when we went on a History Cruise on the river (highly recommended). We were back in town for the NCAA B-ball tourney nearby at the Key Center so we stopped here for dinner afterward. This is quite the space - the restaurant is huge and quite spread out. It would be an interesting place on a night when they have roller derby going on since it would be almost table side. We checked out the hockey/ice skating rink and the curling sheets(?). Looks like a fun place for some winter activities. The menu seemed somewhat limited. We ordered a Reuben off the St Patty's day special menu and a burger. Both were OK, nothing special though their homemade chips were quite good. Our waitress was friendly and efficient. I would come back in summer to have drink on one of their decks overlooking the river. read more

Buffalo River Works - Blue beacon - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Buffalo, New York

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Food was average pub food. Drinks were very good and the views were spectacular! The rejuvenation of this area is inspiring.

Buffalo Riverworks is a really great location for an event, there's so much going on in that place! I absolutely love Music is Art Festival. In regards to food, if you're going there for dinner, expect okay food, but nothing fantastic. I was there for a an event for work once and that food was really good. The best part about it is all the variety, the patio and all the extras that you really can't find anywhere else. Beautiful views too! read more

Buffalo River Works - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Buffalo, New York

What a Buffalo Gem!! We met a few of our friends there yesterday for dinner on the water for the fourth. A few of us ordered the fish Reuben! Um this is huge and big enough to split! Dan ordered the bacon chicken sand and then enjoyed half of my fish Reuben. Dan got curly fries and I had to get the tater tots like Hs days! I didn't realize the fish Reuben was a double decker sand, made it hard to eat. It had coleslaw, Swiss, special sauce on it. The tater tots were tasty too. After dinner we sat outside by the water in the colorful chairs with our friends. Riverworks has a new brewery. It's the first brewery in the world to be built inside a grain elevator. We ordered a spicy gin beer and an IPA. Both A+ and refreshing. You can taste them too. Just remember to tip! It's so relaxing sitting by the water too and the cool water fountain is fun to watch! read more

Buffalo River Works - Double decker fish Reuben. Big enough to share.. - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Buffalo, New York

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With a huge parking lot there's so much to explore at Riverworks.For dining there's the ward and if you want cocktails there's four bars inside.Outside fun includes the rides especially the ferris wheel , there's zipline,arcade games, ax throwing, concerts and roller derby to attend.So much fun and entertainment for one and all to enjoy. read more

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Mac and cheese to die for! Stuff is amazing and should be rated way higher than it is. Debatably the best food in buffalo thus far after being here a few years! Love this place and their food, will be back for more! read more

Buffalo River Works - I honestly have no clue who or what they did to make this stuff so amazing! - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Buffalo, New York

Was there for a small party today. Service was terrible! My friend waited 20 minutes longer than everyone else for her salad because she requested no croutons. Asked for horseradish 3 times and didn't get it until my food was gone. The food was sub-par. The turkey bacon focaccia was a huge portion, and everyone that got that said it was delicious. The beef on weck was a joke. It was ONE slice of cold beef on a slider roll. It was pathetic, actually. read more

Huge. Thats the word that comes to mind upon entering this place. It's mammoth. Recently I was here for a public meeting which was on the second level. The first level bar was hopping. On a Wed night. Impressive. I love the outside space here and the environment in general. Old grain elevators are very stately. Parking here has been easy for us, but I've seen it crowded when leaving later in the evening. Large screens playing the game are all around with a huge one in the center. There have been aerialists there when I've been, not sure if they are always there or not. But it's fun to watch. I've been to the lower bar here but never eaten so can't comment on that. Sitting on the patio outside has been lovely though. The second level gives a nice view of the water and the lower level both. read more

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Came for a NWHL game and while the place isn't large, it was clean with plenty of bathroom stalls and plenty of seating for the event. Concessions were normal concessions, nothing especially delicious but standard fare of tater tots, pizza, fries, etc. We did get the bruschetta pizza from the indoor restaurant after the game and, while I can't speak for any of their other food, this pizza was DELICIOUS. And I don't normally care much for pizza, so consider that a strong recommendation if you find yourself here for an event to order that pizza! Other notes: parking was $5 (cash only, and I imagine this varies by event vs. just a normal day at the facility, etc. but I'm not sure) in an open lot adjacent to the building; it was a decent hike from my spot to the entrance. However, there seems to be plenty of parking so it shouldn't be an issue. The rinks (at least the ones I saw) are outdoors so bundle up! read more

AWESOME SERVICE! The food here is awesome I ordered the chicken fingers they were delicious.The atmosphere is astonishing they even have pinball machines and a little shopping plaza. read more