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Cool dive bar to drink a Labatts beer cool atmosphere definitely a local bar. Great conversation people in Buffalo are always friendly.
Really good bar service and the French Onion Soup was solid. I really enjoyed the Fried Bologna Sandwich as well. Bartender was basically an encyclopedia for Presidential history and great conversation starter. Would definitely drop in here for a beer and food!
Not going to lie.. Deff a gem of a place.. owner Mike behind the bar hit us (bar of about 20ppl) with random trivia.. awesome... easy and hard questions.. nice to mingle with locals in the bar who are used to it... great personalities all around... maybe we had a outside the dive bar nite but would deff recommend a stop by if your a history buff or just love our country
The memorabilia and decorations make this place a lot of fun to see, but as a dining option it wasn't memorable for me. I came in while on vacation, on a Sunday afternoon at about 4:45. There were lots of people at the bar but none in the dining area. I expected a host or someone to greet me but that didn't happen. Finally, after sitting at a table for some time, I got up and approached the bar. I was told the cook wasn't in yet and that he may arrive at 5 or 5:30. I basically hadn't eaten all day, and had just walked from Sahlen Field, so this was not music to my ears. I sat down and waited because I didn't see a viable option that appealed to me. Eventually the bartender came over and said they were ready for food orders. I went with the tuna melt, which was a special for $12.75. It was okay. It definitely should have been warmer, and though the chips were not bad I'm not a fan of them and would have appreciated a different side option. The same bartender was essentially my server. I remained the only one in the dining area, which I thought strange. He made an adjustment to my bill and I appreciated that, having not even asked for it. The other discouragement though was that the two employees I saw there frequently stepped outside for cigarette breaks, and smoked right by the front door. I don't know about the rules in Buffalo, but in all the areas of California I've been to you have to be at least 20 feet away from the entrance to a restaurant when smoking. It's too bad the food quality and overall experience didn't match the fabulous surroundings inside the restaurant, then it would have been a real winner!
This is all about the atmosphere, the camaraderie and the service. One of the friendliest places to go, the wait staff and owner strike up conversations with everyone, the food is good and you will hardly notice that the menu is limited. I love this place. Brooke made certain our glasses remained full and we had what we needed to enjoy their pastrami sandwiches which are actually quite good.
History, trivia, nacho bar and more, what could be better? Even if you're not here for their famed trivia night, the bartender will still throw trivia questions at you. Especially if he knows you're from Pittsburgh. I've said this about other bars in Buffalo, but I would straight up be a regular if I lived here. Prices are really reasonable and the free nacho bar, how can that be beat? It can't, I tell you. I love the decor! It's full of history and well done. The vibe here is so chill and relaxing. The service is out of this world great. I honestly can't wait to get back here.
This old dive bar is really cool. I came here last night with a friend before the John Craigie concert, which was at Babeville. We parked in the church lot, where it didn't say reserved, and walked up the 2.5 blocks to get to the Founding Fathers Pub. Otherwise, you have to park on the street, I believe. The place is old and has a ton of cool presidential and historical information posted. The lighting was perfect. (We had sat at the bar. The waitress dimmed the lights shortly before my friend and I left.) We we're greeted right away. I had a Guinness and my friend had a whiskey and Coke. I was told that they don't have a deep fryer, which was unfortunate, because I couldn't get fries with my meal. I had the grilled chicken & cheddar pita. It came with chips, a dill pickle, and a small pepper. I liked it a lot. My friend had the Hail to the Chief which was a grilled chicken sandwich. We had another round of drinks before we left. I came here in early December with two different friends before the Shakey Graves concert (at Babeville.) At that time, I had the tortellini pesto, which was good. There was a large table near us that night. They had 12 people there and the waitress didn't seem overwhelmed. She did a great job with all of her tables. There's a popcorn machine here and a few areas to hang your coats up near the bar. I enjoyed the atmosphere here and will be back here if I have anything going on downtown afterwards.
One of the best bars you'll ever go to. Cheap drinks ($6 pints, $6.50 bourbon on the rocks), the sandwiches are big and worth the $11, the ambience is great and the bartender, Michael, will wow you with his stories.
A really cool unique bar! If you love history or feeling extra patriotic, this is the place for you. The walls are covered in presidential photos, newspaper clippings, and memorabilia. And flags from around the world hang from the ceiling. Giving this bar a unique and fun feel. They also have a free popcorn machine to the right of the bar, as well as board games. There are a few tvs throughout the bar too. So there's something for everyone; whether they like history, sports, board games, or food and drinks. Our waitress was very quick and attentive to us, but allowed us to have space to watch the Sabres and play games uninterrupted. Overall a fun place to hang out with friends!
A hole in the wall bar, which is usually my favorite type of bar. The bartender was friendly enough. They were out of several tap beers. The kitchen is right off the bar and didn't look well kept, we decided against getting food here because of the look of things. Not sure I would come back, but it was interesting for a visit. It definitely seems like a locals spot and they did stay pretty consistently busy while we were there. read more
2 years ago
A must visit for anyone who wants to feel real Buffalo, the Founding Fathers is a must. It's a classic original dive bar in Historic Allentown. Order beers from the waitress that will show you to a table. Order burgers, nothing else. That's all you need. Beer and greasy burgers! read more
We stopped in on a quiet Sunday afternoon. Karissa made me a good Cosmo and poured hubby a good drink. The location is accessible but I didn't not see any accessible Parking nearby. The bathrooms are gender-specific and tiny - no room for a wheelchair in the ladies room stall at all. The menu was interesting and they had lots of specials. Desserts are not made in house. We could see the cook preparing food from our seats at the bar and he was generous with the salt. Our sandwiches were great but we were both super thirsty afterwards. We have two sons in school in the area and we would definitely stop back! read more
1 year ago
Really good bar service and the French Onion Soup was solid. I really enjoyed the Fried Bologna Sandwich as well. Bartender was basically an encyclopedia for Presidential history and great conversation starter. Would definitely drop in here for a beer and food! read more
2 years ago
Not going to lie.. Deff a gem of a place.. owner Mike behind the bar hit us (bar of about 20ppl) with random trivia.. awesome... easy and hard questions.. nice to mingle with locals in the bar who are used to it... great personalities all around... maybe we had a outside the dive bar nite but would deff recommend a stop by if your a history buff or just love our country read more
2 years ago
The memorabilia and decorations make this place a lot of fun to see, but as a dining option it wasn't memorable for me. I came in while on vacation, on a Sunday afternoon at about 4:45. There were lots of people at the bar but none in the dining area. I expected a host or someone to greet me but that didn't happen. Finally, after sitting at a table for some time, I got up and approached the bar. I was told the cook wasn't in yet and that he may arrive at 5 or 5:30. I basically hadn't eaten all day, and had just walked from Sahlen Field, so this was not music to my ears. I sat down and waited because I didn't see a viable option that appealed to me. Eventually the bartender came over and said they were ready for food orders. I went with the tuna melt, which was a special for $12.75. It was okay. It definitely should have been warmer, and though the chips were not bad I'm not a fan of them and would have appreciated a different side option. The same bartender was essentially my server. I remained the only one in the dining area, which I thought strange. He made an adjustment to my bill and I appreciated that, having not even asked for it. The other discouragement though was that the two employees I saw there frequently stepped outside for cigarette breaks, and smoked right by the front door. I don't know about the rules in Buffalo, but in all the areas of California I've been to you have to be at least 20 feet away from the entrance to a restaurant when smoking. It's too bad the food quality and overall experience didn't match the fabulous surroundings inside the restaurant, then it would have been a real winner! read more
3 years ago
3 years ago
3 years ago
This is all about the atmosphere, the camaraderie and the service. One of the friendliest places to go, the wait staff and owner strike up conversations with everyone, the food is good and you will hardly notice that the menu is limited. I love this place. Brooke made certain our glasses remained full and we had what we needed to enjoy their pastrami sandwiches which are actually quite good. read more
History, trivia, nacho bar and more, what could be better? Even if you're not here for their famed trivia night, the bartender will still throw trivia questions at you. Especially if he knows you're from Pittsburgh. I've said this about other bars in Buffalo, but I would straight up be a regular if I lived here. Prices are really reasonable and the free nacho bar, how can that be beat? It can't, I tell you. I love the decor! It's full of history and well done. The vibe here is so chill and relaxing. The service is out of this world great. I honestly can't wait to get back here. read more
2 years ago
This old dive bar is really cool. I came here last night with a friend before the John Craigie concert, which was at Babeville. We parked in the church lot, where it didn't say reserved, and walked up the 2.5 blocks to get to the Founding Fathers Pub. Otherwise, you have to park on the street, I believe. The place is old and has a ton of cool presidential and historical information posted. The lighting was perfect. (We had sat at the bar. The waitress dimmed the lights shortly before my friend and I left.) We we're greeted right away. I had a Guinness and my friend had a whiskey and Coke. I was told that they don't have a deep fryer, which was unfortunate, because I couldn't get fries with my meal. I had the grilled chicken & cheddar pita. It came with chips, a dill pickle, and a small pepper. I liked it a lot. My friend had the Hail to the Chief which was a grilled chicken sandwich. We had another round of drinks before we left. I came here in early December with two different friends before the Shakey Graves concert (at Babeville.) At that time, I had the tortellini pesto, which was good. There was a large table near us that night. They had 12 people there and the waitress didn't seem overwhelmed. She did a great job with all of her tables. There's a popcorn machine here and a few areas to hang your coats up near the bar. I enjoyed the atmosphere here and will be back here if I have anything going on downtown afterwards. read more
3 years ago
A really cool unique bar! If you love history or feeling extra patriotic, this is the place for you. The walls are covered in presidential photos, newspaper clippings, and memorabilia. And flags from around the world hang from the ceiling. Giving this bar a unique and fun feel. They also have a free popcorn machine to the right of the bar, as well as board games. There are a few tvs throughout the bar too. So there's something for everyone; whether they like history, sports, board games, or food and drinks. Our waitress was very quick and attentive to us, but allowed us to have space to watch the Sabres and play games uninterrupted. Overall a fun place to hang out with friends! read more
4 years ago
What a unique atmosphere! Both In a quirky and fun way. I got a corned beef sandwich to go and it was great! Juicy and flavorful read more
3 years ago
The Founding Fathers Pub looks like a place that you need to at least visit once. From the moment you walk in you are surrounded by history from the newspaper articles, the flags, the historic photos, and even the old school pub feel the building itself provides. I came here 2 weekends ago when my parents were visiting from Connecticut and it was the perfect late night place to have our final bite to eat with them. We showed up around 8:30 and got a nice seat in the quiet back half of the building (which my parents appreciated). The menu here is pretty standard for a bar and offers an array of burgers, sandwiches, salads, and appetizers to please most people. I ended up ordering a bacon cheeseburger which had some BBQ sauce on it and was served with potato chips. I enjoyed my cheeseburger but it was a pretty standard burger for what it was. The bacon was crispy, the BBQ sauce was alright, and the meat was a little more cooked then I would of liked. The chips were a solid tag team partner for it and I always enjoy eating them after the burger juice gets all over them. Overall, Founding Fathers Pub is a solid place to grab some lunch or late night food. I don't drink so I can't comment on the beer or alcohol selection but the service we had was good and our waitress was super friendly throughout our visit. Even though this wasn't my favourite place, I definitely think it's a must stop at least once. read more
If our Dads were all skipping and jumping through the forest, they would be the Bounding Fathers. And if our Dads were all relaxing in the front room, they would be the Lounging Fathers. If they were all from foreign countries, they'd be the Funny-Sounding Fathers. And if they were all hopping on the good foot and aggressively doing the bad thing with our Mothers (or with anyone really), then they'd be the Pounding Fathers. But this place is nothing to do with any of those things. This place is all about the origins of the USA. Which is why it's called the "Ben Franklin Bar." I tried to get an infamous burger from here on three separate occasions. One time they were absolutely slammed, and jovially informed me that they were not making burgers, as if to ask if I was crazy. The second time I called ahead and asked if they were making burgers, and this time they were very nice about it, but assured me they were not. Finally, the third time I tried to get a burger, they were not so busy, and they made me one. I have to say I liked it. It was big, but not as ridiculously enormous as I was expecting by the price and reviews. It was pretty tasty, but it wasn't completely out of this world. It was one of the better burgers I've had. It was probably a low 5/5, and I was considering giving it a 5 but then I thought since it is borderline, and since it is so hard and so time-consuming to even get a burger from here, and since it gave my dear friend Alex food poisoning (not CM Alex, Trivia Alex), then I will settle on a 4 and call it even. So it's a good burger, but it's not the best burger in the region, for which you should head to Ruzzine's, Mooney's, Sterling Place Tavern, or Vizzi's. I heard there is a famous trivia night here, but not being American, American History trivia questions don't really get my proverbial juices flowing. And not being a drinker, a place like this is always going to have a hard time earning a 5 from me unless the food is off the proverbial charts. I just used proverbial twice in one paragraph. Actually that's now three uses of proverbial. Nope... four. Wow. Is that a proverbial record? Crap! Five! Damnit! read more
8 years ago
This is a cool bar in Buffalo! There is so much history to look at in every corner of this place and don't be surprised if the bartender has some amazing history trivia questions to ask you. Founding Fathers feels like your neighborhood corner bar but it's located downtown. If you haven't had dinner definitely eat here also, we were pleasantly surprised and will be eating here again! read more
8 years ago
Characters behind the bar for sure. "Nacho bar" adventure pairs well with a smile. I tried to order a shot of the dustiest bottle but instead it made the bar keep want to clean them. read more
4 years ago
5 years ago
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9 years ago
Founding Fathers is an institution, if you didn't know before then I hope you don't wait much longer to educate yourself. On top of having the coolest atmosphere of any bar in the city (this place will leave your US history teacher drooling), Mike, the owner, will pepper your bar experience with trivia questions, cheap drinks, free nachos and popcorn, and a generally friendly vibe. In terms of selection, their draft list and cocktail ingredients are certainly spartan. But you can get any standard cocktail or a draft ipa or lager if you're not that picky. Honestly though, that's not why you go to Founding Fathers. You go there to hang out in a big room full of flags, presidential portraits, American history memorabilia intent on making new friends or catching a few minutes of a game. If you go earlier in the night, it's a perfect spot for a date or a happy hour to commiserate with coworkers. Lastly, the food here is hit or miss. I've had experiences where I enjoyed their burger and experiences when I have sent it back. But the prices are reasonable and every employee is great at their job. You want to go here. You need to go here. It's not a place you'll soon forget ;) read more
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75 Edward St
Buffalo, NY 14202
Main Street
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(716) 855-8944
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