Family in town from Lexington Kentucky and they want Buffalo Favorites, Wings and Beef on Weck. There were eight of us and we all agreed that the food was very, very tasty. The service was excellent and the ambiance is that of a good old fashioned Irish Pub. Very good craft beers that were ice cold. Definitely enjoyed ourselves and we would return as well as recommend this establishment to others. read more

Group of friends from Cleveland decided to go all-in on a weekend tour around Buffalo, of the Wing Trail restaurants. This was stop #4. Definitely a local hangout kind of bar, close to a ton of industrial businesses and a cool new area called Silo City where gentrification of old buildings is in full swing. Being the first stop of the day, we thought salads would be a good way to start. And why not some pizza logs as well! And then 30 wings to share around the table. The pizza logs were basically an Italian egg roll served with a marinara dipping sauce, fun to try since just about every bar menu had them listed. The salads were hefty and easily feed 3 people. Make sure to try their tangy Greek dressing, it was fantastic! For the wings platter we chose 10 McCarthy's style BBQ hot wings, 10 mandarin sesame and 10 Thai chili and garlic. The BBQ hot had a thick, sticky sauce and came covered in bleu cheese crumbles (not everyone's favorite, but some of us rally liked the tangy flavor). The mandarin sesame wings were cooked well, but folks felt pretty meh about the flavor combo. The real star of this place is the Thai chili and garlic flavored wings; they had a distinct Asian flare to them and reminded me of the taste profile of General Tso's chicken. Would definitely come back just for these wings! We all love that the wings in Buffalo are really crispy (something we rarely get back home), and these were no exception. read more

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I can't believe I have never visited Gene McCarthy's previously. We decided to go on a recent Saturday evening. Yes, it was packed but we did get a table immediately. We did get out drinks pretty quickly, but due to the craziness of the place...our food took a while. If you're ordering wings anywhere in Buffalo, expect it to take some time. Have a drink or two and enjoy your company. I did have one of OFW's beers, can't remember which one...but it was a lager. Very good, but I was the driver so I had to refrain from more (I hate being good). It took about an hour for our food to arrive (wings and three sandwiches. The wings were some of the best I've had...cooked and sauced perfectly. I was in wing heaven. I believe I had the Rachel sandwich (turkey, swiss, 1000 island & slaw on rye), excellent in it's own right, but the wings were the star. Okay, one more star of the meal...the mac salad that came w/ my sandwich. I could have just gotten the mac salad and wings and been a happy camper (and not be the DD guy for the trifecta). The place is a fun gathering spot for friends and family, so it does get loud. That just adds to the atmosphere. The waitresses/staff was great. I'm definitely gonna return on my next visit. read more

Gene McCarthy's - Some of the best wings I've had. - American Near Me - Buffalo, New York

Amazing food and awesome service!! Our waitress and bar tender were super sweet and attentive. Atmosphere was chill and fun! read more

Gene McCarthy's - Dining Area - American Near Me - Buffalo, New York

Beef on deck is great, the meat was tender & the roll was fresh The fries were just warm, but I don't need them anyways The service was a little slow but they were busy so I can't complain read more

Sat in outdoor area for 30 minutes. 3 servers working that never even glanced our way let alone greet us. Never will go here again.

For whatever reason - I never catch a good meal at this place. On a Monday before a Sabres game ... wings were Salty and the beer is just average... I can not recommend this place. read more

We were so excited for this next adventure! It doesn't get more Buffalo than the First Ward. And it doesn't get more First Ward than Gene McCarthy's. By that logic, Gene McCarthy's should be another can't-miss stop on the wing tour right? Um.... Sauce: 2.5 / 5 Starting with the positive, their specialty flavors weren't universally panned by the Wing Kings. The Sheffield Dry Rub received the highest ranking from the group. The honey mustard had some fans at the table but it was not unanimous. The sweet and spicy BBQ with crumbly bleu offered something unique, although as the sole member of the Wing Kings who does not like Bleu Cheese (which doesn't mean I prefer Ranch, it just means I just prefer WINGS), I would say the Bleu Cheese was so potent that it bordered on medicinal. As for the "standard" medium, there are not enough synonyms for "boring" to do this review justice. With all the flavor available in this vast world, why would you choose to use so little of it? Meat: 4 / 5 Decent meat content. A few of these chickens may have roamed the yard a little too long (or were provided a yard to roam, at all) as there were some stringy, cartilage-heavy wings but not enough to spoil their grade here too much. Cook 3 / 5: Hot out of the fryer, which was good... but it slid downhill from there. The line between perfect and overcooked may be different for everyone but in this case, way too many of our wings were overcooked to the point of dryness. When you're sharing a 10-wing appetizer with a table of four, you might not notice or care how dry a wing is but when you're staring down the barrel of your 15th all-too-dry-chicken-wing, it can feel a lot like the Griswold's Christmas turkey. Final Score: 9.5 / 15 Gene McCarthy was a famous politician before he was a wing restaurant and they say in politics "you can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can't please all of the people all of the time." read more

I love this place! Awesome hangout spot with friends for a beer and great food! Their chicken wings are phenomenal. They have different flavors than I've had from other places. They are big, juicy and crispy. Very good and would highly recommend! Their French fries leave something to be desired but their nachos are great! They have lots of great beers on tap. Something for everyone's taste buds plus a full bar if well drinks are your thing. They do have an outdoor area on the side with lots of tables and chairs during the summer time. Try a happy hour sometime! read more

My brother and I stopped here for dinner before a concert and enjoyed it! The food was delicious and served in large portions and their own brewed beer was great. read more

Gene McCarthy's - American Near Me - Buffalo, New York

Top 3 in Buffalo ain't it ain't 3. This place is a home run every time we visit. Good food, good beer, great service! This place is cozy, wait staff has been incredible every time I've been there. They have a great selection of domestic and craft beer to include the beer they produce. French onion soup is good Wings are good (it's also on the wing trail) Fish fry fridays Beef on weck Go Go Go! read more

This is Buffalo on a street corner. Fantastic food, cold beer, nice people, and great service. The beef on weck and Sheffield wings are memorable. I'll return every time I visit the area. Every city deserves a neighborhood place like this. read more

Great bar near a kayaking put in with good eats. Try it for corned beef and cabbage. It will be very busy though!

I draw the line here. Best wings in buffalo. Yeah I said it. Also the beef on weck is awesome. The horseradish was a great addition to all the eats we had. read more

Gene McCarthy's - Beef on weck - American Near Me - Buffalo, New York

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This was a St Paddy's day stop for us and the first time we've ever been to Gene McCarthys. Great craft beer and service. The place has an old time South Buffalo feel to it that you won't find at many places. read more

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We come to Genes pretty often to grab a beer on the patio or catch a band pre-COVID. They used to have an excellent beer selection (about 2-3 years ago) with lots of fruited beer and IPA options, but they must have changed brewers in recent years because every time we go now we are very disappointed with the draft list, which is usually filled with lagers, red ales, and other heavier beers that don't cater to the 21-35 crowd. I will say everything I've gotten to eat has been pretty good, with the fish fry being my favorite option. They have a great beer garden/patio that you can sip, eat, and even bring your dog. It is across the street from the Barrel Factory patio so you can brewery hop which is the main appeal for me and my friends. With Beltline just down the street, you can make a great night out of Genes, Barrel Factory, and Beltline. I hope 2021 is the year they go back to brewing some unique beers but I won't hold my breath after the last few disappointing summers. This is the only reason they don't get 5 stars from me. read more

Four of us went to ofw brewing for dinner tonight. Super hot outside- sat under the tent. Had a few pints of the ipso fact ipa. Delicious! Had Sheffield wings as an app, ordered extra crispy and they were perfect. Crispy and salty on the outside, not too large or greasy. We pounded those. I ordered the ofw burger with bacon, smoked gouda, and the guiness mayo. The burger was very good. Bun was likely a costanzo roll, burger cooked medium as ordered, crispy salty bacon, and a nice earthy flavor to the cheese. Add to that fresh cut fries with gravy and you're eating good in the hood. I tasted the beef on weck as well and that was very good. Traditional weck roll, tender beef, and a side of horseradish. The food here is better that you would expect from a little south buffalo bar. Go enjoy! read more

Gene McCarthy's - Chicken finger sandwich. This pickles are delightful - American Near Me - Buffalo, New York

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Finally got out here for a fish fry, it was our first time and we knew it was small and would get busy so we went early. Unaware as to their protocol we waited at the door for a table, people behind us pushed us a side and took a table - rude but whatever. We were then asked by a bartender and shown to an open table, my wife can not have gluten so asked if she could substitute something for the macaroni salad - you would have thought she asked for something crazy this became a problem which it shouldn't have. They offers to not give her the macaroni salad but charge us full price, no can you just box up the macaroni salad to go then, again they didn't want to do this but reluctantly did. When our fish came they didn't give her any sides except fries - truly don't know what the problem was in understanding this we have never had so many hiccups at a place before. But ultimately the fish was good, and it wasn't the waitress she kept asking manager in the kitchen and it for some reason was a mess. So if you don't have any dietary restrictions you should be fine, if you do be warned it may be an issue. read more

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Mccarthy Wings were worth the trip itself! Our server was very knowledgeable and had plenty of suggestions as to what is good on the menu! I wish I would have gotten a pic of the wings, but I was so excited when they arrived that I forgot! I will definitely be back next time we are in town and will recommend it to others for sure! Nice local gem off the traditional wing trail. read more

Gene McCarthy's - Small but efficient dining/bar area - American Near Me - Buffalo, New York

Quaint neighborhood drinking and eating spot that we discovered last time we visited Buffalo. Food was very good with reasonable prices. Servers are very pleasant and attentive. We'll definitely visit again. They also had live music outside which appeared to be very popular with the locals. read more

very cool spot in the first ward, Amazing corned beef dinner just before St Patrick's Day! Love the vibe with frequent customers and family atmosphere read more

If you ever find yourself down by the Buffalo River, you simply must stop and get a pint here. It's an upbeat, friendly place and you can tack on a hike around the River as well. I came here early on a Friday (around 5pm). The place was filled! There was even a limo bus in front of the place, with a wedding party getting their drink on. My associate and I sat on the back patio and ordered IPA and fish tacos. The beer was poured perfectly, cold and a 1/2 inch head, beer clean glass. The taco was just okay. The fish was baked which was great , and the pickled onions too ---but the cabbage in the taco was just too dry. Meh. Lots of folks were eating the Fish Fry, so next time I'll try that. For me, the ambiance and location is the draw here -- and the beer! And the river, yes the Buffalo River too. Get outside y'all. read more

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Do not order the taco salad. very disappointed. Beef was seasoned with some kind of seasoning, questionable about taco seasoning. Also had romaine lettuce. what's up with all the romaine lettuce!!! Romaine does not belong on hamburgers, sandwiches of any type, let alone salads EXCEPT caesar!!! Pico was just tomatoes and onion?? the "house made torilla bowl" is no longer apparently and had about 10 tortilla chips. I order here at least once a week and have never had a bad meal....til today. Most other food is good!! read more

Nice casual joint for pub grub. Friendly (but quite slow) service. Fun atmosphere. Great beer selection. Very kid friendly. Food is very good at acceptable prices. This is a joint worth checking out. read more

The live jazz was fantastic. Great local joint. Being in Buffalo had to sample the wings and beef on wick, neither disappointed, fun place to eat and listen to music. read more

I would never eat here again a group of us went here to order food. We walked in at 4:08. It took em 15 minutes to come to our table to order our drinks and then they returned with our drinks. We ordered our food 10 minutes later, my friends who weren't there called me and said they would be joining us and to order food for them 20 wings and french fries this is at 4:30. Our friends arrived shortly after that at 5 o'clock our friends who just arrived had their food brought out at 5:20 nearly an hour after ordering two roast beef sandwiches and 10 wings. They could not have our order ready horrible service, horrible server, horrible establishment. It was not busy. I cannot be more upset about this entire situation and this is the only reason I decided to download the Yelp app was because of this horrible service. Zero stars. I do not recommend. Zero stars. read more

I finally did it! I walked into Gene McCarthy's and stayed. The previous attempt was following the Yelpies and it was extremely crowded and we walked out. I came here on a Friday night around 8pm, or so; the after party from a previous stop on the happy hour train with people from work. I hadn't eaten dinner and laid eyes on some guy's wings. I've heard the rumblings of what these wings were like, and they had been on my list of places to try. I asked the guy if they were good and what he recommended. He offered me a wing to try, but I declined because this was at the beginning of the month - the beginning of COVID-19. All other circumstances, I would have agreed to take one of his wings. He told me to get the Sheffield option. I had no idea what that option was, but said I'd try it. I placed my order, and kept my eyes peeled on the bar stools, waiting for the right moment to pounce when someone gave their seat up. Just before my wings were delivered to me, a couple left the bar and let me become the new tenant of one of the stools. It was love at first sight. Those wings were fantastic. Later, I would find out what Sheffield is. It is dry rub with cajun, oregano and other spices. The wings were crisp and delicious. I liked that I didn't need more than one napkin. These wings have sealed their spot in my top 10 list. I can't wait to try some of the other flavors they offer, and some other types of food. The place is small, but has a lot of heart, and a huge following. read more

Great food and great beer. Classic Irish Mccarthy Wings and fresh cut fries. Friendly atmosphere and bartenders. They make you feel right at home. read more

Gene McCarthy's - a glass of beer on a bar - American Near Me - Buffalo, New York

This little hole in the wall type Irish bar is right around the corner from my boyfriend's new job and his boss suggested to try this place. We decided to grab lunch and a beer while we were in town picking up his company vehicle on a Saturday afternoon and I was impressed despite the part of town it is located in. We walked in and the bartender said to "sit wherever we are comfortable." This is an important thing to me because we aren't into crowded places and can feel really uncomfortable with a bunch of people sat behind and around us. We sat at a table by the bar near the bathrooms which was away from the group's of people at tables in the back. I also liked that there was a picture of our server up on the wall. It made me feel the owner cares about the employees enough to put their picture up with all the other cool things to look at. We ordered a crock of french onion soup, a BLT, a turkey panini with fresh cut fries, and 2 Guinness on tap. I expected an Irish bar to have good Guinness but as you can see in the picture it is poured perfectly. It was also the perfect temperature and came out fast. Also, usually if a menu has french onion soup I always get it as an appetizer because it is my favorite. Our beers came out quick and we watched a little bit of soccer and shortly after my soup came out. When the soup comes out it is piping hot and the cheese is crunchy around the crock with a thick layer of melted cheese on top of the croutons and soup. I dug through the cheese to get to the soup and took my first bite and I said out loud, "This is the best f'ing French onion soup I have ever had. Whattttt?" My boyfriend rolled his eyes because he knows I get French onion soup everywhere and I have said that before but this soup is better than that soup. Anywhere that bakes their french onion soup in a crock knows what they are doing. Within 5 minutes the rest of our food was delivered to our table and we were checked on several times by our server. I love that they have extra napkins, silverware, ketchup, and malt vinegar right on the table before you sit down. The fresh cut fries were delicious and I really liked the guinness aioli and crispy bacon on my BLT. I appreciated the dill pickle chips on the side because I love pickles and some places dont serve pickles with sandwiches which I think is crazy. My boyfriend had the Turkey panini. He removed some of the cooked onions because he felt they were a little overwhelming and he wasn't too keen on whatever the condiment was on it but he still ate the entire thing minus the onion. He is a picky eater so I think this was actually a good choice for him to try. I appreciated the fast service, the quality of the food matching the price, and that it was $45 for 2 people getting 2 meals, soup, and 2 beers. The price was not bad at all and we've ordered almost the exact same thing elsewhere except it cost us $65+ and it wasn't as good. read more

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It's a little hidden but, if you can, stop by and have a pint and be pleasantly surprised at how good the food is. All the Buffalo staples with some unique offerings. I went traditional when I visited and got buffalo tenders, with a French Onion soup that was delightful. The staff is friendly and it was surprisingly busy for a lunchtime random week day. So you know the food is good. Local spot definitely worth the visit. read more

Gene McCarthy's - American Near Me - Buffalo, New York

What's to say that hasn't been said? Went there Friday night for a Lent fish fry; it was also RJ recognition night at the Sabres game, so the crowd was lighter than you'd normally expect. Sat at the bar and got the fish fry Sheffield style; broiled with extra spices. It was tasty; I didn't recognize all the spices, but the fish was cooked perfectly. Also ordered a cup of the clam chowder; came out after the fish (but they told me that when I ordered). This was so-so ... other that that, typical first ward atmosphere. My buddy had medium wings, they're definitely good as well. read more

Gene McCarthy's - Sheffield fish fry (broiled) with the fixins. - American Near Me - Buffalo, New York

Great little place in the old first ward. We were quickly waited on and food was out within minutes. I got the beef on weck, a buffalo staple. Can't really go wrong with it! My husband got the open faced roast beef which was on bread with gravy. The gravy was SO good. Overall the food was very good. Super salty, but I'm not a salt person so I'm sure everyone else would be fine with it! We were in and out in under a half hour. read more

Gene McCarthy's - Beef of weck. - American Near Me - Buffalo, New York

Dined here on Friday evening, was very busy with the bar crowd, dinner crowd, and many Bandits fans prior to their game. We had a small wait before a table was ready, so we grabbed a drink at the bar. After about 10 minutes we were seated, and ordered promptly. Since this was my first time, I asked the waitress what she recommended and I was told the fish fry was a must have. We ordered two, one breaded and one broiled with Cajun seasoning. Both came out in short order, and were quite tasty; the fish was fresh and the fries / sides were prepared well also. This at first appears to be a dive bar, but once you sit for awhile you slowly get start to see that this is a neighborhood staple with friendly people all over. I would definitely stop back, and would recommend you checking it out as well. read more

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I absolutely love the feel of this bar. We stopped in a few weeks ago on a Saturday night and the place was packed. No tables were available and a band was playing. We had a drink at the bar but vowed to try again to try the famous wings everyone talks about. So tonight on a Thursday we came back. The place was still pretty packed for a weeknight. There was 1 table left. We ordered 20 hot wings and some pretzel sticks. Everything was great. Definitely top 5 wings on my list. Prices were average. $10.50 for 10 wings Beer prices were good for a Buffalo bar. $5-$6 per pint. read more

Gene McCarthy's - American Near Me - Buffalo, New York

Awful, unwelcoming waitress and barmaid and RUDE beyond the imagination as soon as we walked in. First time there and won't go back. Waited and waited and waited for service - left without being served. Wow, the employees in this old and smelly place should try to be grateful for potential new customers. read more

I love these guys. I just moved into the area. However my better half told me about them. I started with an Infinity. They were wonderful. No BS, and extremely knowledgeable. I would highly recommend this establishment. And that is usually very difficult for me to do. No pressure. Wonderful Service. Susan read more

We visited here for lunch on the Fourth of July. It was nice to find a place that was open. This is also the location for the OFW (Old First Ward) Brewing Company. I tried the Helles lager, which had a good head to it, and was a good choice on a hot, humid day. In addition, I had a Chill Pills pilsener, which was also fine. For lunch I had the bratwurst sandwich, which came with a choice of one side, and I took the macaroni salad, which I like but never seem to get very often. My wife got the reuben sandwich with fries. The fries were hand cut and very good. I also enjoyed a bite of her reuben. This spot is right near the Barrel Factory, and a good location to visit when in the neighborhood. read more

Gene McCarthy's - reuben and fries - American Near Me - Buffalo, New York

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Woman who answered the phone was upset I wanted to place an order of 4 sandwiches and 1 bowl of soup to go for the people in my office. I called ahead and the time for pick up she gave was perfect but the food came out rather late as I was on my break and people in the office were also on break waiting to eat. On top of that they forgot to give me the soup. I went back inside and the blonde lady (probably the one who was unhappy I placed an order over the phone) pretty much insinuated I was lying about not receiving my soup. The day just started and she was already over stressed, she should find a career that doesn't involve any type of customer service. I will not be back or recommend this place to any & neither will my coworkers. read more

This is the type of place I wish was down the street from my house. An Irish bar where the bartenders seems to know the patrons. I was shocked at how fantastic the Old First Ward beer was which is brewed in house. Really fantastic IPAs. I believe the Therapy Session was my favorite. The mango hefeweizen was awesome. That would be a great patio drink on a warm day. The stout was also really good. And kudos to Jimmy our bartender. I feel like its rare these days when a bartender can really make you feel welcome and seem like you're an important customer. Extremely pleasant and gave us samples of just about every beer on tap. DisneyWorld is the only other place I've seen an employee so happy to be working. I can't wait to go back & enjoy the dog friendly beer garden & a reuben. read more

Now why don't they have this kind of Irish pub in Chicago?! I've heard a lot about this place and I finally made it here and I have to say I was not disappointed. They had their own brewery on site and beer was great, must be the water bcoz craft brews in the Midwest just don't taste the same. The place was packed for lunch and I can see why. Service was great and food was even better. I had the Reuben and friends had the fish fry. Both were deeeeelicious! I've had fish and chips elsewhere and this place gives you a huge piece of deliciously battered fish and not just bits and pieces. Just Go eat and drink and see for yourself! read more

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