This was nowhere near a disappointment. We had the Chicken Souvlaki Omelette and The Strip Steak Omelette. Zero complaints here! My son and I came here for the first time and I'm certain it won't be our last. Hopefully our next visit will live up to this one. read more

Lake Effect Diner - Chicken Souvlaki Omelette and N.Y. Strip Steak Omelette. Both with home fries and housemade rye & 12 grain toast. - Diners Near Me - Buffalo, New York

I've had both wonderful and meh experience's at Lake Effect. The service is either fabulous or spotty and the food is either wonderful or slightly messed up. One Visit: The crab cake appetizer is (yeah at a diner) really good. The brushetta in the center of the crab cake plate was great by itself. Crab cakes were well seasoned and crispy on the outside. Yum. Banana milkshake was really good. The beef on weck with poutine on top and grilled mac and cheese special is seriously delicious and decadent. The poutine was actually really good, real cheese curds, well seasoned gravy, excellent fries. Beef was proper medium. Even the basics like a grilled ham and cheese were really well executed with quality ingredients and an obvious attention to taste. Our waiter was really wonderful too and took great care of us. Very attentive and helpful. Another Visit: Over cooked blueberry pancakes that were difficult to cut through. Bottom side was tough and unappetizing. Under cooked home-fries. Toast with several charcoaled burnt corners. (I wouldn't have served that in my home.) Negligent service from our waitress and lack of timely coffee refills. Overall: This place has good ingredients but inconsistent execution and when there are either too many or too few customers the wait staff tend to get lost. Even when the food is bad it's better than most diner experiences so I think it's worth a shot. Food can be pricey here but they do locally source some things and make large portions. Parking can be difficult if they're busy. read more

Great food in a fun little place. I had the Grey Flannel Hash. It had spicy sausage, potatoes, mushrooms, peppers, and onions. It had a light kick with lots of flavor. I highly recommend the house jams. They are thick and sweet. Burgers, pulled pork, vegan bacon, and everything was good. Next time 8 go for dessert read more

I love this place! It's pretty much my husband's and my go-to place for when we don't feel like cooking. The food has always rocked, the manager stops over to talk with us and see how things are going, and it's always a good time. I've eaten dozens of things here, so for a full account, you can check out my vegetarian blog at http://vegetarianbuffalo.com/lake-effect-diner/ I highly recommend it! It can be difficult to get seated during typical dinning hours, it's become an art as to know exactly when you can get a booth or even a seat at the counter, but the food has always been worth the wait and the service is friendly. read more

Lake Effect Diner - Soup of the day: Potato Roasted Garlic - Diners Near Me - Buffalo, New York

Very yummy. Very cool old school diner. I got a roast Turkey hash browns. I want to go back to explore the menu some more read more

Lake Effect Diner - Roast Turkey hash - Diners Near Me - Buffalo, New York

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Everything from the jellies to the hot sauce to the sauerkraut at this joint is house-made. Need i say more? Top diner in Buffalo if not all of upstate New York. We had the Reuben and the Greek omelet and loved both our dishes. Looking forward to coming back. read more

Lake Effect Diner - Vegan French toast with cinnamon apples - Diners Near Me - Buffalo, New York

A perfect diner. Eggs, pancakes (wonderful, delicious), waffles, burgers, home cooked meals - in short everything you would expect. But the quality is outstanding! Some of the meats are cured on-premsis. Local produce, meats, and eggs are used. I've been here many times and have always been impressed with the quality of the food and the great service. read more

This is mt first visit to a diner in my life. I enjoyed my brunch here. I got a double bacon double eggs with toast and home fries ($7) very fulfilling. The bacon is a littlw hard but it was good. I really like the toasts. The home fries are a littlw weird to me cause I thought it would be real fries and not diced potatoes with seasoning. But it was good.. However the hot chocolate was not as good as I anticipated. The price range was similar to hot cocoa $4 I'm not sure what is the difference. It was not as hot as I expected. I asked for no whipped creams I guess this is pretty much similar to hot cocoa. Either way I am not impressed by the hot chocolate. The service is good. read more

Lake Effect Diner - Double bacon and eggs, with home fries amd toasts - Diners Near Me - Buffalo, New York

I love breakfast foods, so after eating here I was definitely a happy camper! FUN FACTS: So apparently this place was featured on Food Network on "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives." And the diner is still an original from 1952! FOOD: I got the western omelette with ham, cheese, peppers, mushrooms, and onions. It also came with home fries and toast. I absolutely loved my omelette. I mean I almost always love omelettes. But this was so well done and so cheesy! And I'm also so happy cause the peppers and onions were fully cooked and delicious. The home fries were also wonderfully seasoned and so yummy. And for $10, the portions were very satisfying, and definitely worth it. My dad ordered the turkey with all the fixings and had no complaints! SERVICE: So slow. This was the one part of the experience that wasn't great. The food took well over half an hour, even though there one only one other table there. And when we finally asked for the check, that took a long time too. We ended up just bringing the check up to the cashier to pay, since it took so long. OTHER: There's a parking lot here so you don't have to worry about street parking/walking. There's also a tv inside, so we watched election updates while we ate. read more

Lake Effect Diner - Western omelette and turkey meal - Diners Near Me - Buffalo, New York

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Wouldn't even give this place a star. $10 for 2 eggs, home fries, toast and bacon. Bacon was soggy, eggs were too runny, home fries were dry and the toast was..I don't even know what it was. Stale? Foreign guy was our server. He looked like the manager or owner and he was kind of a douche. Before you think about going here, go to Wegmans and spend $30 on breakfast supplies and you will be much happier. read more

3 stars for the food and a star for the customer service/atmosphere! I don't doubt that the food probably deserves more than 3 stars but I had the meats lovers omelet. It was a little too salty for my liking. I also probably shouldn't have had something so heavy at 9 am in the morning with a mimosa. Other than that, my friends swear by the potato pancakes and vegan blt ! They basically inhaled it in two minutes The manager was awesome and so entertaining. We had a blast! The music and the setup of the diner definitely bumped up our energy after taking an 8 am lab practical! read more

Lake effect diner has to be one of my favorite breakfast/brunch spots! Pancakes are amazing staff is friendly and helpful never have I ever had a bad meal from here. read more

Lake Effect Diner - Diners Near Me - Buffalo, New York

I love breakfast food, so cute diners like this will always have my heart! The food is pretty delicious and whenever I'm in the mood for breakfast for dinner this spot always does the trick. I've never had a bad experience with the service however it's a relatively small place so when it fills up quick and gets pretty noisy. Additionally, I don't think the prices are all that great. The food options are all classic diner options, but they're priced much higher than they should be. I'll keep going back anyways, though, because the food is super good! read more

Amazing diner food here! It takes a while to get a seat and the food takes a while to come out, but the food a great. Last time I was there, I had the macaroni and cheese, which was average, and the french dip sandwich which was great and super tender. The milkshake selection is also the best--I highly recommend getting the loganberry one! read more

Lake Effect Diner - Diners Near Me - Buffalo, New York

The fish fry is amazing & the milk shakes are delicious! Service is always friendly, even when busy!

Awesome food, fair prices. The peanut butter milkshake is really good! read more

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I have a good buddy from Toronto that eats here with his wife every time he is in the area. He RAVES about this spot and was eager to introduce it to us... and man did it live up to the hype. An old dining car style diner, this place is warm and inviting. The smoker in the parking lot was one of the first things I noticed getting out of the car and it would factor in to my breakfast plans. Our server (who I can assume was a manager as well?) was fantastic and friendly. We loved chatting with him about the diner, food options in Pittsburgh, my buddies job promotion (which came through as we were sitting there in the diner) and other random topics. Sorry we forgot your name sir, but you were fantastic and a highlight of our day. My two buddies each went with the stuffed potato pancakes for breakfast... one went with the Florentine while the other went with the Classic (Eggs, Ham, Bacon, Onion, Pepper, Tomato and Provolone Cheese). Both were MASSIVE and delicious. I wanted to sample something with a touch of that smoker in the parking lot so I took on the House Smoked Turkey Hash... it was a large portion, albeit nothing compared to the dishes my buddies ordered, and it was fantastic. The smoked turkey really added to this dish... it was as good a breakfast as I'd had in a long while. My side of toast came with a choice of homemade jams... I opted for the marmalade and couldn't stop raving about it. While much different, it was the best marmalade I had since my Baba passed almost ten years ago. It made my heart happy! BTW... don't sleep on that homemade hot sauce they put on the tables either... that stuff is liquid gold! I guess I don't live in Buffalo or understand optics, because the reviews here saying how expensive this place is made me chuckle. A huge amazing breakfast for $12? In western Canada you can't get a bowl of slop at Dennys for that... this place was fantastic and I will return next time I'm in town to see my beloved Buffalo Bills! read more

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The food is overpriced and taste horrible the best thing was the orange juice but 5.50 for one glass is joke . Never coming again this is for out if town hipsters . Got breakfast and took a half and hour and 50 bucks for two people for pancakes and French toast the wait staff Is slow I recommend Olympic its more of a family vibe and service better .Home fries taste gross even worse with ketchup pancakes and French toast taste weird bacon taste like really thick burned ham just avoid it read more

Lake Effect Diner - First time I've never finished pancakes , I tried . - Diners Near Me - Buffalo, New York

Take a step back in time when you enter this dining-car style diner. Decorated like a 50s style diner, the Lake effect diner offers a menu that offers sophistication beyond your typical diner. Late Sunday morning, the place was hopping , so my husband and I opted to sit at the counter "to get the full diner experience", as my husband put it. The diner is small (as dining cars are) and there are a few tables outside. If you are in a hurry, this is not the place for you. The waitstaff is overworked - seating people, taking orders, delivering food, clearing tables, and cashing out. It could be run more efficiently for sure. My husband ordered the Stuffed Florentine Potato pancakes with fresh squeezed OJ and coffee. I ordered the eggs Benedict and coffee. The coffee was mediocre, but the food was phenominal. The waitress brought home-made hot sauce, which offered a smoky flavor with the right amount of kick. Overall our experience was very pleasant. We will be returning. read more

Lake Effect Diner - Stuffed Florentine Potato Pancakes and Eggs Benedict. - Diners Near Me - Buffalo, New York

This is the story about how doing simple things well makes all the difference you'll ever need. Start it with some delightful small talk from the waiter as I sat at the bar. All too often, a good meal suddenly sucks because the waiter tells you how much they hate their job either directly or by caustically bad service. Simple small talk makes me feel cozy, so judge me, I'm a proud simpleton. Speaking of my proud simpleton heritage: I ordered corn beef hash, some over easy eggs and a cup of coffee. Far from sexy or heart healthy but damn it, it hit the spot that needed to be hit. These over easy eggs were a thing of beauty. Just so perfectly and delicately done. Trying hard not to overstate it but if you are them you would understand it. Then came the house cured corned beef hash.... sweet mother Mary. The normal home fries are seasoned well here regardless but throwing in the corned beef, onions and peppers just made it some next level stuff. On top of all that, it wasn't that heavy somehow. Throw in the cozy nostalgia of an old silver box car style diner and it has been decided; you will always be my top 5 breakfast spots in Buffalo read more

I'm not a big fan of this place. It seems pricey for what you get and the vegan options, while rare in Buffalo, are still in the realm of 'substitute' rather than real, developed options. There are other, better diners in the area that sell just as good of food different environment that I prefer to go to. That said, it's not a bad diner - it just doesn't do much other than be a diner in a realm where there's other stuff going on. Also, why would anyone come here for vegan food when you can go to Amy's Place up the street? - much better and cheaper. read more

Extremely clean, that was my first impression. Outgoing owner took my order, all servers seemed friendly. Had pancakes with bacon, coffee. The coffee was sort of standard, the pancakes had maple butter which was great, and the bacon was smoked, had great flavor. They sadly had no souvenirs for sale. read more

LOVE the pancakes here. But i definitely can only afford to come here once every 6 months. It's sooooo expensive!! 3.50 for a cup of coffee! 9.00 for pancakes. To add a tiny amount of chocolate chips was 3.00!!! So 12.00 for pancakes! My bill for 2 people was 34.00!! The wait staff seems annoyed to HAVE to wait on you. It's too bad. I understand inflation but I've never paid this much for pancakes and coffee in my life. They charge less for a full breakfast with meat and potatoes etc. So disappointing since food is so good. read more

Just nasty food. Didn't enjoy my meal at all. Waiters were also very rude. Ordered an omelette and it tasted really oily. Why would anyone even bother stoping by to try this crap.... very disappointed read more

Food was lackluster, served room temp. Our waitress was not great. Didn't care that our order came out half wrong and not hot. Won't be back. The prices are high for what you get too. read more

Practically lived here in college so I was excited to go back. Most things are made from scratch which I really appreciate. Walked in with 2 other friends and got seated pretty quickly. I got the fresh-made orange juice and ham and eggs with red eye gravy. The fresh oj is particularly nostalgic for me and did not disappoint. It was cold, not too sweet, and so fresh but it took a while to get it. That red-eye gravy though, so good! Creamy with the hit of bitterness from the coffee. The ham was thin and crispy, which I love. The wait took a bit, however,and they were definitely understaffed. read more

A road trip to the northeast isn't complete without hitting up a couple Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives establishments. Our pick for this particular trip was the cute little Lake Effect Diner in Buffalo, NY. The service was pretty decent - we were seated quickly in the boxcar style diner, and given a few pointers on what a first-timer should order. I opted for crab cakes and a southwest omelet, my partner went with a steak sandwich. The crab cakes were delectable. Freshly made and topped with a spicy garlic aioli just how I like them. The omelet was also amazing! They smoke their own meat at this diner, and it shows in the tender, smoky ham nestled in the cheesy egg goodness. The house made chili sauce offered made a great accompaniment to the home fries as well. My partner wasn't as thrilled with the steak sandwich. A little dry, a little bland - but he definitely enjoyed the warm fresh squeezed orange juice on the side. We absolutely enjoyed our trip to another one of Guy's stops, and highly recommend the Lake Effect! read more

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We came in during lunch hours and it was very busy and understaffed. The interior is pretty cool and worth checking out to experience the old-timey diner. The portions are decent and the food was pretty good, but I still found it expensive and underwhelming. Tzatziki dressing on my falafel salad was very sparse. Overall - worth checking out, but I am not coming back. read more

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Came for breakfast after arriving back in the USA from Toronto. Neat, authentic dining car. Sat at the counter and could see the commotion I the kitchen. Breakfast food was excellent. Cool vibe and well worth the 8 mile drive off the route home. read more

Lake Effect Diner - Fresh squeezed OJ. Delicious! - Diners Near Me - Buffalo, New York

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Let me just say um um good!! The best pancakes and homemade turkey sausage I have ever tasted!!! Let's go Buffalo!!! read more

Lake Effect Diner - Diners Near Me - Buffalo, New York

Had a wonderful breakfast at the Lake Effect in Buffalo. I had the Egg Chesapeake breakfast. Peached Egg w a crabmeat on a baguette with hollandaise sauce with hone fries. The whole meal was fantastic, I'm not much on potatoes with breakfast but this was worth it. John the server did a great job, very attentive and kept our coffee filled throughout the meal. Great place to eat. read more

This place is great for all meals and everything in between! Love the beef on weck! It's the best I've had in town besides at Top of the Falls. The omelets and chili are also good. Great portions for the price! The outside and inside are so cute! I love the retro look and feel! read more

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The poutine was great. My pancakes and sausage were also great. The western omelette though, not as good. The vegetables didn't seem cooked properly for an omelette & the cheese didn't seem right. The homefries were pretty tasty, but very salty and greasy. The peanut butter pie.... delicious. Everything came to just over $40 (poutine, 2 breakfasts, pie) which seemed maybe a little pricey but still fair for the amount of food read more

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Took my parents here on their first visit to Buffalo. We got a table fairly quickly for a Saturday morning breakfast trip. The food was really delicious! I ordered a French dip sandwich, mom has the BLT on multigrain (raved about the bread) and dad had a pulled pork sand which. The service was not stellar and you have to pay for refills. Would definitely try again, a little too expensive for my breakfast taste. read more

Lake Effect Diner - Diners Near Me - Buffalo, New York

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Best breakfast i've ever had. Stopped on the way traveling back from Cooperstown to Cleveland. You can taste the fresh from scratch quality in everything they make. Blueberry pancakes were so flavorful and cooked to perfection with a heaping pile of blueberries on top. Side of scrambled eggs + smoked turkey sausage. The smell and taste of the sausage is incredible. Add homefries on the side which have an incredible seasoning that must be tried. Must get - fresh squeezed orange juice that they make right in front of you! Sat at both the counter and a booth, and really enjoy the counter as you can watch them cook. Very cool decor and old time diner car feel. A little pricier than some diners, but man the food is WELL worth it! read more

Lake Effect Diner - Blueberry Pancakes, Turkey Sausage, Scrambled eggs and homefries = the best breakfast I've ever had - Diners Near Me - Buffalo, New York

The fried egg sandwich is amazing! And the way they season the home fries is really good too! The freshly squeezed orange juice is pulpy but super fresh! The pancakes are great but expensive. I got the blueberry pancakes and they didn't have any actual blueberries in the pancake, I could have gotten the regular pancakes for 4 dollars cheaper. However, I enjoyed the real maple syrup! read more

Lake Effect Diner - Diners Near Me - Buffalo, New York

Super retro and cool looking place but the service was pretty slow. Red eye gravy and ham was good but their hollandaise sauce is no good. Way too expensive there, for three breakfasts and three chocolate milks it was over $60 before tip lol. read more

Not a great experience here! First of all, the wait for someone to come over was atrocious. It wasn't really that busy when we went on a Sunday at around 2:30. I'm confused why pancakes cost $14, that's just insane. Chicken finger wrap also $14 so the prices didn't really make sense to me. Food took nearly 40 minutes, and like I said, it wasn't busy at the time we were there. Fries were cold. No one checked on us, too busy doing side work I guess. We also waited for the check for 15 minutes after asking for it. Service was really bad, food ok but really overpriced for what you get. read more

I used to be a regular here with my wife and am sad to say I will NOT be returning. I haven't been here in about a year since she passed and although I am pleased to say the quality of the food has held up - I am grossly disappointed with the management. I was served by a very pleasant young lady who despite clearly having a lot on her mind and being very busy serving other tables went out of her way to accommodate me. Around the time I finished my meal, the waitress who I will not name was approached by a man on a mobility scooter and publicly humiliated and berated for allegedly not bringing a check back fast enough. While I was in the process of waving her down to tip her for her phenomenal service, she was then pulled aside and again chastised and accused her of poor customer service by the management. My waitress deserves an establishment that values her hard work and am sad to say I left upset and will NOT be returning until serious change of management has taken place despite the sentimental value I once held for Lake Effect Diner. read more

Only reason I'm giving this place 4 stars and not 5: Great food but creepy waiter and took long!! The pancakes are a must. Nothing like I've ever had!! Oh and crappy coffee. read more