If you're looking for great Puerto Rican cuisine in buffalo and you are from the city, this spot will do you no wrong. I've been coming here for years and no matter what time I go, the line will always start from outside the store. The chicken and pastelillos served from this place had to be touched by god himself, I'm not even kidding. You come to this place with 20 bucks in hand, trust me you can feed a family of 4 with their specials they offer. The only knock that I have for this place is the beef that is served. Unfortunately whenever I order it, its very dry to the point that the moisture of the meat is non-existent. Other than that, take your friends and family here at least once! read more

I went here for lunch with a co-worker who highly recommended, and I can see why. The reputation of delicious pastelitos precedes this restaurant and rightfully so. I tried chicken and beef. Both were excellent. I took some to go and put sour cream on top at home, had to fight my boyfriend off from eating all my leftovers in their entirety- that good!! read more

I order the same thing - even after 40+ times here- a pastelillo (because I convinced myself that this depp fried is ok) and 1/2 chicken w rice. I am never disappointed - it's done perfectly everytime. read more

The food here was very good, much to my surprise based on the look of the place. It is small and nothing special to look at, but the food is so yummy! Walking in, I was a little confused by the setup, but after saying we wanted to eat in, we were told the line of people waiting to order were waiting to order take out and to dine in, we did not have to wait in that line, we could have just walked in and sat down. It is a nice little place for a yummy meal. read more

Decent food; sub-par service. A friend and I went here for lunch today looking for something new, because of all of the rave reviews. We were mildly disappointed (probably because of our high expectations). We sat down, and within a couple minutes one of the servers sort of yelled over to us "you ready?" Not exactly a warm welcome. I ordered the fried chicken, which was quite good, and she had the fried pork lunch special (I think). The hot sauce they give you is also very good. The fried plantains were just okay, but I'd never had them before, so I have nothing to compare them to. The rice was a bit dry and didn't have a whole lot of flavor, and the bean soup was decent, but very salty. It was an alright meal, but I doubt I'd go back unless someone else really wanted to go. Certainly nothing worth seeking out (in my opinion, anyway). read more

I can't believe no one's talked about the sweets yet! The food is good, but the pastries are... great. And addictive. And great. Every time I've brought some to a party they're a hit! I would be huge if I went there as often as I'd like to. Also pretty cheap. read more

If you are looking for authentic Hispanic cuisine, this place has it. The rice and beans took me back to when I was a child and my mother prepared it. Pernil was cooked perfectly and fell apart on the fork. The pastelillos were full of flavor and spice. read more

This place is a nice alternative to Chinese and Caribbean places that I frequent. For less than $10, you can get a satisfied belly's worth of food. For people looking to grab a quick, easy lunch from 11am-2pm, you can get a choice of quarter chicken with a choice of yellow rice and beans, tostones (fried plantains), and guiones. There are pork and fish options but so far, it's been a chicken run. If you're looking for a quick snack, a pastel is the way to go for about $2. The place is setup diner-style,where people have the option to sit-in or take out. The line to take out is usually a long one (especially during lunch our) but it's worth it once you sink your teeth in at the office or at home. read more

I have been here for lunch and take-out for dinner a few times. Everytime I was not disappointed. I typically get the half chicken dinner which comes with beans and tons of rice and a very big portion of extremely delicious, well cooked chicken. And the thing is it's only like 8$! I love me a cheap meal and you get your moneys worth here! Another big favorite of mine here is the Tostones they are delicious...however the dipping sauce tends to be very salty so at the end of the meal I am still tasting it for about 6 hours and it's not a great taste to linger. It is nice they have a parking lot, since a lot of places I typically get take out from do not. The restuarant itself could use a little make over...but all I care about is the food so doesn't matter to me. The only hiccup I have had here is we ordered a bunch of food for take out and when my father showed up to pick it up, they just stated they never got that order. All in all I will continue ordering from here and ocassionally dining in. read more

I am a frequent customer at this restaurant, and I must say that I have never left this place disappointed. The flavor is always consistent. I always go out of my way to come here and spend my money rather than going to a fast food restaurant like McDonald's or Burger King. You just get more bang for your buck here and it makes so much more sense. The food is just effing delicious. There are no other places around like this one. read more

The place for Puerto Rican food! Good portions, delicious and affordable!

Pleasantly surprised by this little place we found off the highway. Not too many choices available, and we just missed the time slot for the lunch special. We tried the roasted 1/2 chicken with plantains and the roasted pork with yellow rice and beans. Both were very, very good, tasty and succulent. They had a steady stream of regulars coming in for a late lunch. We'd come back next time when passing through rather than venture into the downtown area of Buffalo. read more

I love the food here. All dishes are authentic and tasty! I give 4 stars only because at times you will get disposable plates, versus glassware. The staff is friendly and very helpful. Try Niagara cafe if you have a hankering for REAL Puerto Rican food! read more

My favorite is the carne frita. Everything they make is good though. This is the type of place that everyone can come to and leave satisfied. read more

Fantastic food. Always super friendly, very personable, and very helpful. It is a hidden gem and absolutely delicious. My favorite are the beef, steak, and chicken pasta Leo's. The rotisserie chicken is always fresh and outstanding! The Platano's, which are fried plantains, are to die for. Everything that I've had here is delicious, all while at a low price! read more

My favorite restaurant in Buffalo took a step down with my last visit. First, tostones are no longer included in their meal, which also means their tomato/garlic crack sauce that goes w/ the tostones no longer comes w/ it. You now have to pay $0.15 for it. Also, the pork was dry which was disappointing b/c it's normally really juicy. If it's going to continue to be this dry, the 15 cents will be essential to get the tostones sauce w/ it. read more

Amazing Puerto Rican food and very cheap. I love the rice and pernil (pork). Service is always fast and the ladies behind the counter are very friendly. The other food they sell is delicious as well. Highly recommend, especially for lunch! read more

I have eaten many times at Niagara Cafe. The food has always been consistently good. I love the chicken and rice! Each time that I've went they've always had a good crowd. Be sure to bring cash though, as they do not currently accept credit cards. Last I saw, there was an atm on site for anyone who needed it. read more

I absolutely adore Niagara Cafe. Pastellios are always on point and the chicken is always so juicy. They only accept cash but I'll happily make the trip to the bank for the promise of tostones. read more

The most delicious Hispanic food in Buffalo!!!!! That rotisserie chicken is the best I've ever tasted! And the prices are reasonable!

I'm giving Niagara Cafe only 3 stars because the meat sometimes may be under seasoned but the prices are great. I don't taste the "love" in the food. Not a spot I come and order too much from, but if your feeling lazy and don't want to cook this is a good spot to get dinner read more

Authentic as can be. Great food. I ate the fried chulettas with the rice and beans. My other half had 1\4 white chicken dinner w rice and beans. One beef and one chicken pastilletto later and it was nap time. Fresh food. Good service. Priced right. Will return for sure. 25+ visits already read more

These people are so gracious and the food is fantastic. I had no idea what to expect and they nailed it! Highly recommended. White meat with a salad on the side felt very healthy yet filling. read more

Man, if I dropped dead right now I would die with a smile on my face. Just ate my favorite meal from Niagara Cafe.....the roast pork dinner. I have eaten here numerous times over the years and the food is always fabulous. I don't know what they do....but they do it right! You cannot find this food anywhere else in Buffalo. If you have not been here, you must go! The menu is not large, but what they have will satisfy. The taste and quality is consistant, and portions are generous. If you plan on going for lunch you must go early, or call ahead for takeout. The small seating area is always packed and the line to order takeout is usually out the door. They only accept cash, but do have an ATM inside(so when you see all the delish food and order way too much you can get extra cash). This is the one restaurant where I never offer to share! read more

Excellent food and overall great prices! This is one of those places you go too once in a while and wonder why you don't go more often. We're quite a bit a ways from Niagara Cafe! My only pet peeve with the cash is they only accept CASH, so just be for warned! read more

Great simple Puerto Rican food. The roast pork and fried chicken were fantastic. The spicy sauce is amazing--we took extra home!.I recommend the plantains... read more

Holy cow (or should I say chicken?) I LOVE this place! First, bring cash (unless you want to pay astronomical ATM fees, this place does not take credit cards), but not a lot of cash. I love that I can get a ton of food for under $7. I always get the same thing; I'm a creature of habit. My usual: white rice (yellow rice w/pigeon peas tastes identical to me),beans and an order of tostones with extra mojito sauce (always always always pay for extra sauce... It's excellent on the rice and on the chicken if you get it). Second, staff is fantastic. I've seen the same family-run faces there for the past 16 years. Third, this is super casual, almost dive-y, but you'll see everyone from locals, to cops, to business folk enjoying the Puerto Rican cuisine. Lastly, be prepared to be insanely thirsty about 2 hours after indulging! Happens every time, but the food is amazeballs. read more

I am definitely a fan. As a first timer here, the food was delicious and plentiful--slow roasted, pork roast, rice and beans, plantains (and took rotisserie chicken to go!) all so flavorful. Very casual atmosphere. It was a very busy place, but great service. Inexpensive and a varied menu of homemade dishes. Try it you will be happy you did! read more

Can you say Goldmine? I had the deep-fried, half moon crunchy meat turnover to start and the half chicken with rice and beans. The food was fantastic! The rush is real though, we got there promptly at 11:45 and the staff was prepared for the lunch rush without any problems! The location may not be perfectly ideal but, the quality, price and overall experience makes it unique in its own respect. If you don't at least try their lunch, you're silly. i highly recommend this for lunch or dinner. Cheers! read more

Their food is awesome, but the waitresses in the evening have been pretty rude. I've stood for 10 minutes without being acknowledged or had my order taken. If you're willing to put up with bad service, the food is worth it. read more

If you're looking for authentic Puerto Rican food, this is the place to go! Don't let the looks of Niagara Cafe turn you away. The food is mouthwatering. I highly recommend the pollo guisado w/ yellow rice and beans and the pastelillos! read more

They probably have the absolute best rotisserie chicken that I have ever eating. Always most with nice crispy skin. The yellow rice and beans are amazing as well! Portion sizes are great, and prices are even better! I can feed my family of 4 for just under $20 with the family pack! If you have never been here then you are seriously missing out! read more

My go to when I don't feel like cooking and feel the craving for rice and beans. I've only gotten rotisserie chicken with the yellow rice (healthier options) I'm not the hugest pernil fan I prefer Cubanos por eso but I'm sure it's good here read more

Tried this out last night and I have to say, this was some awesome food and extremely authentic. Very busy place, and they only take cash. If necessary, there is an ATM on the premises. Worth it! read more

The rotisserie chicken is ALWAYS tender and juicy! Very reasonably priced but the service is a little subpar. No matter, it's completely worth the wait! read more

So many great things to choose from! Can someone please tell what the red sauce they sever with the tostones and the sweet plantains? I could drink it plain! read more

-Best rice. I can't stay much about the other stuff cuz I never get anything but rice n pork or chicken and the meat usually good. Sometimes too salty. read more

Had a pretty awful experience eating at this restaurant. From the start the staff was unprofessional, the lady who became our server was rude and impatient. When we got our food the beans had a weird smell and had to ask for some new ones. Overall the customer service was bad, the food wasn't fresh and would not recommend this place. read more

I absolutely love this place! I'm Columbian and have been around a lot of great food of this nature my entire life and I have to say this is pretty good! I always get the pernil of stewed chicken with rice beans and plantains! My boyfriend gets the pastalitos every time but I don't.. They look a little dry and to plain for my taste but I also make them about once every two weeks in large amounts so I'm a pro at this point and very picky with them! I would recommend not eating inside the staff is definitely rude and it doesn't seem like it would be the great of an experience just get it to go! If you do get it to go make sure you check everything before leaving, they're very busy and forget little things you ask for! read more

This is straight up the food you will eat at home if your mom was puerto rican. It can't get more 'authentic" than this. For those that want to adventure into puerto rican food, remember is not "spicy hot" nor it has tacos or guacamole. This is the food that people cook everyday. To put the food in context. Puerto Rico is a very small island, and because of the use of its lands for cash crops, the amount of fresh fruits and vegetables in large quantities is limited, most of our food is imported (compared to thai food etc). Because of poverty, we learned to use the cheapest cuts of beef and pork and make really good food. Plaintains, rice, and beans are stable in our day to day meals, since rice and beans are cheap to import and plaintains can be found in any backyard. This food is really soul food. Its filling, its very tasty, has a lot seasoning, and some options are really healthy and others well are worth the blocked coronary (like the fried pork that is soooo good). This is home-cooked no preservative/msg food. Remember, you come here for the food, not for the service. This is like going to your aunts house. she will ask what do you want, serve you, and continue with her work. Don't expect a waiter doing everything to serve you. But who cares when the food is so good and cheap????? What to try? The chicken, the pernil (rosted pork) or biftec encebollado (marinated steak with onions). Try the potato fritter (a ball of seasoned mash potatoes with ground beef inside and deep fried), the tostones (fried plaintains, all my friends love it), the yellow rice with beans. Try the jugo parcha (passion fruit juice). Hope you enjoy this as much as we do! read more