Had a wonderful meal right at the bar! Service was great and food (quesadillas) was awesome!

We order food from Papi Grande's often because we love it so much; it's our favorite Mexican. Then we tried their margaritas recently and are hooked! We have some sent most days of the week, especially with the ease and convenience of delivery. read more

My husband and I frequent this place often. We love the food and drinks. We especially love when Zach is our waiter. He is very attentive and always makes sure we have the best possible experience. I 100% recommend. read more

My first visit. Adequate outdoor seating, terrific entertainment on Thursday nights. Good drinks and fabulous staff. However all of that cannot make up for the poor quality food. It seemed authentic enough but my Enchiladas green had an over abundance of salsa verde, the tortilla appeared to be fresh made but the chicken inside was bone dry. Plus halfway thru my meal I found a hair in my dish! Management was accommodating and took it off of my bill. M husband had the shrimp taco which was very small and the chili which he enjoyed. Overall I would go back and have a few drinks at the bar but I will enjoy a meal elsewhere. read more

The service was excellent. Our server Zach was amazing and efficient. The food was amazing and flavorful. A return visit is a must.

Went for brunch today with a group of friends. Great food and great drinks! And what an awesome server...thanks Zach!!!

Zach was attentive and kind. He made our Sunday brunch get together very pleasant and fun. Cant wait to come back.

I didn't expect much here because it's kind of a college-y sports bar type of restaurant, but the food is really amazing. I haven't found a lot of good Mexican in Buffalo, but Papi Grande's has great dishes. The dining room has been very quiet the last few times I've gone, so I've enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere. read more

The $5 margaritas are ok, but everything else is bad...really bad. Ordered the pozole... it was the saddest bowl of an attempt at pozole I'd ever seen. The tacos? Hard shelled from a box probably. The waitress was so "busy" came to us once in 30min but we counted the tables in the Resturant area, only 5 tables...I mean it was a Tuesday night. The food then took one hour as my friends ordered 3tacos and a quesadilla. Seriously, goto Taco Bell next door. read more

my boyfriend and I were going to see a movie, we ended up getting there early so we decided to have a quick drink here which was right next door. The bartender was absolutely ignorant. She walked past me and my boyfriend 3 times didn't acknowledge us at all. Didn't even make eye contact or even say "hey I'll be right with u" she wasn't even that busy, maybe 5 other people at the bar. She took care of everyone else but me and my boyfriend who's black. Low key think she was racist. absolutely terrible and I will never come back!! read more

The margarita was terrible, they brought me the wrong entrée and when it was replaced that dish was less than to be desired. What a let down. read more

Maya C was a really great waitress. She clearly had a lot of tables and did a great job keeping tabs on everyone despite being the only one working. read more

First time visit during lunch. Went as a family - 2 teens, my husband and I. Didn't love it, didn't hate it - was just okay. Service was good; quick and friendly. Lunch specials were priced well and portions were decent, but ultimately we just didn't love the food. Husband got 3 tacos (steak, shrimp, and fish) and only enjoyed the fish. He found the others to be over seasoned/salty. I got the lunch Chimi. Chicken inside was good but the queso very salty and just tasted off. None of us liked the rice or beans here and usually we can't get enough of these sides at other Mexican places. Not a lot of flavor - just salt. Everything tasted more processed than fresh. Can't comment on the drinks/bar since we didn't imbibe but bar area was large and open. Might go back for a happy hour if I was invited to one, but Papi Grande is definitely not on my list of places to return to. read more

I will make this short because there was one positive thing about this entire dining experience. The food was terrible, but the shrimp was good. The bartender was the most smug, cockiest guy I ever met ( he must have forgotten that he is middle aged and working at a very mediocre Mexican restaurant). The decor is tacky and the place is not clean. The only saving grace was our server Joy. She was awesome and did her best to remedy our terrible experience. Waste of time and money. I would avoid this sad, sad restaurant. read more

Came to Papi Grande's in hopes of finding a new go to mexican restaurant. When we walked in, the first thing we saw was a drunk man at least in his late 40s loudly yelling at girls (who were young enough to be his daughters) to come get free drinks with him. Despite this red flag we wanted to give the place a try. The waitress was very friendly and attentive to whatever we needed. The problem however was with the food. The menu was promising but the food we ordered just tasted of salt. salt salt salt. When we got the bill, the price was just made the night more upsetting. Definitely won't be coming back read more

Place sucks, I hate that it's conveniently next to the theatre I frequent. I end up eating their lack luster below average food too often

Come here once a week after work for margaritas. Anthony is the best bartender! The food is good too. read more

Papi Grande's - Mexican Near Me - Amherst, New York

NACHOS ARE HUGEEEE! Bigger than fuccillo huge. I came for an app and food and the app satisfied myself and my husband. These are some serious chos. You like pickled cabbage? You like pickled onion? How bout that queso?? Wait do you actually like chicken in your chicken nachos?? CAUSE THEY GOT ITTT!!! 112/10 recommend. Oh and their jalapeño margarita? Yeah it slaps. read more

First time dining there. The food was a bit underwhelming. The chips & carnita taco was excessively salted & the queso was pasty. The restaurant was clean & the service that Olivia provided was exceptional. Equally impressive was Kyle (Manager) who went out of his way on multiple occasions to ensure we were happy. As a result of their service, we'll give it another try. read more

I'm having a tough time understanding the negative reviews for Papi Grande. Honestly I've been here maybe 10 times and almost every time the food has been excellent. Let's start with what this place is. It's a Mexican restaurant with your standard fare (large burritos, enchiladas, chimmies, etc) done well. Plates are generally large and some stuff (like the tequila lime dressing on the salad) are surprisingly way better than I'd ever imagine they be. There's a nice draft list with 10+ beers, many of them local. Margaritas are made from scratch and the sangria has been excellent every time I've been. Yes, the prices touch the $10-15 range instead of $8-$10 at some other Mexican places, but to me the difference in price is negligible. Also, the service has been so incredibly friendly...like best I've had in months friendly! Now what should you NOT expect? This is standard Mexican fare. You won't get the originality of Lloyd, La Divina, or Casa Azul, nor will you get an extensive craft cocktail list. But if you're just looking for a great meal then definitely check it out. read more

Papi Grande's is the perfect place to go if you're looking for bland, overpriced, non-authentic Mexican food. It's really just not good at all. I live 30 seconds away so I've tried it a few times and I REALLY want to like it, but it's severely underwhelming. I've had their tacos and quesadillas and they are just completely flavorless. Also, the last time I went my quesadilla was slightly burnt so it just tasted like slightly charred bread and cheese. I think they literally just take a tortilla and put a little bit of cheese on it and fry it up. There's NO flavor. My boyfriend got a chicken taco salad and it was just unseasoned shredded chicken in a bowl with lettuce and beans for $10. Maybe non-Mexican people shouldn't open up Mexican restaurants? However, they do have good margaritas, so stopping by for their happy hour might be worth it. Just don't order anything to eat. ALSO, Google says they are open until 11, but they aren't. I walked in once around 9 and they were closing down. I was like "oh, sorry, Google says you guys are open until 11" and the manager basically told me that they just close whenever and that I should "call ahead if I'm planning on coming later than 9". He was very nice about it but still... a little misleading. read more

My son and I was early to see the movie secret life of pets 2! We were hungry, so I suggested we try this place! First time here! Zoe was our waitress and she was AWESOME! It was happy hour and we got Sangrias, which were $5 and huge! The food was delicious and plentiful! I got the chimichanga and my son got the chicken fajitas stir fry! Yummy!Great atmosphere! Highly recommend! read more

I never write reviews but this place was so bad I have to. First off, the food was awful. It was terrible presentation, poor quality and outrageous in price. For $65 we got a margarita which was small and served in one of those $1 store cactus cups, a draft beer which was flat, some queso and store bought tortilla chips, fajitas and a quesadilla. The fajita came with two tiny shells and the chips came from a bag because most were broken. The chicken was diced so thin and small it was like no meat at all. There was very little flavor or seasoning on anything. There was one server in the entire place and she was also tending to the bar. Presentation of the food was awful. It was slopped together on MIS matched plates and looked totally unappealing. I feel like I got robbed here. Even if the food was half the price though, it would still be too much because it was awful. I can't imagine anyone would come here more than once. Their only saving grace is they are next to a movie theater so they probably get patrons that way. I will be shocked if they last much longer with how it is now. read more

Papi Grande's - Store bought chips - Mexican Near Me - Amherst, New York

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Slow service and stale chips. The salsa had a sour flavor, like the tomatoes were on the border of rotten. The Margarita was good. One thing about dining at a Mexican restaurant is that the food generally arrives quickly after being ordered. This was not the case here. We waited close to 30 minutes before getting our meal. I had already finished my Margarita and she asked if I cared for another. I quickly responded with a no, but our dinner would be nice. It came quickly after that. The "build your own tacos" come with three tacos. There was enough lettuce, cheese and pico di gallo for one taco. Bland rice and weird flavor in the beans. Overpriced and not authentic.... won't return. read more

Wouldn't even say average Mexican restaurant. Took 45 mins for our food and 20 for our drinks. You'd be better off going to Taco Bell than this place. Food was below average and lacking flavor. Only thing was large portion sizing, but that doesn't matter when you've waited for your food, it's cold, and now you've missed your movie at the AMC becuase they forgot to make your order and rush it. A couple that came in after us got their food and already left meanwhile my friend was now on his 4th beer. My chicken quesadilla was hardly that. It was mostly peppers, and the peppers were bigger than the small cubed chiken that was stuffed in there. There was barely even cheese, so I basically paid to eat peppers. At least the rice on the side was good. That was about it. I know it's not the waiters fault, as he kept checking on us. And the place wasn't even packed. There were three other people sitting at booths and two at the bar. If the food had been given to us, and wasn't. Obviously rushed, and tastes food I'd be willing to give more stars. I'm willing to wait for good food. But for bland food that caused me to miss my movie? A hard pass. So, the next time you're 2 hours early for a movie just remember I Would have been better off paying for overpriced popcorn. read more

My husband and I went to Papi Grande's after a movie at AMC. Being Cinco de Mayo weekend, it was nice to hear live music from the bar; we were seated in the dining room. We were disappointed that there was a special menu for the holiday as we had already viewed the menu online. Not a big deal as the shortened version still had many Mexican favorites to choose from. Our server was excellent and brought complimentary chips & salsa and our drinks quickly. We ordered the guac, as well, and it was ok....missing lime juice and a little heat. My pet peeve in restaurants is when the entrees are brought when the appetizer is still being eaten. Happened here..... My husband ordered the chicken burrito and liked it but the chicken was over shredded, almost pureed. I had the tres tacos, soft shell, one of each protein. The sodium content was extremely high in the proteins and in the beans that accompanied both meals. I probably wound return for drinks and those chips & salsa but not for dinner. read more

Not a fan at all. We went to the theater with two of our grandchildren and we're hungry afterwards. Papi Grande's had a sign "free quest with 2 movie ticket purchases so we thought Mexican sounded good. It definitely isn't Mexican! The nachos were horrible. I think our granddaughter ate 3 bites. The retried beans were dry and tasted like they came out of a can. Plus, I've never had to pay for our chips and salsa before. Our server explained that the chips were free but it was $2.95 for the salsa. We had a lot of salsa left but no chips and our server never brought extra. The bill for 3 adults and 2 kids was $90! Definitely not worth it ! read more

I was here about a week ago and found meat in my food ... I ordered a vegetarian rice bowl, if I eat meat I have a severe reaction. Do not plan on eating here again. read more

'A wild goose chase for the best baked chips ones mouth has ever tasted' It was a Thursday afternoon when my friend and I entered for lunch. I had raved to her about how amazing Papi Grande's chips and queso had been just a week before when I ordered them. This time around I ordered the appetizer thinking I would get the same delicious chips as I did last time, I WAS WRONG. Once the phoney chips came out I described to the waitress what the chips were like when I had them last time. They were more than just a tortilla, they were like heaven. We chatted back and forth and she ran back to the kitchen to try and solve our mystery. The waitress seemed very frazzled for some reason, she was running around like a chicken with her head cut off even after the chip debacle was solved. The confusing part was there was only one other table in the restaurant to be tended to??? Once we finally figured out what the mystery chips were, we got an order of the goods. I have to say the customer service was off the chain. Despite our waitress's confusion and interesting behavior, we had a very positive experience thanks to the queso, chips, good ol' customer service and life in shambles entertainment. read more

Had to change from five star original to one. Wanted to sit outside- asked bartenders and said to pick a table and she would send someone out. Well- never happened and after 15 minutes we left. What a shame! read more

I walked out of there questioning if this was a real-life experience or if I was dreaming lol. That's how bad this place was. My husband and I walk in there to have quick lunch while we waited for our glasses to be worked on down the street. I ordered a piña colada because on the menu achy with a big slice of pineapple and umbrella everything, and then my husband just got water and soda. The drinks came and you did not have any kind of decoration, it was just plain margarita and a plain glass for maybe a soda. So I was a little it down but whatever I didn't come for part of life and umbrella I guess. I came for the really good Mexican food! LOL. Lolol So they give you free chips and salsa on the table and then my husband ordered three pulled pork tacos, and I got the chicken and shallot is what comes with rice and beans. The food took probably about 20 minutes which I don't think it's too bad, but when it came it was highly disappointed. The enchiladas literally were sprinkled with lettuce like from a premade salad bag.there was so much of the enchilada sauce on the dish that it look like almost Parmesan and shallot is. The sauce had a lot of kick to it, and I love spicy, but this was just too much to where it was overpowering all the taste of the food.but you could tell it was not fresh. The meat inside was very dry, and the whole thing was just all bad. The greens were not even portion of what you could put on your meal as a side dish. It literally was not even a centimeter high of beans. The rice was discussed the seasoning was only piece in my box rice. My husband who is a sham was so disgusted with his meal but he was starving so I kept eating as much as he could. We're pretty sure that the port is frozen when it's brought in because when you pick it up at literally just drips of water. Everything was just honestly disgusting. I would love Gordon Ramsay to come into this place and shake this restaurant up. The decorations are very kitchy and cheap, with a dose Equis poster, A few full-size pictures of people with their faces cut out that you can go stick your Zen, so the stringers, some banners, all junk. And then some of the cushions on the booths are all ripped up which I noticed as we walked past him while being seated. I would never go here again. Anyone who reads this restaurant over a one or two star rating, obviously has never had real authentic Mexican food, from a clean fresh looking establishment read more

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A little pricey and average food selection. Hostess was very nice, brought us a new burrito when first one was too spicy. Unfortunately my daughter got really sick after eating their food. Not going to risk that again. read more

Food was great and the service was very friendly. They were dealing with the water boil advisory so we had lots of disposable dishes but they were humble, gracious and the food was excellent! Shrimp was perfection! I'd recommend either the shrimp tacos or fajitas! read more

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Been here three times now.. here's my experience. The good: - Owner is super nice guy. His dad, who owns an interior decorating company, is also a good guy.. met them the 1st two times in the place, very personable :) - I personally like the decor; feels a bit like a chain in terms of the polished look, but is actually just a local restaurant.. neat! - The salsa has a nice smokey flavor to it - My fried corn fritter appetizer last night was DELICIOUS - Beer/tap and drinks are decent - My appetizer came out the same time as the meal. Although this is normally a bad thing, I put it on the "good" list since it was the only thing on the table with flavor, and made my meal better as a result :-) - Outdoor Patio... yay! The not so good: - Tacos (both times ordered) are bland and lackluster. Not at all authentic West-Coast Mexican... and not really East Coast either. Minimal ingredients. Minimal flavor.. if any. - The salsa is drippy thin/watery.. and although I like the flavor, it has no heat/spice... at all - Taco salad (had last night) was a large helping, but again... no flavor. In any mouthful, I COULDN'T TELL IF I WAS EASTING THE CHICKEN, CARNE ASADA, OR JUST THE ICEBERG LETTUCE... they all tasted the same! (although I did like the soft fattiness of the carne asada) - Food arrived cold.. mildly warm at best - Open umbrella on outdoor patio... on a clear full-moon NIGHT... blocked the minimal lighting so I had to use my flashlight to see the menu, and constantly dodge the table pole to see my daughter on the other side. I give it 2-stars because I like the decor and drinks aren't bad. If you're going for drinks and appetizers, it's worth visiting.. going for a meal... I can't recommend. read more

My family and I were deciding on a place to go to dinner when my boyfriend mentioned this place. We looked up the Yelp reviews and while they weren't that promising we decided to give the place a try anyway. We are glad that we did, we had a blast! I only am giving 4 stars but I would give 4.5 if it was a choice. We walked in around 7 pm on 3/26/16 with 6 people and were seated right away. Our server Hunter came over right away and was friendly. He brought us a drink menu and that is where I would take away the .5 star. I just thought it was a little lacking. There are a few traditional margaritas, a smoky margarita, sangria, a Mexican bloody Mary and a Mexican mule. They also have a decent selection of craft beer (but to be honest I didn't look at the list) and they have a few glasses of wine. I ordered a strawberry margarita on the rocks and it was good. My sister wanted a jalapeno margarita which was not on the menu but Hunter made happen and it was pretty good. My boyfriend had 2 Mexican mules and they were really good! My mom and cousin also had margaritas that were good. The red sangria that we tried was not that good which is disappointing. The chips that came out were crispy and delicious but the salsa was a little bland and watery. We ordered queso and guacamole for the table which were very good. Between all of us we ordered the 3 taco meal, a burrito bowl, a chicken dish, a enchilada and something else and we all thought the food was really good! Everything was fresh and hot when it arrived and just really good. Hunter was very accommodating and fun! We were a pretty rowdy table and the restaurant was kinda quiet but I think Hunter liked it! He even changed the radio for us upon request. The restaurant is also affordable. With 6 entrees, two dips and 12 drinks between us we paid about $30 a person. We had a very good time and we will be back again only if we can have Hunter as our waiter! But he better have Malibu for me next time. read more

great staff & great food highly recommend! kate was our bartender & took great care of us! looking forward to all of the events this summer!

3/19/16 - I stumbled upon this place after going to the movies, there was no signage on the building but they had promotional billboards up. We are avid Mexican food fans so we thought we'd give it a whirl for lunch. I had the Burrito w/carnitas, the wife had the Quesadilla w/chicken and my daughter had a kids quesadilla. The food came fairly quickly, hot and tasted amazing. Waaaay better than Tolteca (American cheese on Mexican food?! WTF!) or El Palenque. The portions were very generous, enough to to take home for dinner. The salsa was a bit bland and definitely mild, but don't let that fool you. Our waiter, Alex, was friendly and provided excellent service. He had said the they had some issues with previous chefs but thinks they have it figured out. I think so too. Overall, we were very happy with our experience and will be stopping by again soon. read more

I came to Papi Grande's on a Thursday night with a group of 5, as we saw it opened up in what used to be our old stomping grounds of The U. I was kind of surprised to see the nightclub had turned into a Mexican restaurant. The hostess greeted us and asked us if we wanted to eat on the patio and we said sure since the weather was nice. She sighed, saying it would be 10 minutes, so we said inside would be fine since we were pretty hungry, and she said it would still be 10 minutes and she ran away quickly. This was strange considering maybe 25% of the tables were full. Wouldn't you have tables set up and ready to go on a Thursday night for dinner? Strange. We were seated, the waitress was obviously brand new and it's hard to fault her completely for that. It looked like she was taking care of every table in the restaurant. We asked for waters to start and she said it would be 10 minutes. What is with this "10 minutes" thing?? I ordered the sangria, which tasted very strange and I can't quite put my finger on what it really tasted like, but it was not good. There was some mystery fruit in it that none of my party could figure out what it was. We were given chips and very bland salsa about 30 minutes after we were seated. We also had no silverware until 10 minutes after our food came out (what was the hostess doing for 10 minutes setting up the table?) As far as food, I got the chicken quesadilla. It was basic and edible, and that's why I am giving this place 2 stars. Another person in my party had the burrito bowl. I am glad I did not order that because it looked pretty awful, like a soggy salad. The service overall was pretty terrible, and each time we asked for a refill on our water or the check, the waitress said it would be 10 minutes. I fault the management more than the waitress herself because she seemed really overwhelmed. I more than likely will not be back, there are plenty of other restaurants that would fulfill that Mexican food craving, heck, I would even prefer Chipotle. read more

I just stopped in to Papi Grande's for lunch today 4/1/15. While it wasn't the worst experience I have ever had, it was certainly isn't worth another try for me. We were seated promptly and got drinks. We mentioned to the server that we were on our lunch and she assured us she had the kitchen move up our order. Well that didn't make much of a difference as it took almost an hour for our food. If you are on your lunch break avoid this place at all costs. I got 3 tacos, my friends the quesadilla and chimichanga. The food was less than stellar and overpriced. The rice was bland, and none of the food came with guacamole but they wouldn't known there was any problem with the food because our server never asked how it was. read more

Okay so first thing is first, this location is notorious for being a "flavor of the year" location, that is, stuff doesn't last long here. That said, Papi Grande appears to market themselves as a "Mexican themed restaurant" when really they should focus more on being a bar. The "Mexican" decorations are just tacky party fare purchased from the dollar store, little paper spinners with the word "Fiesta" on them, and streamers and paper balls. The outdoor decorum and furniture was clearly purchased at a local megastore. The tacky decorations should have set the bar for my expectations. My party sat down on their patio for food, however we stood around for about 5 minutes before anyone acknowledged us. Someone (not sure his role, he came out from the kitchen, confirmed there were 3 of us, and asked if we preferred inside or the patio, then he just disappeared, we watched him walk out to the patio (our preference) and then walk back into the kitchen, then come back out, walk behind the bar, then over to the restrooms and then never to be seen again. We theorized he was looking for a busboy (more on that later)). Finally we were sat, and the person who finally did was one of the two bartenders. I should also note, the bar was full. Once seated, the bartender continued to be our waiter, also not a good sign. While sitting in the patio, we noticed that there were about 6 empty tables with dirty dishes on them. Some of them had stacks of plates. My party ordered a few things, first, our drinks, A Cucumber margarita, A house sangria, and a beer. We waited 15 minutes for our drinks, but once they arrived, the mix drinks were great. No complains other than time taken. After receiving our drinks and placing an order we sat around for a long time waiting. We ordered Chips and Queso, Chips and Guac, Southwest Egg rolls, Chorizo, and Fried Ice cream. First off, the "Queso" tasted like Velveeta with a few drops of Tabasco added. No chunky tomatoes or onions or anything, it was completely smooth. They should make a house queso, especially considering we paid $5 for a bowl of Velveeta. The guacamole tasted like it came from a bag, there were a few small pieces of onion but mainly was just plain avocado, again, we paid $5 for this. The two "chips" came out in about 10 minutes, and then we waited nearly 35 minutes for the rest of our food to come out. Once it finally did.... The Chorizo I did not try, but I was told it just tasted like fried dough and powdered sugar, which I think is what its supposed to taste like? I'm unsure as I usually avoid it. I believe this item was $5. The southwest egg rolls we're not bad, but the ground beef they stuffed them with tasted off, like a low grade of meat or too high of a fat concentration (they were quite greasy) but the sauce and overall taste was OK. So far the only item that seemed to be worth the $10 it cost. The fried icecream was also decent, however I think it may have been over-fried, the shell on the scoop had a sort-of burnt marshmallow taste, and what I think was supposed to be chocolate? Was burnt to the metal plate. It came out steaming/smoking, which I think might be part of the display of the item, but it was like pouring steam/smoke (It was hard to tell if the sugar was smoking or the ice cream was steaming, likely both) The shell and icecream were good, but everything else on the plate was unpalatable. $5. Through the whole experience we saw our waiter / bartender 5 times, when he sat us and took our drink order, when he returned with our drinks and took our food order, he came by once, with part 1 of our food, and later with part 2, then the check. Overall my party spent about 90 minutes in the restaurant for 1 round of drinks and 3 appetizers and 2 desserts. In summary, there seems to be a serious staffing issue at this establishment. Bartenders need to stay in the bar. Waiters / waitresses should tend to the customers, even if they aren't in their section (and especially if a section is understaffed). They are in DIRE need of a busboy, or the Waitresses should step up and clean some tables, it looks filthy and sets a bad mood for future customers, seeing dirty tables. The chef, if there is one, shouldn't cut corners on ANYTHING, even if they're just appetizers, and should be ashamed for calling a few of these items homemade. The tacky decorations need to come down, it feels like a sad frat party when you walk through the inside. They can still keep the Mexican theme without the terrible "Oriental Trading" style decorations. They can fix everything by doing one thing, reducing the "food" side of their business. The food isn't great, they don't have the staff to keep going, and have had enough time to find them. Considering their location, being a full time bar makes way more sense for them. Their mix drinks are great, and being right next to a theater, people are more likely to stop in for drinks vs food. Focus on what you're good at! read more