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    The Why Coffee Shop

    4.3 (154 reviews)
    Open 8:00 am - 1:30 pm

    The Why Coffee Shop Photos

    Business Info

    THE WHY COFFEE SHOP ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Divey
    Moderate noise
    Good for kids
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - The Why Coffee Shop

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    Steven C.

    This place is exactly what it appears to be, a diner where people can relax, get ready for court, catch up, read the paper. Everyone knows each other, friendly waitresses. If you sit at the counter, you can watch them prepare the food. The food is always good, fresh ingredients. The coffee cup never goes empty. I've enjoyed this place for over 30 years when I find myself in Niagara Falls. It's right down the street from the municipal courthouse, and enjoys a mix of lawyers with their clients, retired people with their friends, regular working folks, all friendly.

    The midcentury curving charm of the vintage Formica counter had me at "hello" ....

    Love this groovy original in the heart of Niagara Falls/Buffalo NY. Rona is the proprietor- her dad started the joint in 1979 and she has worked there since she was a kid helping her dad out behind the counter. This is the real deal. It was such a pleasure eating my yummy veggie omelet, toast and coffee at the counter as Rona and the team buzzed around making everyone happy. This local midcentury coffee shop has been featured in films and enjoyed by locals for years!

    Menu
    Crystal O.

    Looking for a back to basics breakfast where all the locals eat? This is your place! Retro look had us wondering how much was original- with the red, orange and yellow pendant lights, wood paneling covered walls and the old school candy bar dispenser. The prices are fab- again old school, cash only and you can grab breakfast, coffee and tip for two under $20- just say yes! The counter was filled with blue collar workers that Monday morning, another good sign for me. Street parking is available- we found an easy spot just before it poured rain. Service was spot on, fast and friendly. Just a great mom and pop vibe, local diner establishment. So happy The Why popped up as an option close to us!

    the entrance to the store
    Sara D.

    Take-out only due to COVID-19 times. One needs to phone order and then go in to pay cash only. I ordered Breakfast #3 and a hot chocolate. The eggs done to order, home fries, bacon, and buttered toast. So, I hopped back into the car and ate my breakfast. Yummy! The hot chocolate was better than most places. They provided salt & pepper, catchup packets, jam, utensils, napkin., Then, I was off to walk the Niagara Stare Park.

    Location- CASH ONLY
    Michelle C.

    The Overall- CASH ONLY, less than $10.00 per person (price of average drink included), good and fast service, tasty food and a clean establishment. The breakdown- While driving back from Niagara Falls, we were craving a good breakfast. Seven of us traveling with two kids. Our family was looking for an inexpensive place to start off our day. Found this place via Yelp and we were reluctant to visit it since the prices are insanely cheap and it just looked too good to be true. Nevertheless, we decided to trust our Yelp community and the reviews. Don't let the shady look fool you, this place is great! It might not look like a lot, but prices of sides and full entrées vary from $2.00 to $5.75 (most expensive entrée on the menu). Service was fast and friendly, food was surprisingly tasty (server mentioned their home fries are seasoned with "adobo") with fair proportions and coffee was decent. Establishment has been operating since the late 70s, so yeah, it looks old school and like it could use some TLC, but ambience is homey, with friendly and polite locals and everything is sneaky clean. Would visit again if possible.

    Stopped here for breakfast while visiting Niagara Falls area. Great prices, great food, breakfast for 2 with coffee for less than $20! Fast friendly service and hot fresh food!

    Menu
    Kimberly T.

    I m headed back to Brooklyn, and we decided to grab breakfast first. We chose this shop after searching Yelp and seeing the menu. It is a small diner with a friendly atmosphere. The food was good. I eggs tasted fresh and not from a carton. The bacon was just right for me. My pancakes were lighter in color than I like but good. Coffee was also good. It is small in size, so you will more than likely have to wait to be seated. I highly recommend trying this place if you are in the area whether local or tourist.

    Bob M.

    This little family owned dinner was a perfect stop to start our day. They only take cash so make sure you got some cash on you, but with that everything on the menu is very reasonably priced. The food came very quick and looked awesome. Everything tasted great. We got a lot of food and the bill was under $20. I'm a big fan of little dinners and small family owned places, they always feel more homey.

    This is the lunch menu
    CaptainRavioli 1.

    This place is awesome! I'd really recommend it. The food is great, and it's not super expensive! If you're looking for something hearty and filling, come down here to this lovely coffee shop :)

    Davey Dog (spicy sauce)
    Miguel L.

    Cash only breakfast and lunch place around Main St. Niagara Falls. Went there during weekends and usually not very busy. Food prices are very cheap and foods were tasty. Tried their cheeseburger and Davey dog and they were really good. Will definitely come back to grab a quick and cheap lunch.

    Antwan M.

    In the mood for some great food at a low price, I'm telling you The Why Coffee Shop is the place to be. I mean it was a full house this morning but the wife and I waited anyhow. Took about 20min to get a seat but once we did service was quick. The waitress took our drink orders immediately, waited for our food for like 10min but like I said it was busy and we knew that. Overall the food was great and the ambiance was nice and relaxing. Would highly recommend this place for a quick bite to eat for such a low price!

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    9 months ago

    Excellent customer service, great locals vibe, and top notch breakfast sandwiches. Diner coffee at its best.

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    1 year ago

    Quick delicious breakfast! Price, food, service was perfect!!! Just a no-nonsense coffee shop!

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    4 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Breakfast and service was great. Coffee always stayed full and eggs were cooked perfect.

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    3 years ago

    Simple and satisfying breakfast food. Lots of locals were eating there. Service was good. Cash only no CC . Would go there again

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    5 years ago

    Less then 10 dollars, mom and pop community diner. Perfect portion. Fasts service a great place to start the day. Old school place.

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    4 years ago

    Great breakfast spot close to the park. We liked it so much we had breakfast here 2 days in a row.

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    Page 1 of 4

    Ask the Community - The Why Coffee Shop

    Review Highlights - The Why Coffee Shop

    I was visiting Niagara Falls and there's not much to do here so I was so glad I found this Great diner!

    Mentioned in 13 reviews

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    The Griffon Gastropub

    The Griffon Gastropub

    4.5
    (1.4k reviews)
    3.5 mi
    $$

    We had a incredible time, after having some rough waiters in Canada we came down with our family of…read more11 and they sat us immediately. The waitress, who had a pony tail and was incredibly sweet to us was excellent. The chicken and waffle was the perfect blend of seasoning and cooking with the maple syrup being incredible. She gave us donuts to go and they were incredible, I would highly recommend.

    While staying in the area I looked at reviews for something decent and came across this place -…read moreGetting there around noon on a weekday, they were rather busy, so I sat at the bar and within a few minutes it was completely packed at the bar. Service from the bartender was great. He offered up some suggestions, which I needed because they have a large menu loaded with so many appetizing and amazing looking options. I started with their potstickers... They came out with a hard, fried shell and the dipping sauce went nicely with them. Enough to share, or even enough to enjoy and still have room for an entrée. My main dish was their Chicken & Waffle. This isn't some ordinary chicken and waffle, it's definitely an amped up version, made with unique and interesting ingredients, culminating in great flavors! The chicken was so large and very tender - it was amazing! The bacon and sauce on top went with it nicely, and the chive waffle was great with it! Each bite was definitely amazing! This was a great experience, I can see why they have so many reviews and such high stars, those are well-deserved stars!! Definitely recommend stopping in here!

    Photos
    The Griffon Gastropub
    Fish and chips
    Fish and chips
    Hala Wallah

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    Hala Wallah
    Triple D's Diner

    Triple D's Diner

    4.0
    (40 reviews)
    3.3 mi
    $

    Service was pleasant enough but I didn't get a coffee refill as quickly as I would have liked…read more Food overall was solidly average. It took forever to get (tables who were seated after us got their food before us) and we didn't order anything complicated or unusual. The breakfast potatoes were the best part of my meal. Not bad, just not exceptional.

    We had come here on a Monday morning during a long weekend; despite it being a holiday, almost…read moreevery table was filled with guests. We were seated after a few minutes at a table in the corner, which had enough room for the four of us. I had settled on the Triple D breakfast, while my husband had settled on the eggs benedict, and my kids the French toast bites and kids egg breakfast. Overall, the food was well-portioned, and cooked well. We could tell that the ingredients were fresh, and that the chef took his/her time to cook the meal, as the eggs were cooked completely through. Considering the prices that we had paid, we were stuffed, and didn't have to eat until later on in the evening. The food did take long though, and we had to wait in-line for a bit to pay for the bill. Service was good, as the waitress came to check on us a few times during our meal. Overall, a great place to start the day!

    Photos
    The special breakfast with 2 eggs, 2 toast, bacon, and potatoes
    The special breakfast with 2 eggs, 2 toast, bacon, and potatoes
    My breakfast- stuffed French toast and coffee. The stuffed French toast had Nutella, fresh strawberries and bananas
    My breakfast- stuffed French toast and coffee. The stuffed French toast had Nutella, fresh strawberries and bananas
    French Toast Bites

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    French Toast Bites
    Salisa's

    Salisa's

    4.3
    (48 reviews)
    6.1 mi
    $$

    Amazing people! Delicious food!! Huevos Rancheros was fabulous and the kids meals were priced…read moreright. Great spot!!

    I really like the people who work at this place, so I feel badly giving the place less than 4…read morestars, but I like to be honest in my reviews re my experience. And the place is not bad by any means... clearly from the reviews people cherish this place. We walked in at about 1130am on Sunday and it was packed. The door opens right into a table for one person, and from there, there is a counter (typical for diners), and the three other sides are bordered with booths. The entire middle is packed with tables and chairs. It's really, really tight in here. The ambience is nice, with photos and paintings of old cars, old planes... We waited a little while to be seated in a corner booth, which was nice. My daughter liked her pancakes, my wife really liked her eggs. The eggs and bacon were perfectly done, IMO. We got apple juice and orange juice, which were little bottles of Apple & Eve. I asked for the sandwich "Roast Beef and Gravy." When it arrived... I thought it was something covered with mole, but then realized it was my sandwich completely covered with gravy, and I wouldn't be able to eat it as a sandwich. Usually, when a sandwich like this is served smothered in gravy (and therefore needs to be eaten with a knife and fork), it is called "Hot Open Roast Beef Sandwich." In this case, the sandwich was served closed, so I would say "Roast Beef Sandwich smothered in Beef Gravy" on the menu. It would really help someone know what to expect. I really wanted to grab a sandwich with my hand and dip it into gravy. Knowing what kind of gravy it was would have been helpful, too. But I was disappointed that the roast beef itself was not hot. It wasn't cold, just kind of cool. Even the gravy was cool. It was strange. I ate the roast beef and left the bread for the most part. I would not recommend this dish unless they change it a bit. My wife left over her hash brown potatoes since they were kind of hard / chewy. All in all, and decent place for locals who can deal with a really tight space. It's fairly priced, for sure.

    Photos
    Salisa's
    The portion of Roast Beef in the sandwich was not very large, and it was not hot.
    The portion of Roast Beef in the sandwich was not very large, and it was not hot.
    Dining room

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    Dining room
    Stacked Pancake & Breakfast House

    Stacked Pancake & Breakfast House

    4.7
    (201 reviews)
    3.1 mi
    $$
    Family-owned & operated
    Free parking

    This place was just not good. We asked for scrambled eggs with cheeese and received scrambled…read moreeggs, which were dry & unseasoned, with cold shredded cheddar on top. I asked the waitress if the cheese could be melted & was told there was really no way to do it. It could be put under a heat lamp but that would take some time. We have asked for our eggs this way at other establishments and never received them like this. The bacon was floppy & needed to be cooked more. My daughter loves pancakes, but she wouldn't eat the ones here. I tasted them, and they were very dense, and tasted like they were from a not-so-great boxed mix. The sausage was good, as was the homemade strawberry jam, and the staff was great, but we won't be returning to any Stacks restaurants.

    This place is a must visit if you happen to be in Niagara Falls on the Canadian side…read more The food here is everything you want from an awesome break house. The creative way you can order your pancakes is limitless. I had the Stacked - 2 eggs cooked any way you want them,I ordered over medium which is hard to do and they came out perfect, hash browns, 2 bacon strips, 2 sausage links, with 2 incredible pancakes. I pluses up my pancakes with Nutella and bananas for $1.99 and that was well worth it! The service was great and friendly . Fast efficient team service model that worked perfectly. Our food was delivered hot and our coffee cups were never empty.

    Photos
    2 eggs, 2 bacon, 2 sausages, home fries (part of a Pancake Stack $13.99)
    2 eggs, 2 bacon, 2 sausages, home fries (part of a Pancake Stack $13.99)
    French Toast Stack ($14.99) with Strawberry Banana Nutella Cream (+$1.99)
    French Toast Stack ($14.99) with Strawberry Banana Nutella Cream (+$1.99)
    Table condiments

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    Table condiments

    The Why Coffee Shop - coffee - Updated August 2026

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