This is the greatest Mediterranean restaurant in Buffalo. Amazing Chicken Shwarma, Falafel, and Shish-tawook. Get extra sauce.

This is probably the SECOND worst experience at this restaurant if even possible! My boyfriend sent me a skip the dishes order and they basically gave me an onion salad when it was suppose to be a Cesar salad ! Oh on top of that I asked for NO ONION !!! They gave me mayonnaise dressing to go with my "Cesar" onion salad ! The olives in this also are extremely old looking and I'm just in shock! I am so disgusted. My first experience here I found a hair in my food And my boyfriend who ordered this forgotten that this restaurant had hair in there food. The size of the salad was so small as well... didn't get to eat lunch what so ever also I have some lovely pictures of this salad ! I will never ever order from here again :( read more

Venus - Mediterranean Near Me - Buffalo, New York

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My co-worker gave me the hint to go to this restaurant. It's somewhat difficult to find but once you know where this hidden gem is, you'll be satisfied. Located in the Tops University Plaza (where the old Record City was), Venus offers some of the best Greek food in the city of Buffalo. The pita wraps are huge. I recommend both the Chicken Shawarma and the Chicken Souvlaki. The food is fresh and made to order. The tatziki sauce is some of the best I've ever had. If you are looking for a quick bite to eat that's relatively inexpensive, then Venus is the place to go. read more

Very Good Takeout. Since moving near Venus it's quickly become one of my favorite take out places in Buffalo. I say takeout because there's not really a dining room there, a handful of diner-style booths in the front and a high-top bar across a wall are the only seating. It's also not a sit-down kind of place, no servers or anything. For what it is Venus is a very good restaurant though, and they make excellent Mediterranean food. The hummus, falafel, chicken soulvaki, baba ghanoush, and pita bread are all great. I order the chicken soulvaki wrap every time I go there, it's amazing. I would recommend though that if they're going to be a Mediterranean restaurant they stick to that, and take items like chicken wings off the menu. I'm sure it's to cater the UB South crowd, but it kind of cheapens the overall focus of the food in my opinion. My only complaint with Venus is there is usually a greater than normal wait time to have your food ready to go after placing an order. Given that the food is as good as it is, this is something I will endure and continue going there, but they really should add extra help behind the line to speed up the service. I've waited over 25 minutes for food twice, and it wasn't anything crazy I ordered, which seems excessive for this kind of a restaurant. Now I simply call ahead a half hour and go pick up my order to avoid the long waits. read more

We just stopped for a quick bite after a movie, but everything was tasty and very friendly service. I had heard of kushari from a friend who visited Egypt and I was happy to try it at Venus. It's comfort food, like an Egyptian Pasta Fazool. Yum. The restaurant is very casual, with some stools and a counter and only a few tables. Most people were taking food to go when we stopped in. We're looking forward to returning to try more of the menu. read more

Ah, I hate it when a place I liked disappoints me the next time. Schwarma City was closed, they appear to be closed on Mondays. Went to Venus instead, they were hopping and it took a long time for my food, others were coming in, ordering, leaving with food while I waited. Finally got my beef schwarma and it was cold. Clearly it had been waiting or perhaps the rice was in the container for an extended time while the beef was cooking. I don't know but it was really cold. Food had almost no flavor, not like last time, but it tasted more like tuna than beef. I don't know how that happened. Not returning, sorry. read more

Definitely love the unique taste offered here at Venus. I first tried it about 3-4 years ago and was impressed with the chicken souvlaki wraps. They also have these yummy greek fries loaded with feta, onions, and tomatoes. I like how the prices here are not too expensive. You can't loose when you're in the mood for Mediterranean and not looking to break the bank! read more

It's an amazing spot that's conveniently located across UB. I can imagine many campus goers frequent this place not only because prices are great but the quality is just fresh and yummy. Vegetarians, Be clear and double check on your choice of platter or wrap before paying. I like the service. Plus, I always know if a place cares for customers by the maintenance of they're restrooms. Venus women's restroom is clean and smells good so fear not the washroom! read more

Venus - Vegetarian falafel wrap with steak fries! Yuummm - Mediterranean Near Me - Buffalo, New York

My favorite place in buffalo , I been coming to this place for years , I was there last night had my favorite mega shawarma with extra garlic sauce and delicious Greek fries , I had to bring my friends to try it also , they loved the music , decorations, clean , friendly stuff , they usually busy but still no mistakes , watever order u place they give it right never have any problems with them it's just the wait , for 4 people we waited for our food to come 20 mins wasn't bad at all for a dinner time and on Friday , want Thank you venus stuff and will be coming back read more

Venus - Favorite shawarma wrap with extra garlic sauce - Mediterranean Near Me - Buffalo, New York

The chicken schawarma platter and falafel plate were amazing. The hummus was smooth and tastes fresh. The baklava and rice pudding we fantastic. Sure, they were a bit slow, but I would assume that authentic food takes a bit longer than food that is bought frozen and prepared or sits all day so, we didn't mind at all. The restaurant was clean and bright; they look like they are still working out the layout and atmosphere they are trying to create, but for now, right next to a college campus, in a plaza, it is fine. We loved it and can see going back as long as they are open which we hope is a long time. Best of luck. read more

I've been going to this place since it opened. I stumbled on it on accident and absolutely fell in love. ALWAYS fresh ingredients, always quick service. All the people I've shown This business they've absolutely loved it. this is a family owned business and you can tell that the recipes are one of a kind. I can't think of one other place in western New York that had comparable food If you're a first timer you should try the Greek fries and chicken salvocki or if you're feeling real daring check out the lamb gyro. This place isn't even comparable to any other Greek/Mediterranean spot around here. read more

We placed our order at the counter. It took over 20 minutes to receive our order. The falafel was the worst I ever tasted. The rice with legislation dish had two kinds of macaroni added in - THAT is not middle eastern, that is cheap filler. The restaurant is dirty. Not professionally operated, managed, cooked, just plain bad. Sorry. read more

Extra stars for the nice prices and the beyond fabulous music videos. There is much better Middle Eastern food in Buffalo and I had just left the Dipson with an ethnic food virgin who must eat every 3 hours. The lamb from the gyro really does come off that vertical rolling thing (thank you, Fox) and I really like it. E.V. cut loose & ordered a chicken souvlaki salad and only asked "what's this?" three times. She did, however ask why there were Egyptian hangings on the walls when "Venus" was the Roman goddess of love. Oy! read more

Venus - Pretty yummy. - Mediterranean Near Me - Buffalo, New York

My first visit here will likely be my last. The gentlemen helping us out was quite friendly, however when my husband attempted to utilize a coupon from his phone, I know crazy technology, the woman arriving to determine its use was fairly rude and not at all helpful. Due to her attitude, and the food being -eh, okay at best- I am not rushing over for a second round. The sizes also turned me away a bit as the "mega" we had to work so hard to pay for was really quite close to a traditional taco/burrito one can order anywhere else. Think... Burrito Bay's "runt" when ordering the mega. read more

Venus - Chicken Souvlaki, because I just can't cheat on my standby - Mediterranean Near Me - Buffalo, New York

Came in and placed an order to sit down. Manager wouldn't tell me the difference between a mega and regular wrap. I ordered a regular gyro and fries and sat down. It took a half hour to get my food, and it was the smallest gyro I've ever seen. I requested no feta and it was there. The gyro meat was prepackaged, frozen garbage, probably microwaved to temperature. Not cheap, not fast, not good. Never again read more

I've been here a few times since they opened, and have always had a pleasant experience. Its a nice break from the usually pizza and wings that is in abundance in Buffalo, and even though the wait for the food can be a bit longer than the usual fast food joints, it is well worth it since everything tastes so fresh. On top of that, the employees are friendly and quick to answer any questions about their menu. So far I've had the chicken shwarma, beef kabab, and gyro wraps. Each one was delicious. Their hot sauce is also very tasty, and is definitely on the spicy side. I suggest you use it with caution. Overall, this place is a favorite of mine, and I will continue to eat here as long as I'm in Buffalo. If you're a student at UB South Campus, you should definitely give this place a try. read more

Unsanitary place! Very dishonest. Seems like one of the workers there pretended to be the owner when I wanted to share the unsanitary conditions I noticed when entering the restaurant. I know of a couple people who died because of Covid-19. They don't seem to relalize that they're not serving food for themselves, but to other costumers. read more

This place comes up as halal but I asked the owner previously and he said it wasn't and that he would fix it but I just checked again and it still comes up the same please be careful and make sure to ask before ordering. read more

Freshly made food to order. The gyro wrap was especially good today. Food and service are always first rate.

I'm on the south campus of UB a lot, so Venus is a really convenient spot to grab lunch. I love the interior decor, which is a fascinating cultural mish-mosh of modern graffiti (in the forms of hundreds of student signatures on the wall), Greco-Christian paintings of saints, and giant gold Egyptian god and goddess statues. I love their gyro wraps - their tzatiki sauce is out of this world. With some pita and hummus, that could make a meal in and of itself. Everything I've had here has been good. If you're looking for fast, tasty Greek lunch food - you're in the right spot. read more

Everything I've had here has been sooo good. I usually get their chicken souvlaki wrap, which is my favorite. I've had the hummus (very yummy... garlic beware though!) and the falafel wrap. I'd recommend any of those. I haven't heard anyone complain about the food they've ordered there. Only recommendation would be to order ahead if you are on a short lunch break since everything is made to order. I usually call ahead and it's ready as soon as I get there. You can either take it to go or eat it there, whichever you prefer. Prices are reasonable too for how much food you get. I'd highly recommend to my friends! read more

I ordered Venus through SkipTheDishes and upgraded my gyro pita wrap to 'mega'. There was seriously barely any meat. Maybe three or four strips. It was mostly lettuce and tomato. On top of that, it frankly just wasn't good. The hummus was fine I guess but not very good either. But really for an 9 dollar pita wrap there was seriously barely any meat at all. I couldn't believe it. read more

I was introduced to Venus a couple years ago and I have liked it at first bite. As it is near the UB South campus, there are not very many options for food other than pizza or fast food, so this is a very good alternative. The atmosphere is a little overwhelming the first time you go in, since there is a television with music videos (non-englsh) on a big screen TV, but it isn't a bad thing. I always order a felafel wrap with no turnip and no tomatoes with extra pickles. It is a very good meal at a cheap price. I sometimes get the rice with garlic sauce on it, and that is also very good. I generally do take out or eat on one of the counters there. I have only sat down to eat there once, and that was alright. I am not sure if they want to be a sit down restaurant, but I would not be opposed to taking someone there for dinner. I will say that there is a wait for the food. This might be a bit of a deterrent for some people, and this should be taken into account. My personal philosophy is that I would rather wait a bit longer for higher quality food, so I am alright with sitting around for 5-10 minutes or calling ahead to get my order. While it is not "Fine dining", it is a good food option if you are in the area. The food is very inexpensive, and most of the time getting a meal costs me around $5. I highly recommend Venus. read more

Venus is an easy meal every time. I always get a shawarma. After visiting the Middle East, I still enjoy their shawarmas more than anyone else. The workers seem to always be friendly, even when it's crowded. If you're looking for a quick bite in the University District, this is my favorite spot. read more

First time I tried it, and it was what I expected. I'd order here again because it's Greek food you know. Thank you for the good meal :)

Meat was dried out and skimpy. "Vine leaves" seemed microwaved and they don't even serve pita bread with a meal...disgraceful!

Solid gyro and souvlaki lunch with abundant white sauce. Hit the spot. Will definitely be back!

The only reason this place is getting 2 stars is for what it USED to be. Had an awful experience waiting 45 minutes to only get half of my order. They messed up multiple aspects of our orders. My friends food was over cooked and disgusting. People that came in AFTER us were getting their food before us. Unacceptable to say the least. We know the owner, so we contacted him and only then did the employees working agree to give us a refund. They were disrespectful and rude. When Jack is working, the food and service deserves 5 stars. But I am beyond disappointed. We left after wasting an hour of our time there for literally nothing. read more

Anyone who has read my reviews, or just scanned my star-level breakdown, knows it is rare for me to give a two star review and a one star is almost non-existent. This place barely eked out 1 star (and I can't technically select no stars anyway). Service/ambiance - Service was meh, typical college-kid service. Not exactly on the ball, slow, quick to roll eyes if you questioned anything ("oh...so you're out of 50% of EVERYTHING?"), but friendly enough I suppose. Never asked once how the food was, which makes me think THEY ALREADY KNOW. This restaurant can't decide what it wants to be - the back half looks modern fast food swank and was decently decorated. The front half looks like a grunge diner from the early 90's - it has a crappy rendition of a traditional Middle Eastern eating area made out of poorly painted plywood backed by a huge wall covered in random scribbling. The two non-bar style tables opposite this had tacky floral table clothes with clear vinyl ones TACKED DOWN onto them, complete with fake flowers in old milk glass vases. I can appreciate cheap diner kitsch, if it makes sense in the overall style of the place - but this didn't. It was like two totally different spaces fused together. They also had no AC or even ONE fan, when the cooking area is in the same room as the seating - we were sticking to the crappy vinyl table clothes after about two minutes. Oh, and did I mention the flat screen tv BLASTING Middle Eastern music videos? I love Middle Eastern music, but after the thirtieth rendition of Lebanese Britney Spears cranked to the max I was ready to throw something. Food - Food is where they lost ALL the big points. To start, they had nothing we wanted - I don't mean the menu didn't have things we wanted; just the restaurant lacked said food. Can you ice the black tea? We're out of ice (no joke...yet they have a soda machine which makes its own ice and there was no indication it was broken). Lentil soup? We're out of it...well, we're out of ALL soups actually. Sauteed eggplant platter? Oh, we're out of eggplant. Mind you, they told me they were out of eggplant AFTER I ordered and paid for my platter, with a card. Only the baba ganoush, which I got them to sub on the falafel platter in place of hummus as I really wanted eggplant, was good. Everything else ranged from just edible (bland but not awful chicken shiwarma wrap) to HOLY-CRAP-WHAT-AM-I-EATING-THIS-IS-AWFUL. The falafel is clearly not homemade - they are all identical little muffin shaped (flat bottom, round top) brown pucks with zero flavor and a weird, smooshy texture - factory mass produced, frozen and reheated if I had to guess. Worst falafel EVER and I completely, obsessively love falafel. I never, ever throw out leftovers, but I couldn't bring myself to take the rest of these home (or eat them at the shop, even though I was not full). The tzatziki tasted like nothing - picture ranch dressing with no ranch seasoning. The pickles served with my platter were mere shavings, not even spears. The tomatoes that accompanied it, as well as the ones in my bf's flavorless-dressing drenched "Greek" salad, were barely pink, let alone red. So sick of places cutting costs by buying the cheapest, crappiest hot house produce. But wait...the costs weren't cut. This place wasn't even that cheap!!!! $10 for a measly cup of unstrained black tea (I'm talking 2 cubic inches of crap in the bottom of the cup) and a platter of 5 tablespoons of baba ganoush, 6 dried out pita wedges, the aforementioned sad vegetables and 5 or 6 crappy falafel-muffins. Shish Kabob Express on Hertel charges half the price for all this stuff (and the tea is free) even though it's all house-made and awesome - I felt SO gipped. read more

I love the chicken shawarma it is by far my favorite, I usually get it over rice with extra Chicken and their wonderful garlic sauce. Just make sure you always ask for fresh chicken and check your order so that it's correct! read more

Great, fresh food! Agree that you should call ahead or you may end up waiting.

Delicious food. Had the Chicken Shwarma and Gyros Platter with rice and side salads. Good size servings too. Only drawback was time for delivery. I was told 45-60 minutes, but the food did not arrive for an hour and 1/2. read more

After my friend kept raving about how much her son *adored* Venus, we finally went in this evening for some takeout Mediterranean. Expecting a brightly-lit cafeteria-style atmosphere based on some things we'd read, I was pleasantly surprised to find a more warmly lit decor.. almost cozy feeling.. with upbeat ethnic tunes from the TV's music videos. Service was fairly quick and the girl who took the order was very accomodating (thank you!). Since we wanted to try the Greek fries (yummy steak french fries topped with feta cheese, onions, tomatoes and a few other things), she let us upgrade the fries in our "wrap special" at no charge, in exchange for not getting the bundled soft drink it came with (which we didn't want anyway).. awesome! We ordered a chicken shwarma wrap, falafel platter, chicken fingers w/fries (for the 8YO) and and a Turkish Coffee. The wrap was chock full... but it didn't resemble the flavorful shwarma I've had at any other restaurant; the meat tasted a bit more like I'd get in a philly-steak-sub (my GF says "it was like eating a huge wrap of.. nothing?! It has *no* taste!"). And the falafel surprised me; I enjoyed the texture, but it was heavy in Italian spices... with Falafel Bar setting the standard for the *best falafel in the world* (a "10" rating), I'd rate this falafel a "4" (my GF says "I think I might have liked it if I didn't know what falafel was *supposed* to taste like"). The fingers were .. well.. fingers (they were fine, although the "mild" sauce was more of a "medium" and too spicy for my daughter). To the rescue.. the Greek Fries were DELICIOUS :-) Oh yeah.. the Turkish Coffee.. average. I prefer to have a little cardomom in mine, and would have appreciated if they asked whether I'd like it sweetened. Would I go back? With new expectations.. you betcha! I'd go back and try a few other selections to see how they compared... but my bar will be set much lower next time I go. read more

I'm a much bigger fan of greek food after eating at Venus last weekend. I ordered the Chicken Shawarma panini and thought it was downright delicious. My son had the same reaction to the Gyros. My husband - the biggest greek food fan among us - ordered the Chicken Shawarma over rice and thought it was excellent. If you try the place, don't pass on the falafels. They were plump and moist and you could really taste the chickpea, unlike some falafels I have eaten that were dry, deep fried patties of mush. Although we all liked the food, there were a couple things we found irritating. We waited an awfully long time for our check, and we were annoyed by the chosen television channel which aired infomercials. It appears they would benefit from an additional employee. Those negatives aside, the food was very good, and I'm looking forward to visiting this restaurant again. read more

Just ordered their Chicken shawarma platter with salad for the first time and found a ROACH in the salad!! This is by far the WORST experience I have ever had with any restaurant. THIS WAS MY FIRST AND WILL BE MY LAST TIME ORDERING FROM THIS PLACE. STAY AWAY read more

Venus - If you look right above the tomato, there is the bug. I guess I got a SALAD with a side of ROACH. DON'T RECOMMEND THIS PLACE - Mediterranean Near Me - Buffalo, New York

The food was alright. The wait was not. I was told my order should be ready in 15-20 minutes. I return after 20 minutes and wait patiently. Some time pass and the chef lets me know they're just waiting on the fries. Okay. Some 10 minutes later, he tells me just a few more minutes. Okay. After some time, i hear the chef tell the assistant to make my order. At this point, all i really wanted was my money back. Hope they either change owners or hire much more personnel. The chef was a cool guy and everything, but i'm sure even he knew what a craphole it was. He had sweat all over his head. As did i. There was no A/C. read more

If I could give a negative review to this restaurant, I would! I ordered a simple menu item that typically takes 10 to 15mins maximum to make and it took 25minutes to make! Bear in mind that the place was empty, so there's no excuse of being busy. I simply asked why it took so long and his response was "if you don't like don't come again". What kind of response is this to a customer. I'm very disappointed in the service and response and would not recommend this restaurant to anyone with this type of attitude from employees! read more

Great experience. I enjoyed a shawerma plate and falafel wrap. This is my favorite spot now for middle eastern food. Next time, I'll try the Koshary. read more

Venus - Mediterranean Near Me - Buffalo, New York

If you took the owner of a pizza shop, put a gun to his head, and told him he had to change it into a greek place or you would kill him and his family, you might end up with something like Venus. I was debating about going here orJimmy John's. I peaked inside and saw some Indian guys waiting for their order. Since JJ's didn't have a line, I went over there, ate a sub and walked back. I was still hungry and a little curious, so I went inside and tried to order some grape leafs. They were out, so I got pita & hummus instead. I was a bit surprised that it came to $5, since that was what I had payed for my jimmy johns sub (which was delicious) While I am waiting, I watch the one girl who is working everything run back and fourth between the phone, the cash register, and the food preparation area. It's a bit like watching a one man band, and I begin to feel bad for her. As I start to wonder why the owners wouldn't hire someone else to help her with what is clearly not a one person job, my eyes drift over to the flatscreen TV, which is permanently set to what appears to be the Muslim throat singing channel. Poor girl. After about 10 minutes, I am handed a tinfoil package of piping hot pita and very fancy looking homemade hummus, drizzled with olive oil, paprika, and parsley. Looks promising, so I dig in. The first thing I notice is that the hummus does not have nearly enough salt. Easily fixable with a salt shaker, although I shouldn't have to. I keep adding salt, little by little until it gets to tasting right - however, no matter how much I add, something still tastes off. I mentally go through the list of ingredients in hummus, till it hits me: they skimped on the tahini! Tahini is like peanut butter made from sesame seeds, and is the only expensive ingredient in hummus. It is also what makes it delicious. How does a greek place manage to fuck up pita and hummus? I finish the rest of my pita and chick-pea paste, and leave. Right as I am walking out the door, I see the girl finally hand the indian guys their food. If you want a first hand experience of a place that could be on Gordon Ramsay's kitchen nightmares, I highly recommend Venus read more

The food is decent and I would have given it three stars if not for my last visit. During that visit, the cook burned one of our meals yet served it to us anyway. The person I went with ate a few bites and ended up sick to her stomach overnight. read more