Like you, Buffalo Magazine loves to splurge on an excellent meal. Doing so regularly, though? Not always realistic.
So we gave ourselves a mission: to find great meals at reasonable prices without suffering the slings and arrows of subpar fare. (Greedily, we wanted a nice atmosphere, too.)
We were excited to find several great deals at places you wouldn’t necessarily associate with the word “deal.” Some have conditions (nights offered, no substitutions, no holidays) but all-in-all, a small price to pay. Here’s the rundown.
Prix fixe meals
Prix fixe (pronounced “pre-fix”, which means fixed or set price), are dinners usually offered on slower weeknights to entice diners and fill tables. (We did find exceptions.)
Holidays or special events may be excluded, so call ahead if you are unsure. In all cases, quality is not sacrificed. It’s the ideal way to experience a chef’s creativity on a budget.
The Archer offers an incredible $25 Friday Night Prix Fixe that includes four courses: soup, house salad, entrée and dessert. Chef/owner Josh Archer changes the prix fixe menu weekly with a minimum of three entrée choices (red meat, fish, poultry). If you are game, Archer’s prix fixe hits the bullseye with fabulous entrees like Blackberry Venison and Texas Quail Piccata, or more traditional items like crab cakes. (Available on Sabres game nights, but holidays and other major First Niagara events are excluded.)
Cecelia’s Ristorante & Martini Bar’s awesome $25 Tuesday-Thursday prix fixe includes a glass of wine, a first course (soup of the day or salad), entrée (15 choices with items like Penne Ragu, Bracciole, Ravioli in Vodka Cream or Chicken Scarpiello), plus a mini cannoli for dessert. Bonus: dine on the sceney Elmwood village patio in summer.
Chef/Owner Scott Donhauser continued the prix fixe tradition when he took over Southtowns favorite Daniel’s Restaurant. The $32 prix fixe is available Tuesday-Thursday with three courses: one “opening” course, an entrée and dessert. The house soup or Daniel’s salad of greens make nice openings, but so do Moules de Saucisse (mussels with andouillette sausage, heirloom tomatoes, fennel and saffron cream) or Steak & Egg tenderloin with quail egg and black truffle cream. Entrées range from Shepherd’s Pie or Mustard Seed Crusted Pork Tenderloin to Poulet Fromage free-range chicken or Vegetarian Goat Cheese Raviolis. Dessert is a daily special, vanilla ice cream or sorbet.
The exquisite Rue Franklin offers a Tuesday-Thursday prix fixe that ranges between $35-$40. Chef Corey Kley changes the selections weekly. The prix fixe includes three courses — a first course, main entrée and dessert. Kley’s skills are on full display with the multitude of choices; guests select a first course option, entrée choice and one of up to five desserts. (Check online for choices.) Sample entrées include Coq Au Vin, Trout Meuniere and Chicken Leg Pot au Feu.
Another of Buffalo’s iconic restaurants, Ristorante Lombardo has a 3 for $33 that’s served Monday-Thursday. The menu changes weekly and features a first course, entrée and dessert or a cheese course. A first course includes three or four choices, as do the entrée and dessert courses, so there is plenty to choose from.
Dining deals
Some tried-and true Buffalo restaurants offer dining deals on everything from Italian-American and Asian cuisine to American classics and steak house faves. You just need to hit them on the right night — and surprisingly, it’s not just limited to weeknights.
The darling Asa Ransom House in Clarence offers dinner for two Tuesday-Friday and Sunday. For $49.95 per couple, the meal includes soup of the day, a house salad, an entrée and beverage (coffee, tea). Entrees include items like Spinach and Shrimp Stuffed Sole, Chicken Pot Pie, Roast Turkey and German Sauerbraten. Vegan and gluten- free options are also available.
David’s Grille in Orchard Park features Lasagna Fest every Monday. For $16, choose Traditional Meat Lasagna or Four Cheese White Lasagna. The dinner includes a mixed green salad, focaccia bread with dipping oil and a complimentary glass of Chianti. For an extra $5 add Italian sausage, meatballs or blackened shrimp.
The classic E.B. Green’s Steakhouse is luxurious, and Dinner for Two is offered daily. It features three meaty choices: $61 Prime Rib (32 oz. sliced to share), $62 NY Strip and $78 Porterhouse. All dinners include two salads and two baked potatoes. E.B. Green’s “slightly smaller entrees” ($21) include salad and a baked potato. Entrees are Free Range Chicken, an 8 oz. Prime Rib ($22), Angus Sirloin or Vegetarian Platter.
The Hollow Bistro & Brew in Clarence offers $10 entrées on Tuesdays, with choices like pan-seared pork medallions with sautéed apples, blackened tuna or gorgonzola bacon penne. Thursday’s Two for $40 includes an appetizer, house salad and choice of entrée. Menu options change weekly, so check Facebook or call for details.
Ilio DiPaolo’s offers the $25.99 Early Bird Dinner for Two on Sunday from 1-6 p.m., Tuesday from 3-9 p.m., and Wednesday-Thursday 3-6 p.m. Meal includes soup, dinner salad, entrée and soda, coffee or tea. (On Tuesday it also includes a glass of wine, and note the later hours.) On Wednesday the restaurant features a Wine & Dine Night from 3-6 p.m. for $13.99 per person. Diners create their own combo dinner that includes soup or salad plus a choice from five entrées, plus pasta and one side.
Downtown Buffalo’s Kaydara Noodle Bar offers a $40 four-course tasting menu for two. Created by “Chef 2/2” from Laos, and available all the time, the first course includes a pork egg roll or fresh roll (enoki, pork or chicken). The second course is a bowl of mini pho, followed by a third course of stir-fry to share (pork, chicken, mushroom, beef, prawn or tofu) and then a shared dessert.
Kennedy’s Cove in Clarence has two great specials. On Tuesday enjoy two dinners and a bottle of wine for $50. Entrees include a 12-oz. strip steak, two 8 oz. pork chops, a chicken breast or salmon. Wednesday ups the ante with two 20-oz. bone-in rib-eye steaks and a bottle of house wine for $75. On both nights, dinner includes salad, baked potato and garlic toast.
The sleek Remington Tavern Seafood Exchange in North Tonawanda offers specials all week. On Monday enjoy $10 burgers and a $5 craft beers. On Wednesday, Surf & Turf ($28) includes a 4 oz. steak and 4 oz. lobster tail. Thursday’s Bouillabaisse ($26) classic French stew is all seafood (clams, mussels, lobster, calamari). On Sunday, a roasted kosher half chicken with slaw and fries is $18.
The extravagant Russell’s offers different price points for its Dinner for Two. All dinners include a starter course, entrée with side dish, dessert and coffee or tea. The $39 per person dinner includes choices like New Zealand rack of lamb, peppercorn encrusted 14 oz. prime pork chop, half free range chicken and Atlantic salmon. The $42 per person includes choices like Steak ala Russell and an 8-oz. filet mignon. The $45 per person adds NY strip steak to the options; at $49, an 8 oz. lobster tail.
At YOLO Restaurant & Lounge in East Amherst, an everyday tasting menu changes every two weeks and costs $25 per person. Starter choices include dishes like Bacon Dip and Mussels with Pico De Gallo. Entrées include choices like Lobster Mac-N-Cheese and Roast Pork Tenderloin wrapped in bacon. Dessert changes frequently. Pair the Tasting Menu with Tuesday’s Bring Your Own Wine option or Thursday’s half priced wine bottles, and you’re really getting a deal.
Family style on Sundays
As the weekend winds down and the last thing you feel like doing is cooking another meal, check out these family-friendly bargains.
Sunday at Gigi’s Cucina Povera in Kenmore features Mama Dano’s Sunday Supper served family style from 4-9 p.m. Adults are $15.95 and children under 12 are free. The feast includes a house salad, Gigi’s signature bread board, spaghetti with house sauce, meatballs and herb roast chicken.
Downtown at Tappo, Sunday means a family style supper that includes cheese bread, tossed salad, homemade meatballs, rigatoni Bolognese and fresh cannoli, all for $16 per person. Add a bottle of wine for just $15.
Other ways to save
A great way to dine on a budget is to think outside the box. Here are more ways to stretch your dining-out dollar.
Bring your own bottle
At JoJo Bistro & Wine Bar in Williamsville, you can bring your own bottle on Monday with no corkage fee.
Do lunch (or brunch)
The venerable Oliver’s serves lunch Wednesday through Friday with prices that are more “appetizer” than “entrée.” At Oshun downtown, lunch is served Monday-Friday; brunch Sunday. A combo lunch special includes two choices for $10.95, while brunch costs about half that of dinner, with plenty of options. Black & Blue Steak & Crab in Amherst is open for lunch every day with less expensive options.
Small plates and more...
Small plates can be just as satisfying while shaving off bucks.
At the iconic (and small plate pioneer) Hutch’s, guests can make a meal from salads and sandwiches that range from $9.95-$15.95 (the decadent Lobster Club is the exception at $29). Have a house salad ($5.95) and Pittsburgh Steak Sandwich ($15.95) for much less than the Beef Tenderloin ($42.95).
At Buffalo Proper, Chef Edward Forster offers gems like Eggs & Potatoes ($10) and Mac Daddy, a mac and cheese with duck confit ($12), along with open-faced sandwiches like Rabbit Terrine ($13).
At both Trattoria Aroma locations, pair an antipasti ($9-$14) with a salad ($8-13) or pizza ($14-$16) for about the cost of one entrée.
For a late night bite, Sato offers a “Fashionably Late” menu with a little bit of everything like gyoza dumplings, seaweed salad and fried octopus, and a large sashimi platter from $5-$17.
