Allen St Hardware Cafe — Restaurant in Buffalo

My girlfriends and I recently decided to visit Allen Street Hardware Restaurant on Allen St in Buffalo, which turned out to be a huge mistake. When we arrived, the hostess told us that it would be a 20-minute wait so we went to enjoy a drink at the bar while we waited. We were finally seated 2 hours after we arrived, only to be treated like complete garbage from the staff. The manager, Tracy, told us there was nothing they could do, that we should have made reservations, that she was not going to split up our checks and that we could walk down the street to an ATM to get cash. Apparently this is all part of their “policy.” Not to mention the food was absolutely disgusting, cold and soaked in grease.

Today, my friend who paid the full check (because remember, “they weren’t able to split them") got a Facebook message from the owner, Charlie Goldman. My favorite snippets from the conversation are when he told us to “please don’t ever come back” or “just making sure we don’t ever see you guys again”. What about when he said, “Go to the gym, you will need it.”

Allen Street Hardware and Charlie Goldman, is it your policy to tell customers that they will be seated in 20 minutes and let 2 hours go by without acknowledging them? Is it your policy to be completely unaccommodating, rude and nasty to your tables? Is it your policy to harass customers on Facebook and tell us that you don’t care to hear our feedback and that we should go to the gym? I would reconsider your policies because that is not the way to treat a community and paying customers that were willing to give your...

Solid upscale pub style meals, friendly staff, delivered in a timely fashion... unless you're trying to seat ten people without a reservation in a dining area for designed for approx. 30-40 on the busiest night of the week. I make it down to Allen St. on a fairly regular basis and Hardware is one of my preferred go to spots because of their bartending staff, satisfying food and relaxed, laid back style. Only thing that could improve the menu is if they brought back their amazing baked brie.

I have yet to experience any issues with my food & drink service, but I tend to only go Monday-Thursday because on weekends it does become one of the busiest spots on Allen and it's not the biggest of facilities to begin with, so of course it's going to be harder to get service. If you're looking for a larger spot to hang out that has more bar space and bartenders that can serve drinks faster by just slapping them together, you're probably better off sticking to Chippewa or the neighborhood Applebees. However, for everything from a family dinner, date night, or drinks with friends, Hardware is easily one of my favorite spots in the city for a nice...

My night continues (see previous review at “The Old Pink “ for dinner and start of my night) and leads me here to The hardware (another favorite of my OG Buffalo boyfriend). The bartender Garry was one of the most kind hearted man I have met. The drinks were great and the atmosphere was very welcoming. I’d call it cozy and comfortable. This bar was warm and inviting. It wasn’t overly crowded and kept the energy up without being too in your face. Thank you Garry! And Tony was also awesome. He knew the area in and out. Go Tony and Garry!! Also, I have a habit of asking someone to tell me a random fact- about them or anyone else, and I was told to mention Lorenzo. I’ve been told he is an amazing person who deserves kindness and joy. I wish Garry and Lorenzo and Toby an amazing and happy life and I hope to see them soon. Tip them well and enjoy the company of them and amazing people...