Bacchus Wine Bar & Restaurant — Restaurant in Buffalo

The ambiance & location are nice.

My group and I have dined at almost every restaurant in Buffalo. We normally go to the same places that we know are consistent and worthwhile (Hutch’s, chophouse, Remington, Leftbank, etc). However, we wanted to try somewhere new & this was our first time at Bacchus. Every time we’ve tried to go in the past, there’s been an issue (they ran out of oysters, couldn’t accommodate our party of 7, kitchen closed early, reservation issues, hostesses were rude on the phone, etc.).

Let’s just say, we beyond regretted going here for dinner, and I have NO idea how this restaurant is still open in a city like Buffalo. The ‘Bonfire’ drink was disgusting, and there was zero ‘dirty’ in the dirty martini (olive juice). A couple of us were drinking wine by the glass, and the server poured the wine at the table. Both times pouring there wasn’t enough wine left in the bottle to make a full glass. So the server had to run and get a new bottle, twice. Cocktail list was mediocre, and it consisted of mostly fall- flavored drinks.

The cheese board was pitiful. Prosciutto was clearly sitting out all day and border-line spoiled. The minuscule slices of cheese were insulting. The server said it would feed 3-4. Let’s just say, we all laughed when it came to the table. The Caesar salad was ONE piece of romaine heart lettuce with 2 burnt croutons. The whole leaf was placed on a plate and drizzled with dressing. I understand a grilled romaine hearts Caesar, but 1 piece of whole lettuce thrown on a plate? It doesn’t get much lazier than that. The raw oysters were ok, but they were placed/ plated on top of an unnecessarily huge pile of salt. So when you eat an oyster, you’re also getting a mouth full of salt from the bottom of the shell. The lamb chops were served raw over a huge mushy blob of cooked beans. We ordered them med rare, so they should have at least been slightly warm in the center. 25 minutes after eating the lamb, the person who consumed it was sweating, stomach cramping, & had to speed home to the toilet. The mussels were served in a broth made up of water, maybe a splash of wine, & a ton of chopped garlic.

Our food was served by either a busser or food runner who raffled off the plate names when he arrived at the table. The appetizers were served on these huge rectangular slabs of stone that took up way too much table space, especially for a 4 top. All of us left hungry, thirsty, and super disappointed. We didn’t pay much attention to the prices, we always expect the bill to be around $300. But really don’t care how much it is as long as the server has common sense and food/ drinks are good! There are so many consistent & amazing restaurants in this city (Hutch’s, Sinatra’s, Lombardo, Oliver’s, Chophouse, etc.), I have no idea how Bacchus is still standing. Im embarrassed for them because they’re such a poor representation of the amazing Buffalo restaurant community. If our reservation for 4ppl at @ 9:15 on a Friday night was too close to closing time thus unworthy of proper service and quality food, maybe they should stop seating at 8.

We will never go to Bacchus again. 1000% do...

At the heart of it, this is a great restaurant: great food, superb service, in a beautiful, light-filled room with wonderful views of the street. Indeed, the room has a light and airy feel thanks to high ceilings and a good use of interior colours.

Our waiter, Indigo, was very knowledgeable and welcoming. All of the waiters who came to our table were helpful, efficient, and friendly. Overall, service was fast, unobtrusive, and efficient. In effect, Indigo was our maitre-d' who served as our guide and he was amply supported by everyone else. It was a very enjoyable experience. He is really knowledgeable about wines and suggested pairings (also posted on the specials menu). The wine list is extensive.

As an aside, we had a "rose" which was actually somewhat different, and while I am not a connoisseur, if I understood it correctly, the wine was a white with exposure to the grape skin during fermentation making it what Indigo called it -- an "orange" wine; very different taste, quite refreshing and interesting, bright taste; well worth trying.

The owner was freely ranging; he welcomed us after we were seated, even going so far as to fill our water glasses. The concept of service is imbued in this place from top to bottom. When we left, he thanked us for coming and shook our hands. He also spoke highly of his staff. They appeared to have his support.

Saving the best for last - the food! I tried a lobster bisque and a lobster agnolotti appetizers. Both were delicious. My wife had a ceaser salad that she enjoyed. She then had arctic char on a bed of lentils and other vegetable and I had swordfish on a bed of risotto (creamy, thick, and very flavourful) topped with a sauce of tomatoes and other vegetables). All of the food was wonderful and we savoured every bite. Didn't have desert as we were too full but we look forward to returning to Buffalo, an underrated city, to enjoy this wonderful...

We absolutely LOVED our meal at Bacchus. My boyfriend and I created a restaurant bucket list back when COVID first hit in March of 2020; to do this we used a combination of TripAdvisor and Yelp to compile a top ten for both CHQ and Erie County restaurants. At the near top of Erie Co.'s was Bacchus sitting at a seeded #2. What we had for dinner...I'd put it at the #1 slot for any restaurant I've ever eaten at. The ambiance was a perfect 10/10. Gorgeous, moody interior with just the right amount of light. Our waitress, Susan, was delightful. She was attentive but not overbearing, explained the meals and mirrored our excitement. We came expecting to order a couple glasses of wine and a couple small plates and that was it; while highly rated, Bacchus is a lil outside our usual dining budget. Seeing the menu...we knew we had to order more. We chose a half bottle of Chianti (so nice to have a half bottle option!), the BLT Wedge and Steak & Eggs appetizers, and the crispy Long Island duck as our entree to share. I don't know how to explain the level of flavor explosion that we experienced. It was other-worldly. Next level. Also--the complimentary bread and oil/vinegar/spices was PURE MAGIC. Presentation for everything was on point. We left already planning our next meal there. If I could give Bacchus a million more stars, I would. It has been the best on our list by far. BEST. DINING. EXPERIENCE. EVER. Keep it...