Hombre y Lobo | Tacos + Tequila — Restaurant in Buffalo

Such a fun time at a great new spot downtown. It was my first time coming here and I already can’t wait to come back.

Upon entering I couldn't help but notice that the space was bright, happy, colorful and cozy. They made great use of a smaller space. It reminded me of a chic NYC layout. If you come during dinner rush you might have to wait for a seat. It shouldn't be too long, this is a fast casual ish kind of spot with the perks of a really cute bar. The staff was very helpful and attentive. They made sure to clean up the dining room so new guests could be seated quickly.

Now for the food, I went with a friend and we loved the menu. It was a mix of traditional Latin ingredients and dishes and also some Buffalo/ American ingredients prepared in Mexican style dishes. Def a neat way to present the food and a great way to make sure there was something for everyone. We both ordered the house margarita with Loganberry. Wow, this was awesome. Not too sweet, just enough loganberry to cut the acid of the lime, add some flavor and beautiful color. We had the chips and salsa, which was wonderful. The chips were freshly fried and crisp, the perfect amount of salt. We chose the pico salsa, fresh and bright, and the tomatillo, just enough spice to make it interesting. For my taco I had the carnitas, very nice portion, juicy and great flavor. I was still hungry so I ordered the birria ramen, wonderful, savory and complex flavor with the right amount of spice. I loved the play on the traditional birria in a bowl of ramen. The only thing I'll say is that the taco and birria were quite salty. The flavors were on point but less salt would have made them perfect. I'm sure things are being worked out in the kitchen since they are new and this won't deter me from coming back again soon. So many other great menu items I'd like to try like the chorizo, Chivetta chicken and mushroom tacos.

Pro tip: Every Tuesday is taco Tuesday,...

TLDR - Hombre y Lobo offers wildly over-priced Neo-Mexican American faire in an attempt to corner a sorely missed culinary option in Downtown Buffalo.

2 over salted rice bowls/5

Eager to try a new Mexican spot, I gathered some friends up and forced them to meet me downtown. Parking is abysmal so expect to walk a few blocks. The restaurant interior is bright and colorful with a few tables, some stools at the bar, and a small covered patio with a few wooden picnic tables.

I gave the "service" 0 stars because there is no service here. You get up and order your food at the bar. The cashier instructed us on where to find water, cups, and hot sauce. "If I want to serve myself, I'll just stay home" I thought. The only service that was provided by the staff was that they brought the food to our table. The check was treated like a bar tab which means when you order at the bar they ask "close it or keep it open?". Something I was not expecting was to "close my tab" and then be asked to tip before anything had even hit the table. Not really the preferred order of operations when going out to eat.

I got a 2 taco special with rice and beans, an order of plantains and deconstructed elote in a bowl. The plantains were the best part of the night. The elote and the tacos were fine. In fact thinking about this afterwards I don't even remember what those tasted like, which is upsetting considering the steep price point. The rice and the beans were incredibly salty and doused with so much lime it was inescapable.

I won't be returning to Hombre y Lobo nor recommending it to anyone that asks for my opinion on where to spend...

Mexican restaurants have to do something well to be a destination spot. There’s a place on Delaware that’s got good food and the prices are great. There’s a place on Military that has a salsa bar. There’s a place in the Falls with drink specials and big servings. I don’t know what Hombre y Lobo’s thing is. I didn’t find it. Kinda pricey, food was just okay, vibe was just okay. We sat at the “community table” but the side that wasn’t reserved (?) and got the bogo deal on the tacos but we couldn’t pick two different tacos. I picked the wrong one. The Chivettas tacos weren’t great. The guac and chips were good but it’s not enough to make me come back. Go on the days the DJ is there if you like it loud.

Edit: since the owners replied to my review by looking up my transaction and posted that I was hurting their employee’s families for not tipping, edited review to reflect the atmosphere as hostile. Future guests should know that this is a “pay before you eat” restaurant where you’d have to pre-tip while you’re standing at the counter ordering your food. I see a lot of effort by the owners to negatively reply to reviews. Maybe put that effort into the logistics of running a cafeteria style...