Hydraulic Hearth — Restaurant in Buffalo

I wish I could give more than 5 stars. Where do I begin about how great everything was and we just had drinks! After one very bad night and a bad experience with gin I vowed I would never enjoy gin ever in my life. Well thanks to the genius and almost sorcery like mixed cocktails that they have come up with (I had the Pear something sorry I can't recall now), I was in love with gin. Their unique variety of cocktails are not the ordinary drinks we all know disguised with quirky names. They take their cocktails to a whole new level to spice it up. Don't be scared when you see an ingredient you're unsure of. They are experts at making hand crafted cocktails and you will not regret your choice. Their beer! Whether you have a local brew or an in house brew, you can't go wrong. They have a wide and diverse selection for the experienced and inexperienced beer lover (but being from Buffalo one has to assume we are all automatically experienced beer drinkers haha). Speaking of experience, the bartenders, staff, and owner (whom we met and found absolutely hilarious and personable) are all extremely adept at making drinks and have a vast knowledge of their product on hand. You can point at anything on the shelves and they will be able to tell you what is good, what to mix it with, and what food to pair it with. VARIETY, FINALLY!!!! THEY HAVE 12 BEERS ON TAP (6 IN HOUSE MADE WITH HILARIOUS NAMES 6 LOCAL BREWS) AND COUNTLESS TYPES OF LIQUOR FROM RARE TO COMMON. Also, as a person with OCD for organization, they were all organized very well. You didn't see Jameson between tequila and kettle one. It was so nice to see such a vast variety of options. Finally, and most importantly, the staff. We had Chris as our main bartender and there was a bar hand (sorry dude I referred to as Peetah from Hunger Games I didn't catch your name but we greatly enjoyed your dancing!) and he was the most sociable and easy going bartender we have met in a long time. With Buffalo's rise of new and trendy restaurants I have come to find that some bars/bar tenders tend to have that pompous and pretentious hipster vibe. This is NO WHERE to be found in Hydraulic Hearth. Besides the fact that when you walk in the atmosphere itself is warm and inviting, the staff is extremely friendly. Before we left, Chris asked our names, shook our hands, and told us he hoped to see us again soon for Brooze (booze and brunch) or any other time. That is the true meaning of good customer service. We were extremely lucky to have also have met the owner. He is easy going, quick witted, a beer and liquor connoisseur, and genuinely loves what he has created. He should be and has every right to be proud of the fantastic experience he has created at Hydraulic Hearth. So finally after a long gushing rant I must conclude by saying, after a random stop on a cold Buffalo night, I am truly surprised and happy we stopped in. I cannot wait to go back to try their pizza and I cannot wait for the weather to get warmer to to enjoy all their out door options they offer. For the first time in a long time I cannot think of a single thing I did not like in a restaurant. I feel like I have ranted enough so stop reading this, go to Hydraulic...

I'll start by saying I was caught by one of the staff staring off, as I slowly ate a slice of pizza. Essentially was in a pizza trance, so that happened. Low lighting with bar and brick oven on display, seating has individual tables and for smaller parties, can sit "at the bar" in front of the pizza oven, which is also separated by a clear barrier. Started with drinks and enjoyed a moscow mule and a rum & coke. The drinks were strong but tasted great; not a complaint in the slightest. The real winners though were the pizzas. The white pizza with dollops of creamy ricotta to off set the crunch of the thin pizza crust. If you fold the slice, it'll hold up so you don't lose all the toppings. The pepperoni pizza was savory though slightly greasy but it is expected with the pepperoni cups, which is more flavorful than the typical flat pepperoni. Staff was friendly and to keep minimal distance from everyone, all drink and food orders were done at the bar and you are given a stand with a number they can identify where to bring the food to. There's also a table for water, silverware, napkins, and even takeaway boxes. Overall, you'll get a lot of food and drink for reasonable prices. For two drinks and two pizzas, it was a little over 40 bucks which is a deal for the quality of food that you get. Great spot to go on a date or catch up with someone. There's also outside seating, which I did not try. However, when weather permits, that would be a nice option if in case it is too...

Food and drink were ok, a little pricey but my overall review reflects something that left me feeling super disappointed and uneasy.

Don't pay cash if you want your change back! I ordered a drink and appetizer at the outside bar and paid with cash. When the bartender didn't give me my change, I asked her about it, and she said "we don't have coins outside so we round up". There is absolutely no signage warning of this practice.

Your lack of signage is problematic. If a business does not have coins and intends to round up or down, there should be clear signage informing customers of this policy. Without it, I was NOT properly informed of this, which violates consumer rights under New York State’s General Business Law.

“We Don’t Have Coins” isn’t an excuse. A business is still responsible for giving the correct change. I work in the service industry myself and have NEVER rounded up or down in favor of the business, always in favor of the customer.

Rounding to the business’s favor without my consent is considered an unauthorized overcharge. This violates Section 349 of the NY General Business Law, which protects against deceptive business practices.

It's not a matter of a few pennies, this is shady business practice. Do better and don't steal money from...