Lake Effect Diner — Restaurant in Buffalo

We were in Buffalo, NY and were looking for a diner for a quick bite to eat before getting on the road back to the Hudson Valley. We stopped in here based on the first couple of reviews we read. We should have read further. When we walked in, we were told there was a half hour wait for a booth or counter seat. We asked why the four counter seats on the left side were empty and were told the patrons for those seats are waiting in their cars (why are they in their cars and not in the seats?) We waited outside for a half hour and got a call to come in for our table. It took us all of one minute to get in and the waitress we encountered first said that she called my wife’s phone and received no answer. When my wife said that she just spoke to someone, the story changed and we were told she called two people at once and the other couple were standing by the register. The waitress said it would be another ten minutes if we wanted to wait at the counter so we waited another ten minutes. Strike One against this place. My wife asked for iced tea with Splenda, but was told all they had was sugar and a pink saccharine substitute (what eating establishment has only sugar and pink sweeteners; EVERY other place I have ever been to has at least yellow or blue, if not both). My wife then asked for iced coffee. She was told there was only enough for a small glass and my wife said that was okay. Less than five minutes later, the waitress came back and said that the coffee was given to someone else. No apology, just an explanation: ‘We are short staffed and it is Sunday’. Strike Two. We put in our order (scrambled eggs and turkey sausage with a bagel; Greek Omelette with French toast) We were then seated at a booth and waited more than 45 minutes before our food arrived. My scrambled eggs were loose, the turkey sausage was overdone and tasted ‘off’ and the home-fries were greasy. My wife’s ‘Greek’ omelet (which didn’t really look like it) was over cooked and dry with a miserly amount of feta cheese sprinkled on top. The ‘French’ toast looked more like French bread cut into slices, browned on both ends, sprinkled with powdered sugar with a scoop of butter on one slice and a scoop of something unknown on the other (margarine? sour cream?) Neither slice was cooked in the middle and it tasted like underdone toast.  When my wife complained to our server, she said ‘We are short staffed and it is Sunday’. She offered to redo my wife’s order, but I said we don’t have another 45 minutes to wait. Her response was ‘We are short staffed and it is Sunday’ and again said all she could do was remake my wife’s order. Strike Three and we are out. As we were leaving, my wife asked the waitress we encountered upon entry how hard is it to make iced coffee? Ice and coffee.  The waitress said we were very rude.  No, the service at Lake Effect Diner was rude.  The attitude of the staff was rude.  The food was rude. And it was not an inexpensive meal. They keep trumpeting that Guy Fieri stopped in here for 'Diners, Drive-ins and Dives', but I have to agree with another reviewer: they must have hired a chef specifically for Guy's visit and then let him go afterwards. I have every intention of warning off our Buffalo family and friends from...

My wife and I came in for breakfast on 7/24 based on Guy's review. After our experience my wife & I mused Guy merely picks out neat places - and the name of the show IS Diner, Drive-Ins and Dives. This place fit the bill to a 'T' as a DIVE.

We arrived at 9-ish expecting a delay for a seat, much to our surprise we found a parking spot easily (hint hint). Entering the Lake Effect Diner we were greeted by the Host who showed us to a couple of seats at the counter - we were the only ones at the counter as all the booths were filled. No problem.

Our wait person waited for at least 5 minutes before she finally came over and asked us if we wanted anything to drink. Mind you she had no other orders on-going at the time. Seemed to us that we were complicating her shoot the bull with the other staff members at the time.

We got our Coffee - and it basically tasted like the Buffalo area water - which really sux.

I ordered the home made Smoked Ham as this is one of the 'specialties' of Lake Effect Diner. My better half had the Blueberry Pancakes. We waited a good 35-40 minutes for our food (like the previous review - the place was not 'busy'). My meal was 'ok'. The homefries were basically bland and the Ham was not impressive to me (maybe it's my Southern expereince where Smoked Ham ROCKS!. My eggs on the other hand were perfect - go figure. My wife's Blueberry pancakes were no impressive. Simple pancakes with a drizzle of some sort of Blueberry compote and a handful of fresh Blueberries tossed - and served with Maple Syrup (we think...). To me, I was expecting Blueberries in pancakes and have the order served with blueberry syrup. Yet another missed opportunity to get the meal 'right'.

The place is 'clean' if you ignore the deep grunge in the rest rooms. The soap scum and grime is in need of some elbow grease to make it shine. The place has some serious potential from the 'cute factor' angle - but the staff is to busy to notice you and the owners aren't doing their part in making sure the guests experience is top notch. It doesn't have to be a 'kiss my a$$' place, but at least staying in touch with your guest and checking to see if everything is good should begin with your server and be repeated by the Host if you're going to keep a host on...

I had never been here before and my son (22) had his choice of where to dine out last night. He chose Lake Effect.

The decor invokes that feel-good 50's era vibe with a touch of modern edge. Parking was abundant, situated between Lake Effect and the neighboring restaurant. However, we dined at off-peak hours. I believe it was somewhere between 8-930pm.

The two wait staff ladies were very nice and the dark-haired one who waited on us was charming and funny. The crowd was young and hip, not loud or obnoxious... seemed to be mainly college students looking for a quick bite during post-dinner hours. Food and drinks were delivered very quickly!

I ordered a Bloody Mary and a Beef on Weck. No disappointment here! The food was tasty, the drink was good though very small for its price. All of our plates were clean prior to leaving and we honestly weren't very hungry going in (wanted to spend one last hour with my son before heading back to PA) but those handcut fries were just as addictive as the sandwich!

Bathrooms were clean (though the paper towel machine was a bit stuck) and you can read a little bit about the history of the diner as it is hanging on the wall between the two privies.

My only real complaint is the prices are a little unexpected. My daughter ordered a milkshake that cost $7.00. I can't tell you whether or not it was worth it as I didn't taste it but the other two shared it and said that it would be an awesome $5.00 shake but not sure it was worth $7.00. The bill was around $57 before tip for 3 entrees, one pop, a shake, and a Bloody Mary. Then again, the aesthetic and care used in preparing the dishes reflect that this isn't your run of the mill greasy spoon.

Overall, I am very happy with my experience and will return to try more of their dishes as they have an excellent selection of menu items! I didn't look over the menu too much however. When I return home, I tend to choose dishes that I know won't be on the menu in any other city or town.

I miss...