Niagara Cafe

Amazing Puerto Rican food and very cheap. I love the rice and pernil (pork). Service is always fast and the ladies behind the counter are very friendly. The other food they sell is delicious as well. Highly recommend, especially for lunch!

I am a huge fan of the Niagara Café. The food is always fresh, cheap and delicious. I am a really big fan of the pernil with mojito sauce. It is always properly cooked in full of flavor. The rotisserie chicken is also on point, flavorful and juicy. My favorite thing to get here in the pastelillos they’re the best hands down in the area. The outside is flaky, the inside is full of the amazing meat mixture. The price is right, go down and give it a shot I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.

Chicken pastelitos were good

Man, if I dropped dead right now I would die with a smile on my face. Just ate my favorite meal from Niagara Café… the roast pork dinner. I have eaten here numerous times over the years and the food is always fabulous. I don’t know what they do… but they do it right! You cannot find this food anywhere else in Buffalo. If you have not been here, you must go! The menu is not large, but what they have will satisfy. The taste and quality is consistant, and portions are generous. If you plan on going for lunch you must go early, or call ahead for takeout. The small seating area is always packed and the line to order takeout is usually out the door. They only accept cash, but do have an ATM inside (so when you see all the delish food and order way too much you can get extra cash). This is the one restaurant where I never offer to share!

I have eaten many times at Niagara Café. The food has always been consistently good. I love the chicken and rice! Each time that I’ve went they’ve always had a good crowd. Be sure to bring cash though, as they do not currently accept credit cards. Last I saw, there was an atm on site for anyone who needed it.

I came in excited after a day of class and a nice workout, I walked and when i entered Niagra Café around 1pm I was in the lunch crowd. There was a line and I read a sign saying the line is for takeout, so I sat down. The waitress didn’t look so happy, but I of course was as pleasant as can be. I sat I ordered water and the quarter chicken lunch.
From what others have been saying and describing, I felt i was going to get more. But it came with some yellow rice, some beans, and the quarter dark chicken. The rice was room temperature and tasted good … the hot sauce made it even better and im sure if it was steaming hot, it would have been the perfect side. The beans were also room temperature, and i mean it wasn’t anything special its beans afterall. The chicken the prize and joy of niagra café, I was so excited to have my first bite. the flavor and char was bringing back memories from my days eating a polo riko in houston. All it was missing was green sauce and the need for my chicken to be a little more cooked. I prefer crispier then fatty skin

–Best rice. I can’t stay much about the other stuff cuz I never get anything but rice n pork or chicken and the meat usually good. Sometimes too salty.

Had an Alcapurria.
It was decent.
They didn’t have much of cuchifritos (fried sides/​appetizers).
They just had alcapurrias and chicken, pizza and cheese/​something pastelillos.
Canned soft drinks; works for me!

I absolutely adore Niagara Café. Pastellios are always on point and the chicken is always so juicy. They only accept cash but I’ll happily make the trip to the bank for the promise of tostones.

This is false advertising. They don’t even HAVE Viagara.
This is one of the best places in Western NY to get food, DO NOT miss it. One of the top ten restaurants in the region! But let me explain their vicious and misleading false advertising.
One of my several girlfriends (most of whom I met on Unilocal) told me to come here because they’d help me fix my «problem.» You know, the kind that «happens to a lot of guys.» What I didn’t tell her is that it happens because I prefer guys. But I’d rather not have her know that. Or anyone else at the moment, so please, keep it to yourself. Don’t post it on Unilocal or anything.
Anyway, she said «go to Viagara Café, they’ll get it working again.» And then I get here and all they have is Puerto Rican food, which won’t make you hard at all, in fact it will make your tummy big and soft. But it’s so worth it. So I became a regular here and gained lbs and never fixed my issue and she dumped me. Damn those big hot salty balls. (Rellenos De Papa).
What to get: Pernil and red garlic sauce, Rotisserie Chicken, Relleno De Papa.
What else is good: All of the below.
I don’t like that they call it «Nihilistic Café» though. None of the employees seem to be nihilists AT ALL. False advertising. Psh. Bah. People.
— The Pernil is AMAZING, so are the rice and beans that come with it, get them all extra juicy
— The Rotisserie Chicken is AMAZING — get it hot and fresh early at lunch time, ask for it extra juicy
— The Empanadas are amazing when hot, especially the Philly Cheesesteak special one.
— The Papa De Relleno (fried potato ball with cheese) is off the charts amazing.
— Best of all is the red Garlic sauce. It goes with everything and is some of the best sauce you will EVER TRY ANYWHERE.
I brought Mo from DC here the other day. I thought it might get me laid with him, but I found out (to my horror) that he is only into girls. Talk about a let down. Also he doesn’t eat pork. Not my pork, and not pork in general. Burn.
To be honest it’s probably the best Puerto Rican food I’ve ever had, and I’ve had plenty. The lunch specials are so so cheap too ($ 6 and big) and the dinner specials are a very good deal for the amazing food you get ($ 9 and enormous, and if you wanna see something else that is 9 and enormous, txt me).
However, it’s false advertising. All I wanted was some damn West African food. I thought that «Nigeria Café» would be the perfect venue. Nope. They don’t even HAVE Nigerian food. They SERIOUSLY should think about a RE-​NAME people. A RE-​NAME. Seriously. People.
Staff is not always friendly (depends on who you get) and I’ve received hate mail from a customer before. Or perhaps an employee, it was hard to tell. The older servers and one of the younger males tend to go out of their way to make you happy, the other younger ones seem like they’d really rather not be there, but maybe that’s what a family business is all about in the postmodern world. Service isn’t important to me. The food is AMAZING.
False advertising, though. I wanted to have a good night’s sleep. You’d think «Nyquil Café» would help. Nope. Although the greasy food does kind of knock me out. So yeah. Okay. Never mind then.
Went back here just the other day, nothing has changed, in fact if anything it’s more delicious than ever. The Pernil (juicy roast pork) is heaven — best I ever had. Ask for it extra juicy and make sure you get red garlic sauces — several of them. They shouldn’t charge for the red sauces (50 cents per sauce) but who cares when it tastes this good.
But false advertising, really. «Niawanda Café» it says. Well it’s nowhere NEAR Niawanda Park. Not even CLOSE. Like at least TEN MILES away. Change the name people. Really. People.
The Philly Cheesesteak Empanada is incredible when fresh. This place also has some of the best tasting rotisserie chicken you will EVER get anywhere. A few dollars more for a whole chicken than at Wegmans or W**mart, but infinitely better than both put together when it comes to taste. And you must also try the Relleno De Papa, stuffed with cheese and meat, it’s incredible. All in all, you must get here. Get Pernil. $ 6 at lunch. Comes with rice and beans. Get Rotiss Chicken. Get the fried stuff. Most of all get the garlic sauce. Get stuffed. And then get Viagara elsewhere because like I said they don’t sell it here.
False advertising, I tell you. Sort of like my 9 and enormous comment.

My father and I came here for dinner and I ordered fried chicken with yellow rice and pastelillos. The chicken wasn’t that great in my opinion; it reminded me of the chicken they served in high school on «soul food» days. But the rice and beans? I could eat it EVERY SINGLE DAY.
The yellow rice already has beans in it, but they give you a little serving of what I originally thought was soup. Whatever it is, it was amazing when poured over the rice.
The pastelillos were great too… but they could take the time to pat them a bit. Waaaayyy too much oil left on them.
Overall I’d definitely eat there again. The price was reasonable, our waitress was funny and the food was worth eating off of the Styrofoam plates on which our pastelillos were served.

I really had no idea what to expect when my friend and her boyfriend said that they were taking me to the West side of Buffalo for lunch. Niagara Café is an extremely casual Puerto Rican restaurant located in a part of town that I had never even driven through. I was immediately intrigued when we arrived. As we walked in, we were greeted enthusiastically by the men working behind the counter. Everybody at the restaurant was very friendly and happy.
The café has a take out line and table service. The take out line was very long. We chose to sit down. After thoroughly reviewing my options, I settled on two pastelillos and a side of yellow rice. I absolutely loved my meal. The pastelillos were just as good, if not better, than the ones I’ve had in Puerto Rico– perfectly spiced and extra cheesy. The yellow rice had just the right amount of cilantro. My meal cost $ 6.00 total. I don’t know anywhere else in Buffalo where you can get a meal that satisfying for less than $ 10.00. I was very impressed by this restaurant and will certainly return!

A walk over to the Niagara Café is not for the faint of heart. Along the way I encountered a lot of people yelling, some in foreign languages, and all of which I couldn’t ascertain if they were angry with one another or just plain loud. I passed several boarded up building and dwellings with NO TRESPASSING signs.
Even while I was standing in the” to go” line in the restaurant, I was certain of the fact that the kid standing right behind me was a drug dealer; his darting eyes, nervous appeal, hoodie pulled over his head in 65 degree weather and giant wad of cash he pulled out of his pocket all made him seem suspicious to me. There’s little question that this place is «in the hood». Be that as it may, I can’t possible hold any of this against the Niagara Café. The food is just spectacular, and it’s worth a little peril to get it.
I had the half rotisserie chicken with the yellow rice and beans. In addition, because Niagara Café claims to have some of the best Puerto Rican food around, I ordered the fried plantains chips (tostones), you know, for the sole purpose of graded this review appropriately for the reader, and not because I was itching to stuff fried plantain in my gullet like a gluttonous orangutan.
The tostones were superb. They came with some sort of sauce that was reminiscent of marinara sauce, but zestier and fraught with garlic. And priced at $ 3, the tostones were a great deal. There was plenty enough to share with all the other orangutans in my office.
The chicken was a work of art. I watched as I stood in line and saw the chickens slowly turning in their old fashion rotisserie machine behind the counter. I was getting super psyched to dig in. I saw the skin on the chicken go from a slight golden brown to a deep BBQ char. When it was ready for consumtion the skin begun to bubble a bit, and I could feel my heart melting like butter. I almost couldn’t handle it anymore. But it tasted even better than it looked! It really is some of the best chicken around.
And if my review isn’t enough to convince you to get your lunch at Niagara Café, then would it help if I told you that this is a one stop shop for all your necessary fixes: I was also able to score some seriously good dope from that drug dealer standing behind me to go with that amazing chicken.
Just kidding… Drugs are bad, mmmkay? Go get some chicken at Niagara Café, mmmkay?

Great food! Great prices! Shitty sit down service! Ask the waitress to give us a few minutes too look at the menu! 20 minutes later she comes back after asking another waitress to get our waitress because she was in the back goofing off with her co workers & on her cellphone. I would give you a full 5 stars Niagara Café if it wasn’t for the shitty sit down service. I would recommend to go service instead!

This chicken is the kind of food that will never make it home if you get it as takeout because you will devour it with your bare hands before you can even start the car to leave the parking lot. It is seriously damn good. I would give this place five stars because the food is simply amazing but they get a one star review because they don’t maintain basic sanitation.
I’ve been eating here since I moved to Buffalo five years ago and have never been ill BUT for the first time I sat at the counter to eat and noticed that the employees and owner will wash their hands and wipe them on the same towels they use to wipe down tables. It is legitimately the most unsanitary thing I have ever seen, especially because they do that and go right to cutting up the rotisserie chicken and serving other food.
If you’re feeling lucky and want to take a chance, I highly recommend the chicken and tostones but after five years I feel like my luck will likely run out soon so I’m not going back.

This was my first time came here to try this popular authentic Puerto Rican restaurant on Buffalo’s West Side. It is located on Niagara Street, about 1.2 miles from downtown Buffalo, pretty close to the 190 exit ramps. I was excited to come here to attend my second UYE event.
This small restaurant was busy during lunch time. There was quiet a line of people waiting to pick up food and most tables were full with customers.
I ordered the lunch special, ‘Pernil’ Roasted Pork with yellow rice and a small bowl of beans. The roasted pork was juicy and flavorful, tasted delicious with the rice, especially when mixed with their special garlic red sauce.
I also ordered pastel — I wasn’t sure what it’s made of but someone told me it was green bananas with pork filling wrapped with banana leaves. I enjoyed this dish which reminded me of tamales. I got to try fellow Unilocalers a very yummy fried plaintain banana, mouthwatering pastelillos — deep fried meat pocket, and flavorsome rotisserie chicken.
The price for the lunch specials were $ 6.00 between 11a-​2pm and the side orders were $ 2.00
The service was good and the food came out fast. Parking is available for customers next to the restaurant and can be a little challenging. But street parking is also available during the week 7a-​7p for 2 hours.
I will definitely come back again to try other dish. I would recommend this place if you are in downtown Buffalo to have an authentic taste of Puerto Rican food that meets fair-​priced.

Awesome Puerto Rican restaurant on Buffalo’s west side. There are several reasons this place is a solid five stars. First, the food. Very flavorful and well done. I went with the Pernil roast pork dinner and that was really good, juicy, and perfectly done. It came with a huge side of rice, hispanic beans, and a small salad. I also went with a pastelillo which is a fried meat pocket. The meat filling in the pastelillo was so good!
Second, the service. You can get takeout but if you dine in go ahead and seat yourself and someone will be right over to wait on you. After putting my order in my food was out in less than five minutes! Service speed is awesome.
Third, the prices. The dinners are all like $ 9 and $ 10 and you get a good amount of food with them so thats not bad. But the real deals are the lunch specials. I have yet to visit for lunch but lunch specials are $ 6 and they apparently have really good rotisserie chicken. Appetizers like pastelillos are around $ 2 or so.
Lastly, and this is very important to note they have their own parking lot. Score! That never happens this close to downtown so its pretty great that they actually have their own parking lot.
I should also note that the place is very simple and no frills but very authentic. All of the other diners that were there at the same time as me only spoke Spanish. The name «Niagara Café» is very misleading. Before I ate here I thought this place was some kind of coffee shop/​snack bar serving up chicken fingers and hamburgers not one of the best ethnic restaurants in the city of Buffalo. As I stated earlier a totally solid ethnic food experience. Go here if you like or want to try Puerto Rican food!

This is my favorite Puerto Rican restaurant in Buffalo. I’ve eaten most things from their menu. My go to is bistec encebollado con arroz blanco y habichuelas (steak with onions, white rice and beans). It’s my favorite Puerto Rican meal. Their tostones, yellow rice, chicken, and pork are all enjoyable. If you’re feeling adventurous try Mofongo with chicharones (pork).
It’s cash only, so plan ahead. Also, the place isn’t very modern and I question their cleanliness. The service is mediocre, but for the quality of food it is worth it!

My Order: Pastelitos & Relleno de Papa
Pros
— very hearty appetizers. I love eating the pastelitos (cuban «patty») & relleno de papas (potato ball w/​beef)
— short/​no line up
Cons
— I wouldn’t come here for the ambiance
— the service is lacking
— very fatty fried food
At the end of the day, the pastelitos & relleno de papa is delicious. Fortunately, my school catered food from niagara café & I gave these two gems a try. Their food and ambiance is a bit rustic and dirty but it is delicious.

Despite living two blocks away from Niagara Café for the last 7 months and all of the rave reviews, today was the first time I finally stopped in. You won’t get treated like royalty here, but that doesn’t matter because everything is about the FOOD. I ordered the fried chicken dinner, which came with three pieces of chicken, a side salad, beans, and a mountain of yellow rice – a generous portion for only $ 9. It was hands down the best fried chicken I’ve ever had. I even picked the bones clean and I can be very picky about the texture of meat.
A few reviewers had a problem with the neighborhood, and I guess it could be a little intimidating for some people, but I’m excited to have found this little gem so close to my apartment and I cant wait to do more exploring on Niagara St. Others also noted an issue with the noise. I would certainly say that Niagara Café is much more lively than your average restaurant. They play some great Latin American music and our waitress, who was a feisty, sweet little grandma would come up to the tables shouting «olé!» At one point the line was almost out the door for take-​out, so I understand why people said it was loud. If that kind of atmosphere makes you uncomfortable, you may prefer to order out. But, if you don’t mind a bit of a party while you eat, you’ll feel right at home.