I've never had the food, and I've never been too crazy about this place as a bar. The bathroom floors are always sticky or slippery with God knows what. There's a pool table and a dart board, but it's usually too crowded to play. Obviously a lot of people like it, since it gets crowded to the point where you need flashing lights to snag a bartender, but I'm not feeling it.
Review Source:A nice bar that can be a good place to hang out with friends. Â In the winter it has some nice lighting that makes it look really comfortable. Â However, it can get pretty boring pretty quickly. Â It is good to go with friends and hang out and talk and have a few drinks but don't expect to stay more than 2 hours. Â I have never had the food here but the drinks are okay. Â It is sometimes hard to get the bartender's attention and the one I talked to didn't know what a Tokyo Tea was but its alright.
Review Source:I can't comment on the food because I've never eaten here. But the bar sucks, especially on a busy night. The bartenders never paid attention to me when I was waving dollar bills in their faces. The crowd type is Hertel's scummiest. It would do well on Chippewa.
Patio tables are nice....if you ever get to them before a large group of "bros" do first.
I don't head over to Hertel too often anymore (mainly because I moved to California!) but I have been to Gecko's quite a few times and have experienced different days of the week and the crowds that frequently those days. The best part about this place is the food that you can order on those lazy, drunk nights that you don't feel like going to Mighty Taco on Delaware. The kitchen isn't open all night so think ahead and don't disappoint yourself by slacking too long on ordering food. I recommend the wings here, they are pretty good and  since we're in the heartland of the buffalo wing, it seems fitting to order these.
People call this a dive bar, but to me the old pink is a dive bar, this place isn't exactly eye candy, but I wouldn't call it a dive bar either. To me it's just a normal bar that nothing's fancy or nothing too screwed up.
During the summer there a patio area that you can sit at and enjoy the weather while having some food, or just sit back with your favorite drink and take in the time of year that happens to fly by pretty fast in Buffalo. Next thing you know it's snowing and 5 degrees out and the patio will not be available to enjoy until those spring and summer days next year.
The area available in this place is pretty small compared to other places, but they really do pack the people in here regardless. There's a dart board and a pool table to enjoy some friendly competition between your friends or some random bar person who is seeking the same entertainment. Mostly the people that pack this place is the Sabres fans, and Bills fans. Everyone in Buffalo likes to join together at their favorite watering hole to cheer on our favorite teams! Gecko's is fairly popular when it comes to that type of large sports get together's.
Here is a background on each day of the week and what type of crowd frequents here on those specific days. I hope this information helps someone, saving everyone time and fuel as well.
Monday - This day is pretty dead, barely 5 people are in there after 7pm. The crowd that should be in here on this day are a few older patrons.
Tuesday - This day is hit or miss, since there's only one bar in Buffalo in the Elmwood Hertel area that has any type of crowd would be Cole's on Elmwood, and that's because of Ladies Night every Tuesday. The crowd that does show up when it's "hit" and not "miss" are groups of males in their mid 20's looking to shoot pool or darts.
Wednesday - This day starts the end of the week drinkfest that gradually starts up. Most folks frequenting on a Wednesday would be a clean mix of Male and Female from the college crowd. This crowd can get fairly large, but die down at an earlier time than what you would see on a Friday or Saturday night.
Thursday - During the good months of the year where the weather is kind to us, this is the day that almost rivals a weekend day. Thursdays are a mixed crowd of College students that are home from school and want to get out and party, young professionals, and just about anyone else in the age bracket of 20 - 40. Even during the winter months you'll see a crowd drawn in here from the college students more than any other type of groups.
Friday and Saturday are pretty self explanatory since it is the weekend nights on Hertel, it's expected to get busy.
Definitely a dive. Was in on a Tuesday night and had a few rounds and split a sampler platter with the group. The food was fine, edible, and the crowd was pretty young - mostly people in their early 20s (and I'm sure a few that weren't there just yet).
I was surprised, to say the least, at how expensive our drinks ended up being (darn you, tab... you can just never know with a tab!) Averaged about $5-$6 each which is a bit too much for such a dive, in my opinion.
Not a bad place, not great. I'm sure I'll wind up there again though!
Stopped in here a few times already for the 3rd period of the Sabres game after i put the kids to bed while we are staying at the Mother-in-Laws down the road. All in all not a bad place to watch a Sabres game. $2 Labatts on draft or bottle works for me. Tons of HD TV's. And the wings look and smell great. I have not tried them as I usually am coming in after dinner, but would definitely see them being worth it as most people there are eating some.
Review Source:Buffalo is a city full of dive bars. Â We like our drinks cheap and dirty. Â Occassionally, we will want a nice glass of wine and fancy food but the foundation of this city is laid on the backs of all of the factory workers at Labatt's and Molson's. Â With so many dive bars to choose from, it pains me to find one that is not up to snuff.
Gecko's major failing is that it is TOO BRIGHT. Â I'm drunk, I'm thirsty, I need to pee. Â The guy who is buying my beer? Â I don't need to see how ugly he really is. Â Plus, the music sucks. Â I like to indulge in 80's hair band on occasion, but it's on heavy rotation here.
One star for the "outdoor area" in the summer--a good place to kick back with a bevvie and watch the Hertel street action.
Gecko's is a more a bar than a restaurant in my opinion, but that's perhaps more because the only time I've ever been in here was late at night.
I have some fond memories of Gecko's hot dogs at about 2am. We'd drink at Sidebar and Shadow and stop by for some hot dogs. There's no Jim's on Hertel, so Gecko is the de facto king of the drunk food scene. The food is cheap, it's quick, and it hit the spot.