I just had the BEST Italian Wedding Soup here for lunch!!
I've come here twice now for lunch and both visits were very similar. It's very nicely arranged, but the entire time I'm there, my eyes are adjusting from the sun coming through the huge windows to the restaurant itself being incredibly dark. When I leave, my eyes are killing from the adjustments. It's also hard to read the menu because of this. I also don't think the music matches the atmosphere. It's a dark, cozy restaurant with almost a cigar bar feeling to it. The first time I was there, they were playing some Josh Groban and and other classical artists. I thought that fit. The second time, they were playing Taylor Swift and more "club" style music. It did not fit the atmosphere and was way too loud.
The time before this, I've had the Caesar Salad and that was very good as well.
I have no complaints food wise. I will definitely come back here!
Tried this restaurant for the first time today since it's restaurant week and they had a restaurant week lunch menu. I wish I could give them at least one more star or just a half a star because the food was average to decent, but unfortunately the service was lacking a bit.
Food: It being restaurant week, my boyfriend and I opted for the special restaurant week menu for lunch. We could choose an appetizer to share and a sandwich from a list for each of us. We ordered the fried calamari. It was a nice sized appetizer for two people to share. The taste was average. I say this because there was not much flavor to it. I'm used to going ordering calamari that is seasoned and flavorful and this one was lacking on both. The dipping on the sauce did however make up for it because it had some good flavor to it, For my sandwich I ordered the cheesesteak. Having grown up around Philadelphia, I'm very particular about my cheesesteaks, but this one I would call decent. It could have used more cheese, but have lots of peppers and onions which I love. The roll was great...not to tough, not to soft.
Service: Upon walking in to the restaurant we noticed that there was no hostess. We waited for a bit at one appeared to be the hostess stand and no one even acknowledged that we were there. We overheard someone at the bar asking what the wait was for a bar table and they were told 30 minutes. We didn't want to wait that long for a table for lunch so we sat at the bar and decided we'd eat there. We sat in our seats for over 10 minutes before the bartender even acknowledged up. I understand it was busy and that there was only one bartender, but a simple "hey I'll be right with you guys" would have been sufficient, but didn't get so much as a glance. We finally were able to order some drinks and while waiting heard the bartender tell a couple who sat down right before we did that the wait for a table would be only 5 minutes. I didn't understand why we were each told different things, but at this point we didn't feel like switching things up. Once able to order food, the service seemed to be a bit more sufficient, but "sufficient" was as good as it got.
I wouldn't say that I'd never come back here since I enjoying my entree, but if I'm considering restaurants to go to or even bar & grill type of establishments, this would likely not be on my list.
I have been coming to this restaurant for years now. It's located in an excellent location, in the heart of downtown Buffalo. My favorite thing about this restaurant is the atmosphere. I love the dark, swanky, modern look. It has a unique bar downstairs when you first walk in, and additional seating is located upstairs, which has a loft overlooking the bar and TV downstairs.
The food here is usually great; my favorite is the banana peppers. Â However to contradict that statement, on my last visit I was extremely disappointed with the banana peppers I received. Â They were very hard, almost like they weren't cooked long enough and the stuffing was cold. Â They were so bad they were inedible and I just kind of sat there staring at my food. Â I didn't want to complain to the waitress, but I finally said something. Â She took the banana peppers back. Â When they came out the second time, the stuffing was hot but the peppers just seemed hard (like the texture of a fresh pepper, uncooked). Â I don't know if this was a rare occasion or if they have a new chef, but I hope if I do order them there in the future that this won't occur again.
The prices are decent, and not too expensive. This place is worth going to especially if you are downtown for a show at Shea's or before an event at the Arena. (Note - if there is an event or a home Sabre's game this place will be packed!)
Let me start out by saying the lighting in the dining area is a total joke. I get the whole dim lighting for the romantic effect but we ate dinner on the second floor and could hardly see anything. I'm 25 with 20/20 vision and couldn't read the menu let alone see my food. It was unbelievable. I felt like I was Amish and eating via candlelight. I have no interest in being Amish; Turn the lights up a little more.
My girlfriend and I went before the Sabres game and I'm pretty sure that there was a play going on at Sheas as well. They were busy and it definitely was evident with our pretty poor service. It took our waitress about 10 minutes to bring our drinks and we never ended up getting glasses of water. I'll chalk that up to them being overly busy but it's still frustrating as a customer.
We both ordered the strip steak sandwich which I think was the best steak sandwich that I've ever had. The steak was seasoned just right and cooked to perfection -medium. It was served with a side salad which was also good. It comes with a side salad or fries, and since I gave up fried food for lent the salad was a welcomed substitute. By the way, I am a huge fan of the being able to substitute fries for a salad without an additional charge. Sometimes it's more costly to eat healthier options which could explain why a large number of people don't bother to.
If you are going to an event downtown or want to have a delicious lunch, check this place out. 2 steak sandwiches and a couple beers ran us around $30 which isn't bad.
Went here before a show at Shea's, was moderately busy, had to dine at bar but that was no big deal. Â They were out of roast beef which was a little disappointing at 7pm, but oh well. Â Went with the burger which ended up being delicious, nice portion of fries too. Â Not much on draft but some tasty bottled IPA's (Southern Tier, Ithaca).
Review Source:Worked in restaurants for years in college and typically not one to complain, but my most recent experience here was unacceptable. Hostess was disorganized, confused, and unable to find our reservaton. Server was snooty and unprofessional. Our appetizers took 55 minutes and arrived cold. Once we told the server we were not interested in eating the appetizers, our dinners (two salads and a burger) took an additional 25 minutes. Every table around us had sat, eaten, and left in the time it took for us to finally get our entrees. Our server was eventually apologetic, but this place clearly lacks an owner or strong manager's presence to keep things running well.
Review Source:There are many things I like about this place.
1. They always seem to have some awesome drink special going on, like buy one get one mojitos or $5 bloody marys on Sundays. The wine list is pretty nice as well and the bartenders have even let me sample a taste before to buying a whole glass.
2. The buffalo wing soup is AMAZING. The burgers and the cheesecake are great too!
3. The staff is kind and prompt.
4. The ambiance is great. I love the dim lighting and the rich decor
5. The room they have for private parties is really beautiful.
Laughlin's falls into my category of restaurants that I really, really want to like... and have therefore tried too many times only to leave aggravated each time.
My biggest issue with Laughlin's most likely lies in the management. I've always been happy with the food and drinks. No complaints there. The ambiance is really great too! But there's always *something* that causes a headache. For example:
1. Call for Valentine's day reservations. They take the reservation. Show up - it's a limited menu. Yes, this is common for holidays. No, it's not common to neglect to mention that at the time of the reservation (also not common to only have dishes that cost upwards of 4 times what your normal plates cost). As someone with limitations on what I can eat, this was very stressful - we expressed our concern and were handed a menu to look at before being seated. There was one dish, a heavy creamy seafood pasta dish, that I could technically have. I told the hostess about that one dish and we sat down, ordered drinks, and then ordered an appetizer.
When it came time to order our meal - after ordering - THEN we were told they had been out of the pasta for 2 hours, and they would not serve me anything a la carte (I asked if I could at least have a baked potato and chef salad, which were both being served that evening). Had it been any other day of the year we would have left right then - but the apps were on the table and after calling every restaurant nearby and finding, not surprisingly, that we weren't going to get a table any where else - I picked off my husband's plate and left very unhappily. (Needless to say, we no longer go out on V-Day!!)
2. We visited with each set of our parents for a pre-wedding get-together. 6 people, 3 entertainment cards - chose the place just for the entertainment book participation. Please keep in mind that this may have changed - but at the time, the agreement in the book was a maximum of 3 cards per party. We let the waitress know right away about our entertainment cards to make sure they would be used on specials, etc. "Order anything" she says. Well, after we finish eating we are then told, "oh, we only accept one card per party. No separate checks." We show them the agreement they accepted when choosing to participate in the Entertainment book program. Nope, won't accept more than 1. UGH.
3. Weekday lunch. Wearing suits - clearly working that day. 45 minute wait for 3 salads. Had to take it to go - not what I was hoping for when I finally ventured out of the office for a nice lunch.
My bad experiences were not limited to these, but they are the ones that have stuck with me the most and make me suggest another place if Laughlin's ever comes up. I have been to the bar area a few times without the same troubles, but it's quite a bit harder to screw up when opening a bottle than it is when serving a meal.
All in all, I would absolutely recommend Laughlin's - for take out only. Because the food really is pretty tasty.
I took my mother here for a 4pm dinner earlier this summer (2012) and we were sat right away considering it was literally dead and we were the only customers in the establishment at the time, which was great!
Once we were sat they took our drink orders, then our menu orders...nothing ridiculous like a custom order or anything which I could understand that may take a little bit longer but that's not the case here. Our food, for being the only customers in the restaurant took over 40 minutes to cook a burger, and a chicken sandwich, that's at least 20 minutes too long in this scenario.
The place is nice, the employees are nice as well, but the amount of time was a tad on the annoying side. My mother was actually very hungry, and she was going to order the steak but she knew that would take too long, which is funny because within that 40 minutes they could have cooked the steak, too bad you can't get a heads up when this stuff happens :(
Either way, the food was great, the waitress performance was also great as well, but she could have communicated with us to let us know something instead of leaving us guessing. Communication is what keeps people from getting frustrated.
Went for dinner with my boyfriend for our anniversary. Had reservations, yet waited a bit. We were seated in a very nice area, food was great! Drinks were great too. Snobby waitress and server when we asked for service though that kinda puts you off, had a chicken panini which was cooked to perfection! Doc Croce has a good thing going here just needs to work out the staff kinks.
Review Source:Went for lunch today with my spouse.  I am still a fan,  Nice quiet place to  have a intimate lunch or a working lunch. Outside patio on the second floor  was opened.  Patrons appear to enjoy. Food was great.  You get alot for your money.  Again i recommend this as a quiet adult casual restaurant.
Review Source:I wanted to give this place 2 stars and I wanted to give it 4 stars. Â Parts of it were great and parts of it were so so. Â
The good -- the food really is good here. Â I had a great tomato and mozzarella starter and my cowboy ribeye was cooked perfectly. Â Marbled well, grilled well, presented well and exactly the way I like it. Â As far as cocktails go, I drink my vodka straight, so its not too hard to pour Goose on some ice and serve it. Â
The bad -- the service was weird. Â We had a reservation and I am a very big proponent of the literal definition of that word. Â Reservation -- to reserve, to set aside, to make ready. Â So, when I walk in t place that I have a 7:15 reservation at, and you tell me I have to wait, I get a little pissed. Â There's a lot more to being a hostess than walking someone to a table and dropping off a menu. Â Sometimes, you have to put out a potential fire. Â The two teenagers working the front door didn't at all. Â Every 5 minutes, one of them came over and said "Oh, it'll just be another minute." Â That happened enough times that we finally sat down at 7:45. Â To me, that's a deal breaker. Â Our waitress wasn't really on point -- she was bubbly, but it appeared as though she would rather be dining at Laughlins, than serving at Laughlins. Â Had to ask for drinks more than once, water more than once, silverware on more than one occasions. Â
That being said, food YAY, service NAY.
I worked here for about 2 years when it first opened. Â Does that make my opinion biased or more honest? I will leave that to you!
I have no complaints about this place. Â If you're looking for an intimate, romantic ambiance, this is the place. Â Dimly lit with lots of candles, unique layout and design ... classy, upscale and trendy. Â They have one of the best balcony patios in Buffalo, but unfortunately it is not open that often. Â It has to be really nice out for them to open it.
The food is great. Â My second favorite place for wings in the entire WNY area. Â They are huge and meaty with the right amount of sauce and crispiness. Â
I always order one of their signature sandwiches - as a server, this was one of the most popular items that I served - the cajun grouper sandwich! A huge grouper filet with the perfect amount of cajun seasoning served on a crispy, fresh roll. Â A generous portion of tarter sauce is served on the side and I always slather it on my sandwich. Â You can get your sandwich with their handcut french fries, a HUGE salad (no iceberg lettuce here!!!) or one of their delicious soups.
When I worked there, the desserts were prepared by Butterwoods. Â Not sure if that's still the case.
As for the bar: an impressive array of bottled beer. Â Limited tap options but they're all good. Â They have a great liquor selections and if you're there on a regular night you can be sure that you will get a top-notch martini from one of their bartenders.
"Harry Potter's Cave" as I call it. Laughlin's isn't a bad hangout. The lower patio is open and nice but there isn't much to see in this location and on any given night you could run into the *interesting* crowd that parks itself outside Tudor Lounge next door. The upper patio is a better choice, giving you some space from the hustle and bustle on the lower level. The interior is unique but quite dark - however it suites the ambiance well. If you have a group of people or need a place for a business meet, there is a specific table that can be reserved on the second floor which has curtains that can give you privacy while still being in the mix of the general seating. There is also a third floor mainly used for parties.
The food is average in my opinion - not bad but not amazing. My two favorite items would be the Cajun Grouper sandwich (fantastic) and the chicken wings. Weird I know. They also have good salads - who can resist warm bacon dressing?
Dress? Business Casual - Jeans and a nice shirt will do the trick most of the time - come dinner you will see a dressier crowd mix in though. All in all Laughlin's can make a good choice for anyone looking to kill a few hours before a show at Shea's or Asbury Hall (which you should make a point to see!), etc.
Loved it here! Â We made reservations and were accommodated as soon as we walked in. Â We ate upstairs in a nice cozy corner of the room, with relaxing dim lighting. Â The atmosphere and the music was great, but the food was better. Â Me and my boyfriend had stuffed peppers to start, which were delicious!! Â They were definitely spicy, but came with some delicious bread to help kill the heat, and shortly after our appetizers were complete our dinner came out. Â I opted to have a Pear, Walnut and Gorgonzola salad, which was simply divine. Â My boyfriend had a pastrami sandwich which he absolutely loved. Â They have REAL fries there and we were sincerely pleased by the service, the atmosphere and the food.
Review Source:Came here the other night for happy hour. It was pretty busy when we arrived ~5:30pm. The inside of this place is really beautiful, I love the ceiling and light fixtures above the bar. Even the bathrooms are decorated nicely, except the hand drier is so incredibly loud.
We got a couple beers on draft and one tasted really... off. The bartender let me get another beer on tap instead. They have a great selection of bottled beer (my favorite Ellicottville beers, Dogfish Head and some other crafty type brews).
We ordered some chicken wings which were good and the fries were also especially delicious. Seems like a nice place to stop for happy hour, before a Sabres game or before a show at Shea's.
Not worth it.
Beer was good, especially the Octoberfest. Food was "meh'. Meat was overcooked, baked potato was reheated and horrible, 'mixed vegetable' side was corn and onions!.. hardly "mixed vegetables".
The kicker was the long hair I found in my meet. It looked blonde so I have no idea who's it was since the waitress' were all brunette.
Waitresses are cute and the black outfits are effective eye candy.
My suggestion would be to go for the beer and avoid the way over-priced steaks all of which are in the $25 price point.
I like coming to Laughlin's because its close, and they also have a great beef on weck and buffalo wings (one would say they're even better than Anchor Bar... gasp!) Â Crab cakes, soups, salads are not so great, and I have not tried any of their entrees, which are strangely expensive compared to everything else. Â
The decor is Frank Lloyd Wright-esque, heavy on the dark woods, which is cozy but when you come here at night it's really hard to see your food and your company (perhaps this is intentional). Â
What I don't like about Laughlin's is their menu - it is really heavy on the meat and dairy. Â If you don't want something with meat, anything else you try to pick has dairy. Â And something else - all their salads they seem to put shredded cheese on them, which is super yukky (but that's just me, I really dislike shredded raw anything!) Â If you are a vegetarian there are no hot entrees, and if you're vegan, well you're just plain out of luck.... walk down the street to Merge.
Other than that, staff here are pretty friendly and the wraparound balcony is quite nice in the summertime.
Laughlin's is good. Â In fact, I'd even say it's pretty good. Â Do I love it? Â Well, no, not anymore.
I'm not sure what's changed over the years I've been going to Laughlan's, but I know that something has. Â The food there is fine, there's nothing intrinsically wrong with it, but it used to be that the entrees there were good to exceptional. Â Across the board that seems to be the case.
The thing is, I think they know it too.
Because the past two times I've eaten there, the portions have been HUGE. Â Way too big for anyone to eat in one sitting. Â I think they're trying to cover the drop in quality with an increase in quantity. Â Maybe I'm picky, but it's just not doing it for me anymore.
Also, as a few previous posters have pointed out, the bar service has not been the same since Pat left. Â Alas, nothing to be done for that
**Review Based On A Monday Night Bar Experience Only.
Very Handsome-ly Decorated. Â
Have heard decent things about menu.
Nice Wine and Spirits selection.
Was Meeting two friends before dining out downtown; Decided to meet at Laughlin's.
Music - WAY TOO LOUD for a Monday at 6pm (Yelling to get point across)
Bartender - Horrible. Â New Hire perhaps. Â No Experience. Â Sorry - Just don't cut it. Â With all due respect - this girl would have been out of place working at a college bar. Â
General experience = Not so good.
**Will attempt a second go-round as they are touted as "Buffalo's Best Happy Hour".....
Laughlin's is a cool place. Â There's a beautiful bar on the ground floor and two floors of lounge and dining above. Â It's dark and wood-paneled, which gives it a great atmosphere. Â Good place to take a date, for example.
Onto the food. Â It's pretty good, of the Pearl Street Grill simple/slightly upscale Buffalo/American variety. Â I've only been here a few times, but their roast beef and grilled chicken sandwiches have been consistent and tasty. Â They recently raised prices, but who hasn't?
Solid place, solid food, well-crafted drinks, good selection of beers.
Consistent good food at this Buffalo eatery. Â A recent visit back to the Queen City affirmed this. Â The ambiance is upscale, but jeans and sandals in the summer aren't out of the questions. Â I've had business lunches here and dinner with friends as well as casual lunches. Â Its proximity to the theater district makes it a perfect stop before or after a show. Â Sabres games here are a good time. Â The seating set up is unique, there are club chairs, bar stools, regular tables, and patio seats. Â
Good things to try: Â
- The cheese plate. Â This formerly came with assorted fruit too, but this huge spread of various cheeses is tasty. Â Only get this if you have a party of four or larger, though.
- The stuffed hot pepper sandwich with chicken, sirloin, or alone. Â Careful though, the peppers are VERY hot most of the time.
- The salmon. Â Always a different glaze and always fresh.
Consistency is very big in my book, and this place ranks high. Â Definitely worth a visit.
It's not the same here since Pat left, but honestly, they still have a great beer, wine, and liquor selection at the bar. It's relatively chill most nights. The only nights you definitely won't get a seat at the bar is during theater nights.
The food is also pretty good. The Pulled Pork and beef on weck are classics you definitely can't go wrong with.
This review is mostly for the bar at Laughlin's but let me really quickly go over the food. There are lots of places in Buffalo in the same price range that are better, but it's still good. The french fries are really awesome and I like the house salad. They have other good stuff to munch on when you're drinking, like the cheese plate or chicken wings but if you're really hungry I'd recommend a sandwich above a full on entree... those are kind of lacking.
Anyway, The Bar is amazing. Mainly because of the head bartender/ house manager Patrick. I love him. He is THE perfect bartender and I'm never sure why he does not win the best bartender in the Art Voice awards but I guess he must just be a well kept secret. His cocktails are amazing. I especially love the fresh fruit martini, and the mojito, or if you want something a little more traditional his Tom Collins are great. If you want to get smashed the Red Death will kick your ass harder then any Long Island iced tea ever will, and there is a pretty good wine and beer selection too. The bartenders all know what they're doing.
I basically became a regular the first night I hit this place because I fell in love. If you're interested Pat can also tell you pretty much how to make almost any kind of liquor he carries and where it's from and sometimes even the history behind it. If you're sick of dive bars and bars that play top 40 music this place is great. It has a lot of the theatre crowd but it usually gets a good amount of 20 somethings, but everyone is really there to hang out, this bar has such a great atmosphere with so much class that I really think the only way to truley understand is to go yourself. I have NEVER brought anyone there that hasn't been pleasantly surprised.
The 5 best restaurants in the 2015 Denver Restaurant Week
3,611 Views | Category: Denver
The complete list of 2015 Denver Restaurant Week businesses
1,972 Views | Category: Denver
The tourists' guide to Portillos: 5 must have dishes
3,318 Views | Category: Chicago
Pho = Pronounced "fuh" not "foe" for pho-king sake
2,916 Views | Category: Denver
Indulgery selected to exhibit at Collision Conference
2,987 Views | Category: Press Releases
Not Logged In
BUSINESSES
Local Businesses
Near Me
My Favorites
SOCIAL
Blog & News
MY ACCOUNT
Login
Register
Contact Us
Add Your Business
