An 'Anchor' of the Community
I went to the Anchor Bar for my first time yesterday. First time. Yes. You heard me. First time. In 25 years. I am a disgrace to the chicken wing and the Buffalo community.
I went with my new friend Amanda who works exactly next door to me at a good-doing organization on Main Street which will remain nameless. We recently met at a networking event. How ironic is it that we would meet and work next door to each other? She gasped in disbelief when I said I had never been to Anchor Bar. I hung my head in shame.
I LOVED the Anchor Bar from the moment I walked in. I loved the old ratty look inside. I loved the enormous rectangular bar. I loved the celebrity pictures and paraphernalia on the walls. I loved the no fuss attitude. It was dark and woody and musty and full of history reminiscent of such watering holes as Founding Fathers or The Pink. My kind of place.
I just had a salad and some wings. Had to have the staple. How were the wings? My medium choice was a buttery, yet crunchy wing-type. They weren't half bad. I'm still a hard-headed Duff's supporter (their wings are a little more vinegary and open up the sinuses), but having Anchor Bar down the street is now a great option.
My friend got the chicken wing soup and some chicken fingers and fries. Old school bar fries. Thick, choppy and greasy and fluffy. The chicken wing soup was a melony orange color and Amanda said it had a cheesy texture. She liked it.
I was just happy that some place had my old-school favorite creamy Italian dressing. I hadn't had that since I was 8 years old and dining with mom at Jacobi's in Lancaster.
Anchor Bar will never die. The place was packed even for lunchtime. And they had a great selection of other items on the menu for reasonable price.
My one complaint? Duff's has a great selection of specials. 10 wings, pitcher of pop or beer and fries for such and such a price. I was hoping Anchor Bar would have such specials. No such luck though. It would be nice if they would have a 5 wing lunch special with a salad and fries.
But we can't have it all. Lucky for us we have THE Anchor Bar. The home of the chicken (not Buffalo) wing.
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Comment Options
Fairin
Funny, I had never been to Duff's in my 23 years of life in Buffalo and I went there for the first time recently. Anchor Bar wins in my book. I love the big, plump, juicy wings and the atmosphere is way cooler.
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Irish PR girl
Another lovely article Nicole. Anchor Bar is a must stop for any out of towner...just don't go on a Saturday night.... your lucky to get a seat within 2 hours.
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info
One of our most popular tourist attractions! Seriously. We are well known from this food item. Anchor Bar was on the Food Channel and we should be thankful that people who are traveling want to make the stop!
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stephenjames716
no disrespect to the creator, but bar bill in east aurora has the best wings I've had!
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david
An amazing East side spot! You can also visit on-line - Anchor Bar and get your wings delivered - anywhere!
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heart failure
Not that the Anchor Bar has bad wings, but I don't think they're that great...at all. Overpriced, way too crowded and besides the actual bar area itself, the place has kind of a dismal atmosphere. When I'm down that way and people ask for directions(which happens all the time) I always steer them to Gabriels Gate or Hemingways..both are better in every way including not being a tourist trap
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sbrof
yes, chicken wings!!! NOT Buffalo wings... ugh it's great to have new people here but it really is changing our lingo.
Duff's and Anchor bar are both good for their respective roles. Duff's is nothing more than a gloried corner bar, those things that used to be on every corner in Buffalo. Good wings, cheap beer.
Anchor Bar is the place to go to bring out of town guests. It is the face and start of the wing, much nicer, also good food and well... you wont stick to the tables. But being the start of something always means you will be have people dislike it just for that fact alone. Gotta be edgy man, off the beaten path, don't give into commercialism man... blah blah,
no matter what they are THE place, the home of the wing.
Chicken wings are like Tap Water, you like what you grow up with.
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Cowboy
Louie's - Elmwood at Hodge...best bbq wings in town, really!
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John
What? I dont even live in the state and I've been there at least a dozen times. I love it.
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Miles Ignatuis
While we're considering icongraphic Buffalo watering holes, is your next stop Ulrich's?
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George Thomas Apfel
When I return home to visit in February--my first time back in 44 years--one of my stops will be the Anchor Bar. For me it's more than a visit to a now-legendary bar, it's a visit to my old neighborhood. I used to live around the corner, at Ellicott and Best Streets. I still have vivid memories of the neighborhood as it was in the mid 50's BEFORE Buffalo Wings were even invented. Our Lady of Lourdes is where I was baptized...the church is now boarded up, my old house is now a parking lot for Osmos, but the Anchor Bar keeps on going. Here in Las Vegas this entire city gets imploded and recycled every 10 years, it's nice to go back home and see places that have withstood the decades intact.
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BCB
I"ll take a double order bbq with extra sauce and a blue!
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queenseyes
Hey George, when you're in town send me an email. Newell@buffalorising.com
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martin
When we first moved to Buffalo we had to go here as Terry loves his wings and draft beer, worst dining experiance of our life, bad service, over cooked wings and they were served without being tossed in any wing sauce! Sorry, two thumbs down... Being the home of the wing does not make it the best place to get them, our vote is Gabriels Gate
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Charlie
Great article, SBROF, I disagree, phrasing them as Buffalo, not chicken wings, associates the delicacy with our city, not a generic by-product of an animal. You ask for a Kleenex, not a tissue, right? I agree, I hate to see it spelled out that wayin other cities, but why not turn that to our advantage and brand the city as much as our excellent food products.
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Russ
20 years of life and I haven't even seen the place.
The shame is too much to bear.
I'm going there before the Buffalo-Philadelphia game on the 20th to right a two decade old wrong...
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sbrof
I dunno, I think it is fine for other places to call them Buffalo Wings, but when in Buffalo so we really need to call them Buffalo wings?
The next stop people will start calling pop - soda, or take 90 and not The 90. I love wings but saying I want them Buffalo Style at the corner bar makes my spine twinge a little. Hot Medium or Mild should be my options.
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viking
A possible addition to history---- for many years Geo Holt Sr. was the main entertainment attraction at the Anchor Bar, the story goes that a wrong delivery became give away bar snacks, his story to me was " the wings tasted better with hot sauce that just plain pasta sauce" check it out....
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viking
Mr Ed's in Middleport , the Sportsman's, differently excellent. By special request at the Lobster Co. chicken fingers also interesting. The secret is in the sauces and crispy topping. The only bad wings I've ever had were under cooked and away from Buffalo.
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georgethomasapfel
I stopped in last night, and everything was fabulous...the food, the service and the vibe. It was so great to be back in my old neighborhood again. The minute I walked in the door Ivano Tuscani recognized me--now, we've never met, but we both figured it was because so many members of my family were patrons when we lived on Ellicott St. around the corner.
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