Yesterday my wife and I were looking to grab a quick lunch in Downtown Buffalo, so we decided to try a brand new place out – Natalie’s Mediterranean Eatery. Despite all of the street infrastructure construction the restaurant appeared to be open, with a couple of people sitting at a table in the back. We scoped out the menu for a couple of minutes and headed up to the counter to place our orders.
I was advised by the server at the counter that the chicken gyro wrap was the way to go. My wife opted for the megaderra wrap. As we waited for our order to arrive we took a look around. Although we had heard that the food was good, the atmosphere was definitely lacking in any sort of visual appeal. Maybe the thought is that office workers need to eat, and they really don’t have time to look around at the decor. To me, it would be nice to see a bit of colorful, softening touches… maybe some traditional Lebanese decorations?
By the time our food arrived, there was a line at the counter about 15 people deep. My wife opened her wrap and immediately noticed that the rice was missing. Her ‘add on’ of spinach was also missing – thankfully the lentils were inside or we would have had a problem. My wrap came as described on the menu, and although a bit bland, a little dressing and some hot sauce turned it into a crowd pleaser.
Despite the mix up on my wife’s order, we agreed that the ingredients were super fresh – nothing was greasy, and we were generally pleased. The restaurant is a nice addition to the downtown restaurant scene. There are a lot of vegetarian options, and they are especially known for their homemade soups, though it was a bit too hot out to try them.
Natalie’s offers up traditional American diner-style breakfasts including omelettes and breakfast sandwich combos. For lunch, there are plenty of salads to choose from, as well as Mediterranean combo plates, sandwiches and pitas. For office workers, there is a substantial catering menu.
This is Natalie’s first urban location. The restaurant’s Amherst location has been around since 1994.
Natalie’s Mediterranean Eatery | 111 Genesee Street – Suite 103 | (716) 436-2084