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Anchor Bar, Buffalo, NY

Photo: Darmon, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Eat & DrinkFoodie FavoriteIconic

Anchor Bar

1047 Main St · Buffalo, NY

Why you should go…

Anchor Bar is the Buffalo restaurant that bills its wings as the original. Frank and Teressa Bellissimo opened it in 1935, and on March 4, 1964, Teressa deep-fried chicken wings, tossed them in a butter and cayenne sauce and served them with celery and blue cheese. You can order wings today at the original location on Main Street, along with Buffalo-style pizza and a fish fry. A retail shop sells sauces, apparel and gifts.

  • #buffalo wings
  • #restaurant
  • #food history
  • #bar

Good to know

General eat & drink guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • Go early or go late

    The simplest way around a wait at a popular room is to sit down before the rush or after it.

  • Reservations open on a schedule

    Where bookings are taken, tables tend to be released a set number of days in advance, often at a fixed hour.

  • Menus move with the season

    Treat any dish you read about online as a maybe, not a promise, especially anything local and seasonal.

  • Ask what the place is known for

    Staff will point you at the thing worth ordering faster than any list will.

What's around here?

The closest stops to Anchor Bar, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Museums
    Rainy-Day Pick

    Buffalo AKG Art Museum

    Under $25

    See modern and contemporary art, from Monet and Picasso to Pollock and Kahlo, across a three-building campus.

    2.1 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums

  • Sightseeing
    Local Gem

    Fort Erie, Ontario

    Free

    Niagara River border town with the Peace Bridge, Old Fort Erie and Lake Erie beaches, minutes from Niagara Falls.

    2.9 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Tours
    Iconic

    Rainbow Air

    $50+

    Helicopter sightseeing flights over Niagara Falls from the US side, in Airbus H130 aircraft.

    15 mi awaySwitch it up: Tours

  • Attractions
    Iconic

    Niagara Parks Power Station & The Tunnel

    $25–$50

    Restored 1905 hydro plant with a glass elevator that drops 180 feet to a 2,200-foot tunnel ending at a falls-level viewing deck.

    16 mi awaySwitch it up: Attractions

  • Attractions
    Iconic

    Cave of the Winds

    Under $25

    Ride an elevator 175 feet into the gorge, then climb wooden walkways to the Hurricane Deck, 20 feet from the crash of Bridal Veil Falls.

    16 mi awaySwitch it up: Attractions

  • Eat & Drink
    Foodie Favorite

    Niagara Brewing Company

    Under $25

    Small-batch craft beer brewed steps from the falls, grab a flight on the patio at the foot of Clifton Hill.

    17 mi awayMore like this