Anchor Bar, Birthplace of Buffalo Wings

Writing about the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York, was inspired by my friend, Edmundo, who recently checked this place out.  I had to remember back to when we stopped in this place on a drive between Jersey and Toronto.

If you haven't heard of this place, it's a little restaurant on the corner of Main Street and North Street in the city of Buffalo, and its claim to fame is as the birthplace of that bar food favorite, buffalo wings!  At the time of our visit, the Yelp! reviews were pretty favorable though supposedly many locals did not consider them the best wings in town.  But with the history behind this place, it's a must-stop for foodies like us.

According to legend back in 1964, Teressa Bellisimo created the dish for her son and friends that arrived at the bar one evening.  She had to whip up something quick, so she deep fried chicken wings, which were usually thrown out or reserved for stock, and then added some secret hot sauce.  The wings were a hit and the rest was history.

Our stop here was on a Tuesday night in mid-August for dinner.  The place was lively and crowded, but the wait time was only around 15 minutes to get seated.  The inside was decorated with news articles and reviews of the Anchor Bar through the years with simple tables and seating in a dining area.  We ordered 50 wings for dinner (there were 5 of us) and went to work on chowing down.  The sauce was tasty and delicious - very good wings and meaty enough to satisfy.  I have had wings at many places, and I'd probably rank Anchor Bar somewhere in the middle/upper half.  It wasn't the best wings I've ever had, but they were enjoyable and worth eating.

Here's a Tip: Make sure you get the hot flavored wings - that sauce is based on the original buffalo wing sauce.  One of the waitresses told me that if you get the mild wings, then they will just add butter to dilute the hot sauce.

Pin Stops Ranking: 3 Pins

An enjoyable meal with one of my favorite comfort bar foods - this place is worth a meal stop if you're a wings fan.  The extra nostalgia of being the originator helps give this place an edge as well.  I'm okay with it not being the #1 wings I have ever eaten - it didn't need to be as there will always be someone who comes along and improves upon the first pioneer.  I'm just glad the original still holds up well today. 

For more on my Pinstop Rankings, check out this post.