Gene McCarthy's Old First Ward Brewing Company

This place was recommended by many people in the Buffalo foodie group for the best fish fry. Although the french fries are fresh cut, I am certain that the ones I was served were reheated, I could tell by the texture that they didn't recently come out of the fryer. None of the sides were anything to write home about. The coleslaw had a slight citrus flavor to it and an herb on top that I couldn't quite decipher which gave it a distinct flavor. The potato and macaroni salad were both mediocre. The fish itself is skinless haddock, it was good quality and cooked perfectly. The batter on the fish was not dense at all, it was more light and airy, had a nice crunch on the top half of the fish but the entire bottom side of the fish was soggy. When I picked the piece of fish up vertically, liquid dripped out the end of it onto the plate, I'm not sure if it was oil or water. The tartar sauce was good but with a pronounced vinegar flavor. The flavor of the batter on the fish was rather bland. Would not recommend this place for a fish fry although I have very high standards for fish frys. Emergency Pizza used to have the best fish fry around, but it has become hit or miss unfortunately, so my hunt for a consistently delicious fish fry continues....

Friends came in from the capital district area to experience what this great city of Buffalo has to showcase for chicken wings. Went to six places back to back to back etc… in one day. The atmosphere is great. The staff was amazing. This is also another great example of a S Buffalo Irish pub bar. Great vibes. Ordered 10 medium wings they came out great. Crispy. Tender. Juicy. The flavor was great. They had a peppery flavor. Like black pepper. And maybe a red pepper flake here and there. I loved the creativity on a medium flavor wing. Blue cheese was standard. Would definitely recommend this place.

If you are a craft brewery traveller, this is a MUST stop. I love places that boast a unique vibe and this hits the nail on the head. A good variety of brews on tap, the best atmosphere and you can tell that this place is truly a community hub.

I came from Canada to try authentic Buffalo wings. We went to a restaurant recommended by a friend's friend, where I tried the wings sprinkle with recommended blue cheese. The atmosphere of the restaurant was pleasant, and it made for a enjoyable lunch. Many locals were dining there, and I was surprised by the volume of today's special menu. It's a popular spot among the locals. Since it's also a brewery, you can enjoy various delicious beers. The restaurant is located in a residential area, and its appearance resembles a house, making it easy to overlook. There are also days when they have live band performances at night. The jukebox and the presence of four-leaf clovers inside the restaurant added to the ambiance. I bought beer as a souvenir for my husband, but it wasn't bottled; instead, they poured the beer from the dispenser into an empty can and sealed it, making it literally fresh beer to go. I definitely want to visit again.

Our Airbnb host told us 1) Buffalo is famous for its wings and 2) McCarthy’s has some of the best in town. Obviously, we decided to try for ourselves. We weren’t disappointed!!! The wings were HUGE. We ordered 20 but only ate 10. Very good. Juicy but crispy. Good spice. Delicious!!! Our server was very friendly and helpful. She brought a dog bowl of water over for our dog. This is definitely a hidden Gem and we’ll be next time we’re in Buffalo.

Dined here on Friday evening, was very busy with the bar crowd, dinner crowd, and many Bandits fans prior to their game. We had a small wait before a table was ready, so we grabbed a drink at the bar. After about 10 minutes we were seated, and ordered promptly. Since this was my first time, I asked the waitress what she recommended and I was told the fish fry was a must have. We ordered two, one breaded and one broiled with Cajun seasoning. Both came out in short order, and were quite tasty; the fish was fresh and the fries / sides were prepared well also. This at first appears to be a dive bar, but once you sit for awhile you slowly get start to see that this is a neighborhood staple with friendly people all over. I would definitely stop back, and would recommend you checking it out as well.

Really great wings and beer! We got an order of McCarthy’s wings (sweet and spicy bbq sauce w/ blue cheese crumbles) and of the hot Buffalo wings. Both were seriously good! Loved the fries too, they’re even better with a side of gravy - our server recommended that and it was really good. We loved it all, great experience.

Good food and historical old neighborhood pub. It’s not big and fancy. You may have to wait for a spot to sit in the limited dining space. The fact that it’s always busy makes it a good sign that you’re about to experience some good grub. Wednesday and Friday fish are a must reason to drop in. We had the deep fried portebella strip appetizer. Beef on Weck, fish fry and baked fish. Local beer on tap as well as a Black and Tan. You won’t leave hungry! Good place to take in when in the area.

This is a lovely little brewery wrapped into a cozy local corner pub. We brought the kids and enjoyed the last half of a playoff game. There was a broad kids menu including vegetarian options. The menu is heavy on handhelds, again with vegetarian options. Our beer flight highlighted a solid beer backbone: the red, porter and pale ale were the best for us. We especially appreciated the kitchen was open later on a Sunday. While we live out of town, I anticipate we will be back!

This place is iconic south Buffalo. A brewery and awesome food. My usual go-tos are the Ahi Tuna salad, Reuben, chicken wings or fingers, Souvlaki salad. But everything is fantastic. The servers are friendly and the service is great. It's not a huge place and can get busy at lunch. Definitely a place to try if you've never been!

Came here for lunch on a Saturday and was seated right away. The waitress was friendly and attentive. I ordered the Rachel sandwich, French onion soup and hot wings. The food came out quickly and it was all piping hot and fresh. Everything was delicious! I especially loved the hot sauce on the wings, it was the perfect amount of spice and flavor. The sandwich was piled high with turkey and the French onion soup was probably one of the best that I've had.

Stopped by with our dogs for an outdoor lunch on a beautiful fall afternoon. A server came out promptly with menus and took our orders. Water bowl already out for the pups and self-serve cold water available at the window to the bar. I had Reuben with side salad and hubby had fish tacos. Unique and delicious mandarin orange salad dressing. Reuben was more like a panini, grilled and squished together. It was good but could have used a little more corned beef. Tacos were an order of 2 with a great deal of cole slaw, pickled onions and radishes, but a fairly small piece of cajun grilled fish on each. If you're really hungry, I suggest you order something else.

For whatever reason - I never catch a good meal at this place. On a Monday before a Sabres game ... wings were Salty and the beer is just average... I can not recommend this place.

Located in Buffalo's Old First Ward (OFW), this historic tavern sits in what used to be a bustling epicenter. Irish workers found jobs by the Buffalo waterfront. As soon as you walk in, you can look in any direction to see that every space on the walls and ceilings adorned with memorabilia like pictures, tools, old flyers, even a kayak or row boat. What makes this place special is that they brew their own beers. I loved every one I tried, we took some home. Here's what we ordered: - beer flight: Gene's Lager (my fave), streaker IPA, Razzputon (raspberry ale), Against the Grain and Wake the dead (coffee stout) - Sheffield Wings (dry rub) - Stuffed Banana Peppers - banana peppers stuffed with 3 cheeses, with grilled pita wedges - beef on weck: slow roasted to medium rare, sliced thin, dipped in au jus, piled on top of fresh toasted kimmelweck roll We ended up taking home these beers: - Ipso Facto - Gene's Lager - Chill Everything we ordered was so good. When it came time to pick our favorite spot, Gene's was our top pick when it came to our buffalo wing adventure. This place had everything. Great beer, best sheffield wings, best stuffed peps and the beef on weck. We felt that Gene McCarthy's had the best authentic experience. Highly recommend.

Definitely has the feel of a neighborhood bar that's been around since 1933. The only unusual additions were high top tables, but given the lack of floor space, this makes sense. The pints were good and the food was great! We had the sampler plate which came with wings and a mini Beef on Kimmilwick. The roll had way too much salt on it, but it was easy enough to scrape off the extra. Could have used a cup of au jus to dip the sandwich in, but I wasn't complaining. All in all a decent spot for lunch.

This is a warm, cozy, friendly neighborhood pub with good food and beer. There is such a relaxed vibe here that makes you feel right at home. The servers treated us like we were family, which I loved. The food arrived quickly and was hot and tasty. We came for the live jazz music on a Monday night in February. Alex McArthur and Company were phenomenal.

Awful, unwelcoming waitress and barmaid and RUDE beyond the imagination as soon as we walked in. First time there and won't go back. Waited and waited and waited for service - left without being served. Wow, the employees in this old and smelly place should try to be grateful for potential new customers.

We were so excited for this next adventure! It doesn't get more Buffalo than the First Ward. And it doesn't get more First Ward than Gene McCarthy's. By that logic, Gene McCarthy's should be another can't-miss stop on the wing tour right? Um.... Sauce: 2.5 / 5 Starting with the positive, their specialty flavors weren't universally panned by the Wing Kings. The Sheffield Dry Rub received the highest ranking from the group. The honey mustard had some fans at the table but it was not unanimous. The sweet and spicy BBQ with crumbly bleu offered something unique, although as the sole member of the Wing Kings who does not like Bleu Cheese (which doesn't mean I prefer Ranch, it just means I just prefer WINGS), I would say the Bleu Cheese was so potent that it bordered on medicinal. As for the "standard" medium, there are not enough synonyms for "boring" to do this review justice. With all the flavor available in this vast world, why would you choose to use so little of it? Meat: 4 / 5 Decent meat content. A few of these chickens may have roamed the yard a little too long (or were provided a yard to roam, at all) as there were some stringy, cartilage-heavy wings but not enough to spoil their grade here too much. Cook 3 / 5: Hot out of the fryer, which was good... but it slid downhill from there. The line between perfect and overcooked may be different for everyone but in this case, way too many of our wings were overcooked to the point of dryness. When you're sharing a 10-wing appetizer with a table of four, you might not notice or care how dry a wing is but when you're staring down the barrel of your 15th all-too-dry-chicken-wing, it can feel a lot like the Griswold's Christmas turkey. Final Score: 9.5 / 15 Gene McCarthy was a famous politician before he was a wing restaurant and they say in politics "you can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can't please all of the people all of the time."

It took a strong reminder from a friend in "the business" that frankly embarrassed me that moved my car along the 20 minute journey from Williamsville to Gene McCarthy's. Twenty minutes ... actually it was quicker than that to get "home" ... to get me to one of Buffalo's awesome long standing treasures! It was an awesome evening so I opted for the outdoor "beer garden" but inside this classic Irish pub exists the spirits of all who have laughed, sung, drunk, and eaten before. It exudes a welcoming that only Irish pubs can offer new and old patrons! The barkeep smiled and directed me to the beer garden. Service although a "wee" bit slow was filled with smiles and willingness to make the visit special! The actual reason I was directed to Gene McCarthy's was for the "Buffalo Fish Fry." which my friend said was "THE BEST!" They offer up this Buffalo traditional meal on Wednesday's and of course on Friday's! So, the order was simple ... bringing me the beer battered haddock with tartar, malt vinegar and all the sides! Of course, the beer was great and cold and poured with perfection! They have a good selection (Please note, I don't want to be overwhelmed with beer choices at pubs so what Gene McCarthy's offers is a well thought out list of options each of which would have made me happy.). All it took was one loving look at my dinner to know that this was going to be an incredibly special experience! The fish beautifully golden, perfect fries, cole slaw and a side macaroni salad. As my fork touched the crisp skin you could hear the crunch and then the white flaky fish of the North Sea was revealed. ABSOLUTE PERFECTION ... I savored each bite. I enjoyed the outdoor evening breeze glancing over at other happy customers surprised that there were not more fish orders but everyone seemed happy. When everyone seems happy at a place serving food and when you are exquisitely joyful you know that you have found a winner! Only a short 20 minute drive ... always surprising when you think good things are farther away than they actually are. Now, I am not going to say this is the best Buffalo Beer Battered Haddock fish fry but it is now in my top three. Thanks Andrew for the tip .... and thank you for all who worked the night at Gene McCarthy's and made my evening grand!

Amazing food and awesome service!! Our waitress and bar tender were super sweet and attentive. Atmosphere was chill and fun!

Quaint neighborhood drinking and eating spot that we discovered last time we visited Buffalo. Food was very good with reasonable prices. Servers are very pleasant and attentive. We'll definitely visit again. They also had live music outside which appeared to be very popular with the locals.

I would never eat here again a group of us went here to order food. We walked in at 4:08. It took em 15 minutes to come to our table to order our drinks and then they returned with our drinks. We ordered our food 10 minutes later, my friends who weren't there called me and said they would be joining us and to order food for them 20 wings and french fries this is at 4:30. Our friends arrived shortly after that at 5 o'clock our friends who just arrived had their food brought out at 5:20 nearly an hour after ordering two roast beef sandwiches and 10 wings. They could not have our order ready horrible service, horrible server, horrible establishment. It was not busy. I cannot be more upset about this entire situation and this is the only reason I decided to download the Yelp app was because of this horrible service. Zero stars. I do not recommend. Zero stars.

The live jazz was fantastic. Great local joint. Being in Buffalo had to sample the wings and beef on wick, neither disappointed, fun place to eat and listen to music.

I draw the line here. Best wings in buffalo. Yeah I said it. Also the beef on weck is awesome. The horseradish was a great addition to all the eats we had.

Great bar near a kayaking put in with good eats. Try it for corned beef and cabbage. It will be very busy though!

Old school Irish pub in the Old First Ward Great ambiance Delicious fish fry and selection of beer as well as mixed drinks. Warm and cozy in a cold rainy day as well as an outdoor beer tent with heater!

This is Buffalo on a street corner. Fantastic food, cold beer, nice people, and great service. The beef on weck and Sheffield wings are memorable. I'll return every time I visit the area. Every city deserves a neighborhood place like this.

Group of friends from Cleveland decided to go all-in on a weekend tour around Buffalo, of the Wing Trail restaurants. This was stop #4. Definitely a local hangout kind of bar, close to a ton of industrial businesses and a cool new area called Silo City where gentrification of old buildings is in full swing. Being the first stop of the day, we thought salads would be a good way to start. And why not some pizza logs as well! And then 30 wings to share around the table. The pizza logs were basically an Italian egg roll served with a marinara dipping sauce, fun to try since just about every bar menu had them listed. The salads were hefty and easily feed 3 people. Make sure to try their tangy Greek dressing, it was fantastic! For the wings platter we chose 10 McCarthy's style BBQ hot wings, 10 mandarin sesame and 10 Thai chili and garlic. The BBQ hot had a thick, sticky sauce and came covered in bleu cheese crumbles (not everyone's favorite, but some of us rally liked the tangy flavor). The mandarin sesame wings were cooked well, but folks felt pretty meh about the flavor combo. The real star of this place is the Thai chili and garlic flavored wings; they had a distinct Asian flare to them and reminded me of the taste profile of General Tso's chicken. Would definitely come back just for these wings! We all love that the wings in Buffalo are really crispy (something we rarely get back home), and these were no exception.

I can't believe I have never visited Gene McCarthy's previously. We decided to go on a recent Saturday evening. Yes, it was packed but we did get a table immediately. We did get out drinks pretty quickly, but due to the craziness of the place...our food took a while. If you're ordering wings anywhere in Buffalo, expect it to take some time. Have a drink or two and enjoy your company. I did have one of OFW's beers, can't remember which one...but it was a lager. Very good, but I was the driver so I had to refrain from more (I hate being good). It took about an hour for our food to arrive (wings and three sandwiches. The wings were some of the best I've had...cooked and sauced perfectly. I was in wing heaven. I believe I had the Rachel sandwich (turkey, swiss, 1000 island & slaw on rye), excellent in it's own right, but the wings were the star. Okay, one more star of the meal...the mac salad that came w/ my sandwich. I could have just gotten the mac salad and wings and been a happy camper (and not be the DD guy for the trifecta). The place is a fun gathering spot for friends and family, so it does get loud. That just adds to the atmosphere. The waitresses/staff was great. I'm definitely gonna return on my next visit.

My brother and I stopped here for dinner before a concert and enjoyed it! The food was delicious and served in large portions and their own brewed beer was great.

The only reason I'm leaving one star is because I couldn't rate this any lower officially if I tried. Went to this place multiple times in the past and it was always great. Recommended this place to some friends who were visiting from out of state. Started off by getting the wrong food that was for another table, service was god awful, one of us got our food while the rest of us had to wait a considerably longer amount of time after that fact, and when we finally got our food: it was awful. The food was so bad you may as well consider it a complete insult to bar food. I don't know what happened between now and the last time I was there, but holy crap call Gordon Ramsey because that place may as well be a prime candidate for kitchen nightmares.

What's to say that hasn't been said? Went there Friday night for a Lent fish fry; it was also RJ recognition night at the Sabres game, so the crowd was lighter than you'd normally expect. Sat at the bar and got the fish fry Sheffield style; broiled with extra spices. It was tasty; I didn't recognize all the spices, but the fish was cooked perfectly. Also ordered a cup of the clam chowder; came out after the fish (but they told me that when I ordered). This was so-so ... other that that, typical first ward atmosphere. My buddy had medium wings, they're definitely good as well.

Finally got out here for a fish fry, it was our first time and we knew it was small and would get busy so we went early. Unaware as to their protocol we waited at the door for a table, people behind us pushed us a side and took a table - rude but whatever. We were then asked by a bartender and shown to an open table, my wife can not have gluten so asked if she could substitute something for the macaroni salad - you would have thought she asked for something crazy this became a problem which it shouldn't have. They offers to not give her the macaroni salad but charge us full price, no can you just box up the macaroni salad to go then, again they didn't want to do this but reluctantly did. When our fish came they didn't give her any sides except fries - truly don't know what the problem was in understanding this we have never had so many hiccups at a place before. But ultimately the fish was good, and it wasn't the waitress she kept asking manager in the kitchen and it for some reason was a mess. So if you don't have any dietary restrictions you should be fine, if you do be warned it may be an issue.

Top 3 in Buffalo ain't it ain't 3. This place is a home run every time we visit. Good food, good beer, great service! This place is cozy, wait staff has been incredible every time I've been there. They have a great selection of domestic and craft beer to include the beer they produce. French onion soup is good Wings are good (it's also on the wing trail) Fish fry fridays Beef on weck Go Go Go!

This was a St Paddy's day stop for us and the first time we've ever been to Gene McCarthys. Great craft beer and service. The place has an old time South Buffalo feel to it that you won't find at many places.

Great food and great beer. Classic Irish Mccarthy Wings and fresh cut fries. Friendly atmosphere and bartenders. They make you feel right at home.

If you ever find yourself down by the Buffalo River, you simply must stop and get a pint here. It's an upbeat, friendly place and you can tack on a hike around the River as well. I came here early on a Friday (around 5pm). The place was filled! There was even a limo bus in front of the place, with a wedding party getting their drink on. My associate and I sat on the back patio and ordered IPA and fish tacos. The beer was poured perfectly, cold and a 1/2 inch head, beer clean glass. The taco was just okay. The fish was baked which was great , and the pickled onions too ---but the cabbage in the taco was just too dry. Meh. Lots of folks were eating the Fish Fry, so next time I'll try that. For me, the ambiance and location is the draw here -- and the beer! And the river, yes the Buffalo River too. Get outside y'all.

It's a little hidden but, if you can, stop by and have a pint and be pleasantly surprised at how good the food is. All the Buffalo staples with some unique offerings. I went traditional when I visited and got buffalo tenders, with a French Onion soup that was delightful. The staff is friendly and it was surprisingly busy for a lunchtime random week day. So you know the food is good. Local spot definitely worth the visit.

Nice casual joint for pub grub. Friendly (but quite slow) service. Fun atmosphere. Great beer selection. Very kid friendly. Food is very good at acceptable prices. This is a joint worth checking out.

Great little place in the old first ward. We were quickly waited on and food was out within minutes. I got the beef on weck, a buffalo staple. Can't really go wrong with it! My husband got the open faced roast beef which was on bread with gravy. The gravy was SO good. Overall the food was very good. Super salty, but I'm not a salt person so I'm sure everyone else would be fine with it! We were in and out in under a half hour.

Fast and friendly service. Easy to find street parking. The food was good and fresh.

Four of us went to ofw brewing for dinner tonight. Super hot outside- sat under the tent. Had a few pints of the ipso fact ipa. Delicious! Had Sheffield wings as an app, ordered extra crispy and they were perfect. Crispy and salty on the outside, not too large or greasy. We pounded those. I ordered the ofw burger with bacon, smoked gouda, and the guiness mayo. The burger was very good. Bun was likely a costanzo roll, burger cooked medium as ordered, crispy salty bacon, and a nice earthy flavor to the cheese. Add to that fresh cut fries with gravy and you're eating good in the hood. I tasted the beef on weck as well and that was very good. Traditional weck roll, tender beef, and a side of horseradish. The food here is better that you would expect from a little south buffalo bar. Go enjoy!

Great bar!!! We enjoyed ourselves when we went to Buffalo. Great staff, great drinks & great atmosphere. We didn't get a chance to try the wings. There's really no bad wing in buffalo. We will back for sure.

Dined here on Friday evening, was very busy with the bar crowd, dinner crowd, and many Bandits fans prior to their game. We had a small wait before a table was ready, so we grabbed a drink at the bar. After about 10 minutes we were seated, and ordered promptly. Since this was my first time, I asked the waitress what she recommended and I was told the fish fry was a must have. We ordered two, one breaded and one broiled with Cajun seasoning. Both came out in short order, and were quite tasty; the fish was fresh and the fries / sides were prepared well also. This at first appears to be a dive bar, but once you sit for awhile you slowly get start to see that this is a neighborhood staple with friendly people all over. I would definitely stop back, and would recommend you checking it out as well.

We come to Genes pretty often to grab a beer on the patio or catch a band pre-COVID. They used to have an excellent beer selection (about 2-3 years ago) with lots of fruited beer and IPA options, but they must have changed brewers in recent years because every time we go now we are very disappointed with the draft list, which is usually filled with lagers, red ales, and other heavier beers that don't cater to the 21-35 crowd. I will say everything I've gotten to eat has been pretty good, with the fish fry being my favorite option. They have a great beer garden/patio that you can sip, eat, and even bring your dog. It is across the street from the Barrel Factory patio so you can brewery hop which is the main appeal for me and my friends. With Beltline just down the street, you can make a great night out of Genes, Barrel Factory, and Beltline. I hope 2021 is the year they go back to brewing some unique beers but I won't hold my breath after the last few disappointing summers. This is the only reason they don't get 5 stars from me.

Wings are great. Relaxed atmosphere reasonable prices. Slight delay in service but I think it was just a mix up.

I love these guys. I just moved into the area. However my better half told me about them. I started with an Infinity. They were wonderful. No BS, and extremely knowledgeable. I would highly recommend this establishment. And that is usually very difficult for me to do. No pressure. Wonderful Service. Susan

I love this place! Awesome hangout spot with friends for a beer and great food! Their chicken wings are phenomenal. They have different flavors than I've had from other places. They are big, juicy and crispy. Very good and would highly recommend! Their French fries leave something to be desired but their nachos are great! They have lots of great beers on tap. Something for everyone's taste buds plus a full bar if well drinks are your thing. They do have an outdoor area on the side with lots of tables and chairs during the summer time. Try a happy hour sometime!

I came here at night while strolling around Hamburg. I've heard so much about this place I had to stop in. It's definitely a more divey bar that is known for their beer. Home of the Old First Ward Brewing Company you have to try something on tap. I sat at the bar and was served immediately, which was impressive considering how crowded it was. I got the cider which was nice and cold and really refreshing. I also got a mixed drink which were all decently priced. For food I tried the potato bacon chowder I fell in love with this soup. I would eat it every day if I could. I was flavorful and not watered down. I also got an order of the stuffed hot banana peppers. These were also REALLY GOOD! The biggest thing I appreciated about them were that they were actually hot. A lot of times you go places and order stuffed hot peppers and it just taste like cheese and there's no heat. These has the perfect balance of cheese and heat. The place itself is a nice size. They have bands that play live during the weekends. The bartender said they were pretty active on Facebook so that's a good way to see what's going on. The only thing I hated was there was only 1 bathroom stall with soooooo many people. It's nice to have the privacy but the wait can be daunting. I will have to come back and try other food. They have a thai chili and garlic wing that caught my eye. I may also come with friends and utilize the patio area they have.

Great food, great beer and great prices. A pitcher of beer is $20 and it's great beer. They also have a kids menu.

So, my partner and I decide to try this place out tonight. Got really great reviews and old institution here in Buffalo so we thought why not? If you read any of my other reviews you will know that I love dive bars and so when you walk into this place you know exactly where you are... Lol. I asked for an old fashion and the young lady behind their bar said they couldn't make it because they didn't have oranges. That's cool... So she offered to make me a Manhattan and it was actually very good. My partner got some on the tap beer, lol, I don't drink beer... we ordered the Portabella fries and they came out in a basket and they looked very greasy. Even the server looked down and said they're kind of greasy but they're really good... They were indeed greasy... They were tempura fried which I don't think goes well with a very moist mushroom. Alas, they were not very good. They were cut super thick and with a thick tempura batter they just weren't very good. I picked off most of the batter and the actual Portabella mushroom was great. Next, I tried their wings because it's an institution here in Buffalo and the bartender said they were very good. She agreed to let me try two different sauces but I only ordered 10 wings and says it's not something that she normally do but because I was so new she would let me do it. I ordered them extra crispy on her recommendation and got the Thai chili garlic, and the Parmesan dry rub. My partner ordered the chicken fingers with the barbecue blue cheese sauce. My partner's meal came with fries and unfortunately they came out cold. Now, mind you, there were only about five people in this place at 9 o'clock on a Friday night. My wings had zero flavor. The dry loved ones were at least crunchy but the wet sauce ones were just rubbery. My partner's wings were so oversauced that she couldn't really taste the tough chicken underneath the crust. We told the bartender that the french fries were cold and she quickly brought us new ones. They look like they are probably cut on the premises and actually really decent. I can't say that I would ever come back here unless it was just for some drinks and to listen to live music. By the way, they do have an outside space wrapped around the building and you can actually order from outside. That was kind of cool.

Woman who answered the phone was upset I wanted to place an order of 4 sandwiches and 1 bowl of soup to go for the people in my office. I called ahead and the time for pick up she gave was perfect but the food came out rather late as I was on my break and people in the office were also on break waiting to eat. On top of that they forgot to give me the soup. I went back inside and the blonde lady (probably the one who was unhappy I placed an order over the phone) pretty much insinuated I was lying about not receiving my soup. The day just started and she was already over stressed, she should find a career that doesn't involve any type of customer service. I will not be back or recommend this place to any & neither will my coworkers.

I finally did it! I walked into Gene McCarthy's and stayed. The previous attempt was following the Yelpies and it was extremely crowded and we walked out. I came here on a Friday night around 8pm, or so; the after party from a previous stop on the happy hour train with people from work. I hadn't eaten dinner and laid eyes on some guy's wings. I've heard the rumblings of what these wings were like, and they had been on my list of places to try. I asked the guy if they were good and what he recommended. He offered me a wing to try, but I declined because this was at the beginning of the month - the beginning of COVID-19. All other circumstances, I would have agreed to take one of his wings. He told me to get the Sheffield option. I had no idea what that option was, but said I'd try it. I placed my order, and kept my eyes peeled on the bar stools, waiting for the right moment to pounce when someone gave their seat up. Just before my wings were delivered to me, a couple left the bar and let me become the new tenant of one of the stools. It was love at first sight. Those wings were fantastic. Later, I would find out what Sheffield is. It is dry rub with cajun, oregano and other spices. The wings were crisp and delicious. I liked that I didn't need more than one napkin. These wings have sealed their spot in my top 10 list. I can't wait to try some of the other flavors they offer, and some other types of food. The place is small, but has a lot of heart, and a huge following.

This little hole in the wall type Irish bar is right around the corner from my boyfriend's new job and his boss suggested to try this place. We decided to grab lunch and a beer while we were in town picking up his company vehicle on a Saturday afternoon and I was impressed despite the part of town it is located in. We walked in and the bartender said to "sit wherever we are comfortable." This is an important thing to me because we aren't into crowded places and can feel really uncomfortable with a bunch of people sat behind and around us. We sat at a table by the bar near the bathrooms which was away from the group's of people at tables in the back. I also liked that there was a picture of our server up on the wall. It made me feel the owner cares about the employees enough to put their picture up with all the other cool things to look at. We ordered a crock of french onion soup, a BLT, a turkey panini with fresh cut fries, and 2 Guinness on tap. I expected an Irish bar to have good Guinness but as you can see in the picture it is poured perfectly. It was also the perfect temperature and came out fast. Also, usually if a menu has french onion soup I always get it as an appetizer because it is my favorite. Our beers came out quick and we watched a little bit of soccer and shortly after my soup came out. When the soup comes out it is piping hot and the cheese is crunchy around the crock with a thick layer of melted cheese on top of the croutons and soup. I dug through the cheese to get to the soup and took my first bite and I said out loud, "This is the best f'ing French onion soup I have ever had. Whattttt?" My boyfriend rolled his eyes because he knows I get French onion soup everywhere and I have said that before but this soup is better than that soup. Anywhere that bakes their french onion soup in a crock knows what they are doing. Within 5 minutes the rest of our food was delivered to our table and we were checked on several times by our server. I love that they have extra napkins, silverware, ketchup, and malt vinegar right on the table before you sit down. The fresh cut fries were delicious and I really liked the guinness aioli and crispy bacon on my BLT. I appreciated the dill pickle chips on the side because I love pickles and some places dont serve pickles with sandwiches which I think is crazy. My boyfriend had the Turkey panini. He removed some of the cooked onions because he felt they were a little overwhelming and he wasn't too keen on whatever the condiment was on it but he still ate the entire thing minus the onion. He is a picky eater so I think this was actually a good choice for him to try. I appreciated the fast service, the quality of the food matching the price, and that it was $45 for 2 people getting 2 meals, soup, and 2 beers. The price was not bad at all and we've ordered almost the exact same thing elsewhere except it cost us $65+ and it wasn't as good.

Gene McCarthy's Irish pub is located in an old house, circa 1900, in South Buffalo. We went there a couple of Saturdays ago to see one of our favorite local bands, Kickstart Rumble. The weather forecast was predicting rain that evening; if it had not, the band would have set up on the patio outside & started playing at 7:00 p.m. As it was, the band set up inside, in a postage stamp-sized area, & started playing at 8:00. They play some of their own original songs, but they also play songs of Elvis Costello, the Clash, Buddy Holly, Roger Miller ... their version of "Walk Like an Egyptian" was so fun, it's still going through my head! The staff at Gene McCarthy's were all very friendly & helpful. I called before we showed up to find out whether the place would be accessible for my wheelchair-bound husband. We had to go in through the kitchen & go over a couple of thresholds on the way to the dining room. Then we got settled in very nicely with help from the staff. The food was absolutely wonderful, we ordered huge chicken fingers with barbecue sauce & fries. They have many kinds of craft beer. I would have given Gene McCarthy's five stars, but we will probably not go there again, only because of difficulties with accessibility. If you're not in a wheelchair & a band you like is playing, you should definitely stop in.

I absolutely love the feel of this bar. We stopped in a few weeks ago on a Saturday night and the place was packed. No tables were available and a band was playing. We had a drink at the bar but vowed to try again to try the famous wings everyone talks about. So tonight on a Thursday we came back. The place was still pretty packed for a weeknight. There was 1 table left. We ordered 20 hot wings and some pretzel sticks. Everything was great. Definitely top 5 wings on my list. Prices were average. $10.50 for 10 wings Beer prices were good for a Buffalo bar. $5-$6 per pint.

Great Food and Service, I can't get those Portobello Fingers off my mind, Delish! Despite being very crowded our wait time was brief. Food arrived quickly. Can't wait to go back.