Niagara Cafe

We had an incredible experience today. The food was delicious, the service was amazing, and we truly enjoyed talking with other customers. I was there with my young daughter, and the staff kindly helped bring our food to the table. Several customers took the time to talk with her and warmly welcomed us to their local church.

I had a really nice experience at Niagara Cafe. The atmosphere was welcoming and comfortable, and the staff made a great first impression — the ladies greeted me warmly and helped me decide what to order. I’m not from Buffalo — I’m from Houston, Texas — but I’m currently working in Lockport, so I know what rice and peas is supposed to look and taste like. The food here was well seasoned, which I definitely appreciate. I ordered the rice and peas, empanadas, and alcapurria. Everything tasted delicious and flavorful. My only small suggestion would be to add more peas to the rice and peas — it was mostly rice — but the flavor itself was still very good. Overall, the experience was enjoyable and the food satisfied me. Would I go back? Yes, I will. I definitely recommend stopping by if you’re looking for good Puerto Rican food in Buffalo.

I love their food but the chicken is smaller and staff don’t listen. This is the third time I’ve gone to the restaurant and they messed up my order. I only asked for all dark meat this time. I don’t get it I get white meat and I don’t open the food until I get home in Niagara Falls so I could not change it bc they were closed and extremely far away from me

Came for Rochester, NY, Man that rice was so authentic and that rotisserie chicken was o juicy! Best Spanish food I’ve had in a while!

Authentic Puerto Rican food highly recommended by our friend. I've never had this cuisine before so I was very excited to try. We got an alcapurria (cassava&beef) and a pastelillo to start. Then we ordered roasted pork with maduros and beef stew with yellow rice. The food was tasty, very homey and meaty, overall an excellent combination. We also got passion fruit juice whichwas pretty refreshing. I was told that the establishment has been here for a long time, and I can understand why. They're just so good at what they do, and they give generous portions of the meat. The place itself doesn't have much seating area (which is totally okay) and they only accept cash, so please prepare ahead of time! Definitely worth it!!!

Love everything about this place. Amazing food most important. Went there Saturday for linner and wish it was closer to my home in Hamburg. Will definitely try to get there again.

It's one of my favorite places to go when I come home. The food has been consistently delicious over the years. I always get a pastellilo, this time I got pernil too. The pernil was seasoned well throughout and so tender. I had enough to eat for two days.

The food is always fresh, hot, authentic & consistent. Great fast service. 10 out of 10!!!

$10 you get rice and beans and a generous portion of roast pork Pernil. Lunch. It's fantastic. You must come here clean friendly wonderful basic Puerto Rican cuisine and it was good.

Great service and amazing tasteful food!!! I couldn't believe the size of my dinner. I had the slow roasted pork dinner and it did not disappoint!!! I have made it to Niagara Cafe quite a few times and have never been unhappy with my meal. A must try restaurant.

Great, classic, traditional Puerto Rican food. Everything was so good, delicious!! This is their current menu prices, as of May 2025.

Been around since I was a kid! I'm so glad they remained in the neighborhood where I grew up!! Food has ALWAYS been fantastic, spot on no doubt!!! Gracias Niagara Cafe

TRUTHFULLY, after ordering this pure garbage. Rice no taste the beef and chicken hard as a rock. I'd rather eat dirt. Never ever ever ever again.

This place is a staple in Buffalo cuisine. On the West Side on Niagara street- they cook up consistent Puerto Rican grub! Since COVID, they are no longer doing dine in, which is fine because they nail take out orders. Our go to is the Family pack - you get 4 pieces of chicken, a huge to go box of rice, and container of pinto beans(with a few potatos in beans). I also recommend getting a beef pastillio as an appetizer, and the Parcha juice (passion fruit) is excellent if you want to go for the full experience! There is usually a line but it goes quick! Note: they are cash only, so make sure to bring the green. If you don't, no worries they have an atm. Only thing other thing you need is a bottle of Franks!! Enjoy!!

Pastelitos are amazing and staff is so friendly. Seating inside as well which I never knew about since I always ordered out! Amazing cafe

I'll start out as Suttle as possible...this place is pure garbage now..the meat is over cooked dried out to the bone..the rice if thats what they call it no taste what so ever. I was so discussed with this my dog had a hard time eating this crap. That's $40 bucks I'll never get back...people are this garbage 5 stars..what a joke..never ever ever again. I'd rather eat sh than next time.

Best place in Buffalo for authentic Puerto Rican cuisine. Tastes just like my grandmother used to make it!

Hands down the best Puerto Rican food in the Buffalo area! They are cash only and I made that mistake of not bringing cash! I've been waiting (im)patiently for them to open back up during this pandemic. Ordered the chicken stew and roast pork dinner which comes with a side of rice and beans. Also ordered a side of sweet plantains. The portions are huge and I have enough for two more meals. The chicken stew is flavored perfectly and the rice is SO soft! The pork just melts in your mouth. The plantains are really really good. I honestly have nothing bad to say about the dinners. They weren't too salty or too bland. I highly recommend this place! For $10, you come out super full with plenty to take home.

Niagara Cafe is a great place to get Puerto Rican food on Buffalo's West Side. If your getting take out stay at the counter and your order will be taken. If you choose to sit down, you just go ahead and pick your own seat. You will be served as soon as possible. Their chicken is rotisserie style and flavored with sazon and other goya seasonings. The skin is crispy and very tasty. While cooking the chicken the top racks continue to spin and the juice drips to the next row of chicken underneath. This helps in keeping everything juicy. Their pastalios ($2.50) are very good, but becareful sometimes they can be a bit greasy but the flavor is over the top. I always get the family meal that consist of a full chicken with beans and rice for $18. Well worth the price, especially considering how much food you get.

This place is Cash Only; however, they have an ATM inside. This place is one of those places that are a "guilty pleasure" to come to....The meals will stick to your ribs. You get large meals that are delicious and never-mind the calories. Whenever I'm here I tried several items.... it is a must! 1) The Place is clean and welcoming. It is a typical Hispanic place that is "homie-looking" in side. Not too much fan fair. 2) Waitress are attentive, somewhat friendly, and busy. They don't have time for people who are not sure of what they want. You will get the menu and they will come to you once. If you are still not sure of what you want then the next time you will need to flag them down to get them to come to you. This is normal for these kinds of food places so if you are not used to it, you will think they are being rude.... please understand that they are not being rude. 3) Food is typical Puerto Rican. It is delicious. There are several dishes to try and a lot of small choices. I recommend that if you are in the area you give this place a try during your lunch time. Please come hungry.

I've been coming here for years! It can get busy during the typical lunch rush hours so order ahead on an app. The food is fresh to order, they cook the chicken and other entrees fresh to order throughout the day and it's really tasty. No complaints really; except that they don't except credit or debit cards and how convenient they have an $6 ATM in store.

I'm there every week! love the service! love the food! truly a Buffalo treasure. Everything on the menu is amazing. Always fresh! Always clean.

I love coming here! I'm glad I have to drive 1/2 an hour to get here or else I'd be here way to much, spending my rent money LOL For any newcomers, please know you can stand in line for takeout or seat yourself and a waitress will come over with menus. It is usually pretty busy here and can be a little confusing to someone who doesn't know better, because there isn't the traditional hostess waiting to seat you or signs telling you seat yourself .. you'll see people standing in a line and just assume that's what you do no matter what. This place is a hole in the wall, with sensational Puerto Rican food. Mmm mmm mmm! I forgot to take a picture of the menu but I'd like to say the prices are great too! You will leave full and satisfied. I know for me growing up eating traditional American food, whenever I had friends of different ethnicities it would make my whole day when their mothers would cook (Dominican, Phillipino, etc.. oh and one male friend from Puerto Rico who introduced me to their cuisine!). Coming here is just like getting that home cooking whenever you want it! It's consistently delicious. The staff is nice .. you're not going to get that fake stuffy hostess at the door .. you'll get a genuine person coming over with your menus and getting your food out fast. I'm not sure what else to say besides if you haven't been here, what are you waiting for?!

This unassuming local Puerto Rican cafe in the west side of Buffalo serves up the most delicious pastelillos I've ever had! The service was quick and prompt as the crowds were getting bigger. Will definitely be back there when I come back to Buffalo!

Very good food and very good portions. Friendly service and atmosphere . Well worth the money spent

This place has been here seems like forever and I used to stop by just to get pastilotos. Decided to stop in after years and grabbed a chicken and beef pastilito along with a rellenos de papas(potato meat ball). If you are ordering take out there is a line and you just tell them what you want and pay. The place was pretty busy with people ordering to go and dining in. Unfortunately what I got did not have much flavor. Wasn't like I remembered that's for sure. It was OK, at best and I wouldn't go out my way to return.

How can you not love a place who sells juicy all white half a rotisserie chicken with rice and beans for ten bucks. WooHoo. If you're a big spender you could pay almost $20 more at Roost for ambience and lesser chicken. No credit cards Fast and great service.

In the last couple years, the place really fell off. They use to represent the community well with great heritage food. Now the meal is sort of shabby no salad with your meals.... It goes to show once. Somethings starts going well for a while people take advantage of that and don't put out the service they should. I don't recommend this place call across the street there's another Spanish restaurant.

I'm from Rochester but spent some time in Buffalo who now lives close to the Batavia area which the middle between Buff and the Roc anyways when I'm in Buffalo the only Spanish Food I'll eat this spot the best tasting food since I have been in Puerto Rico !!

Their pastillos are so good, I only got the beef but I will be back for more. I got the lunch special that was beef stew with beans and rice. I wasn't a fan of the beans, only because they were pinto. The beef stew was very good, I just wish it was a little larger if a portion. Highly recommend for take out, but be aware it's CASH only!! Luckily I had money in my car.

This place is LIT the service, the authentic cuisine! I would invest money into making this place much bigger and call up "Diners, Drive In's and Dives!" Needs to be on the map! My new favorite. We dined on pork, yellow rice, beans and sweet plantains. -my serving of pork was generous, tender, juicy and full of flavor. -the yellow rice was perfection, huge serving. -beans were tasty but needed a bigger serving -THE SWEET PLANTAINS-OMG-the absolute best! Perfection. And the ambiance(well, I guess you have to experience it for yourself) everyone speaks spanish, loudly and it adds to the experience making it all very remarkable. I will be going there again this week for dinner. -----four hearts because I loved this place!

they close at 8pm NOT 10pm like apple maps and Google says other than that the food is great

If you're looking for authentic, flavorful Puerto Rican food that reminds you of a home cooked meal made with love, then this is the place! You can't go wrong with anything on the menu! They are all delicious. So glad I found this place. Reasonably priced and the food is fresh.

Best Spot for a cheap and fast meal! $7 (that's with tax included) for a lunch portion meal throughout the week before 3PM. Beef Stew is flavorful, marinated perfectly and served immediately. Perfect portion and filling for the lunch price, although the dinner options are affordable as well. Start your meal with a beef and cheese pastellio!

This is a Great little spot for Puerto Rican food - just a few little snacks - they were fairly busy on a Saturday morning- and provided Great Service!

Homey place with stick to your ribs (and hips, thighs, butt,...) Puerto Rican food. Quick table service and soon you'll be enjoying extremely tender pulled pork, chicken and pork chops. Try mixing your cup of beans with sauce into your rice for a great combination of flavors and textures.

Yum! Tasty food at a fair price. The chicken, the shrimp, rice, beans and various sides are all very tasty. The atmosphere can be a bit obnoxious and the servers don't have time for your indecisiveness. They will quickly revert to spanish and scold you for not knowing what you want, so get it together and be prepared to NOT waste their time! Haha You can order ahead, get in line for take out or sit and be served. All options are no frills and to the point. The chicken is juicy, fresh and comes in various portion options. All white meat is available.

This place isn't heavily trafficked but it should be. I've been going here for years for their lunch special! It's cash only but for less than $10 bucks you get a meat, rice, beans, and a drink. I always ask for mojito sauce as it mixes well with the rice! In addition try their fried plantains, they're to die for!

One of my go to spots for some Spanish food, A1 one of my favs must try,swan street is my other spot pastalitos the bomb to.

I felt absolutely stunned when I was told that Niagara Cafe is actually an establishment that serves Puerto Rican cuisine! Let's be real - with this generic name you'd think it would be a regular american eatery. I decided to give it a try at the last minute. When I walked in and found a comfy booth, I noticed they had a long line just for take-out - it was only 4PM on a Saturday! The patrons were diverse, so I had a strong feeling that I would enjoy my meal. After I ordered a coffee, I glanced over the menu which had a nice variety of options. I do recommend, by the way, that this is not an ideal restaurant for people on a carb-restricted diet. We started out with the Tostones (plantain chips) which were served hot and came with a side dipping sauce. I wasn't a fan of the sauce, but you can eat it either plain or with frank's red hot sauce - the Tostones are not seasoned so do what you wish! The Tostones were a good way to start the meal. I went with the Chicken Stew and yellow rice meal. The stew itself is small but delicious. The chicken was tender and fell right off of the bone :D. They did serve a small salad which had a tasty vinaigrette dressing (I think?) and there was a cup of beans. The rice, I must admit, was good, but I did not allow myself to eat the entire portion because I know it isn't the healthiest thing to eat. However, if you're training for a marathon and your body is burning calories as fast as Michael Phelps can swim, then HAVE AT IT! The ONLY negative about the place was that the waitress was not the nicest person - she did not introduce herself or really make us feel welcomed, but she was patient with us. Oh yeah, CASH ONLY. Pay a visit to this awesome mom and pop cafe for authentic Puerto Rican goodness! Bring some cash, but luckily it is affordable.

All I can say is you will not be disappointed by anything on the menu. Someone's grandma has my heart with her food.The staff was warm and friendly, which isn't like many places in Buffalo, that's for sure so that definitely was a plus.

I grabbed dinner with a friend and he chose a restaurant I've never heard of before. I was delighted to try Puerto Rican food but was unsure what to expect. We sat ourselves and were handed menus. I, not knowing what to get, was told to start with a Pastelillo. Choices were limited so a beef Pastelillo was ordered along with 1/2 Rotisserie Chicken All White Meat with Yellow Rice. Being as hungry and excited as I was, I devoured the Pastelillo before remembering I forgot to take a picture! It was simply amazing. Juicy and flaky exactly how I imagined a meat pastry should be. The chicken was done well. Juicy white meat with crispy skin. I'm not a fan of beans in general so they didn't do much for me. I did, however, enjoy the yellow rice. I was only able to finish half of the serving and look forward to finishing the second half. The service was all right but not something to write home (or yelp) about. Great food at a great price. I'll be coming back for more, especially for those Pastelillos.

I was driving up to Canada and when I got to Buffalo I checked for Spanish food near me. It took me here to Niagara Cafe. I'm so happy we stopped. The food is delicious. The atmosphere felt like I was in a fast food restaurant in Puerto Rico. The prices are good. I shared a lunch special Arroz blanco, con carne guisada y habichuelas. It fed us 2 and it was delicious. The taste is very Puerto Rican cooking. I'm hoping to stop by again soon Jen I drive back home on Sunday.

After being back here a few times for their lunch specials, I felt like it was my duty to update my review. For $6, Monday through Fridays (11a-2p); you can get a quarter roasted chicken with a handful of delicious beans and yellow rice (make sure to mix them together for proper enjoyment). There's also some pork options, but I've been sticking with the chicken. I love it. It's crispy, yet tender and every time I'm here...I lick my plate clean. Such a plentiful, hearty lunch and at only $6 -- it leaves me incredibly satisfied. Here's a little pro-tip: ask for their mojito sauce...it won't get you tipsy and it will be an extra fifty cents, but this tomato-based tangy mix is a great companion for the chicken and/or rice. They simply need each other.

A big fan of the carne frita and pastelillos. I used to work on the West Side and would get take out once a week.

Always packed always delicious! The food is legit PR the staff is always friendly and helpful with the menu the chicken is so juicy and flavorful and omggg the beef Pastelillos my favorite!! Def a must if you're in the area! Also try the Parcha passion fruit juice! The rice is always so fluffy and full of flavor especially on Saturdays! It's cash only so be sure to come prepared but they do have ATMs if you forget or don't carry cash like me.

Just to re-iterate, if there was the hottest woman on earth, or Niagara Cafe food, I would be spending the night alone, and full. Wow! 5/5 What my review originally said was that this is in a bad area. Bad area for me usually means honest, hardworking people with a low average income (the kind of area I've lived in quite a few times in my life), but apparently a resident of the West Side did not take kindly to me describing it as such, and I received a lot of abuse for my review, and thereby deleted it. Basically here is the gist of it. Latino Food is hard to come by in Upstate NY. If you're in or near the city, you are spoiled, whereas if you're out West or in most major cities, you have some authentic Mexican (not advertised as "authentic Mexican" mind you, which would mean it was guaranteed 100% American)... but simply put, you should never try Mexican food in Buffalo. However, this Puerto Rican style food joint makes up for Buffalo's lack of Tacos and then some. Puerto Rican (and Latino Caribbean food in general) is insanely delicious. It's something like Mexican and Argentinian and Colombian, but more like Cuban, but more than anything it's utterly delicious. I get, and highly recommend you get, the Pernil (roasted pork), with rice and beans and soup (all comes with it), and the red sauce. The red sauce makes the meal - it's very tangy and garlicy and dreamy - ask for extras before you leave (trust me). Also, if you like your food soaked and juicy and scrumptious like I do, ask for the juice to be put all over the rice/potatoes for you. That will really take it to the next level... Puerto Rican food can be a little dry at times, but if you get all that Pernil juice poured all over it, with the sauce and the soup too... it's an otherworldly experience. I have tried Puerto Rican places in Florida, New York City, and on Long Island, and this one is still my favourite. The red sauce must be an illegal drug because it is too good to be legal. Bravo, Niagara Cafe - Bravo. Heart. P.S. It's in a really, really, really, really, really, really horrible, terrible, scary area. Joke.

I really had no idea what to expect when my friend and her boyfriend said that they were taking me to the West side of Buffalo for lunch. Niagara Cafe is an extremely casual Puerto Rican restaurant located in a part of town that I had never even driven through. I was immediately intrigued when we arrived. As we walked in, we were greeted enthusiastically by the men working behind the counter. Everybody at the restaurant was very friendly and happy. The cafe has a take out line and table service. The take out line was very long. We chose to sit down. After thoroughly reviewing my options, I settled on two pastelillos and a side of yellow rice. I absolutely loved my meal. The pastelillos were just as good, if not better, than the ones I've had in Puerto Rico- perfectly spiced and extra cheesy. The yellow rice had just the right amount of cilantro. My meal cost $6.00 total. I don't know anywhere else in Buffalo where you can get a meal that satisfying for less than $10.00. I was very impressed by this restaurant and will certainly return!

Great food, very nice staff and the service is always amazing. I love eating here when I want to eat food that is close to a home cooked meal. My food is also always ready very quick if I Uber pick-pick up.

Simply said, the food is delicious. The environment and staff are very friendly. That is the reason why I return to this quaint, cozy place. Love the upgrade!

the service was amazing! the chicken pastalillos are to die for! so delicious! very clean and welcoming! highly recommended!

If you love Hispanic food, this is the place to visit! The food is great, along with the price and extra friendly service!

Noms. This place is so simple and delicious. I went on a Sunday late afternoon and waited in no line. The food came out quick. I got half a chicken, rice and beans with a beef pastelillos for 12 dollars!!!! The pastelillos was crispy and filling. Not stale and quite hot. The chicken was very juicy and tender. I personally like to dip my pastelillos in my the beans if I get both. Prepare to bring cash and prepare to come hungry cause the food is delicious.

Best Puerto Rican food in Buffalo! I could eat their pastelillos every day and not get sick of them. The rice and beans are fantastic too. Prices are very reasonable for the amount of food you get. Highly recommend everyone check them out!

Chicken and rice, get some!!! Flavorful and tasty! Beans are a perfect side dish, but worth trying out everything in the menu. Price is awesome. Definitely a good stop.

I'm not sure if I understand the hype about this restaurant. The food is well priced and has a decent portion. However, I believe it lacked alot of flavor. At the very least I thought the beans that come with the meal would be a nice addition. I could drizzle that on my rice to give it some flavor, but that was also bland. I expected more from this place. To add on, they only except cash. And for me personally the person at the register didn't seem very welcoming. She barely made eye contact and it took a while to grab her attention. I don't think I will go back, since I wasn't satisfied with my meal. They have many more options than chicken, so maybe those will be more flavorful.

My good friend and neighbor suggested this place. We live in downtown and we took a leisurely stroll to Niagara Street. This is a super casual diner type place but the food is 5 stars. He ordered a half chicken dinner that came with yellow rice and beans. I ordered the same since it was my first time and I really wasn't sure what to get. He also ordered a side of Maduros (sp?) for us which were deep fried plantains served with a spicy sauce. The chicken was juicy inside and crispy outside. The beans combined with the rice were good and the plantains were delicious! Note- they only take cash.