George’s is back on Niagara Street… well, sort of.
A lot of people talk about George’s to this day, even though another fine restaurant (Riverview Family Restaurant) inhabited the space for a significant amount of time (since the closing of George’s). When a couple of us stopped in to have lunch today, we spoke to one of the co-owners who happened to wait on our table. When I asked her about George’s (a restaurant destination from back in the day), she told me that she once frequented the place, nothing more, nothing less.
Today the restaurant is aptly called George’s American Diner. While the name of the restaurant did slightly change, and there are completely different owners, the original “George’s” sign does grace the front of the building. Throughout the years that same sign could be seen on the side of the building, as a fond reminder to those who once dined (and drank) at the well known neighborhood establishment.
The new George’s is a bit of a mash-up of the two previous diner-esque eateries that called the building home. The most noticeable difference, that is plain to see, is the vibrant upgrade to the interior. The diner is awash with the color yellow. There are clean booths, ceiling fans, and hanging stained glass swag lights. The floor layout is vaguely familiar – the real difference is the addition of a traditional diner (though not retro) seating area to one side of the restaurant. The other noticeable difference (other than the vibrant color change) is the second operable exit/access door.
As for the food, George’s serves breakfast all day, and lunch kicks in at 10:30am. Both menus feature fairly standard diner options. Lunch items include Texas Hots, burgers, souvlaki, spaghetti, BLT, etc. (all at super reasonable prices). We were originally thinking about ordering from the breakfast menu, but ultimately opted for the lunch offerings. I was surprised that there were no “shakes” on the menu – I hope that they add that menu item in the future. Even with the lack of shakes, this is the perfect place to take the entire family – the kids will love it.
The food at George’s is solid, and so is the understated, simple atmosphere. The service is good too. There are no complaints here, other than the Patriots shirt that our server (co-owner) was wearing. When I razzed her about wearing it, she told me that she had been given a number of Patriots shirts at Christmas time (by her young son who is just learning about football rivalries), and she felt that the best thing to do with them was to wear them at work where they would get dirty. To me, that was a cute and satisfactory answer (no harm, no foul).
Seeing that our lunch was on par with our expectations, and the fact that Buffalo could use a couple more low key diner options, I am already looking forward to my next visit to try out the breakfast items. The stuffed French toast (stuffed with cream cheese & bananas) with strawberries on top sounds right up my alley. I also want to try out their chocolate chip pancakes.
I recently heard that the neighborhood has given George’s a welcoming reception, which I am happy to hear. It’s the perfect type of eatery for this section of Niagara Street in Black Rock. There’s nothing fancy about the place – just good diner-stye cooking in a relaxed atmosphere.
Stop in and grab a cup of coffee and a quick meal, and then tell your friends that there’s a new diner option in the city. Chances are you’ll be back for the food, the service and the low prices.
George’s American Diner | 1893 Niagara Street | Black Rock in Buffalo, NY | 716-400-8334